WELCOME TO NEW ORLEANS

Thursday, May 12th - While CH was at the conference, I had a great time exploring the town. From the hotel, I headed east, then crossed the street at Canal & Decatur. I walked north along Canal, passed Chartres Street, Royal Street, and there it was, the infamous Bourbon Street in Vieux Carre (Old Quarter).

I planned my walk around the Quarter because I thought early in the morning, at 9:30 a.m., there would not be any intoxicated characters. Next, I walked east passing Iberville, Bienville, Conti, St. Louis, Toulouse and St. Peter.

I wish we had more time for a visit to Audubon Insectarium. It was literally located across the street from our hotel. I did not want to go there without CH and we already saw the Butterfly House in St. Louis.

Just like a typical tourist, I took many photos of these beautiful decorated ironwork balconies, the French/Spanish architecture that New Orleans is known for.

The colorful hanging flowers added to the balcony the already romantic setting of waiting for one's lover to come back from a long journey. Or the drunken crowd waiting for the parades to pass by during Mardi Gras!

It was a perfect moment when I took the above photo of the lovely young lady riding the bicycle on an empty Bourbon Street. In the background, the blue sky, while her black dress made it a picture perfect against the many colors of the doors on the buildings also painted in bright, unconstraint colors.

It was around noon when I decided to head east on St. Peter. After I passed Dauphine, Bourbon, Royal, I found St. Louis Cathedral. When we travel, my husband and I make sure we would be able to attend Mass and also light vigil candles when visiting cathedrals. After spending time in prayer at St. Louis Cathedral, I lit the candles, in keeping our family tradition. I will publish photos of the Cathedral, and Jackson Square (located across from the Cathedral) in future posts. It was getting hot and time to meet up with CH at the hotel, so I walked west on Decatur, again passed Toulouse, St. Louis, Conti, Bienville, Iberville, then to the hotel at Canal & Magazine. (Hey Qap, would you be able to calculate how many miles(k) I walked?)

DA SISTAS IN N'AWLINS

Wednesday, May 11th - CP took the morning off to take "Da Sistas" to the airport to catch our flights. There was no direct flight so we had to get a connecting flight in Memphis (we just came back from there) and then on to New Orleans.

As the plane approach New Orleans, we could see the areas once were farmlands now completely under water. We arrived in New Orleans around 3:49 p.m. The taxi service was $33 flat rate from Louis Armstrong Airport to the hotel.

Our hotel was at the corner of Canal and Magazine. The floor to ceiling window in our room on the 23rd floor provided a great view of the river. After we got into the room, CH and I immediately got out the cameras and took these photos.

Later while CH attended a reception, I explored the area around the hotel. I found out that crossing Canal Street, I would be in the infamous French Quarter. It was getting dark and I did not wish to encounter any drunken fools. I decided to go back to the hotel.

CH told me that she checked with the conference people and learned that guests of the members were invited to the reception. There was so much food at each stations that we did not have to go out to dinner.

Tomorrow, CH planned to attend the seminars until around 2:30 p.m. That would leave me the whole morning/afternoon to explore the town. I could not wait to ride the streetcars.

I finally understood how exciting N'awlins could be. The town has a lot of history and plenty of interesting characters. One thing for sure, you would not find me in any of the wild videos during Mardi Gras parades!

HAPPY BELATED 2ND BIRTHDAY TO BENJAMIN!

Benjamin's 2nd birthday was on Friday, May 6th. So this would be a belated Happy Birthday post. I just realized that the post about Benjamin 1st birthday last year was also late. What a terrible mother I am!
It is the same excuses - watching NHL playoffs games, getting depressed after my beloved Red Wings were eliminated (again by the Sharks) and side-tracked by other activities.

I am pleased to report that Benjamin has grown up happy and strong. He still has all seven yellow strings on top. These photos show Benjamin in a flying pose just like the Man of Steel.

Though the tag reads, Made in China, Benjamin has always been proud to be an American and ready to defend the United States against all foreign and domestic enemies.

Based on genealogy records, Benjamin Saturday was born in Bensonhurst (thus the name Benjamin) and was presented to me by my nephew JL on Saturday, May 6, 2009. Qaptain Qwerty corrected me that his area actually is Bath Beach but I am not sure if the name Beth or Becky would fit, therefore the name Benjamin is much better.

So please join me in wishing Benjamin a belated Happy Birthday and many more years in a peaceful and happy world.

WOULD YOU CARE FOR A HOT ROLL?

Sunday, May 8th - We decided not to go to an early morning Mass in Memphis. Since CH would be by herself at the hotel and we would have to come back to pick her up after Mass, we thought we should go to 6:00 p.m. evening Mass when we get back to St. Louis. CH was happy that she did not have to get up early. We left Memphis around 10:30 a.m. after a quick breakfast.

