HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA 3/31/2010

HI ANNA.....GRAMMA AND GRAMPA WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU A VERY VERY HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY AND WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. WE LOVE AND MISS YOU SWEETHEART!!!!!!!

Caching in the New Orleans Garden District 3/30/2010

Today we drove into the New Orleans Garden District to do the caches located in the area. Our first stop was at Loyola University for a cache that was very very close to the trolley tracks. Next it was on to Audubon Park for a cache near the pool and one close to the stables. Then it was on to one of the lovely mansions in the area that was built to look like "Tara" from Gone With The Wind (see pictures)

Then we drove to another of the mansions on St Charles Ave just to look at it as we had heard so much about it. It is called The Wedding Cake House. The Wedding Cake House, an ostentatious Victorian Georgian revival mansion, named for its frosting of layers of balconies, cornices and columns. Built in 1896, the house is one of the most prominent and recognizable historical residences along St. Charles Ave, and is home to Attorney Calvin Fayard, one of the region's major political fund-raisers for the Democratic Party. It recently underwent a $6 million dollar renovation by Trapolin Architects including a "full restoration of the exterior facades of the main house and two accessory buildings; extensive improvements to the landscaping and grounds; complete renovation of the existing interior spaces; and the addition of a rear entry vestibule and stair." It was severely damaged by a fire in 1907 but was rebuilt. As I said it was built in 1896 and is an excellent example of the picturesque mode of the Colonial Revival style. Nicholas Burke, a wholesale grocer, hired the firm of Toledano and Reusch to design his house and William F. Krone to build it at a cost of $13,265.

Then it was on to a small park on one of the side street in the Garden District and a cache in a bush. While we were there we met up with 4 young people, 3 girls and a boy, from New Jersey who also were looking for the cache. We finally found it and we all signed the log and we chatted with them and found out that they had flown down for a week on spring break to work and now they were doing a little caching before they headed back to the airport to fly home.

Next cache was on a street sign post that had been decorated with pottery vases. Then it was on to Lafayette Cemetery No 1 for a cache outside the wall. Lafayette Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. If you are a movie buff, parts may seem familiar to you, as this is a favorite scene in many movies made here in New Orleans. The cemetery is bounded by Washington Avenue, Prytania Street, Sixth Street and Coliseum Street. The history of the cemetery goes back to the beginning of the 19th century, before it was part of New Orleans. Built in what was once the City of Lafayette, the cemetery was officially established in 1833. The area was formerly part of the Livaudais plantation, and that square had been used for burials since 1824. The cemetery was laid out by Benjamin Buisson, and consisted of two intersecting roads that divide the property into four quadrants. In 1852, New Orleans annexed the City of Lafayette, and the graveyard became the city cemetery, the first planned cemetery in New Orleans. The first available burial records are dated from August 3, 1843, although the cemetery had been in use prior to that date. In 1841, there were 241 burials in Lafayette of victims of yellow fever. In 1847, approximately 3000 people died of yellow fever, and Lafayette holds about 613 of those. By 1853, the worst outbreak ever caused more than 8000 deaths, and bodies were often left at the gates of Lafayette. Many of these victims were immigrants and flatboatman, who worked in the area on the Mississippi. The cemetery fell on hard times, and many of the tombs were vandalized, or fell into ruin. Wall vaults, or "ovens" line the perimeter of the cemetery here, as in St. Roch and the St. Louis properties. Notable tombs here are the Smith & Dumestre family tomb, in Section 2, with 37 names carved on it, with dates ranging from 1861 to 1997. Many tombs list such various causes of death as yellow fever, apoplexy, and being struck by lightning. Also depicted are veterans of various wars, including the Civil War and a member of the French Foreign Legion. Eight tombs list ladies as "consorts." Several distinctive monuments are for the deceased of "Woodman of the World," an insurance company still in existence which offered a "monument benefit." Brigadier General Harry T. Hays of the Confederate Army is buried here, in an area featuring a broken column. The Brunies family, of jazz fame, has a tomb here. The Lafayette Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, the Chalmette Fire Co. No. 32, and the Jefferson Fire Company No. 22, all have group tombs here. The "Secret Garden" is a square of four tombs built by friends, "the Quarto," who wished to be buried together. According to Save Our Cemeteries, the Quarto held secret meetings, but the last member destroyed their book of notes. The only evidence of their existence are two keys from their minutes, which have been made into broaches and belong to their descendants. Interesting also is the Vampire writer Anne Rice has used this cemetery as a background for some of her novels and there have been 2 or 3 movies made there.

