Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Mardi Gras World

Who could resist this laughing jester outside Mardi Gras World. We didn't make it inside on this trip, but that's just one more reason to come back.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans; I'm on an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Crescent City Connection

On our last night in New Orleans, we did a jazz and dinner cruise on the Creole Queen! I arrived a few minutes early and decided to sketch the bridge. This has been a wonderful trip, and I really hate to see it end.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans; I'm on an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Street Performers

This street musician was concentrating so hard on her music, which was amazing.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Masquerade

The masks were awesome - I couldn't resist this beauty.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Hidden Gems

Journaling reads, "This is just one example of the many courtyards we discovered as we walked around the French Quarter. They provide welcome relief from the heat and humidity that plagues the city for much of the year. We saw lush greenery, comfortable-looking patio furniture . . . and locked gates. I so wanted to sneak in, sit awhile, sketch a little, and enjoy an ice-cold lemonade, but sadly, that was not to be. But I still enjoyed looking."

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip to New Orleans - Pierre Maspero's

Journaling reads, "What a lot of fun we all had! Laughing and talking all at once and telling stories. And the food here - DELICIOUS! I arrived 20 minutes early - not much time, but all the plants were so wild and free. A little hard to believe this place started out as the Slave Exchange. That's a sobering thought."

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans. I'm on an imaginary trip with Laure Ferlita.

Sketchbook Challenge - Branching Out

I finally had a chance to do my journal page for the current month's theme for the Sketchbook Challenge, which is Branching Out. This is supposed to be a weeping willow tree - not sure that it looks like a weeping willow, but at least maybe it looks like a tree! LOL!

Abundance - A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund

I didn't know a lot about Marie Antoinette before reading this book.  I knew she was the queen of France during the French Revolution, and I knew that when she was told her people were starving, she supposedly said, "If they have no bread, then let them eat cake."  It turns out that Marie Antoinette never said that - it was said a hundred years earlier by the wife of Louis XIV rather than Louis XVI.

Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth child of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and she was fourteen years old when she was sent to France to marry fifteen year old Louis Auguste, who became Louis XVI four years later (in 1774).  It was interesting to read about the extravagant lifestyle of the royalty (financed primarily by taxes on the poor); it was easy to see why the people were starving.  But over time, as Marie Antoinette matured, she became much more sensitive to the plight of her people and actually tried to economize.  This was a sympathetic portrait of the woman behind the legend, and I enjoyed it very much.  It was my 3rd book for the 2nds Reading Challenge 2011 (the first book by this author that I read was Ahab's Wife; my review of it is here) and my 6th book for the Off the Shelf Reading Challenge 2011.  I rate this book 4 out of 5.

Wildflower Delight

I finally finished my quilt that I designed in Jane Sassaman's class (Abstracting from Nature) in January. I'm really pleased with it. I used the photo below as inspiration.

Garden Turtle

Another page I did while visiting friends out of town. They actually had 3 of these turtles - I wanted to take this one home (but I also wanted to be invited back next year, so I didn't take him!).  I did this in ink - no pencil first.

Morel & Hellebore

One of the pages I did while visiting friends out of town. We only found one morel the week we were there - and it was a bit past its prime. The hellebore (also called Christmas Rose) was blooming and some of the blooms (like this one) were a light green. You don't see many green flowers.

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, goes to Italy with her prim cousin, Miss Bartlett, acting as chaperone.  While staying at a pensione in Florence, she meets George Emerson, an Englishman she is attracted to, but whom is considered unsuitable.  After Lucy returns to England, she accepts the marriage proposal of a more suitable but stuffy man she has known for a number of years.  It is a satirical look at the manners of the time and I found it to be quite entertaining. This is the second book by E.M. Forster that I have read; my first book was A Passage to India.  This book was lighter in tone than A Passage to India, and I enjoyed it a bit more (although I liked A Passage to India as well, and I liked the look into the British attitude towards and treatment of Indians in that book).  One similarity between the two books was that there was an "incident" in both that was considered shocking at the time but would be considered trivial to us today.  This is my second book for the 2nds Challenge 2011 and my book club's current selection.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Backyard Birdbath

We stopped in Little Rock to visit one set of friends on our way to Tennessee to visit another set of friends. This birdbath is in their backyard, visible from their kitchen window.

Hanging Basket

This is the first page in my latest handmade journal. I used 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold pressed watercolor paper. We stopped in Little Rock to visit one set of friends on our way to Tennessee to visit another set of friends. This basket hangs outside their kitchen window.

The Fiction Class by Susan Breen

Imaginary Trip To New Orleans - St. Elizabeth's

For some reason, I had a hard time deciding what to sketch when we visited St. Elizabeth's Asylum. Maybe that was because it was so BIG! I finally settled on the entrance with its leaded glass doors, but I felt rather uninspired, which I'm afraid comes through in the sketch. I'm already looking forward to my NEXT sketch.

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.

Imaginary Trip To New Orleans - Beignets

How can anyone resist something covered with this much powdered sugar? I don't usually eat donuts or sweet rolls, but I had to sample this New Orleans specialty - after all, you only live once, right? And it was every bit as good as I'd been told!

And no, I'm not really in New Orleans - this is an Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita.