Sisters Memories--and the French Quarter

Sister Mary and I returned to New Orleans from the Islands then picked up Sister Jo at the airport. The relatives were gathering for a family reunion the last week in May so Mary, Jo and I were going to enjoy a mini reunion of sisters beforehand.

The very first request from Jo, "Can we go walk on the levee?"  That was not such an easy request for Jo as her Parkinson's was doing nasty things to her legs but that didn't stop her--she went right to the top and got a long look at the muddy Mississippi.

It is universal that our childhoods will pull us back.  There is an undeniable urge to return to 'where it all began'.  Nostalgia is powerful--sometimes good and sometimes not.  The above is the house where the three of us and mother lived for approximately 18 years.  

The grade school is still in operation but the junior high school burned to the ground last year.  I didn't try to find the high school--somehow it held too many negative memories for me.

The next stop was the French Quarter.  Jo had not been here in 50 years so she had a fun time remembering her teen years ...

when the Quarter was our introduction to the 'wild life'.  

Not one of the three of us was so 'wild' as to shock anyone with our behavior but we each had vivid memories of some fun times and some really uninhibited people.

These two could have stepped right out of memory banks.  Please note what is on his backpack.

Yep.

NEW ORLEANS

First sighted as Indian Portage to Lake Pontchartrain and Gulf in 1699 by Bienville and Iberville.  Founted by Bienville in 1718; named by him in honor of the Duke of Orleans Regent of France.  Called the Crescent City because of location in bend of the Mississippi.

Like any city, anywhere, New Orleans has it's good features and its not so good.

The very best thing about the Quarter is its respect for its history.

(Beignets and Cafe au Lait)

Second best would be the food.

And third would be its art and music culture.

Agreed, it is dirty and smelly, mosquitoes thrive, humidity is sometimes unbearable.  But the good parts outweigh the bad--at least for the length of a vacation.

(Crossing Lake Pontchartrain on the causeway, the longest bridge in the world--23.83 miles.)

Next on our itinerary was to head east toward the Gulf Coast.  We were going to spend the week camping and exploring the beaches of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and get back in time for the reunion.