Fat Tuesday - New Orleans - Cold and Windy - Floats and Beads - Food Drink and Fun

We had the front row upper deck in our Megabus.com. $60 round trip. 

Right now it is 5 PM - we are back in our hotel for a nap so  -  we can stay up for the last few hours of Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street. I should be napping but too much budget beer at lunch has me wide awake. 

We left Tallahassee on Monday at 2 PM - our Cinderella Carriage the Megabus - had us disembarking  in downtown New Orleans at 8 PM in a light rain. We decided to walk the 1.4 mile gauntlet to our hotel - as the rain pick up to a windy downpour. Luckily Lulu packed ponchos that fit over our backpacks - and we had an enjoyable walk thru the French Quarter. It took about 2 miles to our hotel with stops at Cafe du Monde and along Bourbon St.

Our Homewood Suite Hilton is very nice - a block off the main parade route down St Charles St. We awoke early to 40 degree weather with 30 mph winds. The Zulu Parade started at 8 AM and went forever. This was followed by the Rex Parade which I am guessing is the main attraction. 

What can I say - floats - beads - beads - and more beads. Everyone has been so very nice - not a bit of the drunken behavior I expected. I still cannot understand what people want there stupid plastic beads for - but Lulu has joined into the beg-a-thon - and she is laden with necklaces. 

At about 2 PM - I had enough - and we went to a nice place for lunch. We had a wonderful pizza - but were surprised they were offering $2 pictures of beer. We ordered one and it was huge - but the waitress brought us a couple pints because the pictures were not ready. We had no idea what to do with su much beer. We NEVER drank this much beer BEFORE. 

It is now 5 PM - Lulu just woke up from her nap and she thought it was 5 AM. Yikes. She was upset because she wants to see the midnight police sweep of Bourbon Street. They march from end to end and sweep the entire street - then say Mardi Gras is over - and then the bars open up again and have at it. What are your predictions that we make it that late?

 

In Mobile AL - we saw the battleship Alabama.

The Alabama State band zoomed by us with police escort

In the Big Easy - we departed our bus at Elysian Fields and walked to our hotel thru the French Quarter.

Beignets at Cafe Du Monde are a cool treat - half way to hotel.

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Lulu posed with the cop - horse - and reveler. Note Lulu;s poncho

Demonstrators on Bourbon St.

Balconies on Bourbon St - people exposing their breasts for beads.

Zulu parade at 8 AM

Floats and Beads - for hours.

This lady looked like Cher.

Another float form Zulu parade

I wonder if Disney approved this EPCOT float

The streetcar named Desire - there is really a Desire Street here and we rode the streetcar.

A float form the Rex Parade.

Those are Lulu's gloves begging for beads.

The is a cool New Orleans firetruck.

Don't Tread on Me float.

Rex Parade Float.

The Florida Gators ROTC were parading - they had sweepers ahead of them to sweep away the beads.

Andrew Jackson is a big hero in New Orleans. 

Many of the costumes in the Rex Parade remind me of KKK outfits.

Our living room at the Homewood Hilton Suite

Our kitchen at Homewood on Poydras  St - one block from the parade route.

Our bedroom - you could see Poydras St out that window.

Our bathroom. Lulu got the 4 room suite for $175 a night on Mardi Gras night - not bad. Price includes breakfast and wifi. We could have squeezed 20 in here. 

Here is some of Lulu's booty from today's parades.

Wednesday - our bus leaves here at noon. and gets back in Tallahassee at 7 PM. We parked our Leaf at the law school - we will throw our bags in the trunk - then attend the FSU/Clemson basketball game - if we have enough energy - then ride home. I predict a long sleep on the bus home. 

Valentines Day At The Beach - 63 Degrees

Looking west from the lighthouse on St George Island

On top of the light house - a view of white sand and blue water for miles in all directions

The long bridge in the distance is the way to the mainland. 

St George Island is about 75 miles from our house - no traffic. It has the most beautiful white sand and blue waters - everything is so clean. 

So we hopped in the convertible at 9 AM and drove south and west. The island separates the Gulf of Mexico from Apalachicola Bay. St George reminds you a bit of Key West but better beaches - you have to go out a long bridge to get there. There are about 1000 homes out there - most of them are rented out by the week. The island is about 4 blocks wide and it goes on for 10 miles. 

Cordless Charging For Electric Nissan Leaf.

Recharge your car without plugging it in.

