Cold Spaghetti

Our first year here, I had recently been discharged (read: signed out AMA) from a local hospital and was recovering from pneumonia. Last year, I was 14 months pregnant with Kate and in Mobile, awaiting signs of labor. This year, the kids were in school — and we were at Jazz Fest, loving every minute. It was a wonderful day; perfect for taking in the one-of-a-kind music, food, culture, and celebration that is New Orleans and Louisiana.

Our strategy, as first-timers: spend the day walking the field, make no plans or commitments to performances, just get a sense of the festival, the crowd, and the range of experiences.

Our highlights…
Mardi Gras Indians (the above are Semolian Warriors) on the Jazz and Heritage Stage. Jazz Fest includes 11 stages — some open air (like the Jazz and Heritage Stage seen below) and others in tents. Tented stages have areas with bleachers and chair aisles for seating — big pluses for getting out of the hot sun.
In the Southern Comfort Blues Tent, we grooved to Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band… great performer, fabulous musician… screeches with the best of ’em!
Jazz Fest has big crowds, so many use interesting hats to stick out.
Michael Ward, adult contemporary in the WWOZ Jazz Tent. It was like seeing a concert with 1500 versions of my mother. (My Mom LOVES smooth jazz and, as she says, would have “eaten it up with a spoon.”)
With the tents, it was very easy to sit comfortably and occasionally walk up to the stage for better photography opportunities. It was great to be in a crowd, but still have this ability to come in close and have an intimate moment with the music and performers.
Make no mistake: the Gospel Tent is WHERE IT’S AT. For pure energy and excitement, you will not be disappointed with any performance. LOVED IT.
This is Lyle Henderson & Emmanuel. This is right before he told us that he was “feelin’ something movin’!” among us.


Seriously great performer, awesome powerhouse of energy.
The massive Acura stage (below). This is where Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Harry Connick, Steely Dan, Brad Paisley, ZZ Top, and a bunch of the other big performers are playing it out (Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Ludacris, Bonnie Raitt, Counting Crows, and others are playing on the Gentilly Stage on the other side of the track.) We walked by to check it out — and see the crowds — and decided to stick with our initial impressions: steer clear of the big names and stick to the local performances.
That’s George Porter, Jr. and the Runnin’ Pardners up on the Acura in the picture above. Dr. John (who we would have loved to see) came up next… but we decided to get our funk out with da’ good Doc later at some local venue. (Anybody wanna babysit while we check out Dr. John at Jazz Fest nights this week???)
More crowds. I was torn over the controversy of the “big names.” I like the idea of keeping it to our local musicians and cutting ticket prices by keeping big names out. Yet, it’s great that the crowds congregate to the big stages and let the rest of us enjoy the festival with relative space and ease.
My favorite area was around Congo Square and Lousiana Folklife Village — Louisiana artists (including Zulu coconut history and artistry) and African-American heritage.
Guy sets up in style near the Fais Do Do Stage.
Looking out to the Grandstand. The Fest takes place at the New Orleans Race Track/Fairgrounds. I can only imagine how muddy it might get in a heavy rain…
Paul gets us Mango Freeze… one of the many unique and incredible delights at Jazz Fest. Many go to the ‘fest just for the food. We admit: that only would be reason enough. We sampled a large variety of tasty treats including the Mango dream (below), Andouille Calas with Green Onion Sauce (good gracious were these good — they are like Cajun Rice Cakes with sausage… wow), Pecan Catfish Meuniere, Mandarin Orange Ice Tea, and the obligatory Frozen Cafe au Lait. We have a list of other things we’d like to try next Friday… including the Carribean Fruit Salad, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tajadas (plantains with spicy pork & pickled cabbage).
We saw a Native American Pow-Wow and friendship dance in the Louisiana Folk Village.


We also had a nice conversation with one of the artisans who weaves the incredible beads that make the Mardi Gras Indian costumes. His studio and much of his work was lost in Katrina — and volunteers from Kansas were instrumental in rebuilding a more structural sound workspace (one of architectural significance, to hear him talk of it) and reclaim his home and family. He told us about his wife, his concern over her emotional state in dealing with the losses caused by the storm and Great Flood. Finally, he told us about teaching his younger son to carry on in his talents.
A couple enjoys the music from the Fais Do Do stage — one of my top choices for music (it’s a close contender to my number one: the Economy Stage). I am turning into a huge fan of Zydeco and Cajun music.
Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie were awesome. I want to learn some French just to be able to sing along!
The Economy Hall Tent is my favorite for music: Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz! We caught Mari Watanbe’s Chosen Few Jazz Band in the morning and Leroy Jones and New Orleans’ Finest in the afternoon… where enthusiastic music lovers of all ages had started to Second Line around the tent.




How can you not fall in love with this city?

We were too tired, had too much work (and no babysitter) to go on Saturday or Sunday. But we hope to head back out this Friday! (Or maybe get out for some Jazz Fest nights this week!) The only real tragedy in all of this is that our house is not full to the rim with guests. Apparently, we haven’t been doing a good job about getting the word out about this incredible event. Open doors, y’all, come on down!

By the way, you can stream live music from the WWOZ tent during the ‘fest. (Or just tune in to some of the great music shows and live broadcasts everyday.)

