Window Shopping in New Orleans

I found some of the windows of shops in the French Quarter very interesting. Below is a typical display of N.O. masks and beads, etc. Check out those giagantic beads, bottom right!

The dolls (below) very so beautiful, I didn't dare go inside, I'm sure the prices were outrageous!

(Below:) The Fleur de Lis symbol is everywhere on jewelry, candlesticks, etc.

The dress shop (below) was more a costume shop. The gowns were gorgeous! Nikki, I thought of you when I saw this shop!

The below photo was taken at the only grocery store we found in the French Quarter, it shows popular N.O. (or Louisiana) products. The white and gold box is a beignet mix. I bought a box for my daughter, Ashleigh. I don't know if they have tried it yet or not.

Below is the corner store which is an A&P. I didn't even know A&P still existed.

Beignets!

We were told to not miss the beignets while we were in New Orleans. We went to the famous Cafe du Monde and had our first beignets. We were not disappointed! Beignets are pronounced "ben-yays." Beignets are fried pastry similar to doughnuts, but are more crispy. We did not have the cafe au lait because I'm not a coffee drinker and Joe didn't think he would like the strong chicory coffee even though it is mixed with hot milk.

The famous Cafe du Monde was established in 1953 and is still very much the same now as then.

The Great Tradition of Beignets and Café au Lait. In 1782 Spanish colonists established the trading area on the banks of the Mississippi River that we now know as the New Orleans French Market. From the beginning this market housed coffee stands. Coffee vendors were the elite of the merchants but got along well with the ethnic and social mix of customers who drank coffee throughout the business day. By the early 1800's, the custom of taking coffee at the French Market had spread throughout New Orleans society. The French Market's corner coffee stand opened in the 1830's and continues to operate today in the same location. From its inception, this coffee stand served up the typical strong coffee of the day and its soon to be famous beignets.It is believed that the Ursuline Nuns of France, who came to Louisiana in 1727, brought this simple pastry to New Orleans. The recipe remains the same to this day. The beignets are hand rolled and deep fried then covered with heaping amounts of powdered sugar. By the mid 1800's beignets had become a welcome treat for all social classes at all hours of the day.As is still the tradition, beignets were most often enjoyed with café au lait. In New Orleans, café au lait is strong dark roast coffee and chicory, served with equal part hot milk. In the early history of Louisiana, chicory was added to coffee to stretch dwindling supplies. It was found that, in addition to stretching supplies, the chicory also created a smoother, richer brew. The addition of hot milk to strong coffee and chicory created one of the oldest and greatest coffee traditions in the world.

As this tradition approaches its 200th year, beignets and café au lait have become symbolic of the old world charm of New Orleans and the French Quarter.

Cathedral in French Quarter

We went to church at the St. Louis Cathedral On Sunday while in New Orleans. It was founded in 1718. The view above is from Decatur Street. Jackson Square Park is in front of the Cathedral.

Picture below is the altar.The ceiling inside the CathedralThe Crucifix

Tea Time in the French Quarter

When we travel I always look for a tea room. While in New Orleans we only found these two places in the French Quarter. I decided to skip tea time, didn't want psychic readings with my tea! Anyway, it was dreadfully hot that week, too hot for hot tea! I think one of the large hotels may have had an afternoon tea, but we didn't venture over to the "Uptown, or Downtown" areas. So many of the restaurants only opened on weekends or a few hours on certain days. Since it was so hot our decisions was not to pursue a tea time in N.O.

Courtyard Dining

The Jazz Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters Restaurant in New Orleans was one of our favorite places to eat when we were there in June.This is the back entryway from Bourban Street the at the courtyard. The front entry is from Royal Street.

We assumed this statue is "Two Sisters." This was across from our table. Notice at top left, the large fan. Fans were everywhere, and so needed. The umbrellas also helped.

The jazz brunch music was a banjo and clairinet player. We ate there early in the week, the musicians change daily and they probably have more on weekends.This was taken before we visited the 80+ item buffet.

Yes, I'm about to try the crawfish! They weren't bad. That's a bowl of turtle soup, I didn't really care for it, but it's a must try when you're in New Orleans!
Another view of the beautiful courtyard. Below is a picture of the inside dining. As you can see the outside was preferred even though it was hot. We also ate at 1 p.m. when it wasn't so busy.

The Charm Gate is at the front entryway. Joe and I both touched it, so now we have charm!!

