Mardi Gras 2011 proved to be even more fun than last year! In addition to good times and good food with family this year we had the added bonus of good times with friends! Marty and Shawn Mason were kind enough to escort us to New Orleans last weekend and join our fun on St. Charles Ave.
This year, Auntie Adri and Uncle Vince were kind enough to extend the invitation to the four of us - a house with beds and showers enough for all! We eagerly accepted the offer. We were especially pleased we had when we discovered that we were:
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| staying at the home of the lakeshore garden club garden of the month |
Always being the gentlest of guests, Marty and Shawn come armed with hostess gifts:
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| and true to their roots they bring the house wine of appalachia - blueberry moonshine! |
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| delicious delicious raw oysters YUM want some NOW |
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| beers on bourbon street with our new friend the pirate |
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| windy picture of us by the river near jackson square |
Next, a two picture montage of me finding things on Bourbon Street that match my outfit:
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| abita purple haze beer |
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| 80s clear plastic beads that i picked up off the street SHUT UP. i'm obsessed and they're my favorites. (haha marty smacked my hand and said "no! dirty!" when i went to grab them off the street like i was a little girl picking up dog doo.) |
Next, up OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY! My favorite time of all! Parade time!
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| cousin danielle joins the fun with shawn and marty |
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| flambeaux light the way |
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| i really like the flambeaux, but couldn't get a decent photo |
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| cousin danielle and tommy share a snuggle |
And now a montage of Shawn and Marty acting the fool:
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| wooooooooooooo........ |
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| oooooooooooooooooo....... |
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| oooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! |
And I'd like to point out that there are no photos OF ME acting the fool. Ahem. I hope. Well that's what they get for leaving the camera in my possession HAHAHAHAHA!
The next day I'm sorry to say was damp and rainy. But no worries! We are all grownups and know how to dress for mucky weather!
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| kristina, the wellies are AWESOME. thanks for the fabulous gift! |
And nothing says "it's raining, it's pouring" like an airbrush tube top and matching clear plastic beads from the 80s:
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| why yes i picked these beads up from the street in the french quarter SHUT UP! |
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| me and mr. smith taking in the action |
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| shawn and marty don't mind the damp either! |
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| papa tom doesn't get excited about parades. he loves them, but enjoys them in stride. he we have him fixing to take in all the action in his seat whilst enjoying some nice roast peanuts (clay-clay, this was THE go-to menu item this week. be glad you weren't there. i think i ate my weight in peanuts and i know i ate them for at least two meals.) |
Next up, PARADES ARE HERE PARADES ARE HERE!!
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| me ladder top in the rain collecting beads |
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| back in my day, we used to wear our hair all the same way. these chicadees all have the SAME HAIR. times, they are a-changing... |
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| as my friend ames morehous put it.... that princess lia looks... chilly. |
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| marty catches a much-coveted squirting toilet in the tucks parade (we're a klassy lot, ya'll) |
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| the boys ladder top doing the winchester gang sign (again, in my mind) |
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| after each float would pass, papa tom would open his umbrella and hold it over the two of us. he's a keeper! |
Fortunately for us (and unfortunately for all those poor folks riding parades and those watching them pass) the heavens unleashed their flash floods the very second the last float went by the condo. We counted ourselves lucky and headed out to lunch at R and O's! We truly were lucky we rode out the parades in a "barely damp" stage and then....
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| we got a flat tire in the pouring, pouring rain |
Since I was the only one with wellies (DAMMIT, KRISTINA. THANKS A LOT), I was nominated unanimously to hold the umbrella over the guys while they changed the flat tire.
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| the smith men; teamwork in action |
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| you just gotta laugh... i wish i had a photo of me trying to signal to everyone in the car silently through glass to please hand me my camera.... |
After such an adventurous (and wet) day, I confess we let our age get to us and stayed home that night. Here you have us buying supper at the grocery store!
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| we are old and tired |
Old and tired, but we also have to gear up for an epic big day of parades, food, family and FUN! Sunday was a beautiful day that was scheduled with six parades starting at 11 AM and ending at 9 PM.
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| i am rough and tough and cute all at the same time |
Shawn being a fancy pants wine rep scores us some tickets to a Southern Comfort event at the Columns Hotel!
