@434 - Private Practice, CacNo - Beyond Beasts, Stella!, Herbsaint, Royal Sonesta, Yarn Bombing, NOLA

@434 - Private Practice, CacNo - Beyond Beasts, Stella!, Herbsaint, Royal Sonesta, NOLA

March 19 - 20, 2013 NOLA/French Quarter

Ah...just missed Tennessee Williams Festival/TWFest...

Link about this Literary Festival in New Orleans...
http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/

(note: there is a Yelling Contest on Sunday at Jackson Square...for both Stella & Stanley...can't wait for this years YouTube videos to show up...S-T-E-L-L-A! if you recall nothing else from this movie, this will probably be what you do remember...Stanley yelling Stella's name...)

"Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest
Contestants vie to rival Stanley Kowalski’s shout for ”STELLAAAAA!!!” in the unforgettable scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. Women contestants are welcome to try a little role reversal and yell for Stanley. Free and open to the public. Prizes will be awarded."

Sunday March 24, 2013 at Jackson Square, French Quarter, New Orleans 4:15pm - 6:00pm

Link to last year's contest from NPR/Nat'l Public Radio...
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/26/149411816/stella-and-stanley-shouting-contest
(note: that year a Stanley Yell won?!)

2:03 For Marlon Brando...the orig Stella Yell...
http://youtu.be/ZUVeoNCQ26s

2011 Stanley Yell winner...yes she's a girl--UGG!!
http://youtu.be/r-b6BZwfahw




Google photos - I did not take this photo
(nor did I take any photos inside, tho I wanted to very badly...of every dish/spoon that came to the table...oh yeah of all the foods on the dishes too by the way?!)


Stella! restaurant (yes, you have to yell it--as in the movie...)
http://restaurantstella.com/
(note: there is of course, on the flip side - of the business card as well - a Stanley...Stella! tho should have not just an exclamation mark after the name but 4 or 5 dollar signs too...Stella!$$$$)

How I happened to walk in the door...
my friend tells me Oh I've heard of 2 Italian restaurants to try
first we go to Irene's - there's is an hour wait
we decide 'not' to wait, we walk down the street
she says a lady told her about Stella!
so we see the sign, we walk in the door - we do 'not' look at the menu
I have now, since then, learned a valuable lesson--you should 'always' at least look at the menu by the door before entering
So she tells the maitre'd - we don't have a reservation but can we still have a table for 2 for dinner
there is hardly anyone in the restaurant, we are early, there are more waiters than diners
it is all white linen, we have linen napkins put in our lap, they change my white linen one to a black linen one to match my darker clothes (that should of been a warning light)
we are given the menu's - there are only 2 choices...
there is the 4 course fixed/prix fixe or the 7 course fixed - plus a separate Vodka/Caviar menu (more warning lights should of blinked on/off in our heads)
Wow, all the choices for the 4 courses - we start going over all them, I wonder what that is--what do you think that is...at the bottom there is the fixed price...each of our meals will be $85 plus tax/plus tip/plus if there's coffee...it's a wonder we didn't pass out--tho I have actually had less for a higher price whilst living in Norway (so I keep cool...my friend whispers: should we just walk out...no, we're here let's experience it...I have plastic/you have cash--we can do this?!)
On with the 4 courses...and an extra from the kitchen/chef  'amuse' to start off with & later there will be an after dessert dessert (is there a name for that, I don't know...over the top, as in full to the brim, comes to mind...we know before starting we will 'need' a walk after all this & thankfully we have to hike a lot of blocks back to the hotel, which we do in a meandering sort of way as we are in the French Quarter after all...I mean how can you pass up a wander thru the Voodoo Shop, etc...)

This is what I attempted to eat, in one long delicious sitting with separate waitstaff for each item I swear too (even  my precious little spoons, that I want to find to buy one day--have never seen anything like them, even they were lovely...)

an 'amuse'

1st CourseDeviled Egg, North Star Caviar & Champagne Gelée *

2nd Course
not on the webpage menu

3rd Course
Prime Beef Tenderloin, Bone Marrow, Glazed Short Rib, Cabbage Embeurrée,
Brussels Sprouts, King Oyster Mushrooms & Pomme Dauphine *

4th Course
Winter Citrus Verrine, Honey Custard,
Chamomile Meringue & Pistachio Ice Cream

after dessert 'dessert' sampling

an espresso - in an attempt to digest

*altho everything was more than the word 'delicious' can describe...these 2 items stood out:

1) I have never had such a deviled egg & I've had a few picnic types in my lifetime--the champagne gelee was really a foam on the side, have not a clue how they could whip it up like that...also am not a huge fond of fishy tasting anything so was not so sure of any type of caviar, but this one with the combination of other tastes...Oh my my--my poor unaware tastebuds, were in for a lovely too short a tasty surprise...

