One Of My Most Favorite Places In The World!

The Cabildo and St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, New Orleans.

NOLA! 

New Orleans! 

The Big Easy! 

The Crescent City! 

The Birthplace of Jazz! 

Mardi Gras City! 

Nawlins!

The entry into the French Market

One of my favorite places in the the world - somewhere I NEVER pass up a chance to visit...You might think, Paris ~ London ~ Moscow ~ Tahiti ~ Rio...but you'd be wrong. One of my very favorite places in the world is New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana. 

Many things come to mind when you say "New Orleans" - the Audubon Zoo, Canal Street, City Park and Story Book Land, Cemetaries and Marie Laveau , Cafe du Monde, The Morning Call (more about that a little later), Mardi Gras, Harrah's, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Aquarium of the Americas, Bourbon Street...but nothing says New Orleans, to me, more than the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and the French Market!

The New French Market

When I have the great pleasure of visiting New Orleans, I always make a stop at the Quarter - if I don't, then I don't feel like I've really been to New Orleans.

Crafts & Wares in the French Market - busy as ever!

Did you know that New Orleans had it's own smell? Especially in the French Quarter...some would say it's a dirty smell, some would say it smells of history, some would say it smells of the best Creole food there is! (Oh, don't confuse Creole food with Cajun food - they are two different animals, although they do share a few things in common.)

And, there are so many things to see and do in the Quarter. There are great antique shops - REAL antique shops! There are the unique Street Performers. You'll find them in different places, painted and frozen in some type of pose or in costume with their bucket or hat on the ground, waiting for you to place your money inside. How can you ever be bored with so much to see, do, and EAT!

Frozen Statue - Street Performer in front of Jackson Square

Transformer - Street Performer in front of St. Louis Cathedral

You can always take a horse and buggy ride through the quarter while listening to a bit of history. There are old grocery stores that I'm sure have the original fixtures! There are art galleries on every street. You can find some delicious seafood restaurants there in the Quarter, not all Creole. And, what's a stop to the Quarter if you don't stop in at Cafe du Monde for a cup of hot coffee and a plate of beignets, while street musicians play outside on the sidewalk.

Cafe du Monde

While Cafe du Monde was the oldest coffee shop (1865), it was not the only one back in the day. There was also The Morning Call. The Morning Call opened in the 1870's and that was where my great grandfather, Clofa Guidroz, worked. He worked there for many years and was forced to retire at the required retirement age. Even so, every morning he'd show up and sit on the doorstep of the Morning Call. Finally, one day his boss told him to come on back to work!

Just a short note - Paw Paw Clofa lived in the French Quarter and came home one day in 1958 to find his apartment building blocked off. He was denied entry because Paramount Pictures was shooting King Creole, with Elvis Presley, and had chosen one of the apartments in his building to be the King's apartment in the movie. Not just any apartment, but MY GREAT GRANDFATHER'S apartment! He didn't care if it was Elvis - he was tired from a long day's work and just wanted to go home but had to wait until they finished the shooting. Not only that, but he complained for many days after - they'd painted his door red for the movie! :)

To read more interesting history of the French Market and the Morning Call, click this photo.

One of my favorite things about the Quarter are the buildings and the architecture. The buildings and architecture reflect the rich history and multicultural heritage.  In the Quarter, you'll find everything from creole cottages to the three story houses with their balconies coming from their Colonial Spanish days...balconies, balconies everywhere you look!

Beautiful Architecture!

 Tall Three-Storied Buildings

 Beautifully Decorated Balconies

And, don't forget the street musicians!

 Sidewalk Musicians in the Square

The city is named after Orleans, a city located on the Loire River in France. The French Quarter and New Orleans is rich with history. New Orleans was a cultural gateway to North America, where you could find people from Europe and Africa, who brought their cultures with them, including the Creole culture. During the earliest days, English was not the prevailing language - French was. And Catholicism was the dominant religion. 

