Wednesday, February 7 - Posting from Galveston, Texas, where it's in the 40s F and windy and a little rainy. We can't seem to get more than a day or two of good weather. The air changes, it gets cooler, maybe rains, and we find our activities restricted. We'd hoped to ride along the seawall today, but it's rather cool and very windy, so we'll find something else to do instead. Maybe tour the Bishop's Palace, do some reading, go for a walk in the wind.

A word or two about the pictures posted above, and that'll serve as our post for this session.
First photo is a typical Mardi Gras scene in the French Quarter, with folks out for a carriage ride below the wonderful balconies enclosed by colorfully decorated iron railings.
Second, one of several street poets, this one set up in the middle of Royal Street. Give her a topic and for a few bucks, she'll conjure up a poem for you on her little old-fashioned typewriter.
Third, Gail enjoying a hurricane, NO's theme drink, outside an open-air pub, with Marilyn supporting with a beer. No problem wandering the streets with drink in hand.

Fourth, Gail imitating a street performer, who strikes this pose and doesn't blink an eye until someone feeds him some change. He took Gail's humour in stride with a smile.
Fifth, one of the fellows we met along the way on our swamp tour with Billy Gaston, our Cajun Man. The big guys, 8 to 12 footers, are still in hibernation, so it was a treat to see a few of the smaller gators in their natural environment. Billy knows a lot of the resident gators and calls them over to his boat so that he can feed them a bit of chicken. We got to feed a small guy by extending some chicken on a hooked pole.
Sixth, we also got some great views of eagles, females on their nests, partners perched nearby in protective mode.

Seventh, we saw our first Mardi Gras parade, this one in Houma, a small city south of NO that claims to have the second largest MG celebration in the U.S. This is one of the 27 floats we saw that night. This was a Men's parade, so 8 to 10 guys were on each float flinging out 'throws', bead necklaces, single or in packages (which made quite an impact if they hit you on the head), stuffed alligators, frisbees and all sorts of other stuff. People along the way bring big sacks, and stuff them with the 'throws'. We helped a couple fill at least four sacks, which they will use when they take their place on a float later this month.
Eighth, a really nice little guy beside us on the parade route, who Gail befriended.
Ninth, another of the massive and elaborate floats in the parade. These floats are used in several parades by different 'krewes', and because it was a Men's parade, the theme was overwhelmingly football, focusing on the Saints. The parade we saw consisted of the floats and three or four high school marching bands, and not too many people walking in costume. In NO, walkers in elaborate costumes, some of them pretty minimal, are more evident. Parades are labelled mature if the paraders are is skimpy or provocative costumes. Didn't get to see one of those...too bad.

Tenth, one of the many street bands you see all over the French Quarter. The quality of music varies, but generally is pretty impressive. Music is the soul of New Orleans, so you see little kids of 7 or 8 years beating with drumsticks on upturned plastic pails with impressive rhythm, looking for a dollar or two as a reward. High school bands are really impressive, the kids showing excellent musicianship. At the Jazz Museum, I heard a group of students who attend a specialty school do a very difficult suite commemorating the Battle of New Orleans. It was tough stuff, with a lot of solos, and they handled it very impressively.

We stayed in a Best Western near the airport on Sunday night, so we could get Marilyn to her 7 a.m. Monday flight. She had a great time with us, and didn't want to leave, but we were up at 4:30 so I could go with her to the airport to see her off and make sure all was okay. Staying in a hotel also allowed us to watch the Super Bowl on a big screen t.v., as we cheered the Eagles on to victory. Great game. After we had Marilyn safely on her way, we had to decide whether to go back to the warmth of southern Florida, or head west to Texas, with iffy weather. Here we are, hoping for better things as we go south to Corpus Christie, Brownsville and Padre Island later this week.

We know there is more snow falling today in Picton, and more again scheduled for Friday. So we are wondering when it's ever going to end. Hopefully before long, as everyone must be getting tired of it all. Our dear daughter-in-law Sharon sent us a picture yesterday of our driveway, cars covered with the white stuff, walkway drifted in, so we're glad we aren't there for that.

That's it for now. More later. Stay tuned.