I’m Coo-Coo For Coconuts!

Zulu coconuts 2012

And I gave two of them away!

Mardi Gras was wonderful! We were in a new section of the grandstand seating and it’s much better over there.

We actually had some elbow room.

There’s no elbow room across the street.

Next year, we’ll be picking the same spot.

Got some great throws this year and I’ve also discovered that,

I’m a bead snob.

I check the float to see what kind of beads they’re throwing,

and that decides if I’m going to wave ’em down or not.

Ya can’t blame me.

After years and years of collecting “generic”beads,

I’m only interested in the good stuff now.

NavySeal got a lot of Saints stuff,

But this one here is my favorite.

Everyone from the area knows that, the running joke during football season was,

the Saints would be in the Super Bowl when pigs fly.

Well, the pig has flown!!

We got in the stands about 7 a.m. and stayed until the truck floats started.

We would have stayed a lil longer but, I have enough throws to last a lifetime.

Or until the newest all female krewe, Krewe of Nyx calls me.

Yep! I’m on the waiting list to become a member of the Krewe of Nyx and I can’t wait for the phone call!

This was their first year parading so, I’m hoping I’m getting in early enough to become a member…wish me luck!

We left the grandstands at 3 p.m., I figured 8 hours out there was more than enough.

The temp was around 73 degrees and it’s just hard to go straight home with weather like that so,

we went and hung out on the bayou like two teenagers and finished off the beer and food we had with us.

Then, we went home and took a nap…like two old people.

I’m glad this season is over,

I’m tired.

Now, it’s festival season with the Soul Festival bringing it in on March 3rd and 4th at the Audubon Zoo.

French Quarter Fest is April 12th-15,

Jazz Fest starts April 27th,

Bayou Boogaloo is May 18th-20th

The Food and Wine Experience begins May 22nd with their grand tasting event on the 25th and 26th (I’ll be there in the 25th)

The Vieux To Do (Cajun-Zydeco Fest, La Seafood Fest and Green Tomato Fest) is June 8th-10th

Essence Fest is July 6th-8th

Satchmo Fest and White Linen Night are running into one another with Satchmo Aug 2nd-5th and White Linen on Aug. 4th

By the time the festivals wind down, it’ll be football season.

We have the Super Bowl here next year,

right in the middle of Mardi Gras.

It’s gonna be a wild ride!

Loving life in the Big Easy!

Fun on Fat Tuesday!

Last year, I didn’t  have a sign…lets see how many I get with one.

Although, they’ll probably be too drunk to read it….

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

By the time most of you read this, I’ll be out on the parade route.

It’s Fat Tuesday and folks are already out getting their spot and preparing for the big day.

Sunday was wonderful!

We had 6 parades that rolled uptown.

NavySeal and I got out there about 7 a.m. and stayed there until 8:30 p.m.

I would have stayed longer if Bacchus would have been throwing but, they were very chinchy .

The economy must be really bad for a lot of these crews because, they are barely throwing anything off of the floats.

Thoth is officially my favorite krewe on a Sunday. They always throw a lot of stuff.

They always make me remember the good ole’ days,

when stuff flew off of the floats like crazy!

The crowds were super thick but, since we got out there early, we were right in the front.

 

NavySeal made out like a bandit!  They threw him some cool Saints beads which I’ll take a pic of later on today and post.

As much as I love Mardi Gras, I’m glad today is the last day.

This stuff can wear ya out!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS !

 

 

Mardi Gras Madness Saga Continues

Well, I didn’t get rained on for Endymion.

YAY!!

They rolled and the weather held up which was great.

NavySeal wasn’t too particular about going out there but,

once he saw that I was heading out of the house,

there was no way he was letting me go out there by myself.

After he got out there he had a great time,

even though he did get pelted in the eye with a pair of beads.

I kissed it and made it all better…he’s alright now.

The crowd was really thin  for an Endymion parade.

They usually have crowds 10 or more people deep.

