May 2022 – Shared Illusions

Bonjour! Gosh, it was grand to spend two weeks in that sunny, humid, flowery state. We left April 26 and returned May 10. It’s not a bad drive from the Q – about two 8 hour days of driving. We spent the one overnight in Gainesville, TX which has a sweet old downtown and a neighborhood of stately old manses, too large too capture with my phone. Of course, it was tempting to look at real estate. But we do that everywhere we go. One interesting site was seeing two cars, full of burly guys, driving slowly down the street admiring the architecture as we were. Or maybe they were casing the joints.

Why didn’t I post while we were in Louisiana? IDK. You wouldn’t think that walking and dancing my feet ragged for hours on end in the sun and humidity would take it out of me that much. Certainly not more than walking 10-12-15 miles a day with an 18 pound pack would. But it seems to have done. Well, I was younger then and hadn’t yet fallen 12 feet and broken a bunch of bones. Any excuse.

You might be interested in the different pedometer step count between Charlie\Ed and moi. His might say 12,000 and mine 22,000. I figure I walked about 5 miles and danced 6!

Okay, but I’ve been home almost a week! What gives? I’ll tell ya. I brought the Rona home with me. Not to worry, though. It appears to be a mild case. Started Thursday afternoon with sore-ish throat and fatigue. Friday, a full blown headache, body aches, and mega fatigue. Saturday, most of that gone, some residual fatigue left behind and the development of bronchitis. I’ve been treating that with a nebulizer and using hydroxychloroquine for the Rona. I’m feeling aok in general, but still taking it easy.

Now, for the main event!

Louisiana has way more water than anywhere I’ve been. These trees are growing in a swamp.

Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge – tallest in the US. Completed under administration of Huey Long at the height of the depression, 1932 for $5 million. 3 years later he was assassinated there. 26 varieties of marble from all over the world. Truly a beautiful building.

Lobby – the murals on either end are allegorical and suffused with Louisiana color

View of the Mississippi from the 27th floor observation deck. Lower left corner note the white statue in the circle – that’s Huey, facing the capitol.

Sculpture commemorating a marker on the east bank of the Mississippi River which caught the eye of French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville while making his way upriver during an exploration in 1699. He and his men saw a bloodied cypress pole on the bluff, adorned with animal parts and stained red from the tribes’ latest haul, and dubbed the area “le bâton rouge,” French for “Red Stick”. And the name stuck.

We saw these spreading trees in Baton Rouge, Breaux Bridge (where we stayed for Lafayette festival), Lafayette, and New Orleans. They reach and stretch their limbs further than seems possible.

Downtown Lafayette, The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist or La Cathédrale St-Jean, originally called l’Église St-Jean du Vermilion, Dutch Romanesque Revival

Award for best stilt walking costumes

Best hula hooping

I didn’t take many photos in Lafayette or Breaux Bridge. Didn’t really see much more of Lafayette than the festival venue. Except, we did visit a museum about the Acadians, those who came from Canada after they were forced out of the Nova Scotia area when the English took control sometime in the 1600s. The history was well presented through photos, artifacts, and a rather cheesy and in need of editing movie. The English were quite brutal during the removal process, separating men from their families. Holding them prisoner. Then forcing women and children on ships, separate from the men, and trying to unload them in various colonies. Some would not allow them to land. Others did and forced them into slavery or indentured servitude. And others made their way to Louisiana where over time they came to be know as Cajuns.

Jasmine, New Orleans – when I die I’ll know I’m in heaven if I smell jasmine.

Some New Orleans architecture, though none of the greatbigbeautiful home of the Garden District, cuz they’re just too much!

These long narrow homes are common. We stayed in one in the Carrollton neighborhood, uptown. It was a great location, easy walk to streetcar, which is how we got around. And bus a few times.

The Jazz Museum in the French Quarter is worthwhile and often has music outside. Chaz was a reknowned wash boarder, still a big part of Cajun, Creole, Zydeco music. I love the additional accoutrements.

Photo caption: Spasm band on the streets of New Orleans, 1920. STOMP! is an expanded version.

Intriguing bits and pieces…

Musicians

Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys – she can fiddle, sing, dance and in a slinky dress and wearing stilettos. Hot stuff

Sexy Jourdan Thibodeaux and Les Rôdailleurs (the Ramblers)

Et toi!

This is a minute fraction of the many acts we experienced. Samantha Fish! Billy Strings! Cory Ledet, Cimafunk, Sonny Landreth, see any of them if you get a chance. We also heard the Preservation Hall Jazz band who will be playing at summer fest at Domingo Baca Park. So much more than I expected. Do go! (Those of you in Albuquerque…)

It was a resounding and rewarding experience to be at the Jazz Festival. We’re glad we did it. I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from going. And, it’s probably the only time we’ll get the 4 day pass. It’s so intense with the heat, the size of the place, the people. Not discounting a day or two though! Definitely going to New Orleans again. The weekend before the Lafayette fest is the French Quarter festival and it’s free, as is the Lafayette fest. Jazz is pretty pricey for the 4 days – but there’s so much included: aside from 13 stages of varying sizes, there’s the food courts (surprisingly good food and not super jacked pricing), and part of ticket price supports free music lessons and the free festivals, like the one in the French Quarter.

Second Line