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| making dorky jester sunglasses look GOOD |
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| chick magnets on st. charles (literally and figurativelly chick magnets) |
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| the family photo of the weekend: mike, lexie, tom, tommy suzy and moi |
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papa tom at a nearby tailgate where they were SMOKING A WHOLE PIG AND SIX WHOLE CHICKENS (they also had a cooler full of oysters YUM and YUM) |
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| adorable triplets on st. charles - their matching mardi gras shirts read "this one," "that one," and "the other one." |
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| shawn and our hostess with the mostess, auntie adri |
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| papa tom and tommy enjoying parades |
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| like i say, papa tom just takes it all in.... |
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| me and tommy mid-parade (check out my awesome beads i'm wearing {i only caught one pair the rest i found SHUT UP! I'M SORRY!!}) |
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| adri, cousins vince, reagan and danielle |
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| at one point they threw bananas. reagan gets her potassium in. |
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| danielle scores a stuff animal - when i posted this photo one day later on facebook she made note that her dog had already eaten the i love you bear. |
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| adri in all her mardi gras finery |
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| danielle smooches tommy and i just giggle (arms, check out my bracelets...) |
And SCOOOOOORE!!!
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| tommy catches a giant toothbrush!!!! those are the BEST!! |
Then - needle on the record. Time to go home. Sniff.... Shawn and I make the most of a bad situation by enjoying a Twilight movie marathon on the way home.
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| team edward or team jacob? we just can't decide... |
NOW. I know I've eluded to the fact that I love me some clear plastic Mardi Gras beads that I will find a use for some day (I WILL). And I know that I've also mentioned in past posts that I have a Santa Claus collection. You may also recollect that I have searched high and low (and enlisted the help of two doting aunts and five cousins in the New Orleans area PLUS my New Orleans native mother-in-law) to help me find Santa Claus Mardi Gras beads to add to my collection. I have looked in antique stores, and I have dug through every sleazy tourist shop from Shin to Shinola to find Santa Claus beads. One time my friend Rachel Landry asked why I didn't just walk in and ask if they had Santa Claus beads upon arrival of the store and I replied that it gave me a few minutes of being hopeful before being disappointed (again). Suzy and I both found some in a Santa Claus store in the French Quarter - but let's be honest. Despite my initial reaction upon finding those beads:
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| shock and awe, but it is simply a string of beads with a santa dangle that was put on after the fact |
So, PLEASE IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN... I noted to Mr. Smith that I thought I saw a man riding in the parade with what seemed to be real, bona fide, honest-to-God, Santa Claus Mardi Gras beads around his neck. The float went by and stalled about half a block away. I never ever shill for beads, but I had seen some success the first time I'd begged for something about an hour beforehand (orange boa; I call it my "work boa" {go vols}) so I thought, what the hey. I'll walk down and see what he's got.
Parades are loud, and they are noisy, and the riders are about a story up. I shouted at the float "SANTA CLAUS BEEEEEEAAAADS, SANTA CLAUS BEEEEEAAADS" for a few minutes before a guy heard me and looked over. He couldn't understand what I was saying and ducked back into the float. I kept going though... he looked over a couple more times a few minutes apart but still couldn't understand what I was saying. Finally, the fourth time he looked over at me I finally just jerked my thumb to the left and shouted "THAT GUY!!!!" He nudged the guy to his right who looked over over at me....
Wearing Santa Claus beads.
He didn't tease me with them or anything. He just took them off his neck, handed them down and told me they were Blinky; that I could put a battery in and make them light up. I hope he saw this - I caught the beads from him and two big fat tears welled up out of my eyes and I bawled "THANNNNKK YOUU!!!!" (I'm thinking a la Lottie Sue meeting and getting a toy from the real Santa for the first time) and ran back to show them to my family. Tommy said I should thank him and go give him a beer and so I ran back with a Coors Light and yelled "Mr. Santa Claus Beads!" until he looked over again and I stood on my tippy tippy toes and gave him a beer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my proudest acquisition to the Santa Claus collection:
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| real, true santa claus beads. they're blinky. i have my favorite beyond favorite mardi gras catch or find EVER. grandmommy, i hope you're proud. |
Man OH man... what a fun time. Thank you Adri and Vince for hosting us, and thank you Masons for joining! I'm so lucky to be surrounded with such wonderful things and I truly do appreciate them all. I know it's a lame wrap-up, but buddy... not much tops what I got going on in my life.
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