Mid 30’s today with snow still covering the tree branches after last night’s snowfall. Chilly, but no comparison to the bone chillin’ weather at last weekend’s shooting match. People hustled from the icy parking lot into the Grandstand Building to get warm. They looked cold, which is saying a lot considering most of the winter […]
New Orleans Roots
The Rocky Mountain Kids Home Town Roots
The Coldest Mardi Gras Ever
Just when I thought the holidays were over, I remembered Mardi Gras. I checked online to see what date it falls on this year and discovered the celebration will be on Tuesday, March 8th. That got me to thinking of my husband David, and the coldest Mardi Gras ever, which I refer to as sometime […]
The Year Lake Pontchartrain Froze
Frigid Temperatures Grip the South Freezing temperatures gripped Southeast Louisiana this morning. Temperatures hovered around 25 with a wind chill of 18 degrees. No doubt, weather forecasters had called for a “hard freeze” overnight. I’m sure they recommended the three P’s; which are to Protect Pipes, Pets, and Plants. Arctic air is due to invade the […]
Hurricane Betsy and Me
Before Katrina, there was Hurricane Betsy. After doing her famous loop to loop, off of Florida in the Atlantic, she headed into the Gulf of Mexico. She then slammed into the Louisiana coast at Grand Isle. Wind gusts of 160 miles per hour were clocked at Grand Isle’s Coast Guard station. Almost every building in the resort […]
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?
“Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans”, I asked David as he listened to a video performance by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. He answered in the affirmative and I responded with “I don’t miss it at all”. I don’t miss the heat, the crime, big city life, or Mardi Gras. I’m […]
Marlene’s Easy Creole Red Beans and Rice Recipe
It’s a tradition to make a slow simmering pot of red beans on Mondays. At my house, if it’s Monday, more than likely, it’s red beans and rice for dinner. I may have moved thousands of miles away from my New Orleans roots, but my cooking habits have changed very little. Buffalo has been added to my menu, […]
Whatever the Season, Pack a Jacket!
Ghost towns, badgers, geysers, Tetons, bears, elk, cowboys, history, plus the natural beauty of the west are just some of the ways to describe our 4th of July road trip. Did I mention it was kind of chilly? To wear or not wear my jacket was a question I kept asking myself the entire trip. It wasn’t as […]
Memories of Grand Isle, Louisiana
Grand Isle, Louisiana is a town on a barrier island (of the same name) in the Gulf of Mexico. Located at the mouth of Barataria Bay where the bay meets the Gulf, Grand Isle is part of Jefferson Parish, as is Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans where David and I raised three of our kids. […]
It’s Fat Tuesday! Throw Me Somthin’ Mista!
Many things come to mind when thinking of Mardi Gras; floats, marching bands, king cakes, and public drunkenness to name a few. But without the beads, and the people who are willing to raise their hands high and shout, “Throw me somethin’ mista’!”, Mardi Gras just wouldn’t be the same. Everyone thinks of throws […]
When the Saints Go Marching In!
With the recent Superbowl victory by the Saints, I’ve been thinking a lot about my New Orleans roots. It’s been 40 years since my husband was watching the game at Tulane stadium when Tom Dempsey kicked his unbelievable 63-yard field goal. There were 2 seconds left on the clock and the Saints had lost. Or so he […]