2) Both of us ordered this course--it came out on a warm tile for a dish...to the side of the beef we found a small white to clear ball of veggie that was so tasty the both of said at the same time, that's so good what is it? my friend thought it was a turnip--we did not remember all the descriptions from the menu...now with the luxury of looking back & reading the menu description from the webpage I still can't say which it was...the cabbage embeurree or a brussel sprout center or a king oyster mushroom or a pomme dauphine...it was just such a power packed tiny taste that you wanted more...then I hate to describe meat as being 'melt in your mouth' but this is as close as I can come to describing my prime beef tenderloin--tender even when I went with medium well done...

Foodie Heaven on Earth...



a different way to look at brussel sprouts
I like it when someone uses something in a new way
there must be an abundance of brussel sprouts for someone to make a wreath of them
is it a waste of food, perhaps not if there's an over abundance & it's gonna go bad
was our mystery veggie at dinner a de-leafed center/heart of a brussel sprout? hmm...

Link to the original photo - this makes me want to try 'n make one for the holidays...
http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/sf/12-09-08%20brussels.jpg
~~~~~

@434 Arthur Roger Gallery
Stephanie Patton - Private Practice Exhibit
Tony Dugas - The Shape of Relics



photo credit: from Stephanie Patton's webpage, it may be my fav portrait of her
Oh she's the one on the right, do not know the girl on the left

Link to Stephanie Patton - visual artist - webpage...
http://www.stephaniepatton.com/

Link to Blogspot Art e Walk...Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - Pain, Healing, Relics...
http://arte-walk.blogspot.com/
(note: Pain, Healing...Stephanie Patton - Private Practice...Pain - Conquer video...
Relics...Tony Dugas - The Shape of Relics...they are indeed mindful of madalas...
Blogger: NEMO...in NOLA...fav movie: Fifth Element--already I like 'em?!)

Link to NOLA Art Gallery - Arthur Rogery Gallery webpage...
http://arthurrogergallery.com/

next block, cross this side street...
the Children's Museum--follow the stars...

walk on...thru the Warehouse District
toward the French Quarter/Vieux Carre

after art gallery/before coffee
Yarn Art Yarn Grafitti or String Art String Grafitti
just outside the Glasswords/Printmaking Studio

My first...I've never seen it for real before, only in photos
then I wondered what it was...makes me think of a kite...

Ooo...I am corrected--it's "Yarn Bombing" ;o)
or that is per Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

Bittersweet
(the name of the coffee shop/confectioners)
Machiato
Barista girl made it
menu
inside table
I am in love with this espresso cup/saucer
closing time, no time to chat
use local NOLA Roaster
handmade confections
yes, I did get choc dots with pistachios on top
(when there's no coffee energy at hand, there is choco energy?!)

Link to Bittersweet Confections webpage...
http://www.bittersweetconfections.com/


Royal Sonesta hotel
French Quarter
(note to self...remember to always/Always forever more ask to "not" have a room on Bourbon Street side of the building...hard lesson learned, past midnight, past 2 am, heard it was 3 am when the street shuts down...ugh...shoulda known better...)

thumbs up - cushy bed/pillows/robe 'n slippers in the closet
thumbs down - window view over Bourbon Street
(bad sign when the radio is left on for you when you enter the room)

thumbs up - real roses in the bathroom with lovely bath lotions/potions
thumbs down - bottle water is $6.50 each (I'll dehydrate & go elsewhere, thank you but no...)

note: I have never understood this--why oh why does hotel room water need to cost this much...
hotel room mini bar/snacks also, but especially water & especially when you're traveling (& say elsewhere in the world, if not here, you don't really have a lot of trust in the tap water...)

flowers were everywhere, the lobby smelled like freshia's...then there's a courtyard--I thought it too garden/geeky of me to start taking photos of every plant/flower/bush/treee out there...lovely...

Link to hotel webpage...
http://www.sonesta.com/royalneworleans/

there's a automobile wreak of a beast in the museum window...
then I find out it's the Beast directors sister that made this creation (Eliza Zeitlin)
had read that she was behind the houses that Hushpuppy & her Daddy live in in The BathTub in the movie--Beasts of the Southern Wild...

Link to Beyond Beasts: The Art of Court 13
http://www.cacno.org/visualarts/exhibition/2013/03/beyond-beasts/


"On view in Press Play gallery
The Supreme Fisherman
The Supreme Fisherman is an original art installation by Court 13 that incorporates sculptural works created for use in their short films, alongside printed materials that have provided inspiration for Court 13’s art. More on the installation, from the artists:
Suspended from the ceiling, a boat made of reeds and fishing nets floats high above our heads. Peering down from it are five sloth-like giants, dangling bamboo fishing poles over the side. The strings dangle into the center of the room, and at the ends of each are balls of light. They fish for all the lost kingdoms: Atlantis, El Dorado, juke joints, arctic plains, Amazonian canopies, and innumerable populations of deviant wild men crushed by the urge for exploration. They reach down for something that emerges from the audience itself; a part of them is drawn to an irresistible bait and reeled in by the giants who harvest only what is worthy. They pile it in their boat, moving on to create a new world.

Before “Beasts”: The Short Films of Court 13
This exhibition includes a continuous showing of the six major short films by Zeitlin and fellow Court 13 director Ray Tintori over the last several years, plus previously unseen film material and behind-the-scenes footage in themed presentations on four screens.

On view in The Corner gallery
For Slightly
For Slightly is an original art installation made from found materials by Eliza Zeitlin, whose work is heavily featured in Beasts of the Southern Wild. More on the installation, from the artist:
In the glass room of the museum lurks an enormous mechanical beast. It crouches behind the glass, watching the cars pass by with patience and cunning, poised to burst through the glass and crush them in its jaws like mice and moles. It is a predator of the highest order, a car-killing war machine, a Trojan lioness filled with the ghosts of so many destroyed on the road. An intestinal staircase winds through its insides, and we look out through portholes in its skin, eyes, and ears, sensing its impending vengeance from the inside. It is in honor of a great friend, a beloved beast killed by a car.

