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Rain On My Parade, Please!

This will be one of those "be careful what you wish for" moments, but we do need rain here. However, let me you in on a perverse benefit of having a lawn consisting of St Augustine grass. Seems this stuff can live off of the moisture in the air and the dew in the morning. Rain or no rain, it grows and therefore must be cut weekly.

We made our first trip OSL (Other Side of the Lake). I booked tickets at the Theaters at Canal Place to see Ricki and the Flash. But before we were slightly disappointed in the movie, we ventured into the Garden District. Spared from major damage in Katrina, this is a neighborhood of diverse, wonderful, and historic dwellings.

So you took pictures, Jeff?  You would have to have remembered your camera to do that. NO PHONE IMAGES ON THIS BLOG! We'll catch up on this in a future post.

The Garden District is an area of some of the more expensive and desirable homes in New Orleans. The anchor here is proximity to downtown, the universities (Tulane, Loyola, ULNO), and Audubon Park. One of the main corridors is the route of the Streetcar Named Desire on St Charles Street. The neighborhoods start with beautiful larger homes in the University District and transition to cozy "shotgun" homes in the back streets. The density is intensely magnified by the small lots and the extremely narrow streets. Like most older cities, these streets are jammed with cars as very little was done to accommodate automobiles when these neighborhoods developed. There is the intermixing of retail and commercial properties; however, most of them are restaurants, bars, and boutique businesses. We did spot the occasional hardware, grocery, or bakery.

A check of real estate values showed that it isn't difficult to spend that million and a half you have burning a hole in your pocket. Those of us used to the very affordable prices for homes in Milwaukee will get a lump in our throat when we see how little three to six hundred thousand will get you in this area.

After our motor tour of The Garden district, I was reminded that future tours should include bringing a real camera and a walking component. Hence, the driver also gets an opportunity to see the scenery. We went to Mothers for an early dinner.

Mother's, established by a family in 1938, touts the best ham ever. Basically, it's is long-standing downtown tradition. Mother's is a delicatessen. You go to a cash register, order off the menu, put your paid receipt on the table; the wait staff will scoop it up and quickly deliver your meal. The wall is littered with memorabilia ranging from autographed pictures of the military who helped put order back to the city following Katrina and President Bush.

Maria had the famous ham plate, which was accompanied by three sides. She chose the green beans and tomatoes, french fries, and beans & rice. She found the ham a little salty, the beans and tomatoes and french fries very good. By prior agreement, she gave me her beans and rice.

My ham "po boy" was made with deli ham, not the baked ham they feature. I would rate it very average. Frankly, what saved it was the french bread it was served on. The beans and rice were good.

I haven't found my favorite beans and rice yet. It is a common dish down here and is found on almost every menu. One of the good points in Mother's beans & rice dish was they throw in chunks of ham. This is not unique. Many recipes call for smoked sausage or ham. The beans, red or black, are usually in a thickened sauce resulting from the cooking process.

Next time we go OSL, we're going to tour the neighborhood that Brad built. No, not my son Brad. Brad Pitt, the Actor, and Activist, who, with his wife Angelina Jolie, helped rebuild a neighborhood in New Orleans.
I'm particularly interested in this project because, outside of the fact that this was an individual driving and financing the project, it mirrors, in many of its facets, the methods used by Common Ground in their effort in Sherman Park.

I'm also following my friends Ken Karr and his son Kyle with Jeff Waldorf as they motorcycle in India. Their goal to motorcycle to the highest altitude possible is so much a guy thing, but a good thing. You just have to be pulling for them.

Great start to the Packer's trip to the Super Bowl. I know this will get Milwaukee sports fans positive something to talk about. Didn't I hear the Cubs swept the Brewers twice this season?

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