February 28, 2011

Monday Feb 28 2011
On President's Day weekend we took things easy...caught up on laundry...watched some movies we have with us. We enjoyed the sunny weather when it came out after the usual morning fog.We drove to Bay St Louis and walked about seeing more of the town. We also had a good dinner at a Mexican restaurant called the Three Amigos.

The beginning of the week was a holiday...there were some fireworks on Sunday night and some heavy fog Monday morning. We also got mail on Monday.
Tuesday, I held another story circle in the rv camp which was fun and very satisfying. I love listening to stories and encouraging others to tell.Oh yes and telling stories too!

Wed was very hot...we posted some mail at the Post Office and had lunch at the Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St Louis. A fab cafe...very relaxed, comfortable setting in an old building with art work hung all about and an area with wifi available. The food was excellent...fresh and delicilous. Afterwards I popped over to the building beside the Mockingbird cafe called Century Hall where there were stores and an art Gallery on three levels. This building was established in 1909 by Woodmen of the World as a benevolent secret beneficiary fraternity. I wanted to tell the lady in the jewellery store that we had returned to the town to explore some more.We ended up chatting about many things and I discovered that she (Vicki Niolet) is the author, photographer of the book I had purchased called 'Parting Shots of Old Town Bay St Louis' which contain her pictures taken just after Hurricane Katrina.Her humour and love of her town shine through the photographs of the scenes that greeted her after the storm.She is also a mixed media artist using found items in her creations. http://www.vickiniolet.com/  We then dropped  into the Tourist information center at the old but restored train depot and talked to a lovely lady there about the area. As we drove out of town we passed the Community theatre which had been used to film "This Property is Condemned" and we saw the notice for their latest play...'Rabbit Hole'.

The next day was foggy and rainy...we did tasks about the rv and then went to the rec hall for a fantastic homemade dinner...one of the campers made his special meatballs (whew they were huge! and mmmm good) plus there were many other dishes to feast on.People gathered at tables and talked about their outings and the  sites they went to. It was a wonderful way to end a grey and rainy day.

The next day, Fri, we drove into New Orleans for the day...planning to sample some of the nightlife.We parked near where we hoped to end up at night. It was a beautiful sunny day which was almost ruined when I stepped into a small hole as we crossed the street to see the Market! It was scary that I could have sprained an ankle so easily...luckily my ankle was tender for a short while and we could continue walking...which we did all over the French Quarter and along the river.We planned to lunch and listen to Jazz at the Two Sisters but when we approached they were having a private party. We were disappointed and frustrated because there had been no notice on their web site...I had to eat by this time...being diabetic we set off looking for another place...maybe with some music.We ate at Mr B's Bistro a lovely, elegant restaurant on the edge of the French Quarter with marble tables and great food and good service. Only jazz on Sundays. Afterwards we walked about, people watching,alley watching and looking up at the tops of the buildings...the crazy quilted buildings that have stood for some many hundred years were amazing to see. The Mardi Gras decorations were everywhere and sparkling in the sunlight..the streets were bustling with people.

We made a dinner reservation at Antoine's which has been operating for 169 years!This is the restaurant that we had had a tour through and we wanted to dine there. Then we stopped into a shop called "Love It" on a whim...I could see feathers and hats in the window.The owner(Danna Lea Designs) creates leather fashion accessories and hat accessories. She was wonderful to talk to and I bought a feather cluster for my hat which she said makes me ready for the Mardi Gras spirit.We then walked a long way to Cemetary 1 which is just outside of the French Quarter where my husband wanted to find the tomb for musicians. As we approached the cemetary we noticed many groups of people dressed in black...the women in veils with black parasols...a line up of cars along the entrance. People were just coming out of the cemetary and we were trying to be respectful...then I realized that some of the people were tour guides for the cemetary. However when we  were walking about in the cemetary...we did see a tomb that looked 'dressed' for a funeral.There were all sorts of people wandering about and many types of stones and tombs from the earliest days of New Orleans. The age of the place...the names evoking the history people lived through all soaking into me as strongly as the hot sun. We did find the tomb for the musicians...donated by a family in support of the artists who had died.

We walked back towards the restaurant...stopping on Bourbon street to watch people ,mostly tourist like ourselves,walking about and to listen to music from many sources spill onto the street...this was at 5:30 in the afternoon...people were carrying their drinks...others were watching the street from the balconies...over all a sense of waiting for something naughty to happen. We didn't stay long...we changed for dinner and enjoyed eating at Antoine's where we could look out at the street and watch people coming into the restaurant for private parties in other rooms. It was a good feeling to know that we had seen the rooms upstairs and the famous wine cellar and other corners of this famous place. We enjoyed our meal and the service and atmosphere.
Afterward we walked about stopping into a gallery of Alex Beard's work on Royal street... http://www.alexbeardstudio.com...enjoying/ his creations. We continued on to Frenchmen Street where we walked up and down the street listening to the jazz coming from the clubs. We stopped into Snug Harbour and had a drink at the bar listening to the group playing in another room...the concert was sold out and we just couldn't stay for the later one. It was a neat bar and the people were very friendly and the music was very good. On the way back to the car we stopped and listened to some street musicians and more jazz from the clubs then we departed the city about 9 pm.

Sat.it was very humid to me so I just couldn't be too active in the daytime...I will definitely  read a Tennesse William's play with more understanding now. We went to see the play at the Bay St Louis's new community theatre building, the John F. Holmes Playhouse. What a wonderful job of restoring this fine building which was the setting for the film"This Building is Condemned". It was a good theatre evening...a fine cast and a good play. The group, http://www.bsllt.org/ , has been doing community theatre for many years and since Katrina have had to search for a 'home'...doing plays in many and various settings. This is now their home and they are so happy and justly proud and have many wonderful plans for the future.

As we drove back to the rv park, we noted the many pick up trucks and cars parked in readiness for the next day's Mardi Gras parade in Waveland. There were even people camped out at their vehicles already!

Sunday was again very humid so it was good to get into the air conditioned car and drive north to Wiggins, Mississippi. We were going to a storytelling and book signing at the 'Over the Top Ice Cream Shop'.Kathryn Lewis, the State storyteller liaison, had told me about this event and I was looking forward to hearing some local stories by Len Blackwell from his days of being the Perk Paperboy in nearby Perkinston. The ice cream shop was designed with the old fashioned soda shop in mind and I couldn't resist ordering a banana split which I did split with my husband! I met Kathryn Lewis and she introduced me to some other tellers from the area. The shop was filling fast! Then Len Blackwell told some  stories of his youth delivering papers...he created the small Mississippi town so clearly and the unique people that he got to know on his route. After his telling there was more talk of stories and telling with the other people there. Lorraine Craig has invited us to their gathering this Tues (tomorrrow) in Poplarville so we hope to attend. It was a wonderful afternoon listening and sharing experiences with 'story' people. On the way back we stopped at a place called 'The Pecan House' which we noticed on the way north. We were advised to stop and go in...the outside of the building is made from the wood that was used in the local pickle making vats. The store is gem and the young lady at the counter was patient with all my questions. I do love pecans! There are many other products there as well. Watching a glorious sunset,we continued back to the rv camp...surprised in Waveland at the post parade mess on the streets that was being cleaned up as we went through.Back at the camp we gathered at a neighbour's campfire with others who were sharing their tales of their day. A good ending to a great day.

Today we have had humidity (!!) and rain so we finally put the air conditioning on!

Sunshine & Laughter
Anne