It's Always a Good Day for Beignets

After getting our new camera, I couldn't wait to head to the quarter and try out my new low-light lens. Of course, a trip to the quarter is not complete without beignets! 

A Day at the Fairgrounds

On August 16th we headed over to the New Orleans Fairgrounds for some Quarter Horse and Exotic Animal Racing. What we didn't expect was to find folks in seer sucker suits and derby hats. We really hate it when we miss out on a hat occasion! There were literally thousands of dollars on the line every quarter horse race and it was an exciting few seconds each time! Then....there were the ostriches and zebras. No one was allowed to officially bet on them but they were quite the entertainment!

A Camera fit for New Orleans :)

I am so proud to be able to upgrade my DSLR to the Canon EOS T3i. Not only will my new lenses have some of the newest technology, including image stabilization, I'm gaining several megapixels and getting some awesome editing software too! Let the New Orleans Photo Safari begin!

A boy and his dog...

I just love these photos. Sunday we loaded Max up in the car and we all went to Audubon Park for a stroll. It was a good time :)

A Thousand Red Dresses

Okay, so there were probably 4000, not just 1000. Yes, Saturday was the famous Red Dress Run in New Orleans. Although, the running rarely lasts more than a block and for some, it's never a "run". It's more of a skip, stroll, or wander. At it's very basic level, it is a fundraiser for a pediatric charities. Contestants pay a hefty fee to enter and get access to unlimited beer and food in Armstrong Park after the "race" which is about 2 miles if you make it before falling off at a local bar for a cocktail or passing out from heat exhaustion. For the rest of the city (that's us), it's a chance to dress up in little red dresses, drink, goof off, and see the never ending entertaining characters of the French Quarter. We wanted to do it last year but it was so hot. This year, it was just as hot (heat index of about 107) but we decided to do it anyway! Here's the evidence :)

(Above: Legs from the Streetcar and an outside view of Good Friends Bar on Dauphine)

(Above: Us of course! Matt's blue shoes really complete his outfit, don't you think?)

 

(Above: Me, David, and Joey. So glad we got to meet up with friends!)

Swamp Pop vs. Sno Ball

Perhaps you have never heard of Swamp Pop. It's not music. It's not a Dr. Seuss Book. It is a refreshing bottled beverage only available in southern Louisiana. And you are missing out. I know by now if you've been reading our blog at all, you've heard of a snoball. Snoballs are phenomenally delicious. At first glance you might say they look like a Hawaiian Ice. Well, that would be like saying a Po'boy is "just a sandwich"...don't get us started on that! So what might the difference be between a Swamp-Pop-Kind-of-Day and a Snoball-Kind-of-Day? I'll try to explain.

A Snoball Kind of Day happens only on a HOT day, when it is so bloody hot that all you can think about is cooling off and nothing could possibly be better than the smooth icy goodness of a lemon meringue or peach nectar snoball!

A Swamp Pop Kind of Day might be hot, it might be cold, but the difference is that on this particular day what you really want is to sink into a chair and feel refreshed and relaxed in a way only a glass bottled Ponchatoula Strawberry Pop or Noble Cane Soda can satisfy.

Maybe they'll start making Swamp Pop Snoballs!

July=Vacation

Sadly, July has come to an end. We spent most of the month traveling to see family in Tennessee and enjoying some time at the beach. Now it is back to work and back to school! While at the beach, we took a deep sea fishing trip. Here's a picture of Matt with his fish :)