In Soundscape gallery
An original sound installation by Court 13.
www.court13.com

Exhibition Sponsors:
 
Press Play gallery is dedicated to works in new media, film, & video.

Soundscape gallery is dedicated to the ongoing exploration of audio as a medium.

The Corner is a gallery dedicated to sculpture...
  
CAC CONTACT | Visual Arts Dept | 504.528.3805 | visualarts@cacno.org "

 

inside the museum, behind the window

looking into the beast/the automobile wreak creation

or is it an most unusual tree house

you can & are allowed (if you're over 12 yrs old) to climb up into it & sit up on the 2nd level

I didn't do that, may regret that (but there's time before the exhibit leaves in June?!)

also inside there are wind chimes made of pipes & auto parts, a tire rim for example...

so you can make noise too--could it get any better than that?!

 

 



 

 

here in an alcove there is a bench

to contemplate

I would of liked to sit there, to write

...sigh...who wouldn't love this in their backyard...

or in the woods to go visit when you could

oh my if you were a kid you'd be in treehouse heaven

(oh they were letting school groups come in, by the bus load & they could pretend just that...along with going upstairs to make a lot of nose with drums & such--don't know what that was all about, but they sounded good with their drum/adult leader...kinda wish I were a teacher or had a kid in school to join in too?!)

 

 

Link to various Beasts of the Southern Wild pages...

 

http://www.beastsofthesouthernwild.com/

 

http://www.welcometothebathtub.com/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_the_Southern_Wild

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125435/

 

 

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/beastsofthesouthernwild/

 

http://youtu.be/ZF7i2n5NXLo

 

etc etc etc...

 

 



 

other amusements at the museum

inside the cafe/coffeeshop

again using local Roaster - yeah

Support Local Coffee

 

 

there is a cigarette machine that is no longer one

it's been repurposed to be an Art Machine

it is an Art-o-mat

I love it

I have to buy a $5 token coin

I can hardly choose which box

there is art on/in every one

could be 20 handles you can pull

we are told it's all made in North Carolina

I must find out more...

 

I have chosen, pulled the handle out, thinking just the box/art was the thing...

but inside there is more--in this one there is a playdough type creature/dino with eggs inside...

(oh my can I really give this away...I have taken photos in hopes that I can keep them & still give the gift/art box away...)

oddly/or not it is the size of a box of cigarettes

we are told some of the boxes are indeed wooden boxes & there's nothing inside

in that case the art on the outside is it & you can put it on your desk or hang your wee art box up

it's a weird feeling going up to a once cigarette machine, which I never did, put a coin/token in & pull the handle out, hear the plunk of the box land in the tray below...and 'not' get a pack of cig's but a box of art?!

 

 

 



Link to Art o mat webpage...

http://www.artomat.org/

 

 

Artists in Cellophane, 5000 Rushland Drive, Winston-Salem NC 27104

 

Link to Wiki - Clark Whittington, Artist behind Art of Mat... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Whittington

 

 

I applaude/bow to Contemporary Art Center New Orleans for having one of these in their cafe/coffee shop...thank you Thank you THANK YOU!!! (there is only 1 machine...ONE Art of mat...in the whole state & it's in NOLA?!)

 

90 Machines worldwide - we have 1 in Louisiana, in NOLA

(or per Wiki...on their webpage it says there are 100 plus active machines)

400 plus Artists involved in 'cellophane art'

 

Who thinks we need 1 in Lafayette too?!

 

http://www.cacno.org/cafe/index.html

 

 

 

 

lunch at Herbsaint

not on the menu, surprise

brought over from the kitchen...just because...

mussels & french fries on top in a sauce--well we can't figure it out...

but that salt potato chip/fry eaten with a mussel pulled out & drizzled with that sauce...

Oh My My--Foodie Heaven...

me who is not fond of mussels--I ate 4 of them, then had to stop...

because? there's a whole lunch coming yet?!



I love being a Foodie Guinea Pig...mmm...now to time it right to return for dinner, another time...

Link to Herbsaint restaurant...
http://www.herbsaint.com/
(note: I cannot believe the luck, but my friend's son works in the kitchen...but only during dinner hours, so must return when he's there for sure--Oh the things yet to look forward too...sigh...)

 

 

 

Royal Sonesta - French Quarter - NOLA

next day, morning, quiet, cloudy, rainy sprinkles, then the sun returns

the rooftop lights are still on across the street

they are hosing down the sidewalk

I think I have heard a street sweeper machine pass earlier

there are Mardi Gras beads left bunched up the roof over there too

 

one of the many flower wonders in the courtyard...

it's a red/white Bird of Paradise--I have never seen this color before...

 

 



Harlequins 1925

down a hall way between R'evolution & Desire

in the Royal Sonesta

there are framed tiles on the walls, what is there story

I took a photo so I would remember to find out

are these Mardi Gras theme's perhaps

so this one from 1925 & all the floats/costumes were Harlequins?

hmm...

 

Link to the 88th Harlequin Ball...which would be 1925...Wow, am I good guesser or what?!

http://www.nola.com/mardigras/index.ssf/2012/12/harlequins_ball_offers_clownis.html

 





Journey of Jelutong...earth to ethereal

Journey of Jelutong
earth to ethereal

Jelutong is a wood
of a certain tree only in specific areas
of very limited quantity
when it runs out it runs out
there is no more
this is the wood that John Buck
has chose - or - has it chosen him
to make his wooden sculptures/panels/prints from
and when it's gone he (says) he's done...

link to what Wiki has to say about it--Jelutong Wood...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyera_costulata
note: they consider it threatened but not of extinction
while this may be true, am not sure if it's because of this that it's difficult to get this wood for such model making as what John Buck is creating - which is why he's limited to what he's gotten to date to work with


Photo Credit: Wiki Commons
photo taken in KL, Malaysia
2008 Buckit Nana Nat'l Park

