Thurs. 6/8.
Bought 1-1/2 doz. mini cheesecakes at Szotski’s, owned by retired career Navy guy, fun talking with him. Jason warned us about the boredom of driving across TX. Makes sense–Iowa-Nebraska always seemed like it would be monotonous and there must be a southern counterpart to that.
Toured Carnival Museum in Mobile, where the FIRST Mardi Gras parade was held. And it’s still family-oriented. (Carnival starts Jan. 6 (12th Night,), a period of frivolity that lasts until Lent. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday; the partying ends at midnight, the beginning of Ash Wednesday.)
The Kings and Queens for the 3 associations of krewes are chosen based on lineage—how many ancestors or other relatives have been chosen. The gowns and menswear are very elaborate, with trains that weigh up to 120 lbs.! One had ball bearings sewn to the underside to help with mobility. Monarchs can have their own china designed for the ball’s dinner. Tons of flowers on the tables.
Ate at Bluegill Restaurant, Battleship,Hwy, Spanish Fort, LA. Great sunset.
Fri. 6/9.
Visited Bellingrath Home & Gardens, outside of Mobile. Mr. B. was the 1st Coca-Cola distributor in Mobile area. Home started as a fishing camp, for respite from business demands. Mrs. B. added gardens, then had proper home built, opened garden to visitors on Sundays, then moved in full-time and opened grounds regularly. Electricity was initially provided by generators, as public utility didn’t go that far out yet. They had no kids but 6-7 sibs with kids, so lots of nieces/nephews who still come by. Did not stay to see the Asian garden or Mirror Lake area.
Another couple donated their collection of Boehm (pronounced “beam”) to the Bellingraths. It is displayed in the former garages.
Drove to New Orleans—Bayou Signette State Park. Ranger office had really cute statues of animals & birds made out of PVC pipe and painted by a couple (from Virginia?) that stays there now & then. Sold at craft fairs.
Sat. 6/10.
Had wrong address for Hop on/off bus tour, drove around a while, then did grocery shopping & went home. Caulked the “marker” lights on the front of the RV cab, which tech at Carpenter’s Campers said caused rain to enter the overcab structure. Can’t reach them except by lying on stomach on RV roof! Also caulked most of the EternaBond seams, as recommended by the tech.
Sun. 6/11.
Mardi Gras World tour, followed by washing the RV and refilling fresh water tank.
The company does 500 high-end floats for 18 old-time krewes. Figures used to be modeled, molds made, fiberglass applied. Now Styrofoam blocks (possibly made of layers of Styrofoam sheets glued together) are sculpted, smoothed, primed, painted. They are used for decades, with modifications each year to fit the krewes’ themes. Some are now computer-generated by “Pixie”—see photos of explanatory signs—especially if they involve logos where artistic license is inappropriate.
60 organizations put on 100 parades. Krewes are obligated to put on a private ball and a public parade. A krewe might have 40 floats with 60 people on each (all members get to ride). Can mean 6-8 hrs on a float. The nicest ones have a bathroom on board. All that drinking, you know, over 8 or so hours. Throwers have to wear masks.
Drove around waterfront, French quarter, Jazz National Historic Site. Getting very familiar with Route 90 Business.
Mon. 6/12.
Did the Hop on/off tour of New Orleans in the rain.
Did the World War II museum–a whole floor each for the Pacific and European theaters,
plus an exhibit on Nazi propaganda.
Bob bought a WWII veteran cap for John, which would lead to meeting lots of people who wanted to thank him, have their picture taken with him, compare memories or stories heard from relatives, etc.
Tues. 6/13.
Took the Hop on/off bus again, did the walk of the Garden district. You don’t see the Gardens, just the old homes. Very interesting anyway. 2 stories: Whites settled in that area because the Creoles didn’t want them on their side of Canal St; or because the Whites didn’t want to be near the Creoles.
Walked up and down the main shopping street in the French Quarter, had beignets while sitting out the thunderstorm. Saw a rainbow afterward.
Learned: Lake Pontchartrain is 60 x 20 miles.
Garden District is 8ft above sea level.
Greg revival style was followed by Italianate. 1/3 cost of house would be the iron work to dress up otherwise plain box. From Chicago, custom, made for that house only. vs wrought iron, cast from mold, not hammered.
In the 1880s, the circular saw was invented, led to wood slat siding.
Wed. 6/14.
Drove from New Orleans to past Baton Rouge. RV Park is across the Mississippi River from Natchez MS.
By 1860, Natchez had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the US, thanks to cotton plantations and shipping on the river.
Went thru the Matches National Historic Park exhibits—we like history, if you don’t want to read all the exhibits, feel free to just look at the pictures or skip ahead. [We did not tour the 1840s Melrose mansion, house of freed slave William Johnson, or site of 1716 Fort Rosalie].
Natchez is supposed to have 500 antebellum homes and I was thinking some of them would be in town (and most would be outbuildings on plantations). But there was nothing to speak of in town.
[Makes you wonder what the social life on plantations was like. Homes do not have enough bedrooms for (m)any overnight guests and their slaves, as the homes of the wealthy in NY, RI, other places I’ve been. And no ballroom, music room.]