October in New Orleans

While the blog has been quiet of late there has been plenty happening. 

After War Eagle weekend Chris and I took a few days off and drove to New Orleans for a little fun. We each have friends in New Orleans and in fact, we stayed with Elliott (one of Chris’s high school chums) and his wife Elizabeth. Their home is located on Rampart which is the dividing street between Treme and the French Quarter. (If you’ve not started watched Treme, the HBO series, I can highly recommend it.) This was a wonderful location that allowed us easy access to everything. 

On the first night we walked down to the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street to enjoy a music set with Washboard Chaz, my friend Jessica’s husband. The following day we managed to join a Second Line. Which, in case you aren’t up on your parade lingo, is the dancing and partying group that follows the band in a New Orleans parade. The Black Men of Labor had been forced to reschedule their annual parade because of a tropical storm on Labor Day and were in high form when we walked down to watch the beginning of the parade and join in behind them. 

One day we went to Voodoo Fest for some music and people watching. 

And we spent one wonderful evening with my friend Jessica eating shrimp and chatting. In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much neither of us remembered to pull out our cameras for a photo op! I’ve been trading emails with Jessica for years and I finally got to hang out with her and don’t get a single photo. Obviously the conversation was good. 

No visit to New Orleans is complete without beignets and coffee from Cafe DuMond and a walk through the Garden District. For the Garden District I did pull out my camera, not for a photo of Anne Rice’s house which so many tourists do — but just around the corner I spotted something moving in the undergrowth of some bushes just inside the iron fence. Chickens! So for all my urban chicken farming friends – these shots are for you. 

While walking around I kept following my nose trying to locate the source for the sweet floral smell that seemed to be on almost every street. The little white flowers on this tree were the source of that sweet scent. It’s called a Ligustrum and I liked it – a lot. (Expect to see it in a future design.)

On our last full day we did a little swamp walking at Jean Lafitte National Park. I was thoroughly enchanted by the swamps – speaking of which – another recommendation is the book Atchafalaya Houseboat by Gwen Roland. 

That same evening we walked down to the Quarter (as I was now calling it) for the madness that is Halloween in New Orleans. There was a mash of people – 90% of whom were in costume. Zombies, tarts, strumpets, witches, ghosts, cartoon characters and about everything imaginable was partying in New Orleans that night. There was brass band music on street corners, and fire throwing numchucks too. It was quite a night!

This is a knitting blog so not to be remiss – what was I knitting on this trip? I’d briefly set aside my Bridgewater to work on a gift shawl. This is La Cumpersita (design by Marnie McLean) in Oak Barn Merino colorway Spring Valley VFD. 

This trip – while a vacation – also inspired some new design ideas. One of which includes those lovely little Yellowtops from the Louisiana swamps.