~~~

Price of Jelutong...
found one woodworking webpage with this wood for sale in small amounts like 2 inches by 6 inches for $1.00...which may work out to something like the size of your hand - now after seeing these enormous sculptures/panels/prints of John Bucks can't imagine how many hands would cover just one piece of a piece of his work?!

Jelutong (Malaysia)

"A favorite of wood pattern makers, Jelutong is very even-tempered and carves beautifully with hand or power tools. It sands very easily, too. It is slightly more open-grained than Bass or Tupelo, making it ideal for natural finish carvings as well as birds, animals, and habitat. A member of the rubber tree family, Jelutong will occasionally have small latex "canals" inside the wood which can result in a small void (generally around 1/16"x1/4") that can easily be filled with a small wedge or chip of jelutong. All of our Jelutong is premium grade, between 2x6" and 4x12" in any length you want up to 10 feet. Available on our online store."

link to their webpage...
http://www.razertip.com/carvingwood.htm

~~~

Exhibition at Paul & Lulu Hilliard Museum - UL Campus - Lafayette, LA...

JOHN BUCK: C'EST MAGNIFIQUE

January 19 - May 11 2013

This exhibition will showcase the unique work and skill of internationally renowned sculptor, woodcarver, and printmaker, John Buck. The artist creates intricately carved woodblocks, which he uses to make prints by hand rubbing rather than through mechanical processing. This labor-intensive technique produces prints that are high in quality and limited in edition. Additionally, Buck carves and assembles elaborate sculptures consisting of unexpected combinations of objects. These sculptures vary in size; many are two and three times Buck’s height. With several, Buck includes a kinetic component. Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to activate these wonders into motion, bringing them to life. Art enthusiasts as well as anyone who appreciates the skill and time involved in woodworking will enjoy this exhibition.

Link to museum webpage for John Buck's C'est Magnifique Exhibit...
http://museum.louisiana.edu/exhibitions
Jan 19 - May 11, 2013

