For those of you that dont’ know I’ve just come back from New Orleans.  This is my fourth (?) trip to visit Tara there and was just as much fun as well as loaded with prat-falls as all the other trips have been.  Becky picked me up in Houston, about an hour late after we had some confusion as to which airport I was sitting in.  Nevertheless, we made it to NOLA by evening and went to Vaughn’s to hear Kermit Ruffins and eat red beans and rice and celebrate our arrival in style.  Vaughn’s is small, dark, crowded and always very hot and very loud but I think that is a part of it’s charm.  Kermit Ruffin’s has a raspy croaky voice but he sings and plays (trumpet) wonderful music and the food always tastes better after you fight a crowd to get to it, plus it’s free – always makes food yummier.

We took Tara grocery shopping and sampled wine and cheese in fancy whole foods. . . We had Snow Bliz’s (I’m not sure I’m spelling that right), which I guess are a long standing NOLA tradition and require standing in a very long line because there is only ne machine that makes the ice that way… a machine like 50 years old and handed down through generations by the guy who built it.  I had Cream of Nectar, which was delicious and while eating it I had one of the few increments of time where the weather did not make me want to kill myself and go to hell just because it would be cooler. We saw Julie & Julia at the only Sunday matinee in movie history to sell out and have a line half way around the theatre.  Much weirdness.

We went and had a very fancy dinner at a gay men’s country club.  Which, according to Tara, has naked pool parties for the men with memberships and a great deal of drama for the wait staff.  However, the food was phenomenal.  It inspired me to try and make baked macaroni and cheese with smoked gouda, I’m excited about it.

We drove out to Vacherie to see the Laura Plantation which was a big part of what I wanted to do.  I’ve never been outside of NOLA when visiting Tara.  The plantation was beautiful and the tour was interesting, but I felt like it could have been a lot more informative.  I was a little disappointed.  Tara and Becky kissed a frog at lunch but I refrained as his face was cracked and bleedy and he made me too agitated.  I did however try alligator and didn’t much like it.  Tasted like extra tough and chewy deep-fried chicken.  🙁

We also drove out to the Jean Lafitte Nature Preserve  It was really hot and humid until the 30 minute rain storm which soaked us from head to toe and at the end of the mile walk there was so much greenery over the water that we didn’t even get to see alligators.  I am still really sad about that.  We did how ever see a frog about the size of a half dollar, rainbow colored spiders three times the size of the frog and completely surrounding the trail and one decently large black and grey snake slithering under the trail ramp.  The frog was adorable but the spiders scared me to death, i almost didn’t want to walk the trails anymore after seeing one directly above my head.

Okay, I know we did other things but I need to be done for now.  Much love and thanks for reading.

yours,

Alaina