Little Rascals Parade (Mardi Gras #2)

The second parade of last weekend was a parade "for children"... there were no burning bushes (see my previous post)... just good clean fun.



The parade took up one half of Veterans Blvd... the biggest road in Metairie, the first western suburb of New Orleans. The parade is more spread out, with lots of grassy median (neutral ground) to stand on... or...

This is the standard way to let kids see the parade... a ladder and a box with wheels:


The parade was at noon, so (don't tell) I didn't go to church! Instead we got a good viewing spot. Here are Robert and Shannon... waiting for the parade...


...and here I am with Shannon,


No mules pulling things here...


...Most were pulled by tractors.


Here are the King and Queen!


And I SAW HIM, I SAW HIM...


There he was, lip-synching his hit! whoever he was...


And look! Navy recruiters in a float!!
They were throwing notepads!


There were a couple of equestrian units.








some without horses...


And more floats...


The theme was bedtime stories...




These are the famous nutria of Louisiana!


Robert commented on how most of the parade was "dance teams"... girls and women dressed very suggestively.


We saw more pompoms in this parade than I knew existed on the planet.


We gave up half way through and went to IHOP for all-you-can-eat pancakes. But I did bring lots of stuff home... including one die and two krewe cups... and a real metal coin. And a cup from the Navy recruiters... They threw it right at me. Maybe they think I have another career waiting!


I kinda like the stuffed crawfish... it's a local delicacy, you know.

Krewe de Vieux Parade, January 30

My first Mardi Gras season parade, the Krewe de Vieux!!
(based in the "Old" French Quarter)

I been in the right place! Front row on a corner in the Marigny.
("I been in the Right Place, but it must have been the wrong time.." Dr John)



This parade is unusual in that no motorized floats are allowed... only animal drawn.


The theme "Fired Up"


Sometimes interpreted as cooking politicians (and the Colts) in boiling oil...


And sometimes reflecting the crisis in leadership...






This float was from the sub-krewe of "drips and discharges"


Dr. John was the Grand Marshal of this parade, and the mood was a bit creepy.







Mayor Nagin as Nero...


sorry folks, I'm not showing this one...


I missed getting a picture of "New Orleans rises from the ashes of Katrina"...


But I did get a couple of phoenix hat shots...




Don't ask...


After a brief interlude...


A second Parade!!! The Krewe d'elusion, I think... With Harry Shearer as GM!










In normal Mardi Gras style, there were many things thrown at the crowd. I managed to get a golden dredel... and lots of beads and a few 'coins'. The clown nose came at the end.



And one float was handing out recipes! Sort of NSW for language...


Wow... that was an odd parade. Done by 8 PM, but it felt like midnight.

Christmas in New Orleans

Oh Little Town Of New Orleans...


My Christmas dinner was downtown... at one of the hotels on Canal Street. A group from the churches met for a very fancy buffet.


After that we went to the Roosevelt Hotel, famous for its decorated lobby, which runs through the middle of a city block.


The most interesting thing in it was this clock... well, the clock is actually below the pendulum...


Here is a side view:


The pendulum goes in circles, pushed by a spring wound finger... it's not an 'escapement' per se, since nothing ticks... it just rotates.


And for those who can squint... and are really interested:


A New Orleans Style Christmas!

Christmas Eve on the Mississippi

One thing I've learned, in Louisiana things are done differently! Come on along as I'm shown a different side of Christmas....



Up the Mississippi River from New Orleans are the "River Parishes," home of Cajun Culture.


My friend Russell, who lives in St. Charles Parish, agreed to show me how the residents celebrate Christmas Eve. It was a rainy drive... part of a record breaking rainy December.


It seems that Papa Noel lives deep in the bayou... making toys for children. On Christmas Eve he gets in his bateau and, pulled by eight aligators, navigates the interlocking canals and passageways along the river.


But often it is foggy on Christmas Eve, so the locals build bonfires to help guide the bateau. This one had a sign "Cajun Fireplace"


There are quite a few of them built... and, if the weather breaks, they will be lit just after dark.


It's a family tradition, with certain families owning rights to build the fires.



Sometimes folks get creative...



And this one, built by the fire department (!!) is beautiful!




Russell and I drove back downstream and got some lunch, and it was still raining.
But when I got back to Community Church for the Christmas Eve service, the rain had ended.


Joyeux Noel, y'all!

For anyone interested...

Things will be busy for me in the next few weeks:

Dec 20 at 11 AM -- Preach: North Shore Unitarian Universalist, Lacombe, LA
Dec 20 at 6 PM -- Labyrinth Service, First UU Church of New Orleans
Dec 24 at 6 PM -- Christmas Eve Readings & Carols: Community Church UU
Dec 27 at 10:30 AM Preach: "Sweatpants Sunday" at FUUNO
January 3 at 10:30 Participant: "Jazz Funeral For The Old Year" FUUNO (joint service)

Then I get a bit of a break.
-Charlie