Archive of the '2010 New Orleans Experiences' Category

I shot a couple of gigs worth of swamp photos today. It isn’t hard when you are in a setting like that, but this is my last swamp photo and story - promise. We saw movement on a finger of dry land near the river as we entered a narrow channel. There were two adult pigs and about 6 or so young pigs. The guide said the hang around the this area close to the river. He believes sooner or later he will be seeing gators hanging around this area if the pigs don’t get smarter.

The great egret was almost driven to extinction due to fashion. They were hunted for their plumage to adorn hats. They are no longer endangered. We spent about ten minutes watching this one walk along the shallow water fishing (I just had to share this photo). They eat just about anything - from fish to gators (small ones of course).

I got my answer about swamps too. The Louisiana swamps are like the swamps in Northern Florida - lots of trees. There were gum, cedar, and cyprus. The swamps in Southern Florida are more open. It was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful Sunday morning. A couple of times the guide stopped the boat, cut the motor, and we just sat. We watched the animals, saw some snakes, and of course gators. The sounds were better than anything an iPod or any other stereo could deliver. Bird songs came from every direction.

Wouldn’t you know it. We went in search of Big Al the gator and he wasn’t there. It has been about 10 to 20 degrees colder this month than normal. So, the reptiles are not too active. Little Al was there. He said Big Al was still with Mama, which was good for Little Al - he wasn’t being chased away!

We actually saw a couple of gators today. One was laying in the grass soaking up the rays. Gators are solar powered. They store up heat form the sun. Once they are warm enough, they start moving about. Maybe we can learn something about renewables and energy storage from the swamp critters.

He is a gator! We have a swamp tour in a half hour. Stay tuned - film and story at 11! This should be fun. I can’t wait to see if Louisiana swamps are different from Florida. And, if they are - how so. Should be lots of photo ops too. See you on the flip flop.

It is Sunday morning and I have to report Bourbon Street really is wild on Saturday night! It is wall to wall people out to have a party. The jazz is falling out of every store and bar front on the street. People line the balconies. So, they are overhead, around you and inside of every place. People, lots of happy people.

I almost made this an XX rate blog. I was taking photos and had a great one with lots of color. Pam asked if I had read the sign I had just photographed. Of course i had not. I was attracted to all the colors. It was fantastic. I turned around and looked closer - OMG. I didn’t know you could advertise such! If you see me on the floor at the Expo, ask. That is the only way you will find out.

The food in the French Quarter is fantastic. We went to K-Paul’s tonight. It has been at least 15 years since we have been to this place. It opens at 5:30 each evening, but the line forms about 5! We had reservations and we still had to stand in line. The difference was we had a table. Others were hoping. This is Cajun cooking at its best. We had a favorite - crawfish etouffee.

Funny When I was a kid, I loved to play with crawfish. Living in Florida, there was never a shortage of them. I would catch some (by hand) and bring them into the house to play with. I had a great time until some adult would see them. “Get those things out of the house!” Pam is very glad our son didn’t take after me in that respect.

I found turtle soup today! That may not seem like such a big thing, but it brought back a lot of memories - good and bad. Two years ago my buddy Rick Bush and I covered the Hurricane Ike restoration efforts in Texas. One night, we found a little restaurant near our hotel. We ordered dinner and started comparing notes. I ordered turtle soup. Seemed like something different - an ordeal treat. The smell, the taste, the texture - a magic moment.

Tonight’s turtle soup brought back all the memories - it was uplifting watching the line crews working themselves to exhaustion to get electricity to the customers. It was heart breaking to see the destruction. We came away from that event with a renewed sense of the good in people and awe of the folks that make up our industry. All those thoughts and more flooded me with just one small bowl of turtle soup. The mind works in funny ways.

Boy did I get in trouble! That last post would not upload. When I finally did get it to post, my computer locked up. I had to shunt everything down. It took a lot of time to get everything working again. I guess I should be careful about spirits, not that I am superstitious . But why tempt the fates. This is the city of a lot of supernatural happenings. It is a big industry. They have ghost walks through the city. There are haunted tours in the French Quarter. Graveyard tours are very popular and voodoo shops are everywhere. It makes for some interesting shopping.

Remember when Mom told you to eat your salad? No desert until you finish your dinner… etc. She had tons of dietary rules you had to follow or else! Well Mom’s spirit is pretty upset with me right now. In a place like Nawlins that could be dangerous. The spirits are strong here. Yesterday I told you all about beignets, but I didn’t say that was lunch. Today I have sweet tater pie for lunch at the plantation (sorry no picture - there was a hungry wolf feeding frenzy). On yes, pecan pralines (pure sugar) and a chocolate pecan turtle too. Pam is trying to keep me on the right path, but I bought her off. I gave her half of the chocolate turtle.