No really, it snowed in Louisiana
Snow on the dungeon too
Time to finish our Decorating Elves installs and head to Louisiana. We also celebrate a Tortuga Birthday Florida style as well as Christmas. And then we prepare to say goodbye to another decade!
So, we keep hearing that the temperatures are dropping all over the country and that there is even a colder snap brewing along the gulf coast. Great. Sharon and I are preparing to drive out for the 6th week of the Louisiana fair, so we were hoping for nice weather.
We left our house in St. Pete around noon, which meant we’d get to Hammond around 10:30 or so. Maybe we’d be lucky enough to get a late night daiquiri. It was pretty cool at our house when we left but how cold could it really get? We will soon see.
As we traveled north on I-75 there wasn’t much change in the temperature, but when we hit I-10 we noticed the mercury started to drop. By the time we passed Tallahassee it was in the 40’s. Wow, we might actually hit some pretty cold temperatures. As we travelled thru Alabama the temp hit the 30’s. I called Riki to check in and let him know where we were and he hit us with the news. It was snowing in Hammond! WOW!
When we hit the Mississippi border the outside temp gauge in the van switched from 34 degrees to ICE. Just after that the flurries started. As we crossed into Louisiana the flurries turned into full blown snow. It was so cool! (Well cold actually) We passed car dealership after car dealership. All the new cars were buried! Awesome! As we approached the Hammond/Robert area, (Robert is where the Haeuser’s live) the snow subsided and it returned to light flurries. We stopped for a daiquiri but the place we stopped had just closed. It was attached to a gas station, by the way. We gassed up and drove the final couple minutes to our destination. We were greeted with wine which made us forget about our lack of daiquiris. It was neat to see the bayou terrain covered in snow.
The next day at the fair was kind of slow. The frigid temps and patches of sunlit snow really took the locals by surprise. It was odd to see the Dungeon Museum dusted with snow. We managed to get all of our shows in, due to the diehard fans that come out rain or shine. (or snow) After the days performances we changed clothes to meet Ronn and Heather in New Orleans at a new restaurant our friend Jeff Gulotta manages.
Our favorite restaurant manager, Jeff
Many desserts for Erin, Sharon and Heather at Jeff's new restaurant.
Minois in technicolor
She's not really happy with the color choices
Visiting the French quarter
Chartreuse shots!
Time for more shots!
Absinthe dispenser
Flaming sugar!
Chasing the green fairy!
Drinking the green fairy
A view of Bourbon
Oyster Bar!
We met Ronn and Heather at the restaurant and Jeff sat us quickly. The place is located at the World War Two museum and is called The American Sector. The food was amazing and has a 1940’s theme as well as the staff’s clothing. We had a great time and Jeff buried us in food including some of the most amazing desserts. Thanks to Jeff and his lovely gal Erin! We miss you guys! Come visit!
While we were in the New Orleans the gang at the house in Robert, who were watching our dog Minois, got restless. (Especially the artist and face/body painter Marrus) She decided to paint the dog with food coloring. We almost died when we saw her. Sharon was not pleased. Not that I was particularly thrilled myself. But, I knew it would wash out fairly easily. I made for some fun pictures.
The last weekend I decided to fly in. This would allow me to stay in Florida longer and get the last of my holiday lighting installs finished. I convinced Riki (who picked me up at the airport) to drive into the quarter so we could walk around. I told him I’d buy him dinner for being my chauffeur. We had a blast! I bought dinner and oysters, and he took it upon himself to (try) to get me drunk on all kinds of crazy local shots. It was nice having a designated driver. I’m just sorry I fell asleep on him on the drive home.
With Louisiana behind us, it was time to head home for the holidays. We were done with elves installs. We just had to do maintenance if any problems with displays cropped up. We planned a mellower holiday season this year. We went to my friend Earl’s annual party. He usually makes it some kind of theme, but this year he was staying mellow too. It was very enjoyable as always.
This year, Riki decided to spend the winter holidays in St. Petersburg. This included Christmas, New Years and his Birthday. We gathered a little group and had a nice dinner out. I think he appreciated having some of his old school pals around to celebrate. We don’t spend much time in Florida, and our adolescent stomping grounds anymore, after all.
I’d write about Christmas but we really just stayed home in our jammies and spent some quality time alone together. It was a nice change of pace. As far as New Years Eve goes… we did do a small party at our place. We only had six guests for a total of eight people. We had a nice dinner, champagne, and everyone was gone by dawn! That never happens!
Well, there you have it… another decade behind us. We wish you all the best in the New Year. May it be happy, healthy, prosperous, and profitable! All our love to our friends and fans that continue to support us. You guys rock! And of course, a special shout out to Riki and Ronn and family. I am proud to call you my brothers. See you all in 2010!
Earl the Christmas party host
Celebrating Riki's B-Day Floriday style
Posing for Riki's B-Day
Birthday Tiramisu!
Our Christmas Card - Happy Holidays!
