New Orleans got under my skin

What a city. Our New Orleans experience was all that we hoped for and more. Much of the enjoyment of our experience was due to the kind hospitality that our New Orleanian friends and family showed us. Thanks Andy, Warren, Ingrid and Miguel Sr. and Jr.!!

Where do I begin? How about the nooks and crannies… Waking though the French Quarter, we would walk by unique little houses apartments and businesses all squished together with their plant-laden balconies and every several paces or so a little alley or courtyard would appear. There was one “apartment” that was about an arm’s reach wide and 3 or 4 stories high squeezed right between two other buildings with no space at all between them. Maybe the apartments were really long? The detail on all of the buildings was so impressive. The intricate patterns of the wrought iron balcony supports casting lacy shadows as the sun got low, a woman’s face in metal covering a window-like opening in a door, little devils or guardians adorning the tips of an iron fence. You never know what you will find.

This city had so much character. Each house and neighborhood had its own unique character. Huge and not so huge houses with crazy columns to more modest abodes with inviting porches. Old oak trees arch over boulevard streets forming shady tunnels.

We saw much of this unique character and beauty on a sweet bike ride led by Andy-- a great way to see the city. And also a great way to work off the sausage, red beans and rice that you had at 3 am after a hearty night of drinking.

We rode the streetcar down St. Charles from Uptown (Andy’s) to Canal. All along the route Mardi Gras beads hung from the electrical wires and oak trees. The streetcar itself was really neat. I’m not sure how old, but they definitely seemed like an antique that was miraculously still working. The backs of the wooden bench seats could slide from one side to the other to creating a more friendly face-to-face seating arrangement if you had a small group, a fun feature that we unfortunately didn’t take advantage of since we were only two.

How ‘bout those swamps?! We took a swamp tour by boat through Honey Island Swamp Tours 40 minutes north of New Orleans in Slidell. Our tour guide was knowledgeable about the human and natural history of the area and had a great Louisianan accent. Quite a character. We saw snakes, frogs, alligators and birds. Not too many new birds for us, but the Pileated Woodpecker sighting was cool as well as the Red-bellied Woodpecker sightings. The cypress and gum trees growing out of the water and the grey/green epiphytes hanging from their branches were very swampy and beautiful. The tour guide was very nature/conservation minded which made me happy.

The there was roller derby! Andy took us to a Roller Derby bout between the Big Easy Rollergirls from N’aleans and a team from Mississippi. The Big Easy Rollergirls totally creamed ‘em!!! It was almost too easy. This was a new experience for all of us (me, Dennis, And and his roommate) and we were all impressed and excited by the gals’ skill and burliness. As someone said, “way better than Nascar!”

There is so much more to tell and so much more to explore and experience. We will definitely be back… maybe for Jazz Fest, Mardi Gras, or just another friendly off-season visit. New Orleans is all they say it is and more. I definitely recommend this great city as a travel destination. I don’t even like football and I think I am becoming a Saints fan just because I want to remain a part of and support New Orleans. Who Dat!!

After way too much seafood, we are done and about to fly back home.

Watchin jazz tonight at DBA and The Spotted Cat...

You need to get to New Orleans.

The Mardi Gras Indians danced at Armstrong park today. For a "brief" history of these dancers check out: www.mardigrasdigest.com/Sec_mgind/history.htm

Lishka and the Biker Rebel Brass Band.

We're sitting here drinking Miller High Life (the thing to drink down here), resting our sore butts after a long day of bike riding around New Orleans. It was an excellent view of the city and a great way to recover from drinks last night and po'boys at 3am. I got to meet one of my long-lost cousins who grew up here. We met at the R Bar and it was strange waiting and looking around for a relative who I had never seen before. Turns out he was calling me on his cell while standing right next to me.

The city itself seems like a very laid back place (aside from the French Quarter). Majestic homes built in the late 1700's line the streets alongside oaks that are more majestic still. Streetcars rumble up and down the boulevard, full of tourists who only sometimes wave back at you. There are still signs of Katrina. Abandoned homes scattered around the neighborhood where we are staying (the house we are in was itself flooded). A house or two still have the spray paint markings put up by inspectors who went through each home after the flooding. A large white "X", the date of inspection, and the number of bodies found. Still, signs of recovery are everywhere: Construction crews fixing houses, for rent signs, fresh cement being laid down. However, we didn't pass through the really bad areas, where apparently whole neighborhoods still sit in ruins or have been bulldozed over.

Tonight we head over to watch some roller derby. Our first ever match! Tomorrow, perhaps some live jazz or zydeco. Need to catch a brass band too. A lovely stroll through some swamp is also on our agenda. And more great food. So much to do!

