Vacation, Day 2, 10/22/2009, Part 4

A perfect day continued with muscle cars and ended with an antebellum home, all in Mississippi, a tasty supper in Louisiana, and some penny-machine fun (for Mama anyway), back in Mississippi.

There were two muscle cars inside the buildings at Milton's friend's place. A purple Charger--1970 if I remember right--in the process of being restored sat in the newer building, and a yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A sat in the other one, completely covered with a dustcover.

Here are the photos of the Challenger, a car that has won awards at cruise-ins. I think he said that he and his wife ride in the car to those events. Wouldn't that be a neat thing to see? He started the car and let it run for just a little while, knowing we shouldn't be exposed to the exhaust for long. Listening to the powerful sound, I looked up and said, "I love it when you can hear that you've got cylinders!"








Clean lines, clean car.




You could eat in here, right?








A model of the 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A.


Some of the car's trophies.


I was so excited to see the gorgeous purple car, the Charger, that evidently I was shaking, plus it was a lowlight situation. I'm sharing this blurry photo with you so that you can see the rich purple color.


Work's going on, as you can see.






Milton drove us home in the fine Corvette. Thinking I would have room to get out, he backed in, then realized I really couldn't fit between the car and the low brick wall on their carport, so he pulled back out to give me room. Kay and Mama both asked what had taken us so long, so I explained enthusiastically about the speedy ride and about the muscle cars! Kay had been busy while we were gone, making ten pounds of potato salad to take to an event at their church that night. She offered all of us bowls of it, along with saltines and sweet tea. Yummy! We sat around, enjoying being dry when it started to rain and planning our evening outing.

Both of them knew how much Mama enjoys playing the penny machines, so they had decided we ought to go west to Natchez, on the Mississippi River, so we could eat supper and go to the Isle of Capri, a casino on a docked riverboat. Sounded good to me, too.

As we drove around Natchez near the Mississippi River Bridge, figuring out where to eat, I thought I had seen a building we came upon as we neared a left-hand curve in the road. "That's Rosalie!" I said, raising my camera to take a photo through the window.

Found on the Internet: Rosalie Mansion is a historic pre-Civil War mansion in Natchez, Mississippi, significant for its influence on architecture in a wide area. During the American Civil War, it served as Union headquarters for the Natchez area from July 1863 on.

It was built for a wealthy cotton broker in 1823 on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, on a portion of the site of the Natchez Indians massacre of the French in 1729 at Fort Rosalie. It has been owned, operated and maintained by the Mississippi State Society Daughters of the American Revolution for over 70 years. On July 13, 1863 General Grant took possession of Rosalie to use as Union Army Headquarters. On August 26, 1863 General Walter Gresham took command of Union Army troops at Natchez. His headquarters remained at Rosalie.

Gresham had much of the owner's furnishings stored in the attic and put under guard to prevent theft or destruction. Union army tents covered much of the property surrounding the mansion. Union Army soldiers were placed in position in the observatory on top of the mansion.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It's architectural style is Greek Revival.

We parked in the lot of Fat Mama's Tamales while Milton went in to get a menu for us to check out. I was able to get another photo of the mansion that I toured in the mid-1980's.


Deciding we were in a tamale mood, Milton suggested we go across the river to Vidalia, Louisiana, and see if the Sandbar was open. You can tell that it continued to rain in this photo I took of the bridges.


I held the camera over my right shoulder to get this quick shot of the Isle of Capri.


I wanted to show you something I saw at the Sandbar that I remember from growing up in the humid South.

Yep, that's raw rice inside the salt shaker. It keeps the salt from clumping. You can tell there's moisture in the air by checking out the crystals around the holes in the shaker's metal lid. Curious, I Googled "rice in a salt shaker" and got 148,000 hits in .43 seconds! Among the first hits, the one that caught my eye is at ehow.com, "How to Refill Your Salt Shaker," instructions in seven steps. Entertaining, to say the least!

I ate my tasty fried chicken salad without giving the camera another thought. As we left I tried to get a photo of the sign, another moving, lowlight effort. I sort of like it, though.


We continued on to the casino where Mama had fun and left with $17 more than she brought. I had an OK time but I left with nothing left of what I brought.

Friday night I'm going to the Rose Garden Arena for the "So You Think You Can Dance" live show! Whoopee!

Vacation, Day 2, 10/22/2009, Part 3

We made it to Mississippi! Hooray! To tell you the truth, neither one of us ever expected to get back home again, so this is just so special, so sweet. We knew we were in for some fun, for days and days and days! It all started with Kay and Milton, out in the country at their house. They had plans for us, let me tell you.

First thing after we got the suitcases inside the house, Milton got the keys to Kay's 1980 Corvette and said, "Come on, Lynette. I'm taking you for a ride."

Here's the Corvette in the carport, speed sitting still.

When Milton started it up, the rest of us, including their grandson Ian and their rescued, cutie-pie, little dog Tinkerbell, were on the carport, sitting there visiting. Did Mama ever squeal and jump in her seat! I stood there in awe, reveling in the power, the deep rumble, the potential.

Milton goosed it a time or two before pulling out onto the driveway. Mama jumped again, giggling. I grinned.


Milton got out, took both T-tops (or whatever you call them) out of roof of the car, helped me get way down into the seat, made sure I was belted in. Milton got in, started the engine. Whoa! What a sound! I'm thinking, "Anticipation!" He hooked up an iPod to the dash and the car's sound system. Holding the iPod in his left hand, steering with his right, Milton said, "Now, I don't know for sure what's on here, Lynette. My grandson and my son-in-law loaded it, so it's all kinds of stuff." He drove us down their driveway and turned left, out onto the country road, where he stepped on the gas, and I felt myself pushed back into the seat--whoopee! I wondered at how NASCAR drivers must feel so much more force when going nearly 200 mph. For an inkling, I realized how addictive speed can be.

