Jazz Fest & Book Signing

I arrived early for my Jazz Fest book signing and started the day with Glen David Andrews in the Blues Tent. The tents are known for crowds who enjoy sitting in the shade and resting but Andrews got everyone on their feet, hands in the air. His soulful rendition of When Doves Cry turned out to be the best musical performance of the entire day.

The Soul Rebels had everyone dancing at the Congo Square stage. We all put our hands up as numbers for 504, a song celebrating our beloved area code.  

Mardi Gras Indians 2012

I’m what some call a “crafter.” As some of you readers know, I often crochet, knit, paint, make soap, jewelry and ornaments. In New Orleans, LOTS of people are crafters, even if only when it comes to costumes for Mardi Gras Day. This city is filled with creativity, imagination and skilled hands. But, the Mardi Gras Indians take crafting to a whole new level. They work on their suits for a year, investing up to $5000 on the exquisite plumes and beads that become their storytelling suits.

Evergreen Plantation on MLK Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I visited the beautiful and still functioning Evergreen Plantation, a privately owned sugar farm that offers walking tours. Built in 1790 and located on 2200 acres on the River Road with neighbors such as Oak Alley and Laura’s Plantation, the estate is best known as “the most intact plantation complex” in the south. The grounds holds 37 buildings, including 22 slave cabins. Touring a plantation is an odd way to spend MLK Day but it was a good day to reflect on what has come before and where we are now.