Mardi Gras Videos

New Orleans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ0Ry_QUx2A&feature=youtu.be

Eunice, Louisiana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3-z1py0TJs&feature=channel

Courir de Mardi Gras, Eunice, LO Feb 21

We went from New Orleans, to Eunice, a small town in the Cajun area of Louisiana, that we had visited 3 yrs ago when we were here. In Eunice, for Mardi Gras, they have their own unique celebration. Early in the morning, participants in the Courir de Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday run), ride their horses out into the country and gather the ingredients for a gumbo, which gets made later in the day. They have to capture a live chicken, while running through the muddy fields (where rice, crawfish, or both are growing), as one of the ingredients. Then they parade from the edge of town through a parade route, to the community centre to make their gumbo. They throw out beads during the parade also, and they are dressed in costumes, which are layers of strips of cloth, originally meant to mock the rich. All the while, they are drinking beer and when they arrive at the parade route, some are quite incapable of ....well, much of anything! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courir_de_Mardi_Gras

dancing to the cajun zydeco music, they do a great cajun 2 step!

We spoke to the police chief, he stopped and asked where we were from, he said the parade and antics here are like none other. They tolerate the drinking, as long as there are no displays of nudity, or disorderly behavior and no cruelty to the horses or animals. But they generally have a half dozen arrests each year. They allow this behavior until midnight, when lent starts, then all is shut down, same in New Orleans.

Gerry got his fix of crawfish at the outdoor festival

a couple dressed in costume but not in the parade, they gave us the necklace she has on!

parade

parade

one of the chickens

another chicken and a great costume, faces covered to protect identity...

More Mardi Gras

there were lots of baton twirlers and marching bands!

these were some of the BIG beads being thrown!

I have so many pictures, I thought I'd put some more on here.

Look at these two, note she has her arms up at her hips, modelling already!!

a group, dressed? as nuns...

On the way to, and Mardi Gras, Feb 16-19

Spent a night in Mobile, AL, at a city RV park that has a sister park in Edmundston, NB! Then on to Biloxi, MS, where we had lots of time to walk on the endless white beach, then go to one of the many casinos, where we had fun and ahem... we won't talk about the rest.

So, Mardi Gras. We learnt a lot about the history of this fun, community, family celebration, by searching online and talking to people. There are many "Krewe's", (private, social clubs, that sponsor parades & balls), each group has their own parade, different time, route and theme. Sat. when we arrived at Pontchartrain Landing RV, where we stayed 3 years ago, it was raining and it got worse with downpours and high winds. The RV park has a shuttle to the French Quarter, but many parades were canceled, so we hunkered down and stayed in to keep an eye on our RV, and enjoy the entertainment at the bar in the park. We also watched the parade and ball highlights on TV. The balls are very formal and are often to present the societies' members' daughters as debutantes to their community. really! I had no idea this still happened!

the first float of the day, see the people reaching and yelling for beads...

close-up of float, everyone throwing beads

 

Gerry with his booty

one of the characters...

the gang from St. Louis

Today, Sunday, we caught the first shuttle at 10:00 and watched 5 parades on Canal St. It's a lot of fun, with everyone visiting with their neighbors and yelling at each float, to throw their necklaces and other goodies out to the crowd. People bring bags to collect the beads in, and some have ladders to sit on. We met some great folk from NO and a group from St. Louis. It was a great experience, highly recommended! We did not stick around to see all the drunks and partying on Bourbon St., we saw a variety of characters in the daylight...

Gulf Shores, Alabama, Feb 13 -15

Beautiful little town here, fine white sand beach, feels like organic sugar! It is a very touristy area, and has seen better times. There are tons of condominiums and hotels along the beach and inland that appear to be empty. We met a couple who said off the beach, you can easily get a condo for less than $1000./mth!! This is also a big fishing area, with many inland waterways.
We went out for lunch for Valentine's Day, to DeSoto Seafood, near our park. Then biked around looking at golf courses for Gerry to try out and watched the sunset at the beach. He golfed at Gulf Shores State Park with 3 other guys today, while I did laundry and cleaned the floors, the usual routine. Oh, but it is so exciting cleaning the floors for the first time in a new home, gag! I attended yoga in the park and biked all around the area, also, so not all work...

the ultimate office!

a sign at a restaurant/pub called the Hangout, at the beach

the view looking east

the sunset, looking west

We realized last night that Mardi Gras is on in New Orleans and we are only 200 miles away, so off we will go tomorrow, Thursday, yippee! But, oh, we just realized there are 2 days before our booking at Pontchartrain Landing, where we stayed 3 yrs ago in NO, so will take our time along the way thru the rest of Alabama and Miss. 

