I've been a bad blogger. We got so involved in the experience, that I didn't have time to blog. Guess that isn't altogether a bad thing, right?
We've been in New Orleans for four days now. Arrived on Wednesday afternoon, we were the last trailer in for our group. We're parked in an area on the University of New Orleans campus, right next to Lake Ponchatrain. The levee is in front of us, so we can't see the lake. Guess that's a good thing if the water starts to rise!
The first night, we had a nice chili and margarita get together under a big tent. The New Orleans Airstream Unit only has 18 members (vs. the Oregon unit that has around 150). Yet they put on this amazing national Mardi Gras rally each year. It is pretty much due to one woman named Lonnie. She is a whirling dervish of a woman, cheerful, irreverent, slightly profane, my kind of woman. Her city is her love, and she shows us how to love it too.
The first day we were introduced to some Mardi Gras history and enjoyed our first King Cake. This is kind of like a big coffee cake covered with purple, green and gold frosting. Inside, is a little plastic baby. He who gets the baby has to do any number of things, depending on the setting - bring the king cake the next day, serve on some kind of court, etc. We didn't get the baby but we sure loved the cake. That night, we attended our first night of parades. The Krewes are groups of people who put on the parades. They are usually named after Greek or Roman gods. The Krewe members pay for everything including float development and the "throws", things that the Krewe members riding on the floats throw into the crowd during the parades. Mostly these are beads, but other things, too - decorated shoes (glamorous and amazing), designer bags, cups. We have reserved seats on St. Charles Avenue and we surely got into the parades and collecting beads. We sit in metal bleachers, and lots of beads go beneath the bleachers, but both Julius and Hal have been seen dumpster diving under the bleachers to get great beads. Amazing floats, so much work. So we did parade watching on both Thursday and Friday nights. After parades on Friday night, we walked down to Bourbon street. This is not a place for 60 year old people on Mardi Gras. It is everything you can imagine and more, but packed, no place to move, great to watch. We headed instead for Brennans for a light dinner and great wines. so much fun.
Friday we attended a Cajun cooking class overlooking the Mississippi. We enjoyed crab and corn bisque, shrimp creole over rice, bananas foster and pralines. And learned to cook them too! Oh, and buckets of beer. Forgot that.
Saturday morning, we took a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi complete with music and an amazing lunch. Tons of delicious catfish, more shrimp creole, red beans and rice, cole slaw and bread pudding. Did I forget to mention the incredible bloody Mary's? Huge strong bloody Mary's? More than one? It was so much fun too.
Last night we attended a Gay Ball. Again, a social club, but this one (and there are eight of them) for gay men. The dress was a tuxedo for Hal and Julius and long gowns for me and Patricia. Before the ball, we went to a home in the Bywater for wine and appetizers, a great redone creole cottage (of several hundred square feet). There were twelve from our group and several friends of the couple hosting us, David and Steve. David is a collector and has a shop off the Esplanade. The home reflects this beauty. Then off to the ball. Basically, the group members host this party with a theme, and observers sit theater style overlooking the party which is downstairs. Lots of incredible costumes involved in the party theme, with musical presentations and a crazy MC. Much profanity, lots of great cross dressing, nothing like we've ever seen before. Definitely glad we went.
Tonight we have our own masquerade ball for the Airstream group. Hal is a pirate and I'm a waitress in a black and white short dress with crinoline and fish nets. So silly but an open bar, dancing, craziness.
We've met nothing but wonderful people here, both at our rally and in New Orleans. This is a unique place with so many wonderful traditions.
Today, we expect winds up to 35 miles per hour and 1-3 inches of rain. Should be interesting!
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