An interesting story that I found while researching Lafayette is regarding the "Cities of the Dead". The above-ground tombs in the cemeteries of New Orleans are often referred to as "cities of the dead." Enter their gates and you will be greeted by decorative, rusty ironwork, and blinded by the sun bleached tombs. Crosses and statues on tomb tops cast contrasting shadows adding a sense of mystery. Votive candles line tombs on holidays to remind you the Dead have living relatives that still care. New Orleans has always respected the dead, but this isn't the reason the tombs of our departed loved ones are interred above ground. Early settlers in the area struggled with different methods to bury the dead. Burial plots are shallow in New Orleans because the water table is high. Dig a few feet down, and the grave becomes soggy, filling with water. The casket will literally float. You just can't keep a good person down! The early settlers tried by placing stones in and on top of coffins to weigh them down and keep them underground. Unfortunately, after a rainstorm, the rising water table would literally pop the airtight coffins out of the ground. To this day, unpredictable flooding still lifts an occasional coffin out of the ground in those areas generally considered safe from flooding and above the water table. Another method tried was to bore holes in the coffins. This method also proved to be unsuitable. Eventually, New Orleans' graves were kept above ground following the Spanish custom of using vaults. rows of tombs The walls of these cemeteries are made up of economical vaults that are stacked on top of one another. The rich and wealthier families could afford the larger ornate tombs with crypts. Many family tombs look like miniature houses complete with iron fences. The rows of tombs resemble streets. New Orleans burial plots quickly became known as "Cites of the Dead." Here is a question for you -- how can you bury more than one family member in each vault? How can a tomb hold all of those coffins? According to a local ordinance, as long as the previously deceased family member has been dead for at least two years, the remains of that person is moved to a specially made burial bag and put to the side or back of the vault. That coffin is then destroyed and the vault is now ready for the newly deceased family member. What happens if a family member dies within that two year time restriction? Generally, local cemeteries are equipped with temporary holding vaults and the newly deceased family member is moved into their final resting place when the time restriction is met. The older and more dilapidated cemeteries are St. Louis No. 1, 2 and 3, located near the French Quarter. The paths are twisted; crumbled corners of tombs jut out; and dead ends add to the eerieness of the area. Pirates, politicians (notice how those two go together?) and voodoo queens are buried in these cities. Caution: The "Cities of the Dead" are alluring, but dangerous. Don't go there alone-- travel with a group or arrange to attend a tour. The narrow paths and tombs offer concealment for muggers. You will notice that flowers, votive candles and hoodoo money (coins left for favors) are left at many of the notable graves, particularly Marie Laveau, the notorious Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Some say that individuals still practice rituals at her grave. (They say you have to turn around three times--either clockwise or counter clockwise; knock three times (sung to the Tony Orlando tune?); and make a wish (to win the lotto?--whatever). Ironwork tomb New Orleans has many different ways of honoring the lives of those who have died. One of the Catholic traditions followed in this city is observed on Good Friday, when we celebrate the Stations of the Cross (in memory of Christ's suffering and crucifixion). Catholics walk on a route of nine local churches, stopping to pray at each. The Stations of the Cross ends at St. Roch's Cemetery at 3:00 p.m., the hour of our Lord's death. St. Roch lived during the middle ages, and worked with those suffering from the plague. The cemetery is named after him because of a pledge made by a priest who prayed to him during the yellow fever crisis of 1868. It is now a shrine, and Mass is said there on Monday mornings. There are 42 cemeteries in the New Orleans area with many interesting, fascinating stories.