When you buy a Nissan Leaf - you get a standard charging extension cord. For a little extra you get a 220 volt charging cord. Some people forget to plug the car in - and in the  morning they come out to a low battery. For $2000 - one can buy a charging system that is automatic. When you pull into the garage - you park on top of a charging box. It charges the battery without being in contact - just close. 

Just Watched LaSalle Beat VCU In Double Overtime - Saw My Son - Grandson - And Old Neighbor Lee Schilling On TV

My grandson right behind the coach of LaSalle - picture taken from my television.

Our old Tamaqua - Catawissa Street neighbor - Lee Schilling is an alumni and booster of the La Salle Explorers basketball team. When he found out they were playing in Richmond VA - he contacted our family and left tickets at the "will call" for my son and grandson. The tickets were excellent - Row A - right behind the LaSalle coach. 

The game was close the whole way - VCU had their 62nd straight sellout crowd. The game was extended in double overtime - LaSalle won. This was a touch ticket. 

Lee and my son enjoying the action

Old neighbors enjoying their favorite sport together.

It was way past bedtime - particularly on a school night. Lee and the LaSalle team have a long bus ride home to Philly - but it will be an exciting one. 

Hakuna Matata - The Carefree Life At Alligator Point

We met this pig at the beach last week

Whenever Lulu gets a little stressed out about work or travel - I know a place where she can go to recharge her batteries. A good beach on the Gulf is about 40 miles from home. A couple hours there and she is ready to go again. This time she met a pig on the beach - it even climbed up on our blanket. 

Yes - a lovely family from Tallahassee has a cottage on the sand - and we caught them in the ritual of walking their pig. The water was 60 degrees and too cold for Floridians - but not for pigs. This pig loves to "go" in the water. 

I am not making this up - the pig's owners - The Porker Family!

We also stumbled onto a cottage on fire - after a little smoke the fire truck came blazing up the road. 

We had the beach to ourselves - and one pig

Lulu loved the pig - all I could think of was lunch. 

In a couple of weeks - there will be a lot of pigs on the beach - Spring Break.

Hakuna Matata

Lulu's New Beach Tent

Last fall - Lulu's cousins came south and destroyed our beach tent. I do not like to sit in the sun too long - so an iPhone and a beach tent entertain me. Today - Lulu's tent arrived. The front porch zips up to make a private cabana for changing clothes. This tent goes up and down like an umbrella - no need to disconnect poles or anything - just relieve the tension and it folds up and stores in a bag.

Nancy Note - Ha! The cousins did not "destroy" the tent. It fell apart when I took it out of the carrying bag. Poles were all rusted.

Harry Note - I think you all destroyed it in a drunken wino mosh pit.

Duke Beat FSU By 3 - Duke Is Always The Best Draw Of The Year - And They Get The Best Out Of Our Team

Florida State has a fantastic class of 4 recruits coming in next year. This year they have 3 seven footers and still have a losing record. So this year it is like watching the paint dry - waiting to exhale.

Tonight Number 4 Duke and Coach K came to town. It is usually the biggest crowd of the year when Duke comes down. Coach K can alter the schedule - so he comes here as little as possible. The paper said this morning that FSU has been 6 and 6 against the Dukies in the last few years. Just 3 years ago - FSU won the ACC Tournament by beating Miami/North Carolina/ and Duke on 3 straight nights in Atlanta - we were there with Brother Jackie. We seem to play our best against the better teams. We played Miami well a few nights ago and then lost to a clumsy Clemson team here. Now tonight we took Duke for a wild ride.

The Civic Center holds about 10,000 people. We NEVER fill it. We charge extra for tickets to the Duke game. We bought our tickets outside the arena - I paid $25 each for 2 lower level seats 14 rows behind the home bench. The tickets had a face value of $48. If you would ask me - I would say that 7000 people came out for the game. They will announce a higher attendance - but many of the sold seats were not used. There were plenty to sell outside. This is not Cameron Indoor Arena. One Duke guy was outside trying to sell me two tickets. He wanted face value. I guaranteed that he would eat them at that price. I keep little mustard packs around - just in case ticket sellers need them.

My sons were texting me during the game - one graduated from Duke - the other got a masters at FSU. They enjoy kidding each other - but both of them give me the business. Duke has like 10 High School All-Americans - I think FSU has one.

Many of the FSU fans were leaving early - as the Noles were behind by as many as 15. In the last couple minutes we whittled it down to 3 - but that is where it ended.