~~~
John Buck the Artist

his webpage...
http://www.johnbuckart.com/


John Buck with his 1999 Woman of the House...and his hatchet...
this is one of the wooden sculptures at Paul & Lulu Hilliard/UL Museum exhibit



John Buck's Wood Panel 2003 Index
Jelutong wood & Acrylic
this is also part of Paul & Lulu Hilliard/UL Museum exhibit



John Buck's Print 2005 The Singer Tract
last of the 3 representations of his wooden art
at Paul & Lulu Hilliard/UL Museum exhibit
(note: you have to see this to catch all the fascinating details...
I can't tell you how much I wanted to touch them all--of course they don't want you to touch them...I think he needs to have some touchable sample pieces--am very curious what this wood feels like?!)



John Buck's Glass 2007 Remember the Maine
blown glass & wood
note: these pieces & his bronze or commission work is not at the exhibit
although this image looks familiar tho I don't see it on the Exhibition Checklist
for Paul & Lulu Hilliard/UL Museum Exhibit...


Exhibition Checklist:

Wood Panels
The Diary, Downtown Square, Longview, Projections & Predictions, Moment to Moment, Reining, Index

Prints
East West, The Lamp, Fact & Fiction, Skyline, The Singer Tract, War (crossed out) Eagle, Submuloc, The Choir Boy, Macy's on the Kaw, Tulip

Sculpture
The Universe, School of Paris, Against the Grain, Omnibus, The Ascent, The Magnificent Gadget, Gadget, Woman of the House, Yankee, Cat's Cradle, The Muse

~~~

Introduction (to John Buck's C'est Magnifique Exhibit)

"Many people use adjectives to explain the riddle that confronts us all when we encounter John Buck's sculptures or prints.  The works are dreamy & spiritual, fough & rigid, simple & complex.  Take the word magnificent, for example.  Spelled in Frnech, it was deliberately chosen for the title of this exhibition because it is synonymous with words like superb, wonderful, glorious, brilliant, outstanding & marvelous.

In John Buck: C'est Magnifique, we see the artist's sculptural wood carvings, some he infuses with electricity to make kinetic, wood block prints which are rubbed by hand to absorb the ink & his shadow-box-like panel works, bridging his exploration of ideas into the combination of 2 & 3-dimensional forms.

The Hilliard University Art Museum is privileged to highlight kinetic pieces in this exhibition, some of which have never before been shown, making this a truly one-of-kind experience for the viewer. Buck's work is not easily digested into a single experience, however. While the sheer size of Buck's work will awe many people, it is the attention to detail, the mindfulness, and the complexity of ideas that will make this experience & this exhibition special.

We hope, too, that the ingenuity of Buck's ability to merge history with popular culture, ethnic influences with modernist sensibilities, aesthetics with mechanics, and his skill at creating a discourse of politics & popularity will inspire & challenge all who come into contact with the work of John Buck." - Lee Gray

(note: Mr Lee Gray was kind enough to answer my inquiry if it was OK to use these 2 paragraphs from the exhibit brochure & the exhibition check list--he said it was OK as long as I gave credit, which I've included his name & the link to UL's Museum...Paul & LuLu Hilliard Museum, so thanks again?! And I do plan on a return visit to stand in front of everything again--just watching the You Tube video, see link below, & hearing the wood/leather/motors sounds of them all moving together makes me want to do that...scheduled until May so am hoping I make it back in?!)

Artist's Statement (to John Buck's C'est Magnifique Exhibit)

"My recent work is an extension of previous figurative work that had included implied movement through the dynamics of form.  This particular group of pieces explores mechanical movement through the use of motors, pulleys & belts.  My interests in primitive, ethnic, & historical wood carvings are combined with my explorations of modernism & contemporary art to form the basics of my compositions.

The figures themselves have evolved from genderless, primitive, non-gestural forms to more naturalistic carvings in the round.  I combine the figures with various compositions on their shoulders wich are now complex mechanisms for animating diverse images.  The addition of movement gives the viewer the opportunity to make various associations based on the changing relationships of the kinetic elements within the sculptures." - John Buck

~~~

Wiki for John E. Buck...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Buck

(note: they divide their time between studios in Bozeman, Montana & Hawaii...)