I took this photo of Tinkerbell before I got into the Corvette. She's wishing she could go along for the ride, but settled for telling us good-bye at the edge of the carport.


To tell you the truth, I don't remember what we listened to on that fine sound system, but I do know that we could hear every bit of it even with the air rushing by--Milton just pumped up the volume! We could've been the music source for one fine lawn party, if Milton had decided to stop somewhere.

The Corvette responded quickly to Milton's foot on the gas pedal, barreling down this road and that road. I don't know for sure where we went because I didn't know for sure where we were in the first place. I mean, in general I knew we were west of I-55 near McComb. I do know that I had an ever-lovin' blast! At one point I asked him, "How fast are we going?" He replied, "Only 65." "We sure did get there fast," I said. Milton laughed and laughed while I grinned at him. (Later on we sped up to 85, Milton told me after we were back home.) We zoomed past fenced fields, houses with porches, a country store and gas station, at least one church, a post office, groves of pines and leafless hardwoods beneath a battleship gray sky.

I took this photo looking straight up out of the swiftly moving Corvette. I wondered at their speed and skill, how it matched with the car's and Milton's.


After a few more miles flew by, I asked over the roar of the wind and the radio, "Is this a muscle car, Milton?" He said no and went on to explain the difference which I can't quite remember except that I think he mentioned 442's and GTO's and MOPAR. Little did I know that I'd hatched an idea in his head with that short little question.

Pretty soon Milton slowed down, made a sharp right turn and headed up a slight incline, then turned left into a curving lane lined with mostly tall pines, some young hardwoods, with two dirt tracks separated by a grassy strip, pine needles strewn here and there. "I'm taking you somewhere where you can take all the pictures you want to take, Lynette," he explained.

Soon the track turned to all grass that ended at an obviously new garage-sized out-building, situated beside a smaller, older one. Milton blew and blew the horn as we both looked toward the open, regular-sized door on the left front of the building. A man walked out and good ol'boy hellos ensued. We were at Milton's train engineer's home. "I brought her out here," Milton explained, "after she asked me if the Corvette was a muscle car." Turns out he's a muscle car man! Come back tomorrow to see what I mean--you won't be disappointed.

Milton parked the Corvette, and naturally I couldn't resist one more photo of the first Corvette I've had the pleasure of sitting in, much less speeding around the countryside.

Vacation, Day 2, 10/22/2009, Part 2

We rode in Kay's truck from New Orleans to hers and Milton's home in South Mississippi. For you, random sights and sites seen as we moved along the streets and highways.

Seen before we got onto I-10.

Robert Dafford's mural, the 150-foot-tall clarinet painted on the side of a Holiday Inn hotel on Loyola Avenue, is trompe l'oeil . This mural was dedicated in May 1996. From Wikipedia: Trompe l'oeil (French for 'trick the eye') is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions, instead of actually being a two-dimensional painting.

Seen on Poydras, as we neared I-10, the Louisiana Superdome.



Seen just off I-10, one of New Orleans' cemeteries, also known as cities of the dead.

Found on the Internet: Why aren’t the dead in New Orleans buried underground as they are in most of the rest of the country? Tour guides are fond of explaining (and sometimes embellishing) the practice to shocked tourists. The main issue, they explain, is that New Orleans is actually located slightly below sea level. Because of this, the water table is quite high. When early European settlers put coffins under six feet of earth, they found that the water level would often rise above them, especially during the city’s frequent floods. Since the coffins were filled with air, the water sometimes pushed them up through the earth, causing both a gruesome sight and a health hazard. To keep the coffins underground, holes were drilled in the lid to let air escape, and the coffins were weighted down with rocks and sand. But this was only partially successful, and in any case the saturated corpses did not decompose properly, leading to unsanitary conditions. The only solution was to bury the dead above ground.

Tour guides seldom mention that above-ground burial was a common practice in both France and Spain, where many of the early settlers were from. Even without the resurfacing coffins—which, by the way, were the exception rather than the rule—this practice may well have been adopted simply to keep with tradition. In any case, this method is still widely used today, even though the water table has dropped considerably over the past two centuries as nearby marshes and swamps were drained.

Seen on the way out of town, just to the side of I-10.

Found on their Web site: Faux Pas Prints is a cutting-edge screen printing, embroidery, and promotional item company. We specialize in the corporate casual clothing market with products such as printed t-shirts, embroidered golf shirts, hats, jackets, and much more!

Faux Pas Prints is growing daily through a large number of satisfied customers coupled with competitive pricing! Your complete satisfaction is guaranteed.

Seen off I-55, at Manchac.

Kay says the railroad bridge is lowered when a train is coming. Milton works for the railroad.

Seen off I-55, at Manchac.

Found on the Internet: There is a place north of New Orleans called Pass Manchac or as the locals call it "Manchac." Pass Manchac is the home of Middendor's - a wonderful seafood restuarant that has been there longer than most people can remember. Pass Manchac is a small waterway that connects Lake Ponchartrain to Lake Maurpaus. On a thin sliver of land is the town of Pass Manchac. Residing on that land is Middendorf's. This is a small, crowded, noisy seafood restaurant that serves great seafood. There are no big signs that say "Authentic Cajun Food" or any such tourist nonsense. This is a real, local restaurant that serves great food. For generations, people from New Orleans (home of a few good seafood restaurants :-) ) have taken the 45-minute drive north to find. People from the north lake region have also frequented this place.

