NEW ORLEANS, HERE WE COME....

Even tho we all wished this is what we had to travel in, it was on display at the River Walk, not what we did our road trip with. Notice the girls socks...you can't tell here but they have on different ones again. Believe it or not, even in N.O. people noticed!

You can't see Tre' next to Barbie, and JoBea next to Carly but they are all there....

Grady was our driver....

and I was the....well, the one sitting up front

to stretch my legs the first part of the trip. The kids settled in with DS games and a movie. JoBea caught up on her nap time.

She slept pretty much till we got there. Then she wanted to know if she missed this, that and the other. Yeap,

she did, but her eyes were open for the Super Dome.

I forgot to mention this was my girls first trip to New Orleans!

Our first stop was the Aquarium. The kids were excited about going in knowing there was lots to see.....if we could pull them away from the revolving door to get there!

There are very few of these in our town so they had to work it while they could. Tre' does love an escalator

and will continue to back up it to prolong his ride : )

We finally made it to the Aquarium to go in. The stingrays always look as if the are smiling...

and the fish of all sorts were beautiful in their own way...

some seemed to want to talk with you..

others were in school (ha!)...

They came in all sizes and shapes...

some were just trying to mind their own business...

while others just continue to stir up the pot.

There were some tranquil floaters...

that just seemed to live in harmony.

As we walked along there was the Rain Forest & the Tropics with it's own beauty.

You got just a hint of what it's like by the set up all around as you walked

into the different areas.

I like this picture and maybe if you look close you can see why. JoBea and Barbie's reflection looks as if they are in the tank and there is a fish swimming from JoBeas leg. With Barbie it looks as if she is about to wrestle the gator.

What's the chances of me getting that shot!

By this time we were starved...to the Crazy Lobster we go. On our table we collected boiled crawfish w/corn/potatoes....

roast beef po-boy and onion straws....

red beans and rice, seafood gumbo...

yeap, I think that about covers it.

From here we took a walk . Looking at all the things that have ALWAYS made New Orleans, New Orleans to me.

From there we walked the River Walk where the BEST entertainment ever from a store was The Fudgery. Every so often they are cooking up fudge right before your eyes.

I thought that was neat until the lady begins to tell us stories as she "turned" the fudge, and I do mean TURNED! See the fudge flying in the air....

she never got it anywhere except on the table top in it's correct place. Can you imagine ME/YOU doing this?
Beginning, during and ending of the fudge making demonstration they sang and what a great job they did! You have to click below and watch the video snip-it JoBea took.


SORRY, VIDEO'S ARE HAVING TROUBLE LOADING so I'll add it to another blog when it's working.

When all was done, this is what was the best ending of allit was made and then it was SAMPLE TIME! Except Tre' & I don't like fudge, but it didn't bother us .
We laughed so much, even tho we were tired. This is one place we ALL agreed we could have stayed a long time.

Another New Orleans tradition just about EVERYONE knows is....

YES INDEED, take a break and have beignets from none other than Cafe Du Monde.

There is a skill to eating them and one of them is you DO NOT breathe in when eating something with that much powered sugar on them due to getting strangled, as both Madge and Tre' found out.
With our new found energy, we walked around until all our feet were crying for rest. So as the sun began to go down...

Our little tour family was homeward bound...me in the back so Barbie can stretch out this go round. One more stop in Manchac (of course) for supper then we could honestly say we had a FULL, GREAT DAY!!!

PRAISING GOD FOR ANOTHER SAFE TRIP and for WONDERFUL FRIENDS TO TRAVEL WITH!

P.S. Harold, we MISSED you but were thought about EVERYTIME we saw lots of chocolate : )