— Flying direct is ALWAYS preferred.
— No matter how many toys you bring, playing with the fold-up tray is more fun.
— People who are not handicapped or traveling with children SHOULD NOT SIT IN BULKHEAD SEATING. This means you, annoying woman with the Soap Opera Digest and WWJD bracelet. I’m just guessing here, but I’d venture that Jesus wouldn’t plop down in bulkhead while 3 older women in wheelchairs and 2 families with small children shuffle into the back aisles.
— Southwest is a good airline for family travel: priority open seating, kids’ activity books, willing to fill zippy cups early in the flight before beverage service, give drinks with lids and straws to all members of the family (for when that rouge toddler kick knocks everything off your tray).
— Raleigh Durham airport gets a big thumbs down. There is no gas station within 5 miles of the car rental return. We had to drive far away (in morning traffic) and search for a place to fill-up. (Thank goodness we were early.) Then, the rental agency van drop-off is 50 meters from the terminal — separated by a landscaped divider with STAIRS. Big stroller, 6 bags, 2 kids… couldn’t we have been dropped off closer?? Then the Smart Cart dispenser ate our $2 without giving us a cart. I called the 800 number to “request a refund” — not in my best moment, I described the “b” in my name (for which I usually say “b as in boy”) as “b as in bullshit”.
— Flying with kids is really nothing to be scared about. It’s just more of a pain to pack for flight (versus throwing a ton of stuff in the car) and get from each point in a timely fashion when you’ve got kids to worry about.
— Having an extra bedroom and kitchenette in a hotel makes a TON of difference. Free high speed internet (for streaming WWOZ when you need some New Orleans in your day) is a big plus.
— Kids can’t handle long car trips without plenty of stops and exercise. Maybe this is just my kids, but they really can’t be held down too long without all of us suffering.
— We really love minivans.

We think that Brayden is going to adore his older cousin, Will. After just two days, Brayden developed Will’s well-established affinity for hardware.
Sunday afternoon, we took the kids to make a surprise for Nana. I’m posting two pictures that Paul took — Nana knows this much about her surprise so we’re not spoiling anything major. The remarkable thing is that Will wasn’t the one to spill the beans about our secret errand… Paul was!


Will is GREAT with babies and it was no different with Brayden. He loved giving him zerbers, playing peek-a-boo with Brayden’s feet, and tickling him… Brayden laughed and laughed at his silly cousin!


I’m already worried about when they are teenagers and ask for the keys to the car to go out together.

Then a walk to the lake, where I messed around with the camera and took pictures of all the “monsters” Will found.

Nana read Thump Thump Thump and In a Dark, Dark Wood about 47 times. This is not an exaggeration.
The kids played — rolling on the air mattresses, laughing, sharing binkies (Brayden is a master binky-stealer; Kate taunts him to try for it), and reading stories.

A few details…
— Paul’s b-day is May 5th, Kate’s (first!) is May 9th. We had an early birthday for them in a fun cafe in New Bern.
— But first we explored.
— Horses and carriages… churches…playgrounds…old fashion hardware stores…artsy-fartsy galore. Loved it.
— Kids had a great time in the party room at the Funky Cow — complete with a cow-themed farm in the back as a play area.













I got a bit artsy. The black-and-white seemed to work a bit more here. I think that a black and white filter would help the contrast a bit more…? But I like these.


Will loved the minivan. He told us the birthday was for him, too — and that he was now SIXTEEN and could drive.

A few details…
— Brayden is 3 months younger than Kate… but outweighs her by a good 3-4 pounds and has an inch or more on her. He rolls, moves on his stomach, and pounds out intense beats with his feet, which are always moving, or his fist and feet in unison. I am completely in love with him.
— Nana Nancy’s new house has a great playground in the backyard with swing (see below) and sandbox. Will worked very hard to “fix” it so that it was safe for the babies to use.
— One picture, three smiling children? Not in my world. But it was fun to try.

What surprise it has been to find myself at a point in my life where the sight of a new minivan can make my heart skip a few beats.

For this trip, we had Some Serious Stuff (including the mega stroller) so we pushed the limits of Paul’s per diem and splurged an extra few bucks on a minivan. It was a basic Dodge Caravan, no extended “Grand” cabin, no power gear, nothing but the basics… and it was pretty nice.

We tested the ‘van on the open road Friday afternoon, driving down to New Bern, NC. The drive took us about 9 hours — traffic around DC, slow backroads, and frequent stops to let the kids run around — but we made it! Amy, Kevin, and Brayden were already there — I spent the rest of the weekend as paparazzi.

Thursday morning was just one of those rough days. Bathroom accidents. Falling down. Diaper leaks. Upset tummies. Just one of those rough days. And so that was our morning.

Shortly before lunchtime, we headed out to Burke to see Wyatt, Eli & Wylie, who were visiting Wyatt’s family for the week while Eli was in the area for work. (They moved to LA last summer so this was a big deal!) Will continued to have a bit of a tough afternoon, but enjoyed playing pirates with Wyatt in the neighborhood playground. It was great to catch up with them; I always love talking to Eli. Wylie is as sweet as can be — huge beautiful blue eyes, pleasant demeanor, and just a happy little guy. He was adorable being pushed in a swing in the park… and when I took out my camera to take it all in, found that I’d not brought a CF card along. (This is a chronic problem for me. One that drives Paul crazy; much like my penchant for leaving shoes all over the house.) So check Eli’s blog for potential pictures… *sigh*

BUT — I did take out the camera when Randy, Katherine, and Murray came by for a late night snack. The kids were fresh out of the tub and were in great moods (i.e.: overtired and pumped up on adrenaline). We were thrilled that they made such a tremendous effort to see us, despite having heavy work and travel schedules.

Will shared ice cream dibs, sang songs, and loved on Murray.

45 – minutes to park for the Metro ride
45 – minutes to find the car when we returned and I realized I didn’t remember on which of the 6 levels we were parked on

“Mommy, where’s our car?”
“I don’t know, Will. We’re going to keep looking until we find it.”
“Oh. Why don’t we just walk instead?”