The specialty is fried thin-sliced catfish filets. These are great. So are the shrimp, oyster, crawfish, crabs, and everything else on the menu.

The atmosphere is casual - quit casual. Don't wear a tie or put on airs. Come and enjoy real food served by some real people.

Seen off I-55, at Manchac.

This is where Milton comes on the train. Can you tell that the small print reads, "Barge, Truck, Rail"?

Seen on I-55, near Ponchatoula, I think.

Personal fireworks rank real high with lots of people--I'll bet there's a great selection at this place. And I see they're also a Mardi Gras Party Shop--I love beads! To tell the truth, I adore sparkling, shiny stuff, period.

Seen on I-55.

I couldn't believe how many birds I saw sitting atop what appeared to be an unused billboard. Looking at it just now, I saw even more birds on the second level. And then I noticed how small those full-grown cows look beside the wooden framework. What in the world was advertised here?

Seen on I-55, in Pike County, Mississippi.

Welcome to Mississippi, Birthplace of America's Music. Found on the Internet in the May 13, 2009, Desoto Times Tribune: In recognition of tourism’s $6 billion impact on the Mississippi economy, Gov. Haley Barbour Tuesday unveiled new highway welcome signs that highlight the state’s emerging identity as the “Birthplace of America’s Music.”

“It has been known for many years that Mississippi’s musical heritage makes us the real ‘Birthplace of America’s Music’ – from the blues, to country, to rock ‘n roll, to gospel,” Barbour said. “These new welcome signs and the slogan are really designed to recognize and honor all of the talented men and women whose incredible array of entertainment skills put Mississippi on the world’s music map.”

During a press conference at Jackson-Evers International Airport, Barbour unveiled a replica of the new signs and proclaimed this week as Mississippi Tourism Week, coinciding with National Travel and Tourism Week, the tourism industry's commemorative event that runs through May 17. The governor chose Mississippi’s largest airport for the event because it is one of the state’s preeminent gateways; one of the first new welcome signs was placed on Airport Road.

“I dare say, no state has a greater claim on the slogan ‘Birthplace of America’s Music’ than Mississippi, and no state’s governor could be as proud as I am today with this recognition,” Barbour said.

So far, signs also have been placed at the Mississippi Welcome Center in Vicksburg; on I-55 in DeSoto County; I-20 in Warren, Lauderdale, and Jackson counties; I-10 in Jackson and Hancock counties; Highway 78 and Highway 61 in DeSoto county; the newest will go up on I-55 in Pike County this week.


Come back tomorrow to find out the plans Milton and Kay had for us while we were at their home.

Vacation, Day 2, 10/22/2009, Part 1

If you looked at yesterday's blog, more than likely you guessed where we planned to go this morning, first thing--Cafe Du Monde.


Well, I have to tell you that I never figured out the thermostat in our beautiful room, but we did have the ceiling fan and those fabulous high ceilings, so we all managed to get a good night's rest despite the humidity.

I felt so much better that I decided to get out my little laptop Honk and try to connect to the wireless. Hooray! I checked e-mail, cleaned out the junk, then downloaded the photos I'd taken on 10/21/2009 to the computer. Mama still had some energy although her arms and shoulders were sore from holding onto her walker for that long walk the night before. We three talked about our much shorter walk from the Place D'Armes Hotel on St. Ann to the Cafe Du Monde on Decatur--a mere tenth of a mile. That right there tells you why I picked that hotel. My main goal for our overnight in New Orleans was for Mama to be able to walk to the Cafe Du Monde and get herself some beignets and coffee without feeling like she was being a burden to anyone.


Well, OK, I'll 'fess up--I wanted some beignets, too! My dearly departed husband LeRoy and I used to order the beignet mix and the coffee shipped to us in Kansas City. He'd been to New Orleans with several buddies back in the late '60's or early '70's. He fell hard for those two staples of the Cafe Du Monde. Sometimes on Sundays we'd load up our little LUV truck with our electric skillet, a bottle of Crisco or Wesson oil, his Chemex coffeemaker, some filters, the beignet mix and the coffee in the gold can. We were brunch-on-wheels for our best buds in KC. What good memories I'm having as a result of our being in New Orleans!

Check-out time at the Place D'Armes is 11 a.m., so we had to get a move on once we'd all finished our daily ablutions. As we walked through the courtyard I again marveled at the lush plants. I mean I see plenty of them up here in Portland, but these in New Orleans were so lovely. And the two climates are so different--it makes it all so interesting when you can witness for yourself those difference and then enjoy the similar outcomes.

Another portion of the courtyard


Look at these ferns!


While we walked and talked and watched out for uneven surfaces for each other, I planned to peel off when we came alongside Jackson Square so that I could take a few photos before we made it all the way to Cafe Du Monde.

Here's what I found on the Internet about the building we walked beside on St. Ann.

The Presbytere, taken from St. Ann Street, looking towards the cathedral and the Cabildo which is not visible at all in the photo.

Flanking St. Louis Cathedral on either side are identical Spanish Colonial buildings. On the right (facing from Jackson Square) is the Presbytere, on the left the Cabildo. Both are massive, two-story stuccoed brick structures. The lower stories have wide porticos with semi-circular arches. They were designed by Gilberto Guillemard, a French architect serving in the Spanish military. Rear wings were added in 1840, and the French mansard roof (the third story) was added in 1847. Construction of both buildings, as well as the cathedral itself, was financed by Don Andres Almonester y Roxas.

Andrew Jackson in the center of Jackson Square--it looks like his hat is touching that crane. The building is the Cabildo which also houses part of the Louisiana State Museum.