Photo Credit: Wiki Commons
'Father and Son', color woodblock print on paper by John E. Buck, 1981, Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, DC)


~~~

John Buck: Kinetic Sculpture
You Tube link...
http://youtu.be/QY35ReZ5k7E

(note: turn the volume up so you can hear the wood, leather, motors of these kinetic wooden sculptures...C'est Magnifique?!)

~~~

Link to The Advertiser article by Kris Wartelle - Feb 8, 2013...
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20130208/LIFESTYLE/302080305/-C-est-Magnifique-
(taking note: the image of the Omnibus by John Buck is for purchase...hmmm...well you can just go there & look at it, have no plans to purchase it...actually it's in the lobby, it's not even in the gallery so am wondering if you couldn't just walk in there & take your own photo?!)

(add'l note: who did that caption for the photo...am wondering how happy Paul Hilliard would be to be called Pat?? Opps--a typo error, now who would I tell...it is a newspaper afterall & a caption for a photo image that they want you to purchase...and good grief--what else?? they've called the artist by the wrong name in the caption as well, it's not Joe Buck it's John Buck?!)

Link to an earlier article by Kris Wartelle - Jan 30, 2013...
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301300330
(note: pretty much worded the same as the Feb 8, 2013 article--only there is a different photo, so there is that...at least nobody captioned it with incorrectly spelled artist/museum names?!)

(add'l note: it's also unfortunate when you search that it gets confusing if you're searching for a restaurant tasting event/fundraiser of the same name at UL's Alumni Center it looks like or UL's Museum exhibit...)

~~~

Link to Eventful Listing...
http://eventful.com/lafayette/events/john-buck-cest-magnifique-/E0-001-054106073-5



Link to The Vermilion article...
http://www.thevermilion.com/exhibits-reconcile-classically-trained-self-trained-artists-1.2972412?pagereq=1

"Exhibits reconcile classically trained, self-trained artists" by Emily Lalande

Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2013

 

“It’s enormous, engaging, provocative, intellectual ... it’s everything,” Gray said, describing Buck’s exhibit."

note: looking at this photo made me realize they had to uncrate all these pieces & then assemble them...what a puzzle, it must of taken a long while...I would of loved to have watched that, wish someone would of not only taken photos but a video...sigh...there is at least a YouTube of a few of them in motion, which is something...I am just curious & always want for more...anyway, thanks Vermilion for a sneak peek behind the scenes?!

~~~

Mardi Gras Theme 2013 - Will it or Won't it Rain

Mardi Gras Theme 2012
Will it or Won't it Rain
Odds many days were way over 50/50

So...Throw me something mister--before it rains down something other than beads?!

Due to Vintage Mardi Gras Costume Sale at Cite des Arts volunteering or Capuchon/ Mask making for a week out from Mardi Gras aka Fat Tuesday I didn't make but the tail end of the dog parade the Saturday a week out from Mardi Gras w/e parades (Oh yeah--snicker snicker...yes, I did say 'tail' end...)

And then just made Mardi Gras Day for the King's Parade & what we often all the middle parade that never remember the name of we'll call it the Lafayette Parade during which it poured down rain for at least 5 min's while we popped up the umbrellas or ran under the Camper cover behind us & finally to end it all the Independent Parade...

But sadly I took note there was no Krewe of CousheCoushe this year (or maybe they only stay downtown & not march the whole way from before downtown, down Johnston St to the Cajun Dome Blvd & thru the Festival aka Rides at the Cajun Dome parking lot...that's a long way to march when you're 'not' a Marching Band & often 'not' as young as maybe you use to be when you stumble into Krewe of CousheCoushe...)

They're what I think of as the Anything Goes Marching Krewe - was told they have a community trunk of costumes you can use & pretty much anybody that shows up can march with the Krewe...as for their Ball--it's whatever bar establishment will let them in for free or cheap & put up with their type of crowd...maybe they just had a Ball this year & said forget the rain threat so didn't march in the parade - or at least didn't see them down past UL Campus along the parade route...



 





 

 

 

am thinking disco ball mickey mouse ears green nose did very Very well at racking up a bunch of bags of beads & all else...we've often been told if you wear a costume or make a sign then the Krewe's on the floats like to throw you more--if you make a game like a net then that's good too...

 

 

 

 

Fav under the sea/Sea Horse float

for the Sea Horses alone

couldn't even tell you what else was on the float

but sadly they were 'not' throwing sea shells (necklaces)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 







 

passing Dwyers downtown from Parc San Souci/Parking Garage spot

love the downtown murals...makes me want a cup of coffee, that can't have 'cause nothing's open but Food Trucks elsewhere along the parade route... (am now wondering if the dark haired lady with glasses pouring coffee--let me guess Community, or was back in the day, reminds me of the movie Tootsie & the actor Dustin Hoffman at the time playing the crossdressing Tootsie on a Soap Opera...)

