050206-Tuesday - Sunday
050201- Tuesday
With last night’s weather report predicting heavy rain all night and day, we were not surprised to wake up to a noisy downpour. When I looked out the door, there were large puddles – small lakes – all around us, and you know it’s bad when Peter – who usually jumps out the door as it is opening – just stood on the top step staring at the giant puddle – trying to figure out how to get out without stepping in it.
Today’s plans called for a half-day bus tour of two southern plantations. I made us both a quick breakfast, and we then pondered on whether we should go or stay home. We finally decided that we might as well go, and it turned out that most of the camp had the same resolve.
A very hail and hardy group.
The rain got worse as the morning went on, but we tramped thru the mansions and grounds like troopers, and made the best of it. I was very proud of Peter for the way he behaved both on and off the bus. He has become the mascot of the group and since we sit in the first row on the bus across from the driver, everyone has to pet him as they get on and off. He loves it.
Tonight was an open night in which they were gong to bus us to the “Quarter” and turn us loose, but the general conscientious is that very few are planning to brave it in this rain. We will stay home, watch some TV – have a nice big pot of spaghetti and meat sauce and go to sleep early.
Tomorrow is breakfast at Brennen’s – and it supposed to be quite a treat – but we have to board the bus by 8 am – and then a ride on the riverboat Natchez.
050202 - Wednesday
Today was quite a full and busy day starting with an 8 am bus boarding. By 8:30, we were passing thru the doors of Brennen’s, prepared to enjoy a sumptuous breakfast. As we walked thru the narrow doorway, the restaurant seemed to expand as we moved on. To our front, a large garden area could be seen thru the floor to ceiling windows, and then as we turned right and then left we were in a large dining room. After breakfast, we needed to walk it off, and we did by strolling thru the “Quarter” towards the riverbank where the riverboat Natchez was waiting for us to board. Peter and I have traveled on this boat last time we were in new Orleans, but this was a great day for a repeat cruise since we got to be in a warm, dry cabin for a couple of hours. We spent most of the trip talking to 2 couples in our group about our individual adventures on the road.
At about 2 pm we were bused back to camp, where we got to get a short break.
By 4 pm we were on board another charted bus heading for bay St. Louis, Mississippi where Pete fountain was performing at the magic casino. This was a 90-minute bus ride but it was worth it. Pete fountain used to perform locally but recently retired and now only plays twice a week at this casino.
We started the evening with a typical casino buffet – lot’s of food, and tonight’s specially was shrimp – every kind you could imagine. Peter is getting the hang of buffet dining. He sticks his nose up as high as he can to the counter – he stays on all 4’s, and when he smells something he likes he looks at me with “please get that for me” look. It’s a good thing we usually like the same stuff.
Casino magic is a very large complex, with it’s own RV park, golf course, etc. People tell me you can enjoy almost everything without leaving the grounds.
The rest of the evening we were entertained by Pete Fountain and his band and it was a fantastic experience. He is a true showman. In addition, john Goodman was in town for the Mardi Gras and did a little harmonizing and singing with Pete. Great fun.
Many of us slept on the bus ride home and crawled into bed quickly.
050204 –Thursday
The weather has finally dried up, but in exchange for that it has been colder than usual, in the 40’s daytime.
Nevertheless, the fun goes on. This morning we got to sleep in a little and our first scheduled even was lunch at the famous Court of 2 Sisters.
Also in the Quarter, and like Brennen’s, it was deceptively large inside, compared to the small, unassuming entrance off the street. This place is a lunch buffet set-up with everything you ever heard of from New Orleans. Everything was delicious and I don’t even know what half the stuff on my plate was.
From the restaurant, it was a about a half mile walk to the pick up point for our buses.
We had already walked the Quarter, and were not planning on buying any trinkets or T-shirts or antiques, so we just set our sights and trekked on. The cold weather and high humidity and slight breeze were not a good combination for the day. In addition, the streets are pretty old and irregular and my walker was having quite a workout trying to roll over cracks, potholes and cobblestone.
By the evening, I was feeling unwell, and opted not to go out. It turned out to be a wise decision and I did not go out for the next 3 days. Each cough turned into a painful rib-rattling explosion, and I turned the Beast into a sweat lodge for 3 days to break the fever-chills cycle. Of course I was fully equipped with all the necessities such as green tea, Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges, nasal spray, Drixoral, breath right strips, and Keflex to keep the bronchitis from turning into pneumonia.
As it turned out, all I missed was a day at the races, a visit to a cooking school, and 2 parades.
050206 - Sunday night
The fever is gone but the coughing lingers on.
This is our first night out in 3 days and while it feels good we are a bit leery as to the results of pushing it. While many of the friends we made on the tour were concerned about my illness and welcomed our return to the living, I found out that I was one of maybe 20 that had been taken down with flu and respiratory symptoms in the past few days.
Tonight we had reserved grandstand seats for 2 of the most popular parades this week; Bacchus and Orpheus. These parades were about 30 floats each and the “throwing” was amazing.
You actually had to keep your eyes and head moving all the time to keep from getting hit with beads, stuffed toys, small footballs, and anything else they decide to throw.
Since this was Super bowl Sunday, Bacchus decided to have their theme as the cities of the NFL so each float had some reference to either the their quarterback or team. Some of our group collected so many beads and stuff that they needed shopping bags to haul it away. We tried to limit our collection, but it wasn’t easy. We got back to camp late tonight – about 11 PM and decided to sleep in Monday and save our strength for Fat Tuesday.
