HAUNTED SPIRITS

Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar located at 941 Bourbon is the most haunted bar anywhere and the oldest. You do not have to have a drink of brew to see spirits! At times the legend lives on as a dying man's last words to his wife...""I will meet you at the bar." He keeps his promise!! Some customers say they have felt a tap on their shoulder only to find no one there. An apparition of a beautiful women has appeared many times in a mirror, only to tease the person who gets the glimpse... The ambiance is old, dark and spooky. After sundown the candles and lanterns are the only illumination which can become very sultry and alluring. If you close you eyes and vision how a New Orleans bar should be, it would be Lafitte's. The best rated drink is the hurricane....original old recipe, no mix and packs a punch too! So go around twilight when candles are glowing, cozy into the HAUNTED far left table and order up a spirit or two....feel the magic of New Orleans!!!

Some famous last words....on drinking

"I should have never switched from scotch to martinis." Humphrey Bogart

"I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record." Dylan Thomas, poet

"Drink to Me." Picasso

HAPPY HALLOWEEN NEW ORLEANS!!

Campo Santo

The resting place of the dead. Saint Roch (pronounce rock) Chapel and Cemetery at 1725 St. Roch Ave., is the home of the National Shrine of Saint Roch, patron saint of miraculous cures. The little room off to the right of the chapel, houses the tales of cures and answered prayers. The tradition is to leave behind your distress with gratitude for recovery. Honoring death has always been a strong character trait of New Orleans. Burial plots became known as "cities of the dead." Walking through the twisted paths of this special place you will feel the spirit and tradition of New Orleans. For the "cities of the dead" are very alluring but beware of the living as well as the dead!!! DON"T GO ALONE!!!

The soul should always stand ajar,
that if the heaven inquire,
He will not be obliged to wait,
or shy of troubling her.
Depart, before the host has slid
the bolt upon the door,
to seek for the accomplished guest,
her visitor no more......Emily Dickinson

feet first

There were many rituals and customs when a death occurred in the 19th century. The house had to be dressed for mourning! Mirrors were always covered in black so the spirit would not get trapped here on earth. Windows and doors were open so the soul would be able to escape. Turning down or covering family photos to prevent the dead spirit from possessing them. And the dead was always carried out of the house feet first, to prevent the spirit from looking back into the house so as not to beckon another family member with them! The final ritual of resting is the black wreath hung on the front door. Still some superstitions and traditions are hovering around today.

The Hermann-Grima House, located at 820 Saint Louis, is one of the jewels of the Vieux Carre. Catch a glimpse of this 1831 Federal Mansion, with the parlor decorated as if the house is in mourning. The tour is early October to November 2, and imagine someone going out feet first!!!

"While I thought I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die." Leonardo Da Vinci

The Ghost of Madame Mineurecanal

Who was Madame Mineurecanal? Was she really the wife or lover of Bernard Marigny?
This creole mystery has led to a dead end, if I may use these words! Madame Mineurecanal may or may not have been Bernard Marigny's wife or lover but she did decide to end her life. She walked up the stairs of her house in Faubourg Marigny and hung her little dog then turn her deadly thoughts to herself. Hung from an overhead beam......to this day know one knows why!!

The Faubourg Marigny house has a host of haunting and ghostly stories. There is not much known today but I can not help but wonder is her presence still felt now?


"One need not be a chamber to be haunted; one need not be a house; the brain has corridors surpassing material place." Emily Dickinson

the city of ghoulish

Let's serve up some Halloween, New Orleans style! I can not think of a better way for fantasy to be served. With the newly formed Krewe of Boo Parade...for a good cause! nothing will stop the city now...ghoulish Halloween will only grow with each year!!! This city has the perfect bones to be creative. At every turn you can find and seek something ghoulish, let the whisper of New Orleans send a chill down your spine! Spooky celebrations, haunted houses and masquerading ourselves to tease the dark of night.....doesn't that spell NEW ORLEANS????

"It is as much fun to scare as to be scared." Vincent Price

illusions

There are days when we all need illusions. For me the fastest way there is Champagne!!! It really goes down so smooth and with a little tickle.

I am dropping everything for Champagne...Brut Yellow Label, Veuve Clicquot. I can dream can't I?

A good place to have sparkling wine is at the Hotel Monteleone. The famous Carousel Bar serves up the bubbles in style with a-round on an animal stool. I prefer the monkey myself! Go to 214 Rue Royale, head to the Carousel.....POP POP SIP SIP LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!

"Illusion is the first of all pleasures." only Oscar Wilde can say it like it is!

Anne Rice

Thank-you so much for responding to me about my blog "a little Rice" you are truly so New Orleans.....we all love you!!