Through the Quarter.

We've been checking out NOLA on some cruisers and ended up at an elementary school fundraiser. Good jambalaya and BBQ oysters.

Lishka and Lars looking for the elusive Green Kingfisher.

Hey ya!

Austin has been all about the music for us. So far we've managed to purchase 8 cd's. 7 from a local music shop that our friend Lars showed us. One from the show we went to last night which was great: Thao and the Get Down Stay Downs! The lead singer is from SF so it was no wonder it felt like home listening to them. Awesome band.

We also caught some of the opening band, the Portland Cello Project. 4 cellos playing things like Pantera's "Mouth for War" (sweet), and Outkast's "Hey Ya". They had everyone singing out loud to the last one in a contest to see which city is the loudest. Austin, of course, has the best score so far. We blew everyone else away with a 9.5. Houston got a 7 just the night before. Go Austin!

Caves to Cowboyland

After a 9 hour drive from Carlsbad Caverns, NM, we made it to Austin Texas baby! Yeeehaaawww!!! Dennis found a hidden gem, the Super 8 by the airport and it's really living up to its reputation. We were greeted by a pleasantly fragrant aroma (floral?), a Ganesha shrine, a friendly desk clerk and even a welcome goody bag! The bag had fun snacks like a Reese's peanut butter cup and whoppers as well as a bottle of water.

We've only got one day here in Austin, so we're gonna try to pack it all in tomorrow. We're planning to start the day with a little early morning birding at Hornsby Bend, then explore the town, and maybe some music in the nighttime. Check back to find out!

Carlsbad Caverns were amazing by the way. It's a freaky, crazy, wonder of nature and chemistry down there! Pictures will hopefully be posted soon. It's like Small World on mushrooms. I know, crazy b/c Small World already seems like it's trippin, right? One of the many things we learned at CC was the difference between and definition of stalactites and stalagmites.

Stalactite: icicle-like mineral formations that hang from the ceiling. The word has a "c" in it for "ceiling" and "tite" because they hang tightly from the ceiling.
Stalagmite: pokey-uppy mineral formations that are attached to the ground. The word has a "g" in it for "ground" and "mite" because you might trip over them! (yes, I know, dorky, but these things help me!)

Both of these are formed by dripping water carrying and depositing minerals over time.... lots of time. Little 1" stalactites that we saw were 70 years old! That means that the 20 foot honkers were a lot older.

Ok, ciao for now. Gotta hit the sack so I can catch the birdies manana. More pics soon... we promise.

Lishka

I Heart Tucson

Tucson, AZ
11/09/09-11/10/09

I love Tucson almost as much as I love my wonderful friend Mal who lives there. It’s easy to find your way around, the people are friendly and hip and artsy in an unpretentious kind of way, there’s always fun things to do at night, the drinks are hella cheap, the music and food is good, and the nature/wildlife is phenomenal. There is definitely something about the desert that feeds the soul in a special and unique way.

So what were we able to squeeze in during our 21 hour visit? A satisfyingly good amount. Highlights included:
♣ singing and dancing to Beck’s “Debra” blasting from the rental Hyundai in the street in front of Mal’s sweet pad
♣ trying on Mal’s green, beaded, sequened burlesque outfit… and seeing Dennis don it too
♣ eating delicious udon noodle soup at Yoshi Matsu’s
♣ having a martini at Plush
♣ dancing some booty off at Hotel Congress’ 80’s night and getting a high 5 from a stranger in appreciation of rockin the dance floor
♣ spending $24 total all night for drinks for 3 people!
♣ Eating a delicious breakfast back at Hotel Congress—omelets and home fries for Mal and I and spicy pork with eggs and polenta for Dennis
♣ Guitar, accordion, violin jam at Mal’s pad

Lowlights included:
♣ getting kicked out of Yoshi Matsu’s (although this was understandable because we kept them 45 min after closing, but still…)
♣ getting kicked out of the outside sitting are at Hotel Congress
As you can see not many lowlights and they really became kind of funny. We kept wondering where we were going to get kicked out of next.

Thanks Mal and Tucson for showing us a good time, time and again!

Grandeur

Grand Canyon, AZ
11/08/09-11/09/09

Grand crevice in earth

Carved out, eroded, uplifted

Earth movement

Change over millions of years

Grandiose

Multi-earthen-colors

Barrier of space

Colorado rushing below

Sunset light, morning light, afternoon light

Your are different in each moment of light

You are still slow, constant, grand change

A reminder of the moment

A reminder of how small and new we are

The knife edge hike to the top of Angels Landing. Slow going and don't look down.