 

 

Bead Booty beginning...did find a fav, the gold beads made of Jazz instruments - which proceeded to next parade give away to my friend's son who's moving to Belgium with the Navy & so this was not only his first Mardi Gras in 8 yrs he says but will be his last now for prob at least 3 more (so who can refuse that--I live here, he can have 'all' the silly plastic shiny beads he wants far as I'm concerned?!)

 

 

 

 

 

another Fav during Mardi Gras...the Mardi Gras Tree--in all the Mardi Gras colors...purple, gold, green & then some...there will also be utility lines decorated or fences along the parade routes as well...some folks will even on purpose toss them into their trees & hang them on their gates/fences...

 

good day for an umbrella hat...and also an upturned umbrella, after the downpour, to try 'n catch more beads (some of that make it game for the Krewe & you get more bead booty...) then there's the guy with the fishing net, but such a long pole to hold onto not sure how well he did all day...

 

Krewe Pas Bon

as in Pass a Good Time I would think

 

look at that load of beads will ya'

I think those are a tease...

as is whenever any member of the Krewe holds up an extra big stuffed animal

making you think they might throw it your way...

(if you know someone on these floats & they actually see you/hear you then you might get whacked with a bunch of big beads or a bag of beads or possibly--tho I've never seen it, the said giant stuffed animal...)

 

 

Independent Parade

so you get adverts

but I like their hats - check out the Viking gold horns on one of them...

and all that colorful hair (I think I have a wig of pink or red hair somewheres in my Mardi Gras box I did not dig outta the garage this year--as I was digging thru way too many Mardi Gras Costumes instead for one thing...)

 

Krewe of Crossfit were very entertaining...

that guy at the top in the middle without a shirt on -

he's got what I think is a camera on his chest, so he'll have some fun rewinding when he's done...

then on the other end of the float as the passed by saw 2 other guys w/o their shirts on

that actually looked good w/o their shirts on & I missed that shot?!

 

 

 

 

 

more hats, more Viking hats--but enjoying the way they wear their horns?!

(am seeing maybe a Capuchon next year with some Viking/Cow horns out the sides...)

 

 

 

 

Courir de Mardi Gras/Country Mardi Gras banner art on this float

I think it may be the only one I saw - he's got his costume/capuchon/mask all on like he's a scarecrow out in the fields (also like the stripey shirt thing going on in the crowd too...)

 

 

and the Fav/Famous Louisiana saying...

Laissez le bon temps rouler

aka Let the Good Times Roll

(which it's Mardi Gras so they deff are)

 

Whoop Whoop Whoop for the Super Heroes...

think she's trying to get some paradegoers all worked up

either that or she's started her party early

(which if I were to guess on most of these Independent Floats that's the way they roll...best one that past earlier & I prob missed that photo too was the float with a port-a-potty on the back end - can you guess how well that works as you're rolling down the street?!)

 

 

DJ Boogi Boi float in the Independent Parade

I like their mask a lot

he's kinda leaf/bat/winged mask

 

Krewe of Anything Goes...

Krewe of Let's just drink our Daiquiris instead of throwing beads much...

Krewe of Let's throw my beads backwards over my back...

 

 

 

 

Drew Brees catches the gold beads...or guy in his Saints Fan Football Tee Shirt did?!

 

 

 

 

colorful Mardi Gras colors...then I see it, not a Port-a-potty on the back of the float--

no, this one is on the front of the float...tsk tsk...don't remember seeing these in the parades before,

cracks me up (the least they could of done was hang some purple plastic tablecloth on it too?!

 

Oh & someone's gonna get a football off the backend of this float looks like...

look up in the air it's 'not' beads, it's a rubber football...Heads up y'all--you just do 'not' know what might hit you upside it when you're 'not' looking?!

 

 

 

more Super Heroes...is that really Batman--Holy Cow...

And what is a Shred Fest...I must look that one up...

hmm...

so is it a big Shred Party or is it a Ski Party or a Concert or ??

or just all of the above & do I really care...

 

 

 

 

Oh if only they'd be throwing airline tickets...like to Brazil...

missed the front so don't have a clue who they all are, but that one guy up top is swinging a big/Big bunch of beads to just tease the all get out of beggers below...

 

 

Robert M's should have the hands down best hair of them all...

then I'm seeing more Super Heroes, again--can Batman be 2 places at once...

the Magic of Mardi Gras...and there's Spidey walking away too...throw us a web will ya'?!

