Jeanne is down in New Orleans, drinking hurricanes, and flashing her girls without us! I don't know what made her think she could take off on a vacation and leave us alone!

She's supposed to be here keeping us in line. And, telling me what mystery I should try next. ;-)

I wonder if she found any cool book stores..... I wish I'd told her to send me a beignet while she was there. Yum....

I bet she is having a blast! I'm so jealous.

Well, Valli -- I realize this is a poor substitute, but here are a hurricane and beignet to hold you until Jeanne returns. (I'm afraid you'll have to use your imagination with "her girls.")

Jeanne -- hope you had a great time. It's true -- we need you around to keep Valli (and other HF miscreants forum members) in line.

I would suggest making a raid on her books while she's away, but there are still people there and she has a dog which she has probably trained to guard the book shalves. Damn. Foiled again!

Oh, well, thanks for the hurricane, Deb!

I'm back and still in one piece - how, I don't know. Thanks for thinking of me and Valli, I wish that I could have sent you the Hurricanes and beignets that you so obviously love (and me too). I also wish that we could've gotten together while I was down there. Our friends (aka tour guides) had our schedule so crammed with things to do that they even said that if they ever do that again, it won't be so "busy". lol

First, when we arrived 2 of the 4 couples couldn't make it that day because of the weather - their flights were delayed. So the other couple and DH and I traipsed around the French Quarter. I collected a bunch of beads being thrown from balconies and some woman about my age approached me and said "you know what you have to do to earn those beads, don't you"? I responded with my usual " i'll clear out the French Quarter if I flash anything" so she laughed and said she felt the same way! We went into a couple of bars (Hurricanes there, of course), and the music was so loud that I thought sure I would never hear again. Our friends insisted on trying to talk with us over that noise, so I finally walked out to take a break. They all followed thinking that I had left permanently!!

We ended up eating at a relatively small place called La Bayou and the food was excellent. That started off the eating fest that followed for the rest of the week! I have never in my life had such delicious seafood. I think it may be the best on the planet! We went to Mr B's, Pat O'Brian's, (Breakfast at) Brennans, Cafe Adelaid, Cafe DuMonde, Mothers. We toured a couple of plantations: The San Francisco and Oak Alley. We went on a jazz riverboat cruise with dinner included (the Natchez).

The first couple of days I bet we walked 10 miles and all of it in a torrential downpour! After that the rain let up a bit during most of the day, but one night it rained so hard that the swimming pool in the back of the hotel flooded the first floor of the hotel. You could hear water going down the elevator shaft!

We gambled a bit at Harrah's and of course, made our obligatory donation!

On Wednesday, we headed up tp Lafayette and had drinks at La Fonda and dinner at PreJean's. Thursday was a visit to a couple who have a "camp" on the Gulf. This camp is a beautiful vacation home!! They actually live in Lafayette and they were so gracious - real Southern hospitality. We had a shrimp/crab boil there. I did not see any of the oil on the Gulf but the couple we were with said it was approaching the Barrier Islands. Fishermen were trying to get what they could WHILE they could!!! So sad and infuriating!!!

Upon returning home on Friday we turned right around and headed up to Phoenix to rescue our dogs from my daughter's home and to attend a concert that our granddaughter was in for the Phoenix Children' Chorus. I am officially exhausted.

I did manage to read 2 books on the plane trips: Iron Lake by Krueger (good mystery, Valli) and The Haunting by Doherty. Neither, of course, for any of the reading challenges!!

It was a great vacation and one that I will never forget, but I am not going near a scale for several months!!

Good to have you back, Jeanne!

Jeanne - Glad to have you back, my friend, and I'm glad you had a good time.  Hope you get rested up!  Vacations are exhausting, aren't they?  I always say I need a vacation after I get back from a vacation.  LOL! 

I'm so glad you had such a great time! NO is one of my favorite places, definitely the best place to party. I've been to all the places you mentioned except for LaBayou, but I'll try it the next time I go. Sometimes those small restaurants have the best food. I love the riverboat cruises!

I warned you about getting those beads! Now everyone that saw you walking the streets there assumed you'd done something naughty to get those beads you were wearing! LOL!