The Crypts

It has taken me a little over a year to get my butt on a tour of the New Orleans crypts. They are amazing and our tour guide, Lloyd, was fantastic. I took an obscene number of photos and was missing having my canon EOS 500 - I SO want a digital one. But my little cheapo olympus still took some nice shots. I love the iron work, the crosses, the gothic romance of it all. I also love how it looks like downtown grows out of the crypts.

What has happened to me???

I'm Scottish. I have braved so many cold, no freezing, mornings I can't count them. I have grown up being taken on a brisk, no freezing, walk on Christmas day each and every year. I am an expert at focusing on my tummy warmth so I don't notice that my hands feel like they've got frostbite.

This morning I woke in New Orleans in our little rented half shotgun and I was cold, shivering, complaining. I woke demanding that we sleep with more blankets. I hurriedly dressed and put on my teddy bear fleece - it looks like the fur from a blond teddy bear.

The temperature in our little shotgun was 70 degrees (that's 21 degrees Celsius) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What has happened to me? Have I lost all my training from growing up in Scotland. Am I turning into a woos?

I am now quaking in fear for when the temperature drops to a spine chilling 40 degrees (4 degrees Celsius) this Winter. How will I ever make it through ..... ?????

DIG IT UP!!!!

The Saints are 0-3!! We got whooped again last night and it was a depressing thing to witness. I'd like to stress I am no fair weather fan and I'll stick by them but its a rough task right now. It feels like watching Scotland play England at rugby only every week...!!!

I don't know what has happened to Brees or MacAllister or Bush. This was a team that was number one for offense in the entire NFL last year - this year we are more than likely last!!

The team held a jazz funeral and buried all their awards and trophies from last season to help them have a fresh start for 07/08. It obviously was a very bad idea. They buried their ability to play football with it!!!

So my plea for myself and all those amazing Who Dat fans, is pleeeeeease dig the coffin up!!!!! Its only in Metairie - I'll go and do it for them if they want. Only do something to change the gris-gris before we rename the Superdome Superdepressing!!!

And this just makes things even more gloomy.

My New House Guard

Just goes to show in this town, you can never be sure what will greet you when you get home. I am just recovering from chasing this little fella all around my front door to a position where I could actually be brave enough to unlock my door. I then summoned all my courage and opened the door and went inside only to find that he'd scarpered - and of course my subsequent fear was 'oh shit he's in the house'!!

Luckily he'd hopped the other direction... whew!! I had a tense few hours when we were in Miami chasing a tiny lizard (perhaps salamander - but it was green??) round our tiny studio apartment and I didn't fancy doing the same with a New Orleans tree frog!!

I don't do well with creepy crawlies or amphibians....
and I live where...????
I must be crazy - or just brave!!!

Magazine on a beautiful Saturday

the street names are tiled into the pavement in Uptown - some are sadly broken but I was psyched to find this one
Geaux Saints!!!!! (this town will turn anyone into a Saints fan - and I mean anyone - one of my friends just moved here and hates football - half a Saints game and she's hooked!!!!)
great second hand clothes shop - with fantastically coloured crazy wigs!
Balcony Bar - great vantage point to watch the antics of St Patrick's day parade - and to drink lots of beer with friends!!
my favourite coffee shop!!
great diner!!
great seafood
still can't get used to living somewhere that has banana trees - crazy!!!
the oaks that line most avenues in uptown are fantastic - they are almost beast-like
my favourite wee row of houses on Louisiana
water meter cover - they are a symbol for New Orleans

Freret Market: reminds me why I love this town.

I was tootling around uptown running errands when I was blessed with a New Orleans moment. I was driving down Freret Street and stumbled upon the opening day of the new Freret Market in Uptown - admittedly had I been reading the TP more avidly I would likely have picked up on it sooner.

There were art stalls, fresh shrimp stalls, jewellery stalls, second hand clothes stalls, food stalls (Dunbars!!!) and even a fortune reader. This being New Orleans, right in the midst of it all was a brass band playing their hearts out and the best thing was they were all young men - perhaps signalling that the passing of the brass band tradition is still alive and well in this town (they sounded good!!).

In spite of the heat (I'm a northern European girl after all!!), I went away with a smile and relieved to see another positive thing taking place in this town amongst all that is still in disarray.