I went to visit my cousins in New Orleans. This time, I drove. When I got there, Linda wasn't home. She had gone to a dream group that she belongs to. She had given me the code to her house so I let myself in, put my things away and looked around her house. She moved to New Orleans right out of college, as a single girl a few years ago. She met her husband Pierre there and they had their three children. In the years that followed, they lived in several beautiful old homes in the uptown district. This is their last one, as the kids have grown and left. I really love it:
See that chair with the two pillows? That was our grandmother's chair many many years ago. Linda inherited it after our grandmother died and she reupholstered it. I was glad to see it.
Linda loves art (as I do) and she has beautiful art pieces throughout her home. Besides her gorgeous home, I love the neighborhood she lives in: old homes surrounded by tree-lined streets: very gorgeous and stately. As I said, she wasn't home so I walked down the street to Magazine Street and found a wonderful little Italian restaurant where I had a bite to eat while I waited on her to return.
I just happen to have my receipt:
After walking around Magazine Street for a while, I headed back to my cousin's house. It began to rain on me and I was a little wet when I got back. She showed up about the same time and we hugged, caught up on things and then it was time to go to the French Quarter. Pierre, her husband came home and we all three got in an uber and headed down there. They wanted to take me to a jazz concert and I'm glad they did. I love that kind of music. They had taken me to another musical performance down there the last time I was there. This one was at Preservation Hall.
I sat on a concrete slab in a room that was 300 years old, if it was a day listening to the most glorious jazz I think I have ever heard!
If you have ever been to the quarter, you know that all the buildings are very old. And the one we were in was no exception. It was a non assuming little room with concrete slabs for seats and NO air conditioning.
This was the room where we listened to jazz music. This room was 300 years old if it was a day. There was a lady playing the trombone, a man playing the trumpet, another one playing the saxaphone, a man playing that piano, a man playing the bass and a man on the drums. The man playing the trumpet also sang. It was great. Afterwards, they took me to dinner at a VERY NICE restaurant around the corner, also in the French Quarter. I had shrimp and grits, with a great soup and a non alcoholic drink. I enjoyed it very much
This is the fan they gave us as we entered, to be used in place of air conditioning. Despite the hard concrete slab of a seat and despite no air conditioning, the ambiance of the room and the GREAT music, made it a great evening. If you are ever in the French Quarter of New Orleans, you should definitely visit them.
The next morning, after Pierre had gone to work, Linda and I went to a nice restaurant for breakfast.
And here was my sweet cousin, Linda. She and I were babies together.
Later that day, she took me to the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art
A bit Avant Guard
That afternoon, we headed back down to Lafayette Square in the quarter to go to a museum and to just stroll around.
I saw this van parked along Royal St and couldn't resist capturing it.
I have a friend who is an author. And this very building, below is on the cover of her book!
I saw this man sitting with his bird, listening to the jazz musicians and couldn't resist taking a picture. I love that bird!
We went into a tiny little art gallary and I was enthralled with their paintings. I saw one painting selling for $7,000.00! One can dream. We also went to a museum as well as an out door market. Later, we met Pierre for dinner at a wonderful restaurant and then we went to a music performance at a local lounge.
The next day for lunch, Linda and I went to Commander's Palace, a well known and long-time restaurant. It sits just across the street from Jackson Cemetery, in the Garden District. I had been there once before and knew I liked it so we went again. The food is spectacular and the service is the best.
Here Linda and I are. One of our waiters was from my city of Atlanta. Small world.
That afternoon, we hung around the house. Here is the second chair that belonged to my grandmother. Things like that mean alot to me - that we have things from our ancestors.
This statue once belonged to Linda's paternal grandparents at their estate, Strawberry Hill, in south Alabama.
I had been having a problem with one of my eyes and we needed to go to pharmacy and while we were out, Linda took me by this house. It sits on the famed St Charles St and she told me that every year during the Halloween season, the owner of this house decks it out with all of these skeletons.
Later that afternoon, Linda and I went to Trinity Episcopal Church where they were having a free organ concert. The stained glass from the windows, the glowing candles and the music from the organ was so beautiful. It was one of my favorite things I enjoyed while I was there.
Later that night, we went through family pictures together, enjoyed Linda's great cooking and eventually went to bed.
The next day, I had to go back. Pierre leaves the house by 5:00 in the morning for work and so he was gone. But I found this note on the counter. I had a very nice visit with them. I left around 6:00 and had a very easy trip back to Atlanta. I sailed right on down the road. Until I got to Atlanta. And then I sat in rush hour traffic for two hours. I was home . . .
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