Happy New Year!

Everyone have a Safe and Happy New Years!

We are having a quiet night by ourselves. There is nothing happening in the RV park and Bourbon Street would be a nightmare for a couple of 70 year olds. So.. a nice dinner and watch the ball fall on TV.

Beignets and Causeways

Yesterday we decided to head out to the Cafe Du Monde for beignets. These delicious little squares of deep fried dough liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar may not be the best breakfast but they sure are delicious! We searched Google Maps for one of the cafes and found one in a mall near the start of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a 24 mile long bridge that crosses the huge lake. We decided to take this drive after breakfast.

 

The route back home took us through Sidell, LA where we stopped for a few groceries. It was a nice day, a little warmer than it has been here.



We added three days to our time here at Jude Travel Park to get us past New Years but were told we would have to change spaces. I was not looking forward to this because of the difficulties of setting up the StarChoice with the many trees and buildings here. As I was disconnecting this morning (thankfully before moving the dish) the owner came over and told us she had a cancellation and we might be able to stay put. It worked out and I re-hooked the water and sewer.

Today we might take a drive downtown where they have a new T Mobile Prism II SmartPhone on sale for $49, marked down from $115. It has mixed reviews with most of the negative comments based on it's inability to play some of the new games, something I never do. As long as I can make phone calls, do email and a little web surfing with it, I will be happy.

Bourbon Street

We finally made it down to Bourbon Street! We discovered the shuttle service was the RV park owner simply driving us downtown for $5 per person so we booked him for 2:00. It was a good deal and he gave us a short tour of Now Orleans before dropping us off a short walk from the tourist area.

We were a little early and had about a half hour to kill before the music started in the many bars along the street. We stopped at a place that bragged about having "the best mojitos on Bourbon Street" and sat at a streetside table sipping our drinks and people watching. This was the only place we found that did not have 2 for 1 drinks which was a mixed blessing. It was easier on the budget but limited the number of places we could visit. We ended up visiting four venues plus the original street side table. If you are counting, that is nine drinks each with very generous pours!

 

Some of the signs along the street.

 

 

Norma learning the steps to the "Cupid Shuffle".

To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right
To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left
Now kick, now kick, now kick, now kick
Now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself

This young woman was very nice. She was actually a singer in the band and was waiting through the DJ music for her set to come up when she decided Norma should learn the dance.

Zydeco!

 

We had a blast before taking a taxi home at about 7:30. The evening cost us about $120 everything included, not cheap but afterall it IS New Orleans!

A NOLA Preview

We have been lazy for the past few days. Norma has not been feeling all that well and we have just been content to sit around in the RV. After all we do not have to be anywhere until April. Today we decided to take the car down to the French Market and drive along Bourbon Street. Taking the car down there is not a great idea. Not because of traffic but because of parking costs. Even today on Boxing Day, parking is $20 per day. We found one of the very few free parking spaces on the street across from the French Market and walked around. We will come back without the car. The shuttle from the RV park drops off and picks up near Bourbon Street for the same amount as it costs to park and that is what we will do. You have to go in a few bars and that means a few drinks so, no driving.

Hopefully Norma will be feeling like walking around a bit tomorrow but in the meantime here are a few photos to whet your appetite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Dinner

We thought about going out for dinner tonight but we had no reservations and suspected it would be a hassle neither of us really wanted. We had a large wild Sockeye Salmon fillet in the freezer so we thawed that out. Norma made some stuffing, cut the salmon fillet in half, piled the stuffing on one side and put the other half on top. She wrapped it in aluminum foil and we put it in the "Half Time Convection Oven". We have never used this oven for anything more adventurous than reheating leftovers and cooking pizzas and frozen dinners so this was a bit of an experiment. We guessed at 375 degrees for 25 minutes and it came out perfect! The fish was moist and delicious. We topped it off with mashed potatoes, green beans, cream corn, cranberry sauce and a glass of wine.

Wow! I am stuffed and we still have half the fish left over for another meal, In New Orleans, LA on Christmas Day, Life Is Good!

Happy Elf Dance

From Croft, Norma, LindaLee and Brooks.

Thanks LindaLee!

Merry Christmas From Croft & Norma

Good Friends and Family, Wherever in the World Today,

We wish you Peace, Love, Health and Happiness! 

So; Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Joyeuax Noel, Feliz Navidad from the bottom of our hearts.

Love Croft & Norma (In New Orleans awaiting the arrival of Papa Noel)

New Orleans!

The weather broke yesterday and the tornado never happened so we headed down the highway towards New Orleans "gnaw-lins". NOLA is outside of Cajun Country so we will not be able to expect the same quality food from now on. We told Betty we would be back and we will be! Her park was a great find! Thank you "The Boondocks".

We took the back roads out of Abbeville towards NOLA and eventually ended up on US 90, a concrete road with a bump in it every time you cross a joint. Very annoying. The rain started about twenty miles from our destination and was soon coming down in sheets, slowing traffic down to 30 or 40 MPH on the highway. We found our exit and pulled into the Jude Travel Park on Chef Menteur Highway, a place recommended by Chris and Juan. It is a reasonable $195 per week as compared to the fancy (and admittedly better located) French Quarter RV Park we stayed in last time which is charging $99 $108 per night over the holidays.

It was pouring rain when we arrived so we quickly hooked up the essentials and hunkered down with local cable. We will set up StarChoice this morning.

The weather is calling for rain again today but so far, so good. There is a $5 shuttle to the French Quarter and there is also a bus stop ($.40 seniors) on the street outside the gate. A taxi is about $15 plus tip each way so however we get around it is still a substantial savings over the RV park downtown. We are thinking of just making this a "lay around" day and saving Bourbon Street for Christmas Eve.

Imagine

How To Speak Cajun

One of the Cajuns in the RV park gave lessons at Happy Hour. "Cajun looks a little like French but sounds different. You don't use periods, commas, exclamation points, question marks or parentheses. You leave no pause between words and you drop any letters you think are unnecessary. A paragraph should sound like one word. Now you are speaking Cajun"!