Next cache was a virtual cache and was located at the home of Jefferson Davis. Jefferson Finis Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American military officer, statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as the president of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865. A West Point graduate, Davis fought in the Mexican-American War as a colonel of a volunteer regiment, and was the United States secretary of war under Pres. Franklin Pierce. Both before and after his time in the Pierce Administration, he served as a U.S. senator representing the State of Mississippi. As a senator he argued against secession, but believed each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to secede from the Union. Davis resigned from the Senate in January 1861 after receiving word that Mississippi had seceded from the Union. The following month, he was provisionally appointed president of the Confederate States of America and was elected to a six-year term that November. During his presidency, Davis was not able to find a strategy to defeat the more industrially-developed Union, even though the South only lost roughly one soldier for every two Union soldiers on the battlefield. After Davis was captured May 10, 1865, he was charged with treason, though not tried, and stripped of his eligibility to run for public office. This limitation was posthumously removed by order of Congress and President Jimmy Carter in 1978, 89 years after his death. While not disgraced, he was displaced in Southern affection after the war by its leading general, Robert E. Lee. After looking at the house and getting our information we were off to the next cache.

Next cache was another one located outside one of the lovely mansions (I couldn't get pictures of this house as the gates and ivy were to high and covered it from view). The beautiful, white house here at this location once belonged to Isaac Delgado. Back in the day, when sugar and molasses became such a valuable commodity, many found it 'awkward' to do their trading by the river so they started coming to this house to make their sweet deals. They could sit and relax comfortably under the trees while sipping on scotch and soda or good bourbon whiskey. But sometimes, the refreshments made them a little too optimistic, and some bought and sold too freely. Sales would have to be canceled and this caused much confusion. In order to avoid any embarrassment, since in those days a man's word was his bond, Mr. Delgado had a trading ring placed under a date palm in his back yard, and no man was held responsible for any trade unless he stood in the ring. In this ring, a man's offer was a biding contract! The same ring was moved to the Louisiana Sugar & Rice Exchange floor and used for the same purpose; however, the current owner of the home owns the ring and preserves it as a landmark of history.

Our last 2 caches were NRV caches so after finding them we drove on back to the coach, had lunch, did our logging, our blog, showered and had dinner. So that was it for Tuesday so until next time we love you all and miss you very much.

Cleaning Day at the Tweety & Coach Mobile 3/29/2010

We got up this morning and decided that we would do the long overdue cleaning on the outside of the coach. It has been awhile since we washed the windows and took the winter film off the outside so it was a nice cool day so today was the day. We went out about 9:00 and finished about 11:oo, which wasn't bad at all. I washed the windows first while Mom started on the black marks and bugs all around the coach. We both finished about the same time so we started on the car as I washed windows and she cleaned the tar and grime off the rocker panels. After we finished that we did the aluminum wheel rims and that was it. Mom did a great job and really helped me a lot. Then we had some errands to run as we took off with the dogs and went to the Post Office, Michaels, AAA, and lastly at Wal Mart to pick up prescriptions and a few groceries. Well that was a BIG hassle as they screwed up our scripts big time. After about an hour and a half we finally got it all straightened out and we were off to the coach for our showers and dinner. Well until tomorrow we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick

Walking Around The French Quarter & Coffee & Beignets 3/28/2010

This morning Mom and I left early to drive into New Orleans and do some sightseeing and have coffee and beignets in the French Quarter.

