Markets lead to feastin'

Again, the danger of cliche looms large whenever one attempts to turn a phrase that contains the words "New Orleans" and "Music". Suffice it to say that even the winter weather didn't cool the tunes.

Even the statues get involved.

A few of us in the group read "Gumbo Tales", which tells the story of the large Vietnamese community that now lives in New Orleans. Pre-Katrina, according to the book, there was a large weekly market selling Vietnamese vegetables and other goodies. Post-Katrina the market is in recovery. We visited the weekend after Christmas and found a very small collection of vendors. Sylvia did her best to inspect the wares.










Markets lead to feasting, at least in the ideal world of blogging, and this is what occurred.

Turkey bastin'

Turkey grillin'

Oyster shuckin'

Joke tellin'

Oyster preppin'

family smilin'

Sweeter than Sugar

First, props to the Saints for winning the SB. I expect the party has just begun!

Our adventures in NOLA continued with a visit to the Cafe Du Monde where we joined in the endless coffee and begnet tradition that began long ago and will continue into the distant future. Chris related how the cafe continued to serve during Katrina, even when power was lost. We nodded in admiration, our mouths heavily dusted with powdered sugar.

Digesting our begnets, we meandered through Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

(Jackson rampant with the Prebytere in the background).

Sylvia heard the music in the air and caught the dancing bug.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

The trees make good places to hide...and seek...and ham it up.

Yards of shrimp based comestibles

Note: the next few posts will not subscribe to a chronological retelling of our visit to New Orleans. Places, meals, drinks and observations overlap and their linear description does not aid in the recollection of this city.

That said we recommence with a visit to Chris' neck of the woods, a shotgun near bayou St. John. The scale of the houses on his block seemed familiar after a few days of waking around New Orleans. Each house, consisting of two units, is approximately 20 feet wide and sixty feet long.







Each house on this block, some in better condition than others, is separated from its neighbor by only a few feet but opens up in the back to a small yard with a shed.














Chris showed us the garden we had planted in the backyard of a home near his own. We munched on fresh herbs as the sun warmed our faces and we shed our coats.








Dangerously close by is the Parkway bakery and tavern. While I cannot verify whether it is NOLA's "oldest and most entertaining" po-boy restaurant it certainly is one of the tastiest. Sylvia led the way, with Andy in tow, as the whole group, on our last day together, consumed approximately 5 1/2 feet of shrimp, bread, oysters and dressing. I personally ate an entire foot long po-boy and then helped Aurelia finish hers. Awesome!













While no pictures were taken during the meal, who has time when there are shrimp based comestibles that are measured in yards to be consumed, I did notice a unusual detail before the food arrived. If you look carefully in the picture below you will see water-filled Ziploc bags hanging in front of each window. Within each bag is a single shiny penny.

Speculation of their function ran wild until Chris cleared things up. These bags are installed to keep bees and wasps out of the restaurant. He claims they work and the frequency of the bags suggests that the restaurant owners don't doubt their effectiveness. I plan on experimenting here this summer and see if it works on Northwest critters.

Grey + Rain = Summer

 It is the oldest of old saws: it rains a lot in Oregon. And perhaps it's an old saw because it happens to be true. But perhaps a more accurate statement would be, " It rain a lot in Oregon when guests come from out of town." So it was that the latest visit from Susan, Stephen, Vic and Andy coincided with a spate of drippy weather in an otherwise sunny September. But that didn't stop us from hitting the beach sporting our SPF 3000 jackets.

 

 

And, of coarse, another visit to the zoo. We do seem to go there a lot.

And some fine time at the pub. We do seem to go there a lot too.

 

Escape to the Sun - Part II

Surprisingly close to Tucson, especially for those with children who like to scream in cars, sits the mission of San Javier Del Bac. There is mystery in the history of this church. Why was the second tower never completed? Who were the artisans? And who was the architect? We may never know. What is strongly suspected is that the present church, started in 1783, was built by the Tohono O'odham people (with Franciscan direction) near the most sacred place in the desert, " where the water appears." It seemed a worthy place for a family expedition.

The recently restored facade has both skinny and fat details. A nice combination.

The interior is intimate; hearing every word of the sermon, and the whispers of your sister beside you, would have been easy.







Back outside, our eyes still adjusting to a complete hemisphere of clear sky, we stopped to capture the moment.










Our visit to the mission left us with a powerful thirst, quenchable only by large margaritas. Yours truly had a michilada, which, as described by Aurelia, is basically a "bunch of lime and beer." It's also good when chasing chili rellenos and beans. Sylvia made do with rice puffs. Sometimes being short is a drag.