 

Krewe de Cajun ___

Fat Pat's

Cut Dat - was 'not' throwing Dat...

 

 

 

 

Krewe de Cafe (I think)

Why aren't they throwing coffee--Throw me a Latte or a Cappuccino

(could use one right about now, even more than the stupid Jello Shots that were being thrown off some float earlier--would guess a bar or college student float had something to do with that crazy idea, but I could be wrong...guy in front of us caught one, looked like mouth wash 'n water in a tiny plastic cup w/a sealed plastic sheet overtop--we all agreed he should 'throw it away mista'?!)

 

Krewe of City Bar

Krewe of Dix

Krewe of I don't know

Krewe of Crossfit Outrage

(what? there's 2 of them - this one bigger, full of neon green t-shirts & more girls...)

 

I don't know is she taunting with a cup to throw

or is she having a Cheers with her frozen Daiquiri--can't tell...

 

love the plaid shirt boy's technique--Come to Me, his hands coming towards him rather than the usual of everybody waving or grabbing or jumping up & down one hand/both hands waving...

(seems he's doing well so it may be a good one to try, like next year...)

 

Again--with the Port-a-Potty off the back of the float, too many Daiquiris for the Krewe of Dix

(do you think they're trying to be clever, instead of Krewe de Dix...then Dix can sound like something else--but in town it's a Burgers & Daiquiri's Place/Hangout...dare I call it a restaurant? I think not!)

 

 

long walk back to the car

from Motor City down the side street along UL until get to Girard Park

where I'm parked as close as I could get - then I get out of the parking lot & head in the direction that everybody else is 'not' (even if it's the long way, it will be the short way in the end then if I'd followed the leader to even worse a street that ends in a left/right but w/o a street light?!)

 

I have an urge to climb down to go walk along the coolee to read the graffiti down there...

like that color blue, am thinking it's not really more than one graffiti artist...

 

 

Bead booty that's not in my bag...

goodness this all weighs you down when you're walking a mile to the car

and underneath my new--what else--Mardi Gras bead shirt from last year's Mardi Gras design by Parish Ink

(note: as long as they don't do anything stupid like Keep Calm & Party Gras, then it's all good...Yes, I saw that T-shirt on someone in the parade crowd--but I did not see it in any of the stores, so don't know where they go it or if they made it special...someone has got to put a hault now on copying that phrase--now it's getting old & overdone & enough already?!)

 

 

 

Fav bead pic, hanging from my neck before I take them off to hang them from the rearview...

at least for a few more days, showing off the spoils per say & I like the shiny colors of them all

& even better the sound of them sliding/tinkling almost all together as you drive/turn the corner...

almost as good as wind chimes in the breeze...

 

 

 

the bead booty/haul in the bag at home on the kitchen table

even a green dubloon (that I didn't catch but picked up, they are rarer & rarer to come by...this one plastic--do they even make metal ones anylonger?)

 

Checking out on the Mardi Gras Cup throw when Mardi Gras is next year & a few more years to come...

 

 

 

 

 

on the other side of the Mardi Gras cup
from the dates - cute joker/jester throwing/catching beads





 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

~~~

 

 

you'll never believe

best filling yet this year

Oh my the imagination

 

It's called the Elvis

Can you guess?

 

Well, there would be bananas & peanut butter right

then there would be bacon--Oh yes there is...

 

(which I narrowly warned an unawares Vegetarian getting ready to take a bite of this King Cake at the Vintage Mardi Gras Costume Sale...Opps...Bacon is 'not' on most Veggies diet right?!)

 

It was a Favorite King Cake this year--it's from Twins, which is a Burger joint now after the real Twins of a baker Dad took his Southside Bakery & left the boys to it (I think he's opened elsewhere now...but is he making the Elvis? hmm...maybe not?!) PS King Cakes are not cheap, especially this one--it's a good thing they are only once a year from 12th Night until Mardi Gras?!

 

Link to the Twins webpage...

http://www.twinsburgersandsweets.com/king-cakes1.html

(note: there is no Elvis King Cake Flavor on the menu--but trust me, it is there...funny did not notice until now that it's Burgers & Sweets?!)

 

~~~~

 

OK, enough...

enough King Cake

enough Parades

enough Beads

enough Rain

enough Mardi Gras Costumes

enough Mardi Gras

We Passed a Good Time & now that's that until next year

 

Now--What to give up for Lent?

Sugar...ugh...sigh...wish me well...Oh I am not Catholic, but I feel a great need to Give it up along with everyone else over the next 45 days is it of Lent--from Mardi Gras until Easter I think it is...

 

End of a Happy Mardi Gras Y'all

~~~