Good Luck Doll

I want to try to get back to normal here and participate in Kellie's "Friday's Show and Tell." http://www.kellishouse.blogspot.com/ I'm sharing this "Good Luck Doll" that we bought at the French Market in New Orleans last month. I don't know why it is called a good luck doll, it only cost two dollars, maybe that's why! I was looking for a doll representing New Orleans to add to my doll collection. I had found so many undesirable things denoting Mardi Gras, or voodoo, so when I saw this I hoped it would be safe to own. It wears a costume made from what I think must be the official Mardi Gras colors - purple, green, and gold. There were many dolls wearing different colors. Since discovering the meaning of Fleur de lis in N.O., I'm wondering if the headdress represents Fleur de lis since it is in that shape. I'm thinking maybe I should have do some research on this doll before I publish it on my blog!

P.S. - I just did research on this doll. It is a Mardi Gras Jester Doll, explaining the shape of the hat. I don't know why it is called the Good Luck Doll at the French Market, maybe to get you to buy it. The Good Luck Doll I found on the net was a voodoo doll, with needles, etc., supposedly the opposite of the bad voodoo doll. Yuk! I'm going to pray a good spirit on my doll!

Flowers to make us smile

Today we received these flowers from the couple who dog-sat Dody when we traveled. What a sweet couple they are, they let Dody sleep in their room, and on their sofa. They loved him and gave him such good care. They continued to keep him even if he was naughty or had health problems that required extra care. Thanks so much Lois and Paul (and Tuffy) for such a wonderful surprise! Your act of kindness did bring a smile to our sad faces!

P.S. - How did you know I love yellow roses?! (And daisies!)

Pet Sympathy Card

If you know of anyone whose pet has died, I encourage you to send them a card, it helps a lot. We received a card with the words below from Lois and Paul with the above flowers. Our vet also sent a card (the small one above) and wrote a sweet message inside.

Here are the words to the pet sympathy card we received today:

In the Loss of Your Pet

Pets teach us to live in the now,

to enjoy life as it comes to us,

and to love without asking questions.

They teach us what's most important in life....

....and it's heartbreaking when they leave us.

So sorry for your loss.

Red, White, and Blue

This little Beanie Bear's name is "Red." We had planned to take Red to see Elisabeth (our 10-month-old granddaughter.) We had also bought her a large Mylar "flag balloon." I thought these would make great props for pictures of Elisabeth. Our plans were changed because Joe woke up with a cold and sore throat. There was also a prediction of 70% chance of rain here in central Florida. We need the rain, but it sure messes up the 4th of July festivities - barbeques, parades, fireworks, etc. We have so much to be thankful for, among all this we are thankful for our freedom - and for the rain!

Happy 4th of July!

Have a happy and safe day celebrating our independence!

Sad Day

Today is a sad day at our house. Our beloved dog, Dody, had to be put to sleep. He was diagnosed three months ago with a tumor on his bladder and we were advised to put him down then. We chose to let him live as he was still playing and acting normal. Last week he stopped eating and hasn't eaten but a few bites in a week. He wouldn't even eat ice cream that he loved. He started shaking a lot, throwing up, wouldn't leave the sofa, and didn't want to go outside, even for a ride in the car or a walk with Joe he has loved to do so much. We knew it was time to stop being selfish by keeping him alive because we couldn't bear to lose him. This has been one of the most painful things in our lives.

Joe and Dody have loved each other more than any two I have ever seen. Joe found Dody at the Humane Society and came home to tell me about him. I didn’t want a dog, I especially didn’t want a male dog, or a white dog. I was used to dogs with ears that hang down, not pointed up ears! I finally went to the Humane Society to see him and fell in love with him then. He soon captured my heart and I loved having him around. I especially liked seeing the love between he and Joe. I read somewhere that pets help prolong your life. I wanted him to help Joe have better health!

Dody was a good dog, he didn’t bark much (except when it thundered!) He didn’t jump up on people. He loved our visitors and always wanted to sit beside them or at their feet.

Ten days ago my daughter, Ashleigh, had to go through this same thing with their 15-year-old cocker spaniel, Kasie. Kasie was always such a sweet dog and never gave anybody any trouble.

If there’s a doggie heaven, and I hope there is, I hope he is there now playing with other dogs. There must be a doggie heaven, a reward for dogs like Dody and Kasie for giving such unconditional love. Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with these dogs!

Joe and Dody, a few weeks ago, Memorial Day weekend.

My daughter, Ashleigh, and her pretty dog, Kasie.

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