Lunch came with a show as we watched an arrest taking place just outside our window. No pictures, I'm not loco.








Grandparents have many exceptional qualities. If you are short they can be the purveyors of fudge and staying up past your bed time. If you are tall, they become willing, dare I say enthusiastic, childcare providers.








Sylvia was well taken care of while her parents did what comes naturally, lounging in the sun by the pool.








Uncles have also been know to get in on the kid thing. Chris and Sylvia spent some time hanging out with Chris' dogs Chulo and Cayenne. Sylvia found the dogs intriguing but a bit overwhelming. She warmed to them quickly and wanted to give them kisses.

















Aunt Vic and the Noodle spent some time with the turkey baster, which must be the funnest and cheapest toy ever invented. (No off color remarks please-this is a family blog).








Unfortunately for Sylvia, she was returned to her parents poolside. Here she does her best to express what appears to be here rebellious side.






No visit to Tucson is complete without a visit to our friends Kristen, Judah and Preston James. Sylvia and PJ are old buddies from way back and were quick to share toys. Sylvia and I could not get enough of PJ's bouncy horse, though I refrained from licking its head.

PJ was man about town on his new trike. Nice!

The weather obliged us by staying sunny until the last day of our trip. As clouds gathered and rain fell, we took a last walk in our adopted neighborhood.


















Then it was back to the airport for a mostly uneventful trip back to Portland. The snow was falling when we arrived and Ian, our hero, picked us up at the airport.

Good trip. Good to be home.

Escape to the Sun - Part I

What's 18 pounds, brown haired, and travels southeast at 400 miles an hour? You guessed it. The Noodle on her way to Tucson for more holiday frivolities.







The flight went quite well, despite the entire family only getting about 3 hours of sleep prior to lift off. There was no screaming or crying and much entertainment was gained from puffed rice, Sylvia's new favorite snack. (It's amazing what those little fingers can do once that big brain get to work coordinating them).

Lest it be thought that everything went too smoothly, the drive from Phoenix to Tucson was not a happy one. Sylvia was very tired and a few miles in saw most of us, including Aunt Vic whom we picked up in Phoenix, spending some time crying in the backseat.

Waiting to greet us in a comfortable rental home in North Tucson were Granny and Granddad and Uncle Chris (aka uncle Cajun). Stephen and Sylvia wasted no time and got down to having fun.

Photo: Chris Lane

With the upside down greeting out of the way, the group got down to the serious business of Mexican food in Tucson. I can't remember the name of the place we visited but the chili rellenos were fantastic. Sylvia had to make due with rice puffs, though she did manage to put her hand in her dad's refried beans and kiss her aunt.

As the days passed and the sun shone down our thoughts naturally turned to warm, stuffed stockings. After much November phone and email deliberation, our group had voted to dispense with the usual one big gift per person and go with stocking stuffers. Many fine goodies were exchanged. I'll use this as an opportunity to give thanks for all of the wonderful gifts, great and small, that we received this year. We are lucky to be part of such a generous family.

Sylvia and her trusty stuffed muskrat survey the stuffers too large for stockings.

The family gathered round the table for the unwrapping with much anticipation. Some package pinching and squeezing was observed but no fouls were called and no surprises spoiled. (Those of you with sharp eyes will notice the presence of Andy, Vic's b-friend, who joined us from Phoenix. Hi Andy!). Sylvia scored big with two, count em' two, hand knit hats from Vic. Clearly they are not working her hard enough at the hospital.

So much cute baby, so little time to snap a pic.
Photo: Chris Lane

With every story, there are elements that don't fit neatly within the narrative but need to be included for atmosphere. In this case, the house we rented came with an exceptionally large pie that was the subject of much conversation and excitement. And, as expected from a pie of unusual size (POUS), it proved to be big on size and small on taste. This didn't stop Vic from showing her appreciation.

Please note plastic flowers and dusty pinata in background.

Bringing the story back on track we find our intrepid vacationers walking through the desert environs of Tucson at Tohono Chul botanical garden. This 37 acre garden displays a large variety of indigenous and foreign specimens and sports a gift shop that yours truly, back in my long haired and goateed days, sold jewelry. How things have changed.

Sylvia enjoys a sweet ride in a borrowed backpack. Deluxe!

Four lovely ladies.

Next episode...San Xavier Del Bac and...more cute baby pics.