EAT

If you ever have been through the doors at 416 Chartres you will know what I am writing about! Pardon me while I reminisce back to 1979 when K-Paul's opened as a famous Louisiana Kitchen! They did not take reservations at the time, resulting in long lines forming quickly. Customers amused themselves with drinks in their hands and exchanges of lively conversation. You could really stand in line for hours so you had to drum up Quarter talk. I think at one time everybody had a shot of the stuffed moose on a near by balcony. It was a perfect Quarter icon sporting Mardi Gras beads around his neck. By the time you were at the front of the line you bonded with everyone...it was a perfect line party. Now of course they have reservations and take credit cards, but they stopped giving stars stuck to your cheek if you cleaned your plate. That was a clear sign you ate at K-Paul's!! It is their 30th year feeding a city that is in love with the word EAT. Thank-you K-Paul's for the food and the memories!!


"To eat is human, to digest is divine." ......... a Mark Twain quote

a little Rice

Long before cell phones I called Anne Rice at her home in New Orleans. Not knowing why I was doing such an act, I was not a fan of hers, still I dialed her number! To my surprise she answered her own phone and I was speechless. Being very kind, she asked if she could help me! All I could do was thank her for being herself. Being yourself is a very hard feat to do at times but Anne Rice was certainly true to herself. As she started out in life, her given name was Howard Allen, but knowing that name was not fitting she changed it to Anne. She seemed to be so mysterious and so very New Orleans.

I never read her earlier books but her 2008 release "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession", I could not put it down!! I savored every word she wrote. You could feel the love she had for New Orleans, her words gave you sight to the very objects she was sharing with her reader. Pure Beauty! Her next book is due out October 27...."Angel Time".

"To write something, you have to risk making a fool of yourself."...Anne Rice

Barbiel, the angel of October, reminds us of the generosity of nature, and at this time helps us understand 'as you reap, so shall you sow'. Some things we shall enjoy immediately, others we can keep until the optimum time." from the book, "An Angel A Day" by Margaret Neylon

HA HA

New Orleans is a perfect city to say HA HA!!! Just when you turn away from it, you can't! HA HA!!! Oh that is LIFE too! HA HA!!! Be strong and be brave!! When you come face to face with a problem .....challenge it and then on the back side say HA HA!

Love also has it's moments of Ha Ha's and another big one is the Birthday!!! HA HA!
This blog baby has it's Ha Ha's too!!! But I am learning!!!
I learned the HA HA word from my dear friend LOUIE!!!!!! Thank you, LOUIE.....HA HA!!!

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." Voltaire....French Philosopher 1694-1778

HA HA

A SMASHING PARTY

Born in New Orleans gives you certain rights, like eating well, drinking well and well....a party. A social gathering.

On Friday myself and two friends gathered to have mammograms. Not the most desirable party invitation but one we go to year after year. There is something about the whole day that makes it tolerable!!! We get the mammo's out of the way with early morning appointments and we are off for shopping, lunch, more shopping and lots of laughing!!! We believe this kind of party is good for the soul of sisterhood! So gather some friends for the October Cash Special of mammograms and have your own smash party. As my friend calls it....get smashed with friends and I call it....cash and smash! Whatever you call it....just go and do it with friends!!!!

"The first wealth is health." Ralph Waldo Emerson

HAPPY

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be." Grandma Moses 1860-1961

TOWER OF LOVE

There is another city that has a spell over me and that is Paris! The Eiffel Tower sends my heart racing at just the thought of it! Just to walk under the esplanade is so exciting...then look up and see this global icon of Paris. Thank goodness for the Exposition Universelle of 1889. What a true gift to the world! With all do respect, I so love New Orleans....but no Eiffel Tower.....so I must dream a little dream every now then. I think about the lights at night and how they sparkle and twinkle in neighboring windows....so breath-taking! In 1989 the lights were installed as the 100th anniversary! Great Birthday gift. The year 2000 gave the tower search lights and flashing lights and again in 2008 the Tower received the twelve golden stars of the European Flag all bathed in sparkly blue lights!!! So yes, I am going to keep dreaming of the Eiffel Tower and Celebrating Life!

"Respirer Paris, cela conserve l'a" me."...... "To inhale Paris preserves the soul.".....Victor Hugo

skull sessions

Sometimes you need more than one skull session.....I need one on how to publish a post only once!!!!!

skull sessions

"Life is lived forward but understood backward." Soren Kierkegaad...Danish philosopher

Everybody should plan skull sessions with family and friends! Solving problems and exchanging ideas always goes down better with help. Remember the skull is the seat of intelligence, not always spooky scary!!! Happy Sessions!!!

skull sessions

Everybody should plan skull sessions with family and friends. Solving problems and exchanging ideas always goes down better with help! Remember the skull is the seat of intelligence, not always spooky scary!!! Happy Sessions!

"Life is lived forward but understood backward." Soren Kierkegaard.....Danish philosopher

Madame Lalaurie

Madame Lalaurie resided at 1140 Rue Royale. On April 10, 1834 as fire swept thru the mansion Madame Lalaurie fled the scene leaving trails of speculations and a legend that still flames today! Fact or Fiction?

As a famous notorious figure of New Orleans nineteenth century, Madame Lalaurie makes one wonder how her life really unfolded. Was she really that cruel to her servants? Who haunts the mansion? Did she leave the area and go to France? Was she secretly brought back to New Orleans and buried in St. Louis #1 Cemetery? Maybe, maybe not!!!