Feb 9 - 13, New to us RV

So after camping at Harberson's RV for 2 nights while they prepped our new RV, fixing little things and cleaning it, we got the go ahead to move in on Thursday at 4:00. Our friends Ruth & Tom came from Dunedin, at 7 and helped us move across. That made such a difference to have help, and then we said goodbye again... It is unbelievable the stuff you can stuff into one of these babies! By 9 we were exhausted, but had most things put somewhere.
So, we've traded our Class A 2003 Fleetwood Fiesta, 26 ft, for a Class C 2006 Four Winds Chateau, 34 ft. As a result, we've gained 3 yrs, 8 feet and 2 slide-outs. There is an amazing difference in size, but we do miss a few great features of our old one, we're already over that! The new one has automatic levellers, so we are enjoying a steadier house when camped, as well as alot more space inside.
In order to save the 7% sales tax in Florida, we had to drive across the Georgia border. So Harberson's supplied a driver. We left at 7 am Friday morn, us in Ron's truck, he driving our RV. We took possession in the first small town in Georgia where we signed papers with a Notary, then off we went heading west. We found a nice state park near Waycross, Georgia to camp for 2 nights to get things rearranged and time to get used to everything. The Laura S Walker State Park is on a lake, with a golf course only 2 miles away, which is rare. Gerry golfed one day, while I biked into the town against a gruelling wind.
Love the accents in Georgia, and everything is "yes, maam, no, maam..." While getting gas: "where y'all from?" "y'all don't have no zip codes up there?" (when trying to use G's credit card at the gas pumps).

Gerry, Jeff & Jim, our salesman & repair guy

Old & new, side by side, not exactly lined up

Exercise while you wait for RV to be ready.

Starting the move

Our first night out at Laura S Walker State Park, Georgia

Going golfing by bicycle

Then we spent a night in Tallahassee, FL and are now near the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. We'll stay here for 3 days, so I can receive my new Visa card, after someone duplicated mine and used it in Tucson, AZ!!

Bradenton, St. Cloud - Feb 4 -8

We spent a wonderful weekend with Bill & Donna, our friends & neighbors in PEI, at their winter home in Bradenton. We ate, visited, shopped and the guys watched the Super Bowl. No golfing this trip, as Bill is still recovering from pneumonia, after being in the hospital only 10 days ago. He is well into recovery mode, so we hope that continues!
On Monday, Gerry & I drove to St Cloud, south of Orlando, found an RV park for the night so we could do an eco-safari on horseback on Tuesday morning, at Forever Florida.
We hopped onto Nash for me and Dosea for Gerry, and followed our guide Maggie on a 1 1/2 hr ride thru the pine trees, sloughs, and "saw palmetto's", those low plants that look like mini palm trees. It was a great ride thru the wilderness on the 4700 acre property, nice quiet, relaxing adventure.

Dosea & Nash

Baby alligators

Then it was back thru Tampa to see a customs border agent about paperwork so we can trade in our RV and buy a newer, bigger one! More on that next post... 

Night sounds

 This is a video (in the dark) of the night sounds outside our campsite in Dunedin, every night for a month, we heard these frogs and crickets...close your eyes, turn up sound and enjoy a listen....

Last week in Dunedin, Jan 30 - Feb 3

gator tails at the Sandbar

sure you can work on a quilt in an RV...

and there's lots of time for surfing the net for newer RV's

This is how you carry your fishing gear and chair on your bike.

ah, time to relax...

when you are tired of not catching any fish, this is what you really came for!

Our friends, Tom and Ruth came to say goodbye, boo hoo...

We've had a wonderful time here, biked this week over to Clearwater Beach, all up Gulf Blvd, and back on the Pinellas Trail; out for dinner twice, with the "street neighbors" and with Ruth, Tom, Thea & Cam before our games night of Sequence; a walk downtown, golfing for G, and lots of biking for errands. A month is already up and it's time to leave. Heading to Bradenton for the weekend, with friends Bill & Donna, then on to another adventure...