New Orleans was founded May 7, 1718, by the French Mississippi Company and for the next hundred years, it was home to the French and Spanish until Napoleon sold it to the US with the rest of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

New Orleans was the South's chief cotton and slave market. The French, as well as Spaniards and Cubans continued to arrive and make New Orleans their home. One interesting note is that Cafe du Monde at Jackson Square was Spanish in it's origins, not French. 

From 1820 to 1870 large waves of Irish and German immigrants also made New Orleans their home, all preserving their dialects and making the city one of the main immigrant ports in the nation, second only to New York.

You'll find lots of "old world culture" there in the city of Nawlins...but that's part of what gives New Orleans it's sense of identity and it's charm! 

For more interesting history check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans.

Here are a few pictures of my sisters and me on one of our "Sister" trips to the Quarter....we had so much fun that day! We're long overdue for another trip...

St. Louis Cathedral

Shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue

 Having lunch on a balacony - PoBoys and Muffalettas

 Checking out one of the local shops...

Posers at FiFi Mahoney's

Cathy at the Corn House

Sisters!!!

I also wanted to share some of my very favorite French Quarter places to eat, in no particular order:

• Court of Two Sisters
• Pier 424 
• New Orleans School of Cooking
• Acme Oyster House
• French Market Restaurant & Bar
• Antoine's
• Bourbon House Seafood and Oyster Bar
• Cafe du Monde
• Cafe Maspero    (one of my favorites!!!)
• K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
• Central Grocery
• Dickie Brennan's Steak House
• Pat O'Briens
• Galatoire's Restaurant
• Red Fish Grill
• Royal House Oyster Bar
• Tony Moran's Restaurant   
• House of Blues

These are only a FEW - did I miss one of YOUR favorites??? Let me know which one it is! See ya in Nawlins!

Man's Best Friend?

Man's Best Friend

Who is REALLY man's best friend? Some would argue with you and say it's not a dog - it's a cat! We've all heard that phrase - Man's Best Friend - and traditionally they are referring to domestic dogs because of their close relationships, loyalty, and companionship with humans. But I say cats can have close relationships, be loyal and be some of the best of companions to humans too - doesn't matter if it's a loving ball of fur, or sleek coated creature (take your pick).

By the way, did you know that there are approximately 68 million owned dogs in the United States? Or, that there approximately 73 million cats that are owned here in the US? Looks like the cats may have a slight edge here.

Martini

We personally own four animals - I own two dogs of my own (Martini, who is joined to my hip & Addison Grace who is very independent) and a cat (Jolie - more about her in a bit),  while my husband owns one dog (Delilah, old and getting on in years). There was one other dog...one of THE most loyal animals ever - Samson, the mate to Delilah - but we lost him last year.

Jolie

The cat, Jolie, was supposed to belong to my husband - I gave it to him for his birthday since he loved cats and missed having one. But there was just one problem, and it wasn't the dogs....well, Jolie wasn't fond of the dogs at first but she became adjusted to them quickly and just loves our Fourche Terrier, Addison. Probably because she loves catching Addison's fluffly tail and biting it - but Addison isn't too fond of that game!


No, the problem was that she DIDN'T like my husband! In fact, she hated him. I was told at PetCo that she may have been abused before they got her and I'm wondering if she was possibly abused by boys, therefore not liking any male person.

Either way, it didn't matter - what mattered was that Jolie was a gift to my husband and she would have nothing to do with him. She'd run from him, she'd hide from him, she wouldn't let him come near her. 

On the other hand, she loved me. I could do anything with her and she was as gentle and quiet as could be. She comes when I call her, she has to get  in bed and sleep on my legs, and she loves to rub against my hand when I'm feeding her. So Jolie became my cat. 

When we go upstairs to watch a movie, you can be guaranteed that, one by one, they will all make their way upstairs and before the first five minutes have gone by Martini, Addison, and Jolie will be in my lap, at my feet or on top of the chair against my head. Delilah, hubby's dog, will jump into his lap. One big happy family with Man's best friends - 3 dogs and a cat.