The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans (La Nouvelle Orléans in French) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré ("Old Square" in French) as it was known then. While the area is still referred to as the Vieux Carré by some, it is more commonly known as the French Quarter today, or simply "The Quarter." The district as a whole is a National Historic Landmark, and contains numerous individual historic buildings. It was affected relatively lightly by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as compared to other areas of the city and the region as a whole. The Quarter is subdistrict of the French Quarter/CBD Area. The most common definition of the French Quarter includes all the land stretching along the Mississippi River from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue (12 blocks) and inland to North Rampart Street (seven to nine blocks). It equals an area of 78 sq. blocks. Some definitions, such as city zoning laws, exclude the properties facing Canal Street, which had already been redeveloped by the time architectural preservation was considered, and the section between Decatur Street and the river, much of which had long served industrial and warehousing functions. Any alteration to structures in the remaining blocks is subject to review by the Vieux Carré Commission, which determines whether the proposal is appropriate for the historic character of the district. Its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Esplanade Avenue to the north, the Mississippi River to the east, Canal Street, Decatur Street and Iberville Street to the south and the Basin Street, St. Louis Street and North Rampart Street to the west. Many of the buildings date from before New Orleans became part of the United States, although there are some late 19th century and early 20th century buildings in the area as well. Since the 1920s the historic buildings have been protected by law and cannot be demolished, and any renovations or new construction in the neighborhood must be done according to regulations to match the period historic architectural style. Most of the French Quarter's architecture was built during the Spanish rule over New Orleans. The Great New Orleans Fire (1788) and another great fire in 1794 destroyed most of the Quarter's old French colonial architecture, leaving the colony's new Spanish overlords to rebuild it according to more modern tastes—and strict new fire codes, which mandated that all structures be physically adjacent and close to the curb to create a firewall. The old French peaked roofs were replaced with flat tiled ones, and now-banned wooden siding with fire-resistant stucco, painted in the pastel hues fashionable at the time. As a result, colorful walls and roofs and elaborately decorated ironwork balconies and galleries from both the 18th century and 19th centuries abound. (In southeast Louisiana, a distinction is made between "balconies", which are self supporting and attached to the side of the building, and "galleries" which are supported from the ground by poles or columns.) Long after the U.S. purchase of Louisiana, Francophone creole descendants of French and Spanish colonists lived in this part of town, and the French language was often heard there as late as the start of the 1920s. When Anglophone Americans began to move in after the Louisiana Purchase, they mostly built just upriver, across modern day Canal Street. Canal Street became the meeting place of two cultures, one francophone creole and the other anglophone American. (Local landowners had retained architect and surveyor Barthelemy Lafon to subdivide their property to create an American suburb). The median of the wide boulevard became a place where the two contentious cultures could meet and bilingually do business. As such, it became known as the "neutral ground", and this name persists in the New Orleans area for medians. In the late 19th century the Quarter became a less fashionable part of town, and many immigrants from southern Italy and Ireland settled in the section. In the early 20th century the Quarter's cheap rents and air of age and neglected decay attracted a bohemian and artistic community. On December 21, 1965, the "Vieux Carre Historic District" was designated a National Historic Landmark. In the 1980s many long-term Quarter residents were driven away by rising rents as property values rose dramatically with expectations of windfalls from the planned 1984 World's Fair nearby. More of the neighborhood became developed for the benefit of tourism. The French Quarter remains a combination of residential, hotels, guest houses, bars and tourist-oriented commercial properties. The most famous of the French Quarter streets, Bourbon Street, or Rue Bourbon, is famous for its drinking establishments. Most of the bars frequented by tourists are new but the Quarter also has a number of notable bars with interesting histories. The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street has kept its name even though for almost a century absinthe was illegal in the United States. Pat O'Brien's Bar is well-known for both inventing the famous red cocktail, Hurricane, as well as having the first Dueling Piano Bar. Pat O'Brien's is located at 718 St. Peter Street. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip Street. The tavern's building, built sometime before 1772, is one of the older still standing structures in New Orleans (the Ursuline Convent, for example, is older) and has been called the oldest continually occupied bar in the United States. According to legend the structure was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte, though as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists. The Napoleon House bar & restaurant is in the former home of mayor Nicholas Girod; the name comes from an unrealized plot to rescue Napoleon I from his exile in St. Helena and bring him to New Orleans. The original Johnny White's bar is a favorite of bikers. In 2005 an off-shoot called Johnny White's Hole in the Wall, along with Molly's at the Market, drew national media attention as the only businesses in the city to stay open throughout Hurricane Katrina and the tribulations of the weeks after the storm. The Bourbon Pub and Oz, both located at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Ann, are the two largest gay clubs in New Orleans. Café Lafitte in Exile, located at the intersection of Bourbon and Dumaine is the oldest continuously running gay bar in the United States. These and other gay establishments sponsor the raucous Southern Decadence Festival during Labor Day weekend. This festival is often referred to as New Orleans' Gay Mardi Gras. St. Ann Street is often called "the Lavender Line" in reference to it being on the edge of the French Quarter's predominately gay district. While there is a gay population throughout the French Quarter, the portion of the Quarter that is northeast of St. Ann Street is generally considered to be the Gay District. New Orleans and its French Quarter are one of only a few places in the United States where possession and consumption of alcohol in open containers is allowed on the street. The neighborhood contains many restaurants, ranging from formal to casual, patronized by both visitors and locals. Some are well known landmarks, such as Antoine's and Tujague's, which have been in business since the 19th century; Arnaud's, Galatoire's, Broussard's and Brennan's are only slightly less venerable. Less historic, but also well-known French Quarter restaurants include those run by famous chefs Paul Prudhomme ("K-Paul's") and Emeril Lagasse ("NOLA"). There are several types of accommodations in the French Quarter ranging from large international chains to bed and breakfasts to time share condominiums to small guest houses with only one or two rooms. Hotel Maison De Ville and the Audubon Cottages were built as a townhouses in 1800. The Audubon Cottages were home to Antoine Amedée Peychaud during its history. Tennessee Williams (with the French Quarter providing the setting for arguably his most famous play, A Streetcar Named Desire) was a frequent guest and the hotel works to maintain its historic ambiance.