Last night, they may have been 2 deep…super thin for a super krewe

but at least they rolled.

Most of the bands pulled out of the parade because of the weather but, that was to be expected.

The only bands there from the surrounding area were,

Warren Easton,St. Mary’s Academy and St. Paul( from across the lake.)

Here’s some pics of my favorite throws from last night,

I LOVE my beads with the mask on it! One of the riders on the float spotted me and handed me those roses…such a sweetie rider!  The young kids out there were trying to get me to give them my light saber…nah, kiddies…that’s mine!

ya GETS nothing from me that’s really pretty or lights up! LOL

Oh, I almost forgot some riders were handing out t-shirts,

Ya know ya favorite Bayoucreole chick was gonna get one of them bad boys!

In carnival terms, that’s called being a “hustler.”

I’m a hustler baaaabyy and I want you to know….

Today is gonna be a long day with 5 0r 6 parades uptown,

NOMTOC, Okeanos, MidCity,Thoth and Bacchus (the super krewe.)

NavySeal and I are heading out at 6:45 a.m. and trying to get under the bridge again this year.

YellowJacket is with her dad.

He has a slew of relatives in town.

YellowJacket’s older brothers are in their 30’s  and, she been an auntie since she was around 10.

So, she’s over there with her nieces and nephews having a wonderful time…I think they’re all heading out to the parades today as well.

PurpleKnight will be home today as well as my dad who will probably end up hibernating in his room today…chillaxing.

Let the good times continue to roll, or as we say down here,

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

We’re Gonna Get Wet But, We’re Gonna Roll

It’s still raining but, at least it’s not a downpour.  Rain clouds are still hanging around us but, Endymion says its’ gonna roll.

One thing I know for sure, the floats are out of the den and lined up.

On my way home, I was stopped by the processional of floats heading that way,

Die hard carnival folks have already staked out their spots on the muddy neutral ground….braving the rain and everything!

I don’t know if I’d be standing in the rain a few hours waiting for the parade to pass.

Oh, don’t get me wrong…I plan on heading out if they roll and it looks like they will.

I’m just waiting to the very last minute to do so.

Why?

Cuz, I’m a die hard…just a lil drier than the rest of ’em is all.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

I’m Too Old For This…

Da  Bayoucreole isn’t going out tonight,

last night’s walk wore me out!

I’m not gonna miss the parades though, catching them live with WWL’s parade cam which is much better than NOLA’s to me.

If you want to see the parades rolling tonight, here’s the link

experiencemardigras.com

and here’s NOLA’s

paradecam

you’ll have the best seats in the house that’s for sure!

If you check the stream and nothing’s there, that only means that, they haven’t reached Gallier Hall yet.

Just keep checking because, they should be reaching there soon.

Saturday parades have been cancelled due to 100% chance of rain…all except Endymion who says that, they will try to run.

Watch they end up cancelling at the last darned minute!

Which will make Sunday even worse than the parade day from hell last year!

Why?

Because NOMTOC which is a huge parade for the westbank  has decided to cross the river and parade over by US on the eastbank!

WOW!

I know you Wetbankers are pissed about that one!

They were supposed to roll Saturday but because of the rain, they’ve decided to roll Sunday uptown at 9 a.m.

So far Sunday is looking hellish already with,

Krewe of NOMTOC
Uptown 9 a.m. 
RESCHEDULED FROM February 18, 2012

Krewe of Iris
Uptown 10:00 a.m.
RESCHEDULED FROM February 18, 2012

Krewe of Okeanos
Uptown 11:00 a.m.

Krewe of Mid-City
Uptown 11:45 a.m.

Krewe of Thoth
Uptown 12:00 p.m.

Krewe of Bacchus (a  Super Krewe)
Uptown 5:15 p.m.

…and you can ADD Endymion (another Super Krewe) after Bacchus if the rain is too bad for them to hit the streets!

I better take an extra dose of something to keep me going Sunday.

I just hope it isn’t cold like last year.