Addison

Martini

Through the years, we've owned several animals - cats, dogs and birds. With the exception of the birds, they've all been loving, dedicated animals. Normally the cats were always very close, very loving, and very loyal to my husband - Jolie is the exception. And the dogs were split - I had MY dogs and he had HIS dogs - all being very loving and loyal to their respective "parent".  All best friends...

There's always one in the bunch that just has to do their own thing!

Oh, before I sign off, I feel like I should say a little something about Samson - He's the black, white and brown rat terrier in the picture above, along side Delilah, the other rat terrier. 

We got Samson and Delilah as puppies. Both of those dogs were spoiled by my husband and therefore were very loyal to him, Samson especially! We both of us still miss him, especially my husband - it really was like losing a family member. 

I guess if I had to put a name to Man's Best Friend, it would have to be Samson. He was a perfect example. So maybe dogs really are man's best friend, although I have a few friends and family members that would argue that point!

Samson taking a nap in his favorite place...

So, what about you? Who do you think is really man's best friend - Cat or Dog?

Every Man Has His Secret Sorrows...

Today will be a short entry...After reading several sad posts from some of my friends on Face Book today, I was reminded of my favorite quote and wanted to share it with you... 

Please consider what it says, and remember it, as you deal with people in your daily lives. You never truly know what they may be going through. And, you never know when you will be the bright spot in their lives for that one day! 

"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

A Rose By Any Other Name...

"A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet"

Now there's an idiom we've all heard. Do any of you know where that phrase came from? Why Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1600, of course! Here's what Juliet actually said:

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; 

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

So what exactly does that idiom mean?  .....What matters is what something is, not what it is called....  I've also heard "A rose is a rose is a rose...". Either way you say it, it means the same thing.

Pink Speckles

By the way, was this just a line in the play or was Shakespeare alluding to something else? Tour guides have been known to tell the story that when Shakespeare wrote this, he was actually making a joke at the expense of the Rose Theatre since the Rose was a local rival to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and was reputed to have had less than effective sanitary arrangements, therefore referring to the smell. Is it true? I don't know, but I'm sure it made for a little more interesting story.

Caliente

Roses have always been one of my very favorite flowers. When I lived in Mexico, I had more than 30  rose bushes, mostly pink, and always in bloom it seemed. There was always a picture to be had of at least one rose. When I took an interest photography, most of my first photos were all of roses. 

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that I also like using a plug-in on my photography called the Redfield Fractalius Filter. I've had so many different effects with that filter that I came to like the digital art and manipulation of the picture even more just a plain photograph. So, I do both, but you'll probably see more with that particular filter than not. Caliente is an example of a photograph using the Fractalius Filter. So is Soft Beauty below.

Soft Beauty

For centuries, roses have inspired love and brought beauty to anyone who's received them. The rose's rich heritage dates back thousand of years! Compliments of The Society of American Florists, let's look at come interesting rose facts.

• It is said that the floors of Cleopatra's palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600 book library specifically on how to care for roses.

• In the readings of Shakespeare, he refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings.

• The world's oldest living rose is thought to be 1,000 years old! Today it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.

• Ancient Romans believed that white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. Myth also has it that Venus' son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the "sting" of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. When Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on  a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red.

• It's the official state flower of New York.

• According to Greek Mythology, it was Aphrodite who gave the rose its name.

• While the rose itself bears no fruit, the rose hips (the part left on the plant after the rose is done blooming) contain more Vitamin C than almost any other fruit or vegetable.

• The romantic French were the first to deliver roses. It was in the seventeenth century that French explorer Samuel de Champlain brought the first cultivated roses to North America.

• According to recent archaeological discoveries,  they found fossilized remains of wild roses supposedly over 40 million years old.

• Napoleon's wife, Josephine, so adored roses that she grew more than 250 varieties.

Seeing Double

Delicate Beauty

The genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa. Yes, roses have had a long, rich history. Is it any wonder that they are such a popular flower? They've been the symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. And, they are still one of my favorite flowers!

Hybrid Blue

Click the Rose below to view some unusual roses. While I didn't take these photos in this group, I thought it would be interesting to see some that are not so traditional.....Enjoy!