The top photo was on I-55 approaching Illinois and you could see sandbags lining along the road. On the way to Nashville, we went thru Illinois, Kentucky then to Nashville. On the way home, we drove from Memphis then briefly thru Arkansas, crossed the river into Illinois and took I-55 all the way back in Missouri.

I took the photo above after we got off the exit to Lambert's Cafe. It is in the area of Poplar Bluff/New Madrid in Missouri where the Corp. of Engineers just put a hole in the Mississippi River Levee to relieve pressure from the rising water. The plan was designed to flood the farmland in order to spare the pupulated residential areas.

We realized that Sunday was Mother's Day and the Cafe was completed packed. CP had to stay in the parking lot since there was no parking space. I took CH inside the Cafe and showed her around. CP and ate at Lambert's once in 1998 on our trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. (I just waited for the cart to come by and did not wish to be hit in the head with a hot dinner roll.) The place is famous for its tradition of servers throwing hot rolls when guests raised their hands for more. Servers also walked around with side items, ready to fill your plates, at no extra charge. Read more about this tradition and all the festive-like atmosphere at www.throwedrolls.com and exact locations of the Cafe in Sikeston and in Branson (Missouri) and Foley in Alabama. I took a few photos inside the Cafe but the images did not turn out too good - must be the camera getting tired from being over-worked!

At 2:20 p.m. we were getting hungry and decided to get off the exit to St. Genevieve, Missouri. After lunch, we walked around the town square. We attempted to take the path leading to the ferry but could not get thru because the flood gate was already set in place. We thought CH would love to see the Blue Owl restaurant (above photo) in Kimmwick, Missouri so we made a quick stop there too. We did not get home until around 4:20 p.m. CP made hamburgers for dinner and finished up the apple pie he made on Thursday when CH first arrived in St. Louis. (QQ, we promise to make you an apple pie when you spend more time visiting and not just ran the marathon, then "fly away"!)

The next day, Monday, May 10th, I took CH around town, showing her the Awakening scuplture by J. Seward Johnson at Central Park in Chesterfield, www.chesterfieldarts.org. There are only two other castings of the Awakening in the world, Maryland, USA and Siracusa, Italy. I told CH about other scupltures and how I enjoy taking photos to share with my adoring fans in my blog. The Butterfly House was closed on Monday, so we went to the Route 66 Museum instead.
The next day, Tuesday, May 11th, we went to the Butterly House. CH enjoyed it very much, especially when a butterfly landed on her purse (above photo).

I have been to the Butterfly House many times. Each time, I still marveled at God's creation thru the Miracle of Metamorphosis (above photo).

After visiting the Butterfly House, we went to Annie Gunn's for lunch. Annie Gunn's is a restaurant and Smoke House is a grocery shop right next to it. Back in 2000, thru a temporary agency, I worked as an account payables clerk for a few months at Smoke House. During the flood of 1993, the water was above the sign of the pig and the owner who was trying to gather important documents ran out of time and had to be rescued by helicopter.

HOME OF THE BLUES (BEALE STREET IN MEMPHIS, NOT THE ST. LOUIS BLUES HOCKEY TEAM!)

At 3:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 7th, we walked along Beale Street in downtown Memphis and had a hard time deciding because there were so many great BBQ places. I saw a restaurant with a picture of a pig (wearing a bandana and sunglasses) and a line beneath that reads, "Pork with an attitude", and that was where we sat down and had our lunch. The ribs were a bit spicy but also had a sweet taste, just the way I like my ribs.

BBQ places, shops, all the famous blues clubs, lining the historic Beale Street providing all the fun, food and music, to visitors around the world.

After filled up our tummies with ribs, we continued to walk around town. It was a beautiful sunny comfortable day but the wind was strong. In fact, we saw a large patio umbrella was blown away and caught before it hit somebody in the head!

I spotted the above scuplture of hip shaking Elvis across the street from BB Kings Blues Club.

These photos were taken from the roof of the Peabody Hotel. I was told that the entire riverfront was under water from the rising Mississippi River.

The above photo showed the water was at the edge of Beale Street. There were many streets that were closed and we had to follow the detour signs to get out of town.

We did not plan it but it seemed as if we kept following the rivers during our road trip, Meramec River in St. Louis, Ohio River in Illinois and now Mississippi River in Memphis. On May 11th, CH and I would be flying to New Orleans. We heard the river was very high and it could be flooding there too!

The last time we were in Memphis, we saw the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. We thought CH would enjoy the event and she did. Above photo showed the Duckmaster ready to assist the ducks getting back to their rooftop palace.