Zion canyon left us speechless. Dare I say it might surpass Yosemite in sheer awesomeness....?

Death Valley is all about geology. And geology is proof that the earth itself is still alive. We took a short hike up the Golden Canyon which was formed by water cutting a scar across the Amargosas. The picture below shows Lishka staring at Cathedral rock at the end of that hike. We also clambered up some sand dunes later in the day and have some awesome shots of us catching air as we jumped off the edge of the dunes. Gnarley!

Standing in the middle of the Death Valley you are surrounded by evidence that it is still shaping itself. The Panamint and Amargosas tower on either side shooting up 11,000 feet. At their base is proof that these mountains once stood much higher. Rain and erosion scrape and slide down sending rocks and dirt to the foot of the mountains where they collect and form alluvial fans. The mountains are in effect burying themselves as they wear away (see pic above).

In a park brochure we found out that the valley is in fact a graben. Now this is the part that is totally incredible. The theory is that the Farallon plate sunk beneath the North American plate. The Farallon plate is still beneath us now and as it sinks it melts and heats up the North American plate above it causes it to actually spread apart and get thinner. Besides spreading, the North American plate also breaks apart along fault lines. Parts of the plate may sink down creating a so called graben like Death Valley. This sinking is what created the lowest point in the western hemisphere, where we stood the other day 282 feet below sea level.

Looking up at Cathedral rock at the end of the Golden Canyon trail in Death Valley. If it was the wet season, I think I would be standing under a waterfall!

We just haven't had the time to write about Death Valley. We were distracted by a little town called Las Vegas.

Chilaquiles at Bernardino's in Inyokern

Well! We're officially on the road, people. We picked up a sweet rental car in Santa Rosa -- a pearly white, XM radio-equipped Hyundai Sonata (Laday! Step inside my Hyundai...)-- and cruised it about 200 miles to the magical town of... Fresno! Aaaah, Fresno, how I've missed you. Not! Well, I do feel a strange comforting familiarity. We're enjoying some cable at the Ramada Inn tonight and plan to rise early and head for the desert. Next stop Death Valley.

Movie makin' , salt shakin'

Well, we're almost leaving and I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about it all. Why? In preparation we decided to try and watch a few seminal films about our intended destination. While searching around the internet for "movies filmed in New Orleans" I found a curious pattern: Movies in NO tend to be about crimes, murder, sex, drugs, death etc. I guess these topics just seem to be popular movie themes anyway. If I looked for "movies filmed in Petaluma", would I find the same pattern?? Hmm...

So, lacking a diversity of theme choices we went for "The Big Easy" starring Dennis Quaid, "Easy Rider" starring Dennis Hopper, and "Trouble the Water". The last one is a Katrina documentary and there's probably someone named Dennis in it, but I swear I wasn't googling for "movies filmed in New Orleans with someone named Dennis".

If you haven't seen any of these here's a quick synopsis of the two we've seen so far.

Big Easy - Sort of a New Orleans-xploitation film about gangsters, bad cops, and drugs. Everyone has a thick "Yat" accent, a dialect with french, creole, and southern roots. It was pretty hilarious, I thought. I think Lishka would agree. It also features a pretty steamy sex scene and in so doing, covered all the requisite NO film themes. I wonder what kind of accents we'll encounter down there. No matter what, we'll just be part of dose folks dat tawk normal.

Easy Rider - Filmed in 1969 about two guys who are making a sort of metaphorical escape by making a big drug sell in Los Angeles, then using that money to ride across the country on the back of a couple of Harley's. One planned destination is Mardi Gras. Adventure and tragedy soon follow. Jack Nicholson makes an appearance and steals the show as a crazy borderline-alcoholic lawyer working for the ACLU named George Hanson. Although much of the movie's theme's are related to the post-summer-of-love feelings in the late 60's, one memorable quote is still chillingly relevant today:

George Hanson: You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it.
Billy: Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel, you dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or somethin'. They're scared, man.
George Hanson: They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.
Billy: Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.
George Hanson: Oh, no. What you represent to them is freedom.
Billy: What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about.
George Hanson: Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what's it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it, that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free, 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh, yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em.
Billy: Well, it don't make 'em runnin' scared.
George Hanson: No, it makes 'em dangerous.

Thanks for visiting,

We'll be posting pictures, updates, thoughts, and personal revelations for our own archives and to share our trip experience with friends and family. Our trip starts in November so come back soon! In the meantime check out our handy trip map link on the right sidebar.