People say 1140 Royal St. is considered the most haunted house in the French Quarter....the mansion has been restored many times over, only adding layers of fact or fiction! But don't take their word on it...just walk by yourself and feel the history....you decide!!!

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore"....from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

DISCOVER

Discover something today!!! Do your own celestial navigation, feel the sun, talk to the moon, gaze at the stars, sit on a boat, feed a duck....just discover...possibly yourself!!! Happy Voyage...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did not do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

3 shotguns

My apologies to the large mansions of New Orleans because my truest love is the shotgun! A perfect match for me, a shotgun with its rooms in a row and no hallway....oh my dream house!

This is all one needs for love, peace and a place of assembly. The shotgun is steeped rich in its history with an African legacy by way of Haiti.

When you see a shotgun with its doors misaligned it was certainly an intentional act. Superstition holds the story that ghost and spirits are attracted to aligned front and back doors! That is so New Orleans!

Shotguns, being simple houses or poor people's houses are really filled with passion and a life that whispers New Orleans. For me mansions do not make soul, but a shotgun sure can! Give me soul anytime!!!

"Nor need we power or splendour, wide hall or lordly dome; the good, the true, the tender, these from the wealth of home." Sarah J. Hale... American writer 1788-1879

PALIMPSEST

After stumbling into this gallery I found pure joy! I could not move, just joy! Harouni found himself in New Orleans. His story is very moving....www.harouni.com

There is nothing I could write that would do his story or art work justice. Stumble in at 900 Royal St. NOLA......find joy!

Finding oneself is the quest of life......unknown

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself....Anais Nin

YELLOW SKY HOLY GROUND

St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest Cathedral in the United States, and the third on site. The first church was destroyed by a hurricane in 1722, the second by fire. The first two had been parish churches only, our present was dedicated as a Cathedral on Christmas Eve 1794. St. Louis Cathedral was completed in 1851. A cathedral is the chief center of a diocese in which the bishop has his throne.

New Orleans is filled with everyday grace and beauty. When we harness the mystical powers we can begin to create a world that empowers us. Each person has their own road to walk upon. Keep all senses open! A life of magnitude just does not snap into place.....it is slowly chosen.

"Carpe Diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest, make the most of what you have. It is later that you think." Horace...ancient roman poet...65 BC - 8 BC

"SEIZE THE DAY"

IMAGINATION

So Paris Red!!! A little stray dress on the streets on the Quarter.....so French!!!

I am taking a u-turn this morning because I need too. After reading Paris Breakfast I went directly to Paris in my mind. It was all about RED in the city. So I will look for anything red and dream of Paris all day. Sometimes we should leave our real life and go directly to the imagination! As words from the movie Sabrina....."Paris is always a good idea!".......even if it is only in my mind!!! BONJOUR PARIS.......BONJOUR IMAGINATION!!!

"Logic will get you from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

A baby named BLOG ......Monday October 5, 2009

Late Bloomer

I am a Late Bloomer in life. So as technology is moving, I am standing still. Then along comes a friend to cheer me on. To dare... to create. I am very familiar with Create. As an artist that word looms in my mind daily. Always pushing and tugging at your thoughts. Now that I have to learn how to navigate in the computer world, I am growing. This blog baby is teaching me well. It can become very needy. My thoughts are always on it. Wanting to grow it in the right direction, I am getting organized and inspired by creating a recorded space of my art! Also love is creeping in which makes it so much sweeter!!! "In dreams begin responsibility." William Butler Yeats 1865-1939 (Irish poet and playwright)
For some reason, I can not draft a post the day before and post it the next day with the correct date! Still trying! Happy Monday!!!
Heart Beats

Masque Mortuaire

A death mask in french is known as a masque mortuaire. We should support and feel the wonderful history that makes New Orleans the mysterious place it is. The history has under currents that pull you in, under and around! You become excited with your surroundings, leaving your mind to only desire more. The Cabildo is a shining statement of the mystery that Louisiana is so known for. The lure of the Cabildo is Napoleon's death mask. There are so many myths and legends that surround the cast mold of Napoleon's face, but this is New Orleans!!! Deeply rooted with legends. If a masque mortuaire does not send you running out the door this week-end, maybe a yoga class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings will. Yes.... yoga at the Cabildo!!! Which ever you do, a treat will be in store......for this is New Orleans the mystery on the mind, body and spirit.......oh yea!!!!

Death is nothing, but to love defeated and inglorious is to die daily.....Napoleon

What is history but a fable agreed upon?.......Napoleon

With Pleasure!

In New Orleans your stomach rules your mind. The pleasure of New Orleans is eating. We all do it so well!!!!! Our family traditions are stamped with loving food first. Standing before your kitchen stove stirs more than just pots. It stirs your mind and your heart. When food is prepared with love there is a special energy that not only fills your body but your mind and your spirit too.

Standing in front of my friends wonderful AGA stove I knew I was in for pleasure and pleasure it was! Eat, drink and love New Orleans....with pleasure!

"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as necessity." Voltaire