The tradition started in the 1930s when the ducks began their famous daily treks at 11:00 a.m. from their Duck Palace to the hotel lobby's fountain and then back to their penthouse at 5:00 p.m.
Visit www.peabodymemphis.com to read more about these famous ducklings.

Sorry about the quality of my cheesy photo but look closely you would be able to see the ducks getting into the elevator. The Duckmaster was there to accompany the troops (you did not think the ducks knew which floor number to press, did you?)

Good night ducklings!

THAT'S ALL RIGHT MAMA (DON'T BE CRUEL)

A special thanks to LEONTIEN for the kind comment. It was much appreciated. It was the encouragement I needed to get back to blogging regularly. Thank you, thank you very much :)
Saturday, May 7th - We (including CH) again got up around 8:00 a.m. to start driving from Nashville to Memphis. We watched the news about flooding there but the mayor of Memphis encouraged everyone to come and assured visitors that Beale Street (and all the BBQ places) was open for business!

We received a warm welcome from Elvis himself when we arrived at Graceland around 1:14 p.m.

It was our 2nd visit. The first visit was in 2001. I don't remember if we had a tour guide or the current individual pacing audio-guided tour. Only still , no flash, photography is allowed in all areas of Graceland Mansion. I could not take any good photos of the Jungle Room because it was too dark. Go to www.elvis.com to see all the displays and details for planning your visit. The Heartbreak Hotel is located just across the street from Graceland Mansion (we stayed at another hotel).

It was CH's first time at Graceland. Though not a die-hard fan of Elvis, CH enjoyed visiting the Mansion since it is one of the most well-known attractions in America, drawing visitors from around the world. I was told that Elvis is the most impersonated person in the world. There was a Vietnamese singer named Elvis Phuong and he even had surgery in hope of looking like the real Elvis!

Above is the recreation room where Elvis and his buddies relaxed and enjoyed a game of pool.
Below is an amazing display of gold and platinum awards, the famous wardrobe with flashy jewelry, unique style of the King of Rock 'n' Rolls.The King's final resting place after a short journey to superstardom yet he left a lasting legacy that will always be remembered.

I WAS COUNTRY WHEN COUNTRY WASN'T COOL

Friday, May 6th - CH kept her promise and got up "cheerfully" at 7:30 a.m. so we could get on the road to Nashville, Tennessee. (Qaptain Qwerty probably fell off his chair reading this because he knew CH is not a morning person and 10:30 a.m. would be the earliest when CH would normally get up when she is not working!) We drove for about an hour and decided to stop at the Hen House for breakfast. It is called restaurant and gift shop but that would be stretching and much smaller compared to Cracker Barrel. There is not much to write about the food and the restaurant (more like a coffee shop) and the gift shop (with limited selections).

We were on Interstate 24 in southernmost Illinois (around 11:15 a.m.)when we saw the sign "Metropolis Exit 37". After we got off the exit, the main road leading to the town square was half covered with water coming from the rising Ohio River. We saw many homes and businesses were completely under water (above photo).

Where was Superman when we needed him? He should save his hometown from flooding. After taking enough photos (Check back often to see photos of Benjamin and the Man of Steel - unless the world as we know ended), we visited a Dippin' Dots store. It was a nice surprise to find there were about 20 different flavors, just like regular ice cream. I had a cup of butter pecan, CH had vanilla and CP had strawberry and chocolate. Metropolis claimed that the town has the largest Dippin' Dots store on the planet!

After a few rest stops and a quick lunch, we finally arrived in Nashville around 3:30 p.m. The Grand Ole Opry was on the other side of the road from where the hotel was but it was a five lanes major road. The giant parking lot from the entrance to the auditorium was a long distance, definitely not for walking, especially for CH (physical challenge).

After checking into the rooms, we went to a nearby steakhouse for dinner before going to the show scheduled at 7:00 p.m.

We enjoyed the show with its famous mixture of bluegrass, folk, gospel performances and plenty of good-clean humor. One of the hosts was Little Jimmy Dickens who celebrated his 90th birthday. He was a vibrant and energetic person - bless his heart!

Is it just me being such a grumpy old person or some people don't know how to behave in a civilized manner? During the show, two women in their late 30's, in the row in front of us, were talking! The conversation went on and only when I leaned over and said, "Excuse me!", that the women stopped talking.

No more than a few minutes later, I heard whispering coming from the row behind us. The talking was not loud but I could still hear the whispering. What was so important that these people have to discuss during a music show? I had to turn around and again said, "Excuse me"! Is it just me or civilized behaviors have gone down the drain?