Construction of the Presbytere began first, in 1791. It was located on the site of the residence of the Capuchin monks, and was to become the Casa Curial (Ecclesiastical House), or Rectory, for St. Louis Cathedral. Construction stopped in 1798 and wasn’t completed until it was taken over by the wardens of St Louis Cathedral in 1813. The building never served its intended purpose – the diocese first rented the building as a courthouse, then finally sold it to the city in 1833. The city continued to use it as a courthouse, until 1911 when it was given to the state for use as a museum in conjunction with the Cabildo. The Presbytere became the natural science museum to complement the Cabildo’s role as a history museum.

Wow! That's some big looking sky! I quickly turned around and walked through the gate, out onto the sidewalk along Decatur where you can always find carriages for hire.


I quickly turned around and walked through the gate, out onto the sidewalk along Decatur where you can always find carriages for hire. I'm guessing here's one on its way back to where it began.


We're close now! I can smell the beignets!


Cafe Du Monde, from their Web site:
History
The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.

The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. In 1988 Iced Coffee was introduced to the cafe. Soft drinks also made their debut that year.

I drank fresh-squeezed orange juice, well after I'd finished my three beignets. I didn't want any clash of tastes going on in my mouth, nope.

Beignets
Beignets were also brought to Louisiana by the Acadians. These were fried fritters, sometimes filled with fruit. Today, the beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. They are served in orders of three.

Before we crossed the street, I turned around and took this shot. I like it because I can almost see women and men from yesteryear, strolling along. Since it was about 9 a.m., not much was happening right then, but I still like the perspective on the photo.


Here's that same carriage, just after it passed us at the intersection. Some day I'll go back to New Orleans and ride in one of these--that's good goal to have. Plus my friend Michelle e-mailed today to tell me about the Carousel Bar and Lounge in the Hotel Monteleone (there's a photo of it in yesterday's post). The bar revolves and overlooks Royal. That's another good goal to have, to don my motion sickness bracelets and have a seat at the bar!


Here we are, pre-beignet-clean. If you've never eanted one of them, you don't know what I'm talking about--sorry. Every time you take a bite, powdered sugar flies. Naturally it lands all over the place. I put the camera away before I took the first bite.




This man entertained everyone, singing and playing his trumpet and testifying for the Lord. I made sure to leave him a tip--he was pretty good.


While Mama finished her last beignet, Kay walked down Decatur, in search of fresh fruit at the market. I walked up onto the levee to take photos.

The Mississippi River curves here. I don't know if you can tell it or not in this quickly snapped shot. Back when my sons were in elementary school we rode a paddle wheeler on the river--it was a memorable but short trip. The calliope was so loud!


That might be the very boat, there with the two black smokestacks and the Natchez on its side. That green roof is on the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, another great place to visit in New Orleans. The gift shop there is where I believe I saw George Clinton shopping the rubber sharks. If it wasn't him, it was his double!


We walked back to the hotel. I got Mama to wait in the lobby and got one of the hotel's nice employees to come get our luggage. Kay came back, disappointed in the fruit selection and ready to hit the road for her home in south Mississippi.


Last, two sort of iconic French Quarter photos.

The wrought iron, the narrow street.


Finally a blue sky to add to the beauty of St. Louis Cathedral.

Vacation, Day 1, 10/21/2009, Part 4

My favorite neon of the night--at the Acme Oyster House--for the team, not the beer. I'm not much of a beer drinker.


Kay, Mama and I thought we'd be walking a little over six blocks from the Place D'Armes Hotel to the Acme Oyster House. We'd made that estimate after looking at a paper place mat sized French Quarter map. What we didn't know was that we'd be covering half a mile--I just got the Google walking directions which actually matched our route. Thank goodness Mama had her walker because when she felt like a rest, she'd whip that little thing around, set the hand brakes and take a seat. Kay and I would stand beside her, looking here, looking there, all three of us talking and watching people. Naturally, I took photos.

We walked up St. Anne to Royal, where we turned left. Naghi's, Jewelry, Judaica and Antiques, is on the corner. Would that the sky had been blue that late afternoon. I really like this view of the wrought iron and the balcony.


We walked by the back of St. Louis Cathedral. From their Web site: The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. Be sure to remember this photo when you see another one that I took on our walk back to the hotel.


Right across Royal is the Rodrigue Studio. From its Web site: Featuring the artwork of Cajun artist George Rodrigue, most famous for the "Blue Dog" series of paintings.


Looking along the side of the cathedral, towards the Mississippi River. How would you like to encounter pirates down this alley, by the dark of night? We did, naturally. It's Pirate Alley, y'all! There's a cafe about half way down--that's where we came across folks in pirate garb, talking like pirates, too. They loved Mama!


What in inviting spot, even on a humid evening. Can anyone explain that window at the top of the photo?


This didn't just catch my eye, it grabbed it. For seven and a half years back in the early to mid 1950's, my family moved every three months or less--Daddy's job building water cooling towers for industrial purposes led to that situation. We lived in various trailers, none more than seven feet wide, in 26 states. As a result, maps fascinate me. I asked permission to take this photo.


Here's the sign for the store, Road Trip on Royal.


We saw several of these. I like all the layers of paint.


One of the more well-known eateries we passed on our way to our destination.


Mama's stepping out. Kay's grinning at the metal cutie in the shop doorway.


Makes you wonder who would answer any one of those five buzzers, doesn't it?


Fleur de Paris, custom milliners, on Royal.


I found this online, about French Quarter architecture: Outside doors are tall and surmounted by arched and barred transoms. Above them one should note the narrow second-floor balcony, just two or three feet deep and supported by scrolling brackets of hand-wrought iron from the forge. The cast-iron "gallery" of later vintage is different--wide and supported on columns, all cast from molds in commercial foundries, not from mom-and-pop blacksmith shops. These were frequently added in the 1850s to houses first built with balconies in the 1830s.

So I'm wondering if the one with the posts in this photo is a gallery. It doesn't look wider than two or three feet to me, but it might be.


I'm thinking these two are balconies--they look narrower than the ones in the previous photo, don't they? See the person on the lower one? I doubt I could have ever been comfortable in that position, even in my younger years.


Wait a minute. This might be the one that shows both of them side-by-side, the balcony on the right, the gallery on the left. I can't explain to y'all why I'm so curious about this distinction, I just am.


My smiling Mama in the French Quarter!


Looking back the way we came, down Royal, past a great big tree that stands beside the building that houses the Louisiana State Court of Appeal Fourth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Louisiana.


Isn't this a beautiful building? It's the New Orleans Police 8th District--seems like I've seen it in TV shows and/or movies.


Mama's resting in front of the police precinct. I wonder what Kay said to make her laugh?


Y'all know I love neon.


Here's the hotel itself--huge, ornate and so white.




We're almost there. Watch out, we're all hungry!


I had my assignment.


More great neon.


Food orders placed, my Acme Sunset arrived at the table--love that plastic cup! Fruity hard liquor is relaxing, ya'll. Honest.


My fried shrimp platter, before I ate it all right up! To tell you the truth, I started eating without giving a thought to taking a photo. Those Ritz Bits and Kraft Caramels were so long gone. Thank goodness it dawned on me to take a photo. Mama got a fried oyster po'boy, Kay got a fried shrimp one. Both cleaned their plates, just like I did--I shared fries with Mama.


Another neat neon sign in the back room of the Acme--we were seated back there which was just fine with us because the air conditioning was holding its own, not like in the front room where the opening door let in warm, humid air every few minutes.


Here's the front room, shot from that door just before I stepped out onto the sidewalk for our walk back.


We made stops by two praline shops, Royal Pralines and New Orleans Praline, to get Mama a sweet tidbit at both stores. She'd said no to the bread pudding at the Acme Oyster House but couldn't turn down the thoughts of sugar and pecans. No photos of that, though.

Saw these looking in store windows on the walk back to the hotel.








Guess where we planned to go the next morning!




Here's the photo that I wanted you to see, in relation to the day time one I put earlier in this post.


Back at the hotel after some fine time together, walking along Royal mostly, enjoying being with each other and with Kay. All of us looked forward to a good night's rest.

Vacation, Day 1, 10/21/2009, Part 3

A bit about our hotel, found on the Internet. Well, the bit I found on the Internet. The hotel we found at 625 Saint Ann St., New Orleans:

The Place D'Armes Hotel is an intimate, historic hotel property perfectly located at Jackson Square in the heart of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter. The hotel is one of three distinctive and unique AAA triple diamond rated French Quarter hotels owned and operated by the Valentino family of New Orleans. The Place's 84 guest rooms are set in eight historic renovated and restored townhouses which surround a lushly planted courtyard.

The two sections of the courtyard and the swimming pool, as seen from the third floor gallery right outside our door. Notice how tall those magnolias are?


The Place D'Armes is literally steps away from the St. Louis Cathedral and the rich street theater of Jackson Square and within easy walking distance of all major downtown New Orleans attractions - Bourbon Street, Royal Street, the French Market, and Canal Street.

The Place D'Armes recently underwent a major renovation and without losing its historic charm is discreetly equipped with the latest amenities and services including high speed internet access in all guest rooms and wireless access in all public spaces.

Guests of the Place d'Armes Hotel experience Southern grace and charm in well appointed rooms and suites decorated with a French Quarter sensibility.

Mama in our room, with her walker.


Another shot of Mama that shows one of the beds.


Guest rooms at the Place D'Armes feature elegant antique reproduction furnishings and rich appointments that create a warm and authentic New Orleans atmosphere. Amenities at the hotel are comprehensive and include high speed internet access and wireless in each room as well as outstanding 24-hour concierge service.

Kay in our room.


The Place D'Armes is a AAA triple-diamond rated property featuring 84 guest rooms in eight historic restored French Quarter townhouses.

In the lobby.


Our room is on the third floor, right. You can see our window peaking out through the leaves of those magnolia trees.


Another one of the townhouses that make up the hotel.


The first floor of our building is in the background behind this ornate fountain in this section of the courtyard.


We left our hotel to walk to the Acme Oyster House for our supper. Mama's walker is just out of sight in the photo. Thank goodness we had it with us because she'd never had made it there or back. Mislead by a tourist map, we underestimated the number of blocks between the hotel and the restaurant. More on that tomorrow!


By the way, Kay's truck is parked just to the right behind us, where the Park sign is. When we drove up and were being helped with the luggage, one of the men looked out of the garage opening and said, "Wasn't that Brad's wife, walking by? I sure think it was." So I immediately pop out onto the sidewalk and see a slim, well-dressed brunette walking away from me, wearing these out-of-sight-unusual high heels. Seems like two other women were with her, too. Not wanting to holler out, "Angelina!" I turned to ask the man, "Do you mean Brad Pitt's wife?" "Yep," he replied, going on to tell us that they own a house "...right over there." Only my utter fatigue at having by then been awake for so many hours and traveling so many miles kept me from trotting right out of the garage and down the street, just to make sure. I didn't even take a photo. I'm telling you, I was tired, T-I-R-E-D.

Vacation, Day 1, 10/21/2009, Part 2

We're home! We had a great time! We hugged and visited with family and friends and ate fine Southern food, home-cooked and in restaurants! I took loads of photos! Now I have to find time to get them to Flickr and pick some to share. I've had a mental struggle with myself, deciding how to post about our super vacation--by date, by category, randomly. Since I'm almost always also struggling to remember details these days, I'm taking the easy road out and continuing in date order. You'll find some after I explain things a bit--you know I can't help myself 'cause I love words!

