Mardi Gras in New Orleans!!

So, my first trip back to the Big Easy since the Big Blow [as my aunt calls it] and while there is still a great deal of rebuilding to be done. We managed to catch some of the parades as well as take a few runs down St. Charles Ave through Audubon Park and along the Mississippi. We ran just under 10 miles and then ate our way through the city [where no one skips a meal].

I used to go to New Orleans every 6 mos to visit my grandmother [my mom's mother] but since the hurricane I've been reluctant to go 'cause I just didn't want to face the tragedy of the hurricane and its direct and permanent blow to the city I've come to love. We did visit a number of my favorite places, such as Guy's PoBoys on Magazine street where you should have a shrimp poboy dressed. The French Quarter is still as funky as ever and amazingly clean. We walked down Royal Street and happened upon a parade forming in the quarter; some sort of wine theme since each costume we saw had wine corks incorporated. We went to Central Grocery but didn't have one of their famous muffelettas since it was so close to when we'd had breakfast [but as Danny Devito says in "Other People's Money", does it taste any better when you're hungry?]

My grandmother is doing well considering the turmoil she's been through; evacuation to Houston, evacuation from Houston to Plano, back to Houston, back to New Orleans, and a broken hip somewhere in there. She is less aware of herself and those around her than she was the last time I saw her but we bonded nonetheless.

John and I also managed to spend some time with friends of his he met through Habitat for Humanity. Dan and Ray are probably two of John's closest friends and it was fun to hang out with them.

Ray had one of the best costumes...see below. We also commissioned a piece of art [I like to say that 'cause it makes me seem like a patron of the arts.]The photo is of a piece of art as an example of Simon's work. He's a folk artist, French, former chef/restaurateur and totally absorbed in the New Orleans art community. His work is all over the place in most of the funky neighborhood shops and restaurants. And we went by his gallery and looked through some of the examples of his work and picked out something we liked....we may see it shipped sometime in October....at which point, I'll pay for it...very strange way to do business....wait to pay 'till you get the item in question. But that's New Orleans. One of the funniest things about the photo of the piece of art is that we know a Michael Anderson and a David Brown...funny.

Anyway, we ate boiled crawfish, ate more seafood than I could fathom and spent time in the French Quarter as much as possible.

Back to reality, to 18 degree temps and a wind chill that makes it seem like zero. Tough to motivate to go run outside in this. But run I must since the Big Sur marathon is quickly approaching. Been researching places to stay there [its tough because the course is one way from Big Sur to Monterey....so where to stay?].

Hope everyone is well, warm and staying out of trouble; I know Ms. McCarthy is on her way to a cruise [here's a pic of a pirate bar we passed in the French Quarter].