With last night’s weather report predicting heavy rain all night and day, we were not surprised to wake up to a noisy downpour. When I looked out the door, there were large puddles – small lakes – all around us, and you know it’s bad when Peter – who usually jumps out the door as it is opening – just stood on the top step staring at the giant puddle – trying to figure out how to get out without stepping in it.
Today’s plans called for a half-day bus tour of two southern plantations. I made us both a quick breakfast, and we then pondered on whether we should go or stay home. We finally decided that we might as well go, and it turned out that most of the camp had the same resolve.
A very hail and hardy group.
The rain got worse as the morning went on, but we tramped thru the mansions and grounds like troopers, and made the best of it. I was very proud of Peter for the way he behaved both on and off the bus. He has become the mascot of the group and since we sit in the first row on the bus across from the driver, everyone has to pet him as they get on and off. He loves it.
Tonight was an open night in which they were gong to bus us to the “Quarter” and turn us loose, but the general conscientious is that very few are planning to brave it in this rain. We will stay home, watch some TV – have a nice big pot of spaghetti and meat sauce and go to sleep early.
Tomorrow is breakfast at Brennen’s – and it supposed to be quite a treat – but we have to board the bus by 8 am – and then a ride on the riverboat Natchez.
050202 - Wednesday
Today was quite a full and busy day starting with an 8 am bus boarding. By 8:30, we were passing thru the doors of Brennen’s, prepared to enjoy a sumptuous breakfast. As we walked thru the narrow doorway, the restaurant seemed to expand as we moved on. To our front, a large garden area could be seen thru the floor to ceiling windows, and then as we turned right and then left we were in a large dining room. After breakfast, we needed to walk it off, and we did by strolling thru the “Quarter” towards the riverbank where the riverboat Natchez was waiting for us to board. Peter and I have traveled on this boat last time we were in new Orleans, but this was a great day for a repeat cruise since we got to be in a warm, dry cabin for a couple of hours. We spent most of the trip talking to 2 couples in our group about our individual adventures on the road.
At about 2 pm we were bused back to camp, where we got to get a short break.
By 4 pm we were on board another charted bus heading for bay St. Louis, Mississippi where Pete fountain was performing at the magic casino. This was a 90-minute bus ride but it was worth it. Pete fountain used to perform locally but recently retired and now only plays twice a week at this casino.
We started the evening with a typical casino buffet – lot’s of food, and tonight’s specially was shrimp – every kind you could imagine. Peter is getting the hang of buffet dining. He sticks his nose up as high as he can to the counter – he stays on all 4’s, and when he smells something he likes he looks at me with “please get that for me” look. It’s a good thing we usually like the same stuff.
Casino magic is a very large complex, with it’s own RV park, golf course, etc. People tell me you can enjoy almost everything without leaving the grounds.
The rest of the evening we were entertained by Pete Fountain and his band and it was a fantastic experience. He is a true showman. In addition, john Goodman was in town for the Mardi Gras and did a little harmonizing and singing with Pete. Great fun.
Many of us slept on the bus ride home and crawled into bed quickly.
050204 –Thursday
The weather has finally dried up, but in exchange for that it has been colder than usual, in the 40’s daytime.
Nevertheless, the fun goes on. This morning we got to sleep in a little and our first scheduled even was lunch at the famous Court of 2 Sisters.
Also in the Quarter, and like Brennen’s, it was deceptively large inside, compared to the small, unassuming entrance off the street. This place is a lunch buffet set-up with everything you ever heard of from New Orleans. Everything was delicious and I don’t even know what half the stuff on my plate was.
From the restaurant, it was a about a half mile walk to the pick up point for our buses.
We had already walked the Quarter, and were not planning on buying any trinkets or T-shirts or antiques, so we just set our sights and trekked on. The cold weather and high humidity and slight breeze were not a good combination for the day. In addition, the streets are pretty old and irregular and my walker was having quite a workout trying to roll over cracks, potholes and cobblestone.
By the evening, I was feeling unwell, and opted not to go out. It turned out to be a wise decision and I did not go out for the next 3 days. Each cough turned into a painful rib-rattling explosion, and I turned the Beast into a sweat lodge for 3 days to break the fever-chills cycle. Of course I was fully equipped with all the necessities such as green tea, Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges, nasal spray, Drixoral, breath right strips, and Keflex to keep the bronchitis from turning into pneumonia.
As it turned out, all I missed was a day at the races, a visit to a cooking school, and 2 parades.
050206 - Sunday night
The fever is gone but the coughing lingers on.
This is our first night out in 3 days and while it feels good we are a bit leery as to the results of pushing it. While many of the friends we made on the tour were concerned about my illness and welcomed our return to the living, I found out that I was one of maybe 20 that had been taken down with flu and respiratory symptoms in the past few days.
Tonight we had reserved grandstand seats for 2 of the most popular parades this week; Bacchus and Orpheus. These parades were about 30 floats each and the “throwing” was amazing.
You actually had to keep your eyes and head moving all the time to keep from getting hit with beads, stuffed toys, small footballs, and anything else they decide to throw.
Since this was Super bowl Sunday, Bacchus decided to have their theme as the cities of the NFL so each float had some reference to either the their quarterback or team. Some of our group collected so many beads and stuff that they needed shopping bags to haul it away. We tried to limit our collection, but it wasn’t easy. We got back to camp late tonight – about 11 PM and decided to sleep in Monday and save our strength for Fat Tuesday.
posted by The Highway Guys @ 4:50 PM
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