So, in New Orleans we made our way from the plane to the gate where our friend Kay waited with open arms and a huge smile. Mama saw her first as a really tall man wheeled her along in the airport wheelchair. I caught a glimpse of her beautiful snow white hair and knew we had truly arrived. Later after he had retrieved our luggage, the man wheeled Mama out the door and across the street, voice booming at the slowly moving traffic to our left and holding out his left hand to get their attention--none of them dared advance until we had passed. Once we got out of the elevator to make those last few steps to Kay's truck, he was telling me how blessed I was to still have my Mama. "Yes," I agreed with him. "I surely am." "And she looks good, too," he said. "Yes, she does," I started to say. He quickly went on, "She looks better than you do!" Well, we all hollered with laughter at that one and I agreed with him wholeheartedly!

We realized from the get-go that we'd only have a few hours in New Orleans before hitting the hay and a few more the next morning, but at least we were there to do our part by spending some money and some time. Kay had printed out the direction to Hotel Place D'Armes in the French Quarter, so we set off in the warm, humid air to find it. Somewhere along the way a traffic direction sign had disappeared--honest--so we ended up going round about instead of straight there. Each one of us thoroughly enjoyed this serendipitous turn of events, seeing graceful wrought iron...


...enticing neon signs...



Be sure to read that exhortation in blue!

...colorful cottages and...




...mule-drawn carriages...




...and a St. Charles streetcar, turning right onto Canal.


When we arrived at the hotel, thank goodness I remembered to get this photo! Back at the airport when Kay attempted to latch Mama's seatbelt, she discovered that all four of our suitcases sat on one of the pieces, so she tied Mama into the seat!


I'm so glad to be blogging again! Tomorrow I'll finish with Day 1.

I hope you'll stick with me over the days to come as I share much more of our Southern bliss!

Vacation, Day 1, 10/21/2009, Part 1

Before we flew out at 6:15 a.m.--she looks great for having been awake since 3:20 a.m.


The Iceman cometh, thank goodness, to de-ice our plane's wings in Denver, our place to change planes.






Our lunch--ha, ha! We did just fine on it, too!


We've landed!


And now I have to report that I will be away from the World Wide Web for a whole week!

Mama's staying with Aunt Baker and Uncle JL, and I'm off to Talladega with our friends Milton and Kay!

You know I'll return loaded with pix! In fact, I've already got almost 1000 to go through from Wednesday through Sunday--surely some of them will be worth sharing with y'all.

Now that's a grill!

Great advice appears in these store windows

These windows are at Moule, 1225 NW Everett St., in the Pearl. I stood across the street to take them, in between passing vehicles.

Mama and I are on vacation. I don't think I'll be around the Internet much, but I'll be back by Nov. 5th or so.

You know how you see someone you've never seen before and ...

...then you see that same person again! Well, I thought that's what had happened with these two sightings two days apart. However, upon closer inspection of the largest size of each photo, I don't think that this is the same woman, though at the time I took the second photo I remember thinking, "Oh, wow! There's that woman I saw downtown the other day!"

First at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Sept. 17.


Then on Sept. 19 across the street from Three Doors Down on SE 37th.

The view from Mama's bedroom window

Isn't she blessed?

Three Doors Down Cafe, A Fine Food and Drink Series, No. 5

Chicken liver pate with grilled foccacia, a pungent, smooth appetizer that matches perfectly the crispy foccacia.


Linguini with slowly simmered beef and pork sugo. Here's another truly wonderful comfort food that amazes me. Flavor, texture, taste--it's got it all going on. I immediately thought about how some children always want spaghetti, but if one were to come to 3DD, the parents could order this instead. I believe the child would be satisfied with the taste and enjoy trying to wrap the linguini around a fork.


Seems like I shared my appetizer with Kailey, and I had some of my sugo boxed up for the next day. That left room for dessert and wine. Here's the red wine--Notios, Peloponnisos Regional Wine, Red Dry Wine. Perfect accompaniment to my dessert.


Bocca Negra, my favorite chocolate dessert in Portland!

Three Doors Down Cafe, A Fine Food and Drink Series, No. 4

The secret's in the stromboli. It tasted just right, hot, peppery, flaky, molten. But as I understand it, the ingredients are not known to the back of the house, to the kitchen, because Kathy--front of the house maven and co-owner of 3DD with chef Dave, her significant other--makes it herself. It tasted so good that the other day as I walked from one place to another at work, I found myself thinking, "Stromboli. Oh, how good that was, wish I had another slice or two, stromboli." You get the picture.


Appetizer truffle potatoes brandade with crostini--I like brandade, a fact that surprises me since, as I understand it, brandade means salt cod has been added to the potatoes. It's creamy and warm and the fish doesn't overpower the potatoes. Spread on the crostini, it makes me wish I had some for lunch!


Matt almost always comes up with something new for me to try. This time, two sidecars which contain brandy and I'm not sure what else. I do know that I liked the yellow one best. Matt jokingly said he had yet to come up with a green one. If he does, he'll have a traffic signal! And by the way, I don't have those fond stromboli memories just because I drank two sidecars!

Three Doors Down Cafe, A Fine Food and Drink Series, No. 3

Poiré Authentique, pear cider from Eric Bordelet, a delightfully fresh cider. Matt told me that it's rare and unforgettable, both true descriptors. You can see SE 37th reflected in its golden self.