We got there about 8:30 and the limited parking is awful at best. We drove around and drove around and thought we found a place to park but we didn't dare as they were going to be filming a movie there and you could only park till 11:00AM. We thought we found another one but it was for residential parking only and you needed a sticker to park there. Well we did finally find a place and started walking. We did bring one cache with us that was in the middle of the French Quarter at Yo Mama's supposedly the best place to get a hamburg in the FQ and we found that quickly. Then we walked and walked up one street and down the other, walked back and forth and across and up and down again as it seemed like forever. We were looking for the Cafe Beignet and weren't sure where it was because when we started we didn't know the name so we couldn't ask or look it up. Well we finally saw a couple of "guys" come out of an apartment for a smoke so we asked them and they told us exactly where it was and the funny thing was that we were on the right street (Bourbon Street) but we were about 7 blocks down to far so off we trudged. We finally got there and got our coffee and a dozen beignets and just sat and enjoyed them and had our coffee watching the world go by and the early morning goings on in the FQ. After we finished what we were going to eat of the beignets (we got enough for later and the next day) we walked a few more streets and saw what there was to see. There really aren't many shops in the FQ, just bars, restaurants, souvenir stores, girlie shows and hotels. We walked back to the car finally and set off to see the Lower Ninth Ward where a lot of the Hurricane Katrina damage was done and a very very seedy neighborhood. Well it was unbelievable as we drove through it and a little scary as the area was still very devastated with uninhabitable homes, streets torn up, debris all over the place and some strange people walking around. Well after seeing some of the damage that is still there after 5 years we headed for the Garden District.


Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the west. The National Historic Landmark district extends a little further. The area was originally developed between 1832 to 1900. It may be one of the best preserved collection of historic southern mansions in the United States. The 19th century origins of the Garden District illustrate wealthy newcomers building opulent structures based upon the prosperity of New Orleans in that era. This whole area was once a number of plantations, including the Livaudais Plantation. It was sold off in parcels to mainly wealthy Americans who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles. It became a part of the city of Lafayette in 1833, and was annexed by New Orleans in 1852. The district was laid out by New Orleans architect, planner and surveyor Barthelemy Lafon. Originally the area was developed with only a couple of houses per block, each surrounded by a large garden, giving the district its name. In the late 19th century some of these large lots were subdivided as Uptown New Orleans became more urban. This has produced a pattern for much of the neighborhood of any given block having a couple of early 19th century mansions surrounded by "gingerbread" decorated late Victorian houses. Thus the "Garden District" is now known for its architecture more than gardens per se. A slightly larger district (one block further west to Louisiana, one block farther north to Carondelet and three blocks farther east to Josephine) was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

We drove around the area for almost an hour looking at all the old plantation homes, mansions, taking pictures and we didn't even see a quarter of the section. We stopped at Voodoo BBQ and got supper to take back to the RV. We headed back as I was tired and wanted to take it easy the rest of the day. We got back and watched TV and I did the blog and pictures and we had dinner and called it a day. Well until tomoorrow we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick