Thaw before reheating.
{ Monthly Archives }
Friday, February 4th — Hermes and D’Etat Parades
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Sunday, February 6th — Thoth Parade
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Sunday afternoon and evening — Music on our street, Bacchus Parade, Will and his wooden toy
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
My friend and classmate, Tony Bondurant, held his commitment ceremony with his partner, Isaac Hock, LAST NIGHT — IN THE FRENCH QUARTER!
So, armed with French Quarter-savvy friends Wyatt and Eli Poist, we took on the Quarter on the weekend before Mardi Gras Tuesday. IT WAS WILD. We took the St. Charles Streetcar as far as MLK Blvd (about a 1/4 mile west of Lee Circle) and hiked in from there… through the CBD, through downtown, into the Quarter. It felt like we were walking into some huge, crazy concert. Hundreds of people, coolers, beads, drinks, drinks, and more drinks. It was mayheim. Somehow, we managed to push ourselves across Canal Street and into the Quarter, where (on Royal Street) it was quite nice and calm! We had drinks and appetizers at Napolean House (I actually had a half of my first drink in YEARS, the Pimm’s Cup, a low-alcohol drink complete with cucumber.) After that, we found the ceremony and made plans to meet back up with Wyatt and Eli afterward.
The ceremony was gorgeous! It was in a tiny cottage tucked off of St. Ann’s/Bourbon Streets — a part of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. The band/singer were fabulous (we are going to try and see them out sometime!) and we had a blast. It was so great to be a part of such a special event in a wonderfully historical place during the most wonderful holiday!
THEN… we met back up with Wyatt and Eli. We went to Cafe du Monde for beignets and coffee (in my opinion, the world’s best!) and walked over to Jackson Square, where I had my palm read for the very first time! I had told Eli that I’ve always wanted a palm reading, but I needed a “sign” — she was in line to the bathroom beside a tarot reader, whose husband was a palmist… so that was my sign!
From there, we made our way back up the Quarter to Bourbon Street (we didn’t quite make it to the street, but got close enough to be totally overwhelmed.) Then made our way back out of the Quarter, where we ended up catching the last of the Endymion Parade, which was finishing up. After the last float, we walked back to where the streetcar had dropped us off and caught the first car! We were home a little before midnight… totally exhausted….
… and where Will was AWAKE and ready to play!!!
A float from Krewe D’Etat. Their theme (“title”) was “Tarot D’Etat” and they connect their theme and floats into social commentary. This year, floats included Anna Nicole Smith (“The Queen of Cups”), the Orleans Parish School Board (“The Seven Pentacles/Failure”), Donald Trump (“The King of Cups”), Dick Cheney (“The Hermit”), and more. Along with the floats, they provide a “procession guide” that describes each float. Their words about the float above (“The Emperor”): “Though he looked like a goner several months back, he has retained the throne of the Empire. Job creation is low – no problem. Iraq’s a mess – no problem. Everyone said he lost the debates – no problem. He has a big belt buckle and he shares the values of those red state people. Thank goodness Karl snuck that microphone up his suit. Four more years of Texas swagger.” 