Mardi Gras Under The Bridge Last Night…Why They’re Called The Best Band In The Land.

I Spy With My Little Eye

One of the things I love most about my city is,

you could be  home trying to take a nap before you go to the parades (like moi)

and all of a sudden you hear a brass band playing in your neighborhood.

Naturally, I got up to see what the goings on was all about.

So, I opened my front door and lo and behold,

INDIANS!!!

Well, once I saw they were by the school, I got right on over there!

They were there  having a mini carnival celebration with the kids,

how wonderful is that?!

Those babies were so excited to see the Indians,

I don’t blame them.

They always look so pretty.

Even though the blue one wasn’t in full dress, he still was pretty!

They danced  around the yard with the kids while  they threw beads to one another.

The Brass Band played and rocked the house while everyone second-lined,

The staff and the children all had a wonderful time.

NOLA fun and passing the culture along…

priceless!

I uploaded my first video…y’all are ruining me!

LOL

Now, I’m off to the parades.

I hope it doesn’t rain.

R.I.P. Nippy

 

Mardi Gras and Mamavation

Happy Mardi Gras!

Yep, it’s that time of the year!

The city is decked out in its finest purple, gold and green gear,

seems like more folks are decorating for carnival this year.

The barricades are up and ready to go,

and pretty soon folks will be staking their spot on the neutral grounds around the city.

NavySeal and I have our tickets for the grandstand seating once again…our third year there.  They made the tickets all fancy this year and we couldn’t print them at home . They mailed them to us.

I think they had a problem with the tickets last year…folks were making copies and selling them.

I think we’re gonna just make it our official Mardi Gras day spot.  We did move to the other side of the street  though. It seems that, the international club sits by us every year so, I picked the smallest section across the street to avoid them. It’s just way too crowded  in the stands by Lafayette Square.

This spot looked empty last year so, I’m hoping for the same sort of luck this go’ round. LOL

I love driving around the city and watching the all of the viewing stands go up.

Mardi Gras is my favorite time of the year.

There’s a different energy in the city during this festive season.

No, it’s not all of that showing tits and stuff we keep getting tagged with.

That stuff is in the French Quarters.

On the parade routes it’s family, friends and fun.

Grandstand seating in New Orleans

A Viewing Stand in St. Bernard Parish

Viewing Stands in Jefferson Parish (Veterans Blvd)

Family and friends start making arrangements and coordinating where they’re going to be for certain parades (and who is gonna do the grilling on carnival day.)

Truck floats come out of their barns and are in front of my neighbor’s home again  being prepped for the big day.

All of the  kids are excited because, either they’re marching or someone they know is and they can’t wait to see them on the streets.

The high school bands are ready to battle it out  and the usual debate of “who is the better band” begins tonight with St. Aug and Walker marching in Cleopatra on the Westbank.

Speaking of which, WWL (channel 4) has a GPS device traveling with the Marching 100.

So, if you wanna know where the parade and/or St. Aug is located on the route, they will have that info.

Here’s the list of the parades the Marching 100 are in,

Also, USA Today is in town doing a special on St. Aug  and the Marching 100 so, be on the lookout for that (that’s all mainly for my Purple Knights over here.)

The parade cam is up and will begin running today with Krewe of Oshun.  Here’s the link.  

This is a great way for folks out-of-town to see the parades.  I usually catch them on the parade cam if I have to work on weekends.

I have to work this weekend so, I’ll be watching.

I’ll be doing my usual carnival blogging and will be out there for all of the big parades next weekend.

Don’t think I’ll catch any Indians on carnival day.

I’m gonna wait for St. Joseph’s Day and catch them on Super Sunday…March 18th.

Here’s the link for anyone wanting to know where they’ll be on that day.

Let the fun begin..and let’s be safe out there!

Last but not least, THANK YOU! THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my SIL and helped her with the Mamavation competition.

SHE WON!!!

YOU ALL ROCK BIG TIME!!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!