---

October 28, 2009
Debauchery…I think that’s the word! But let me start at the beginning. Today we had breakfast late…what a luxury! Following that we took a walk to the French Quarter. It’s somewhat calm during the day…little did I know what happens there after dark. Anyway we were “silverneer” (as my kids use to say) shopping…not a lot of luck…and the humidity was making me feel a bit lethargic, so I headed back to the hotel. Once we were all back we took off for a trip “down the bayou”. I’m not sure what I expected…I think huts on the water’s edge inhabited by old crazy looking women with voo-doo dolls!!! Of course we saw nothing but narrow waterways and perfectly ordinary houses and people, along the way. We decided on The Bourbon House for dinner, in the “Quarter”…that’s what you call it if you’re cool in New Orleans…(you may remember “The Canyon”!!!), although as it turned out I, for one, am not very cool at all!!! We had seen the restaurant earlier and thought it would work. Well, if we thought the “Quarter” was crazy BEFORE we ate dinner, I can barely describe what we saw AFTER dinner…Debauchery (I’ve never been able to use that word)! It was wild!!! Those people were Crazy!!! And I wouldn’t mind but it was Wednesday…a school night for goodness sake (not that we saw any children thank God…but still, homework, lunches…)!!! People were wasted…you can drink in the streets. Many were minimally clothed and young women, in an attempt to coax some hapless soul into an establishment, would hike up their shirts…and they had nothing…nada… on underneath! There were men and women, men and men, women and women. There was a jazz band playing in the middle of the street and spectators would step into the street and dance…and they were not good dancers!!! Most were having trouble keeping themselves upright! And the noise…you could literally not hear yourself think! The streets are blocked off so there’s no traffic and it was just nuts! I can only imagine what we looked like! After dinner, which was very good by the way, Bill convinced us to go into a country music bar… It was like having an out of body experience and I did not have enough to drink at dinner to cope with any of this. Bill loved it…me, not so much…and I love Provincetown!!! I was very happy when we headed home to bed…call me a poop…I don’t care…I just didn’t have it in me. And Donna…well after one of the waitresses in the bar started making eyes at her…she was pretty much done too!!!
Today’s Road Lesson: There’s no such thing as a school night in the “Quarter”!

---