Here it is, right after being poured. I read this about it online "...a traditionally off-dry, sparkling style ... made from three hundred year-old pear trees. These sixty foot high trees have never seen one bit of chemical treatment during their long lives and produce absolutely marvelous fruit with which to work. Monsieur Bordelet makes from them a brilliant sparkling cider: one that has great complexity, refined bubbles, a deep underlying minerality, with excellent length and cut on the finish." I don't know what some of that means, but I did see bubbles coming up from the bottom center of the glass for quite some time, and it did taste good.


Bibb lettuce, chives, bacon in a creamy roasted garlic aioli dressing--this crispy, perfectly cold salad makes me happy. And it's not just because it's shape reminds me of a ruffled party dress. It tastes so good!


The special--house-made cavatelli, duck confit, delicata squash, and arugula. Lamont thinks it's so neat that I eat duck confit as often as possible at 3DD, and I never even knew what it was before! You see, I had never eaten duck until I moved to Portland. Now, if it's on the menu at Three Doors Down, I get an immediate memory of that earthy, meaty taste as soon as I read the word. So I order it and enjoy it, time after time.

Three Doors Down Cafe, A Fine Food and Drink Series, No. 2

My last New-fangled Old-fashioned, and maybe the last of the season--fresh cherries will not longer be available according to bartender extraordinaire Matt. I still believe that this drink can heal you of what ever is ailing you!


Duck confit, arugula, manchego cheese, Italian plum preserves, bruschetta--an appetizer replete with a meaty sweetness and a crusty crispness. Can you tell how thinly the manchego is sliced? I could see the arugula through it!


Beef, pork and Arborio stuffed chard, baked in a tomato sauce--talk about your perfectly matched tastes and textures! Let me just say that if you've been craving stuffed cabbage or stuffed grape leaves, you'd get over that craving with the first bite of this stuffed chard. I savored each bite, using that sharp, sharp knife you see beside the NFOF to cut thin slices, making sure I got plenty of the tomato concoction--I think I see onion in there, too, but I forgot to ask.

Three Doors Down Cafe, A Fine Food and Drink Series, No. 1

In honor of all that eatin' we'll be doin' down South--see the lengthy paragraph below--this is the first in a series of fine food photos I've taken lately at Three Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th and Hawthorne, in Southeast Portland. I took them right before I either ate or drank it all right up! I do want to point out that since the menu changes pretty often at 3DD, I might be sharing photos of food that is not currently on the menu. Suffice it to say that no matter what you order, you will be sufficiently satisfied. Are all those S-words superfluous? Yeah, but I don't care. As you well know, I'm a fan of going overboard to make a point.

Delicata squash, pancetta, green onion, chevre cheese risotto. I tell you what, if you needed some comfort food, you'd have been so pleased with your decision to dine on this hearty, smooth entree.


I had a glass of Gruner Veltliner, a white, that went very well with my entree.

The Lengthy Paragraph

First, let me explain that Mama and I are going on a two-week vacation, flying to New Orleans on Oct. 21, where we will be picked up by our BFF Kay. We're spending the night in the French Quarter, then heading to her home in Smithdale, Mississippi, where we will spend the night. On Friday we're going to have lunch at The Dinner Bell in McComb, Mississippi, with Kay and her husband Milton before heading to Jackson. We'll be with my brother Howard and his wife Vanessa--yippee!!--from Friday until Monday. They're the sweetest ever, concerned about Mama and the stairs to the upstairs guest bedroom and my allergies to cats, they're putting us up in a nearby Embassy Suites. Oh, I forgot. On Friday afternoon I have an appointment to tour Eudora Welty's house, a National Historic Landmark and one of the nation's most intact literary house museums, reflecting Welty's life there over seventy-six years. Saturday night we hope to gather with family and friends at Sal & Mookie's, a New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint in Jackson, Mississippi. On Monday we'll eat lunch at Hamil's Southern Cookin' and Bar B Que Buffet in Ridgeland, Mississippi, then we'll head to my Aunt Baker and Uncle JL's in Puckett, Mississippi--we'll eat mighty fine home-cookin' there, let me tell you! On Tuesday, Kay and Milton and their grandson Ian will pick me up on I-20, after Aunt Baker takes me to meet them at a service station, and we'll head to Talladega, Alabama, for NASCAR heaven at the Talladega Superspeedway for two races--on Halloween, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Mountain Dew 250 and on Nov.1, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Amp Energy 500. While we're camped out near in the speedway in Milton and Kay's RV, we'll eat Milton's grilled and fried good food--Kay'll probably cook some, too, 'cause she always does! Big time yummy! We're even going trick-or-treating around the campground on their golf cart--Kay's taking all sorts of decorations for it and the RV. I'll join Mama again at Aunt Baker and Uncle JL's on Monday at some time or other, depending on when we leave Talladega. Then on Tuesday Mama and I will go to spend the night at a hotel near the Jackson airport, resting up for our flight home on Nov. 4.

Whew!

All of that to say that I'm trying to put together some posts ahead of time--to save time, I'm discontinuing the daily dahlia, just for now. I don't know how many I'll get to complete nor do I know how much Internet I'll be around while we're on the trip. I do know that I will be taking photo after photo after photo.

Lamont and the Slackline and today's dahlia, with a visitor

Please scroll down for today's dahlia, TG 10, from the Canby Dahlia Trial Test Garden, sponsored by The Portland Dahlia Society and The American Dahlia Society, in co-operation with Swan Island Dahlias, maintained in honor of Nick Gitts, Sr. Dahlias on trial--not for sale.

Lamont jumped onto the slackline and stayed for a few seconds, trying to maintain his balance for all he was worth.








TG 10 and a bee!

Oh, boy! It's color-coordinated, street-level accessory time again!

