IN AND OUT OF SIGHT

I just read that the Horrors may've cancelled a lot of their US tour, including Chicago. Waiting for official word, but it's looking that way. Was so looking forward to it.

4th/New Orleans

Two Thursdays ago, we drove to New Orleans, stopping a bit more than halfway in Vicksburg, MS for some zzz's.  To ensure that we'd be sidled up to a bar in NOLA to watch the GER v FRA World Cup match, we left Vicksburg just after sunrise. 

The Mississippi River from the banks of Vicksburg, MS:

When we rolled into town, our first stop was the Croissant D'Or to get properly caffeinated.  I love the interior of this cafe.  You can tell that it was once the home of Angelo Brocato's:

From D'or, we needlessly hurried over to Fritzel's on Bourbon St. for some World Cup viewing. We pretty much had the joint to ourselves for 95% of the match, which was lovely. Geaux Die Adler!

Photo by ATM

When the match was over, the sports-adverse Lorenza, Collin & Jonathan magically appeared and whisked us off to Tan Dinh, this wonderful Vietnamese restaurant in the Westbank. We were all so hungry that we ordered loads of things, all of it first-rate.  I opted for the vermicelli bowl instead of my usual pho; I'm so glad I did, I haven't had it in ages and it revived my love for the dish. I've had it thrice since we've been back.  Anyway, we thoroughly stuffed ourselves, which brought on some drowsiness.  We - sans Lorenza - made our way to Collin's place in the Freret neighborhood and took some hot, uncomfortable naps. There were two A/C window units set to 80 degrees, struggling to cool the 1000 sq. feet. in a shotgun layout.  It didn't help that Collin's roommate, who went back home to Maine and whose room we were using for the duration, had her ceiling fan rotating in the wrong direction.  In case you didn't know, fellow southerners, it needs to be counter-clockwise during the summer months.  Be sure to clean the blades before you change directions or you will send dust chunks flying everywhere.  I laid there, tossing and turning, tryna get comfortable, wondering if I'd be able to sleep the next couple of nights. Eventually, I got up whilst everyone else was still snoozing, found a broomstick, turned off the ceiling fan, reversed it's rotation, and turned it on top speed.  Sent dust everywhere, BUT, it was notably cooler.  I closed the kitchen/bathroom area off, which helped the A/C make some progress.  We brought our own box fan and it wasn't long before we had a nice, cool wind tunnel going.

View from Collin's porch. I saw wild parrots three times!

It being the 4th of July, we all agreed that we didn't want to hang with the masses for the celebrations, so we got some beers and relaxed in the grass by Bayou St. John. Because New Orleans is so flat, we could see the massive fireworks being shot off the barges on the river.  Somehow, it was a cool, lovely evening.  It was a very happy moment for me.  It would've been a perfect night for a super long bike ride.

I woke up early the next morn with Jonathan + Collin to have breakfast because the former was leaving town to go back home to Little Rock and the latter had to go to work.  At Cake Cafe , they have endless coffee refills (A+++) and unforgettable doughnuts, so it's been added to our list of go-tos.

ATM + I had the day to ourselves, so we visited our usual haunts and had lunch at our super-favorite Parkway Bakery & Tavern.  After that, we decided to explore and hang out in the Freret neighborhood and catch more of the World Cup (NED v CRC) at Publiq House, down the street + around the corner from Collin's. Tico tico! Pura vida! That match was a bit of a heart breaker, wasn't it?

Day-drinking leaves one super tired and hungry. Having felines around is such a comfort. This one is named Louise:

Such a beautiful face:

Waiting on Collin for supper. Since we had a long drive the next day, we made it an easy evening of dinner at Sake Cafe (sublime sushi, tuna tataki + rolls, but way too much Chihuly glass adornment), dessert at Angelo Brocato's, checking out Collin's workshop, then bed. The day-drinking definitely took the wind from our sails.

I love neon signs forever and ever, amen:

First time having spumoni:

Collin's workshop:

Collin was already at work when we arose early the next morning.  We decided to get breakfast in the Quarter at Clover Grill (Clever girl!) on our way out of town.  I love places like this.

Not haunted:

Fast forward: we came home to this!

THE LETTER

RAP QUOTES

TO TURN YOU ON

GAME LOVE

THE NEW LURK

Zach and I are sealing a photo of ourselves into the kitchen wall.

HOME IS WHERE

I didn't expect to be so hands-on + involved with the current kitchen project which includes demolition (fun), discovery (exciting), clean-up (not fun),  and drywall + electrical work (TBD - we're doing that today). I'm very happy to be at this particular point in the timeline. Even when I'm standing shin-deep in a pile of drywall, dust everywhere, dehydrated, dreaming of a cold beer + shower, I've got a big (gritty) grin plastered across my face.  This is good.

We've put up with a kitchen that is not only unsightly, but we probably shouldn't have prepared food in there. Alright, it's not that bad, but when you've got exposed pipes, exposed sub-flooring, no counter space or storage, non-functioning lights or light switches, and wallpaper that vibrates when you gaze upon it, well, yeah, hand me that hammer.

The pleasant surprises lurking behind the drywall include beautiful brick, a door that leads nowhere, old maths + charming wallpaper:

After this stage is complete, we will be building shelves in the pantry + closet. What a relief it'll be to get all of this kitchen stuff dispersed throughout the house stored away properly.  From there, we start saving money for the new tile floor. Sometimes, I get a little overwhelmed by home ownership. I become filled with doubt + dread. These days, I'm giving ATM and myself credit for seeing the bigger picture. This house is awesome.

Happy Birthday, VWW.

EVERY1'S A WINNER