I have a thing for trees, Okay, so I’m admitting it. Walking around the French Quarter, it was impossible to miss these stately trees. I didn’t know what they were, and finally one day my walking partner asked someone and they told us they were magnolias. I had no idea magnolias grew that large.

I had never seen such trees where a single, huge limb spread ever outward, unsupported for such great lengths. Such shiny, smooth bark. They called out to me from their protective fenced-in gardens. I wanted to reach out my hand and touch their smooth surface, to tap into their strength and feel the power of the Earth surging through them.

I found this poem below which seems to sum it up for me.

Can you imagine them in bloom?

In honor of Mardi Gras this week, here are a few masks I found interesting.

Jackson Square was established in 1721 as a drill field and has been known under many different names during French and Spanish rule. In 1848 it was given its present name, and in 1865 this statue of General Jackson on his rearing horse was erected. It was the first equestrian statue with more than one hoof unsupported.

St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in the United States and the third church on this site. The first church was demolished by a hurricane in 1722, four years after New Orleans was founded. The cathedral was completed in 1851, and in 1964 Pope Paul VI made a visit and designated it a minor basilica.

The beautiful iron-fenced garden square in back of the cathedral is known as St. Anthony’s Square [or Cathedral Garden]. I couldn’t resist poking my camera in-between the fence rails to take this photo. It seemed as if the statue, with its arms raised in supplication, was asking for protection of the houses surrounding it. The square had a feeling of peacefulness that washed over me the minute I saw it.

The ironwork in New Orleans is fascinating. I tried to capture some of the variations in balconies and balustrades. This set contains the more simplistic ones. Hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did seeking them out. It’s a wonder I didn’t twist my ankle on the brick paver sidewalks since I was always looking up instead of where I was walking.

We took a Jazz / Dinner cruise on the Steamboat, Natchez. It was cold, windy, and spitting rain that evening as we walked the nine blocks to the river. As we approached the boat we could hear music. It took us a while to realize that the music was coming from the steam calliope on top of the boat! And it was a real person up there playing it in the bitter wind; amazing! [In fact, you can see the little fireworks display from the calliope in the photo below of the boat.]

We weren’t alone on this adventure, because after all, this trip was not a vacation; about 30 people involved in the company Rick works for were there as well. We took up most of the main dining room with only a few stray couples that weren’t with our group. The boat was not full by any means. Poor New Orleans ... but, more about that in a different post.

We had a surprisingly good dinner, buffet-style, really one of the best buffets I’ve ever had. I say “surprisingly” because usually when you do something that is a little touch on the touristy side the food tends to be blah. Not so, this meal. A lovely salad, an excellent spinach/artichoke casserole, green beans almandine, pasta alfredo, roasted red potatoes and three entrees: praline chicken, catfish in a creole sauce, or prime rib. Dessert was bread pudding with a toffee sauce over the the top. We had an open bar, so the liquor flowed as fast as the river.

The weather continued to be windy and rainy, but cleared up at the very end of our cruise up and down the mighty Mississippi. She was running at near to flood stage, so the water beneath our paddle wheels was running fast and furious. It was dizzying to be steaming upstream with the river rushing by at literally the same speed in the opposite direction. We got to tour the engine room and see the steam engine in action. It was awesome watching the process of turning steam into motion.

Join me now in a photographic journey set to the music and lyrics of Proud Mary. It just seemed to fit. Please feel free to sing along:

But I never saw the good side of the city

Till I hitched a ride on a riverboat queen

Big wheel keep on turning

Proud Mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling, rolling

Rolling on the river

If you come down to the river
I bet you gonna find some people who live

You don’t have to worry if you got no money
People on the river are happy to give

Our walk back to our hotel was pleasant since the cold wind had stopped by then. We passed by Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral. The sky was an eerie color; perfectly captured in this photo:

We even stopped in at the Acme Oyster House [again!] for a late night treat of more oysters!

Thanks to my hubby Rick for the great shots of the paddle wheel, Cajun band and St. Louis Cathedral. You can find out more about the history of the Natchez by following the link above.

(words & music of Proud Mary by John Fogerty)