Please scroll down for today's dahlia, TG 11, from the Canby Dahlia Trial Test Garden, sponsored by The Portland Dahlia Society and The American Dahlia Society, in co-operation with Swan Island Dahlias, maintained in honor of Nick Gitts, Sr. Dahlias on trial--not for sale.

I took this photo after I got off the bus at W. Burnside and NW 23rd. The car is driving south from NW 23rd, crossing Burnside or about to turn left onto Burnside and go east. This intersection has been a favorite of mine since we first moved to this neighborhood in October, 2006. It's easy to see why, isn't it?


Today's dahlia, TG 11.

Vista House from Chanticleer Point, in the Columbia River Gorge

Please scroll down to see today's dahlia, TG-12, from the Canby Dahlia Trial Test Garden, sponsored by The Portland Dahlia Society and The American Dahlia Society, in co-operation with Swan Island Dahlias, maintained in honor of Nick Gitts, Sr. Dahlias on trial--not for sale.

The last full week of September Lamont's friend John came to Portland from Lafayette, Louisiana, for vacation. On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20, Mama and I drove him here and there in both Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

Y'all won't believe it, but I decided I could drive up to Vista House from the east and then down along the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway, from Latourell Falls to Wahkeena Falls to Multnomah Falls to Oneonta Gorge and the Oneonta Tunnel to Horsetail Falls. I convinced myself that if I went up there from that direction, I would be on very few scary, high, curving roads--that's the way Lamont took Mama, Lucy and me last November. And I figured that I could drive all the way down even with the curving, high, scary roads because 95% of the time, I'd be hugging the earth. By that I mean I would have the other lane to my left which meant the thin air was at least that far away from me. Out the passenger window all I could see was earth, trees, ferns, the woods.

Our first stop, Chanticleer Point (now known as the Portland Women's Forum Scenic Viewpoint), provided the opportunity to get this vista and its photograph. You can see the actual Vista House there in the distance, on the right atop Crown Point, 733 feet above the Columbia River.


This is a closely cropped shot of Vista House. In the blurry background you might be able to see bits of the Bonneville Dam. I'm not sure about the name of that rock sticking up. I need to do more research. I did discover that Chanticleer Point stands at 705 feet. That's why I said drive up at the first of this post.


Here's a shot of Vista House that I took in May, 2007, when our friend Milton and Kay were here visiting from Mississippi. I didn't take one like this last month--some sort of work was going on which meant plywood here and there.

As we made our way down into the Gorge, Mama kept saying from the back seat, "You don't look scared from back here. You're doing just fine." And I later found out that John told Lamont he thought we just might drive off the road to the right a couple of times--I knew I got close to the edge, but I couldn't help myself. I did make it, though. Hooray for me!

Look beneath the dahlia for more information about Crown Point and Vista House.

Dahlia TG-12.


From the Oregon State Parks Web site: Millions of visitors driving from Portland through the Columbia River Gorge don't realize the full impact of its beauty until they come around the bend near Corbett at exit 22 and see the famous building on the top of the cliff to the right. This is Crown Point and the building is the Vista House.

Just as the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom, the Vista House serves as the symbol of the Columbia River Gorge. In fact, the architect of the Vista House -- Edgar Lazarus -- and Emma Lazarus (who wrote the poem of the Statue of Liberty), were brother and sister.

The Vista House was built in 1916 at the same time as Highway 30 (what is now the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway, and the only way to reach Crown Point). The building was designed to be a place of refreshment and enjoyment of the Columbia Gorge. The popular clifftop viewpoint recently underwent a $3.2 million restoration to repair and rejuvenate the building's key historic features.

The octagonal building with its copper dome houses a museum, gift shop and interpretive display of historic and geologic points of interest in the Gorge.

Vista House is open daily from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. beginning March 14. Beginning April 19, visitor hours are extended to 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The building remains open daily through Oct. 31.

Leland enjoying his birthday present from his brother Lamont--bodacious!

Scroll down for today's dahlia, Bodacious, from Swan Island Dahlias.

Last Tuesday Lamont called and said that if I wanted to ride the bus to Colonel Summers Park at SE 20th and Belmont after work, they'd have Leland's slack line set up. I could watch. I could take photos! Awwright!

Today I've posted several photos of Leland jumping up onto the slack line. Later, I'll have more photos of him and some of Lamont as well.

The sun shone brightly as I walked the seven blocks to SE 7th and Belmont where I boarded the 15. When I got off, I saw the two of them across the park to the south, the slack line set up between two trees, about three feet off the ground.

I got off the bus at the stop beside the bus shelter, there in the distance behind Leland in this photo.


See the slack line, on the left, that green blur. Leland's right foot has landed on it, making it vibrate. He bought that carpet sample you see beneath the red cord, cutting it in half so that he would protect each tree--gotta love that son of mine!


The guys saw another guy on a slackline, sitting on it, balancing on one foot, holding his other one up behind him. So, naturally, Leland had to give sitting on it a try. Later on Lamont went over to ask him a few questions and came back to tell us that he said he's been doing this balancing act since 2004. Lamont and Leland have been at it for five to six weeks, starting out at The Circuit, a Southwest Portland bouldering gym.


A bit about slacklining, from Wikiepedia: Slacklining is a balance sport which uses nylon webbing stretched tight between two anchor points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut; it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline. The line's tension can be adjusted to suit the user and different types of dynamic webbing can be used to achieve a variety of feats. The line itself is flat, due to the nature of webbing, thus keeping the slacker's footing from rolling as would be the case with an ordinary rope. The dynamic nature of the line allows for impressive tricks and stunts.

Today's dahlia, Bodacious. Facts from Swan Island Dahlias--Bloom: 11" Bright Orange, Bush: 4 1/2'