In my opinion - The Tucker Center is a nice place to see a game. It is 30 years old and they just put in new garnet leather seats - new scoreboard - and new video boards. The sound system is horrible - I wish they would hire and expert to design something decent. Sometimes it is even hard recognizing songs on it.

Duke Game - Noles Fading

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Duke At FSU : section 112 - $25 each ticket

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Lulu Bought Me A Drone For My 67th Birthday

This is a file photo of my little quad copter.

This is a photo sent back from the drone of the woods where she is presently resting.

Last night Lulu and I built a blaze in the fire pit - and were about to roast hot dogs - at dusk. I just turned 67 - Lulu bought me a little electric quad copter for my birthday to fly by radio control. I was just getting the hang of it and was showing off - I wanted it to go right but pushed left - and it took off out over the high pines. I quickly cut the power and it fell. The little white plastic thing is just over a foot wide and has two red and two green LED lights on it. I could not find it. I bothered the neighbor's kids to help. They loved my plight. I turned on the controller to see if they could hear the props. One young lady looked straight up - the lights were flashing in a 100 foot tall pine tree - and my chopper was on the top branch. I could still make the motor and lights work with the radio control - so the copter would flounder but not break loose. I went back home - knowing my chopper was safe. Now I must figure out how to get it down. Lulu and I went back to roasting hot dogs and she added a little wine. We pointed our chairs to the west - the sun was long set - but we could see the little red and green LED lights blinking in the pine tree. Is this how they celebrate a late Christmas in Florida?

Florida State Beat Kentucky In Softball Today - 3-2

Lulu and I just got back from the Seminoles softball field. The Noles beat Kentucky 3-2. It was a pretty day - 60s and sunny.

Presently FSU is ranked number 5- Kentucky number 6.

Tallahassee Has 500 Places To Eat - Today We Welcomed Number 501 - The Edison

Groundbreaking for the new Edison Restaurant in Cascades Park

Lulu and I love to walk in the new Cascades Park which is about a 1/2 mile from home. Soon there will be another reason to go there.

We just got back from the ground breaking ceremony of The Edison. It is an old coal-fired electric power plant that sat right smack dab in the middle of town and now is the centerpiece to the park. Supposedly - in late July - we are going to be able to have a dinner and/or beer at this historic building.

This old coal fired power plant will be a restaurant in 6 months.

The ceremony was basically a bunch of politician patting each other on the back. What was not talked about was the funding for this project. As I have stated before - I love the idea of changing an old brick power plant into a "gastropub." Lulu and I enjoyed an evening in Lisbon - Portugal - in an old power plant that served us a 22 course meal. It was a memorable night - simply because I never had a 22 course meal before.

10 PM - halftime. Noles losing to Clemson 27-21

Harry wrote later - We lost the game - although we pulled within 2 points with 30 seconds to go.

A few hours before the game our friends Paul and Michelle gave us 4 free tickets to the game. I guess the 9 PM starting time was too late on a school night. To make matter rose - it started to pour and it rained from 4 PM to after we got come at 12:30 AM.

At the half. Seminoles 28 Syracuse 18

Added later - Noles won by 10. 

Lulu And I Were Seen At Game on TV - Keith Sent This

Steve wrote - caught reaching into your purse for hamburgers and coke on national TV. Busted.

Seminoles Beat Miami Hurricanes On Super Bowl Sunday - 55-54

The last two minutes were scoreless - here is the Noles final stop and celebration.

With left the house at noon for the 12:30 game without tickets. We did not think the Noles had much of a chance for visitors. Last week Miami beat the Dukies at Cameron so they would easily put the Noles to bed.

With got to the ticket Center - I hopped out quickly to see what tickets I could scrounge. We wanted good ones but did not want to pay and arm and a leg. The face value was $35 and $25. I turned down quite a few because people wanted too much. Then a guy offered me a pair in the second row near the basket. He wanted $20 each but I said I was paying $10. He refused to sell them to the scalpers for $10 each but since I was using them - he gave them to me.

Lulu parked in the law school parking lot for free - and I had tickets before she got to the entrance. We went inside - and out tickets were in Section 123 - right inside the door. We kept walking down the steps - and got to the second row. They were great seats for $10

The Seminole dropped behind quickly by as many as 15 points. Near the end FSU went up by 1 point for the first time. With 2 minutes to go - the score stood at 55-44 - and that is where it would end. Neither teams scored in the last 2 minutes.

The crowd was very happy with the unexpected win. Now Clemson and Duke comes to town next.

Courtside Seats To See Noles Play Miami - $10

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