Way Down Yonder in New Orleans

All because it's Carnival Time! My first time home for Mardi Gras in more than 7 years proved to be filled with excitement and revelry to get me through this mid-winter slump. This year the weather was not so reliable so it ended up disrupting the parade schedule which meant four parades in one night and so we layered up and took to the streets for several hours of parades. The evening started with Hermes and a broken down float meant an early delay but lucky for us the flamboux carriers were stopped right near us and the bands and crowd huddled around them for warmth. (I think the flamboux carriers are an indispensable parade element -given the cooler temps during Mardi Gras in the past couple years. I sure hope they get paid for their work and are not just collecting the coins thrown at them during the parade.) After Hermes starting rolling we caught a few more floats (designed by my uncle-seen above in the window) and then made our way indoors for a king size meal at Zea's. I ventured off my seafood track and had a rack of ribs, grits with roasted corn, broccoli and delicious hummus with feta, sundried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Though the food sounds very basic it was the most delicious huge meal I'd had in a long time. As I ate, I watched the second parade roll by and began to regret overeating with several more hours before I got to roll into my bed for the night, so I took some sips of my coke and we ventured into the streets again. The Krewe of Muses (the final parade) is known for their shoe themed throws and all female riders.We ended the night with bows and arrows, beads, cups, shoes and stuffed animals and literally ran for the car!!