NOLA : Lafayette Cemetary

Just a picturesque walk through dead-ville after breakfast at the Commodore's Palace. Oh, and I'm writing this to remind myself to write about the chandeliers at the CP. Just incredible. It's another post altogether.... I'll get there.

In the meantime, just in case any of you had never been to the Layfayette Cemetery (This is apparently where they filmed "The Vampire Lestat" scene where Louis (Brad Pit) gets bitten by an absolutely horribly cast Lestat.) this is it:

Please note that we were met at the end of our visit by the 'parks & recreation' worker, who, I'm guessing was at the 'nip' a bit early that day. Anyway, he told us that the reason that the graves were above ground was NOT because NOLA was below sea level, but because it was easier and cheaper. This is how the middle class was put to rest.. the upper class were buried just like anyone else.

Oh, and totally new to me.... they apparently bury as many bodies in a tomb as they can possibly muster. Sometimes up to 20-30. They just pack the bones in (ok, I'm guessing here- I never could get a straight answer on how they did this) and carve a new name to the marble nameplate plaque.

Am I the only one who just found this a bit creepy?

Oh, and we were greeted by the feline guardian at the gate:













































Had to get a shot of an open tomb: I still don't get it.
Put the recently deceased on the slab then dump the bones into the area underneath?




















NOLA still has its problems, even in the graveyard.







































People place beads instead of flowers, which I think is just cruel; reminding the dead that they missed another party.















This one was a wallop.

It was for a Children's Home/Orphanage.

People left little plastic toys. It made your throat tighten.




















How's this for an unusual juxtaposition:






























And back to the tombs.....











































































Irony.

New Orleans

I had never been to New Orleans.
We fixed that a few weeks ago.

Apparently they have food there. I tell you, I have no idea how people can actually get drunk there with all of the amazing cuisine. And I tried. Many times.

We spent a lot of time just walking around looking at the architecture. I was rather impressed by all of the wrought iron from Covington, Steward Iron Works, etc.

And there was a lot of it.

So I took pictures.















I loved the balconies and the dripping foliage.















Second Best breakfast:














Stanley's: Best Breakfast Ever. (Also the most expensive at a whopping $95)










































A real New Orleans Wedding Second Line.






























After Katrina, these guys have my humbled respect and awe.




















As I go through these, I remind myself of the bad neighbor showing the guests the slides from their vacation.... I'll wrap this up.















But I did want to point out the one thing I just found shocking. The NOLA home security systems. I was reminded that the French Quarter only 5-10 years ago was not a safe place. Not the kind of place you want to walk anywhere alone. At night. Without a loaded gun.

But the cheap innovation of homeowners never fails to impress me. This broken glass embedded front wall is not only very effective, but kinda pretty, too.















On some of the homes, the barbed iron wall toppers did the job. I kinda expected to see some heads stuck on the spikes Monday morning. Yikes.
















Oh, and in case any of you were wondering where the coldest beer in the World is... it's in New Orleans,

I have proof:




















I think we were there for about 30 minutes before we had the first celebratory beer here. It was the beginning of a fine vacation. Thanks so much to our private tour guide, Joby!!!

The empty house next door

Well, the house we've been suggesting that someone buy and fix up for two years now, because it was such a great opportunity... just got bought.

For a dollar.

$1


The house around the corner from us just got sold for $180,000. What was it's original purchase price?? Go ahead... guess. I dare you.

Oh, and mortgage rates for a 30 year fixed are ranging near 4.39%. Record lows.

Makes you feel kinda silly for not offering to buy it, don't it?

New addition to the family. (Update for Sarah & Sebastian)

Sarah and Sebastian are the wonderful folks who let us take this pile of fur home with us. I'd like to use this spot to once again say thanks, and to update them on how he's doing in his new home.


First of all, he's absolutely wonderful. We have peacock feathers and cat toys strewn all over the place, and he loves them all. He'll herd us down the hallway in order to get us to play with him. And we do, every day. When we can't, he perches in the window and chatters at the birds as they come to the various feeders we have around the second floor windows.

On occasion, he'll charge across the floor, throw himself into the air to land flat against the glass window like a fluffy black version of the old 'Garfield on suction cups' you used to see in the back windows of cars. He's very happy, and so are we. We can't thank you enough.

But he is a handful.

Within hours of bringing him home he started teasing our older cat. He's being playful, but she's just a grouch.

That does not deter him.

We did rename him, although we thought long and hard about keeping the name Guiness. We decided he was such a trouble making prankster, we named him after the Norse God of mischief, "Loki." He's living up to the name.

And he's smart too. Uncommonly so. We're training him to sit and stay, as well as heel.

Send us your email and we'll send you our address for the vet tags. I'd really appreciate them!

Holly[at]RehabOrDie[dot]com