Blogs from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North America - page 48

Arriving in The Big Easy I arrived at 1 a.m. this morning. Getting off the plane was amazing…. I've traveled further than this before but for some odd reason, the flight felt like it took forever. I sat in the Exit row, which is always my preference, but I got squished up against the window. The man net to me was elbow hoggin my space. So, again.. twas a long ass flight! My first impressions of New Orleans was the music that seemed to always playing from the moment I stepped off the plane. It was there all around me. I heard Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World playing….and in the background a whole lotta parlez vous francais. Interesting. So along I went, searching for an airport shuttle to whisk me away to Hotel D Leau ... read more

Confetti, oranges et serpentins ? Rien de tout cela pour nous cette année. Pourtant, nous avons bien fêté le carnaval à la Nouvelle-Orleans en Louisiane. Dans les rues du French Quarter et dans les artères principales de la ville, on peut assister aux parades des fêtes du Mardi Gras dès le week-end qui précède le fameux mardi. Les balcons sont décorés aux couleurs de la ville avec masques, boas, guirlandes et colliers. On a d'ailleurs découvert une bien drôle de coutume. On fait la fête toute la journée dans les rues, on boit et on danse. Dans Bourbon Street en particulier, la tradition veut que les femmes montrent leurs seins ou leurs fesses aux hommes perchés sur les balcons pour obtenir les colliers qu'ils leur présentent. L'inverse est aussi valable : les hommes montrent aussi leurs ... read more

Our third week building did not leave us with as many sore muscles and fatigue as the second week, so I guess we're adapting. Or is it because we took off a half day Wednesday and all day Thursday to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans and with brother Harry and sister Ann from Albuquerque? That definitely helped! We stayed overnight in the city and ate at the legendary Emerril's and Mother's. While waiting for the parade Wed. night we told the bartender that we were collecting beads for the Hippler's who could not return for the build in Slidell due to family illness. (They represent their local habitat in their county parade in Ohio and throw beads to remind people of those still so affected by Katrina.) He immediately gathered all the beads in the ... read more

Yesterday, we travelled from Houston to New Orleans along the I10 highway. We got an early start but were held up for an hour near Lake Charles by highway construction. We tried to get a swamp boat ride at Hendeson, La. but they were not operating because of the lack of tourists and bad weather. It was raining off and on and very windy. Not a problem for hardy tourists. We got to our hotel with no problems thanks to our GPS but Ron discovered that he had two sweaters missing from his bag - used them to make a pillow and left them behind. The hotel is beatiful and is right in the middle of the action on Bourbon Street - a kind of oasis in the madness. Ramada Plaza Inn on Boubon Street. We ... read more

So, Nolabeth are going to Thailand! And in 10 days. We are so excited and are beginning to pack. Nolabeth is my favorite nickname for Nolan and myself. We got that nickname in California last summer. After Jason & Rebecca's wedding in San Diego, we drove north to San Clemente and spent a few days with Jessica Devoe and her family. Colin and Jessia were trying to get their kids, Josh & Penny, excited about our visit and kept telling them that Nolan and Beth were coming. We had so much fun with Josh and Penny, from the backyard to the beach. Which wasn't that far away. We realized that Josh thought each of our names was NolaBeth, rather than Nolan and Beth. We thought that was adorable. After we left, Josh kept asking when Nolabeth ... read more