French Quarter

The architecture with the wrought iron trim is so beautiful. This is in the French Quarter in NO. I will continue blogging about our trip to New Orleans when I return next week. I'm going to SC to spend a week with my daughter and grandson, Caden! I'll be back on the 30th.

Fleur de lis Signs

This one was on Decatur Street, on the Mississippi River.

These Fleur de lis handpainted signs were in several places in the French Quarter, and I suppose throughout the city. I saw another one, but was on the tour bus and couldn't take a picture. I'm thinking these could be for a contest or fundraiser. Several years ago we were in Chicago and they had painted cows all over the city. Then when we were in San Francisco there were creative hearts everywhere (I left my heart in SF!) Recently I saw a painted jaguar statue in Jacksonville (FL.) Jacksonville has the famous ball team named Jaguars. The one above was in front of the police station, on Royal Street.

This one was also on Decatur Street, near the Mississippi River. (Beyond the steps, is the Mississippi River.)

Fleur de lis cup and saucer

After discovering the meaning of the Fleur de lis symbol for New Orleans, I set out to find a memento to bring home. I wanted a cup and saucer and found this little demi sized cup and saucer. It has three little gold feet.

New Orleans Symbol of Birth and Renewal

We are back from our trip to New Orleans. I hope to give some details soon of the trip and the condition of N.O. Something I didn't know and found interesting is the popularity and use of Fleur De Lis symbol in N.O. I hope you can read the words here, if you can't, please let me know. The Fleur de lis is seen everywhere in N.O., on lots of jewelry, clothing, especially t-shirts, made into candlesticks, ornaments, etc. There are several meanings of the Fleur de lis, but I like the most recent one. It has become the symbol of rebirth and renewal in Louisiana since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on 8-29-05.

Cute!

I promised you something cute before we leave. Here he is! This is my new favorite picture of Caden in Joe's big hat! Maybe you'll have a smile when you see him, if I'm not here when you return! I'll be back soon!

Thankfulness!

Some of you may not know my husband has been undergoing chemotheraphy for lymphoma. Monday we went to Mayo Clinic (in Jacksonville, FL) for his fourth chemotheraphy. We also received the results of the CT scan he had a few days before. The results were: CANCER FREE!!! We are so thankful for answered prayers!! We are thankful for the doctors and the wisdom the Lord has given them. This lymphoma is not curable, but responds very well to chemotherapy. Our friends and family have supported us in prayer and Joe has done so well during the chemo treatments. He will have the remaining two scheduled chemo rounds, and even more if the doctors suggest it. He will continue with CT scans every three months and possible maintenance if needed.

This calls for a celebration! My husband loves to travel and nothing stops him, not even sickness!! He has a weeks vacation planned and we are leaving Friday and returning on Father's Day. When we tell people where we are going they look surprised - we are going to New Orleans! We have never been there, we missed an opportunity to go there a few years ago before the hurricane hit and we regretted not going even more. We are assured the downtown area is totally restored and didn't have the flooding and devastation of other areas there. We'll take lots of photos and share them on my blog. Tomorrow I'll have a little surprise picture to leave on my blog while we're gone. In the meantime, please rejoice with us with our good news! Thanks to all of you who prayed for both of us!!

Grandmother Tea Time T-Shirt

This is the tee-shirt I bought at Cracker Barrel recently. It says, "Grandchildren make tea parties sweeter!" It has a little tea pot and cup and saucer on it. I've had a terrible time getting this picture to work. My daughter sent it email, but it wouldn't let me save a copy. When I printed it out it was size 5x7. I only had one sheet of photo paper in the printer and didn't realize it would print two pages, so I hurried and turned the sheet over, therefore having the (first page) printed at the bottom! I should have just told you to go to Cracker Barrel and see it there!
Caden has lots of toys, but his favorite was one of our rubber coasters, he chewed on it all weekend!

Beautiful Retreat

Recently we attended a weekend Marriage Renewal Retreat. It was held at the Marywood Retreat Center in Jacksonville, FL. Marywood is on the St. John's River and the grounds are so lovely. I want to share some of the photos of the grounds. The Spanish moss gives it a special atmosphere. The river is beyond these arches.

A gazebo on the grounds near the dining room.

The pier on the river looking back toward Marywood.

This building houses the chapel. I don't know what year it was built, but it's old.

One of several centers, they are similar to motels. Each complex has a conference room.

Another view

First kiss!

Caden and Elisabeth are almost 10 months old and since they live in different states, they just met each other over the Memorial Day weekend. They had fun together. I guess they are kissing cousins! And again!For more pictures of Elisabeth and Caden, see my Granddarlings blog!