Bayou pour deux !!!! Geaux Rosie !!!!

How do you like my Cajun?  Today, I am going to tell you what I did on my afternoon off from the conference. The lectures ended by 11:15. So I went back to my hotel, changed into some comfy clothes and headed out on an adventure.

This bridge crosses over the Mississippi River to the town of Lafitte, named after Jean Lafitte.

Here, I am looking backwards at downtown New Orleans.

We arrived in Lafitte, and entered Bayou Barataria.

We ended up at the destination - Airboat Adventures. This is a guided tour of the bayou in either a small airboat, a large airboat, or the riverboat. I chose the riverboat because the airboats are loud and I don't want to be that close to the alligators.

This gives you an idea. There were about 30 people on it. Everyone in the city was watching the Saints vs Seahawks game.

You don't always see alligators, especially if the weather isn't so great. So they have a dried out head that the guide uses to show us alligator anatomy. I gave it a smooch.

 So you just cruise around the canals and look for birds, turtles, and gators. First, we saw the blue heron up there.

The first sighting!!!

A hungry little guy. He was about 5 feet long.

He snarfed 3 marshmallows ad then swam away.

He circled around a little bit. Maybe he was hoping for something better.

As you can see, he stuck around for quite a while. The guide, who was dressed like the Crocodile Hunter, cut him off at 3, because more would give him gas.

A little later, there was more activity .

This was a little smaller gator, maybe 4 feet.

He came near the boat, but wasn't too interested in the marshmallows. There were a lot of airboats buzzing around, and they are very loud.

Then the guide pointed out something in the bushes along the bank.

See him hiding in there? I had a hard time finding him in real life.

There was a giant alligator sunning itself on the bank. The guide said he looked to be about 8 feet.

Just in case there are no gator sightings, the guide brings out a little baby gator.

That's the guide behind me.

She was so docile she was almost dead. One woman was holding her and caressing her for a long time. Kinda weird.

One last sighting of these creepy reptiles, cruising around in their own little world.

As we rounded the bend toward the dock, we passed an old Indian cemetery.

It gave me the heebies. Some of the coffins were just in the liners, out in the sun.

Back at the Airboat Adventures headquarters, the had a giant tortoise in a tank.

And a ton of smaller turtles outside, who scampered over when they saw people.

Inside was a very lethargic albino alligator.

And a giant stuffed gator. I would crap my pants if I saw something like that.

After that, I stopped at the Bourbon House for lunch/dinner.

I had wedge salad, shrimp and andouille gumbo, and a martini. I deserved it post gator.

Then I went back to Jackson square, where I took pictures of St Louis Cathedral on the outside.

There was a guy playing an African Harp. It was beautiful and very unusual. Sort of a cross between a digereedoo and a harp.

There were lots of bed and breakfasts all over.

This juggler was really good and had a super funny act.

So today, I flew New Orleans to Dallas, then Dallas to Santa Ana. My first flight was delayed, and so I go rescheduled on the second flight, but they gave me a bad seat number. I thought I was gonna get delayed again, but I ended up with a great seat, right up front.

Back to work tomorrow !!!

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Nawlins at Halloween

So, the morning after the ghostly encounter, the conference, ID Week, started. I love this conference -  it's very scientific and progressive, and I get to hear the latest information on infectious diseases and the treatment that has been developed. I am always amazed at the number of brilliant and dedicated people who devote their lives to helping those who suffer from some of the most horrible things that you can imagine. My heart chokes up into my throat as I hear these world renowned investigators share the knowledge that has taken them a lifetime to discover and develop. HIV went from a certain death sentence to a manageable disease (like diabetes) with a 90% survival rate and a vaccine soon.

 So I wore an outfit of complete comfort - old lady knit pants, topped with a nubby knit top flecked with gold. It has the cutest chiffon trim at the hem.

I never take precious jewelry on trips, but my crystal bracelet from Saks is sure sparkly and pretty, and always gets rave reviews.

My long tassel necklace from INC was the perfect compliment. I have done a TON of walking here - it takes 40 minutes to get to the conference, and we get a 2 hour lunch, during which I roam around.

Look at this beautiful bridge over the mighty Mississippi River.

 And two views of the plaza at the Riverwalk shops. It was quiet early in the week.

I have been to New Orleans many times, and one constant feature is the Jackson Brewery, which used to produce Jax beer.

After the conference that night, I came back to the hotel and did some computer work. The next morning, this is what I wore:

Gotta love those Skechers - they are super comfy and I wore them to walk to the conference and then changed to business shoes when I got there. The dress is by Donna Ricco and the blazer by Love 21. These two items are basics in my travel wardrobe.

I wore my Greenbeads by Emily and Ashley lariat necklace and my new WHBM belt that I bought in Las Vegas. At lunchtime, I walked over to Jackson Square to light a candle for my mom in the Cathedral of St Louis. Here is the beautiful nave:

The main altar is also gorgeous. You are asked to be respectful and quiet, but photographs are allowed.

Here is a closer view of the gilded altar.

And when you look up, the frescoes on the ceiling are magnificent.

Here is a real close up of the main altar.

There is also a little side altar.

Here is the nook that has all the votives lit up for those who need some prayer for their struggles.

Of course, I paid my $3, and lit one for my mom. I hope this will soothe her soul.

 All around Jackson Square, there are carriages which are drawn by sweet, calm mules.

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 They are all lined up like taxis at the airport. Prices range from $12 to $18, depending on the length of the ride.

I took a side street back to the convention center, and passed the Beuaregard Keyes house.

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That night, I went to a dinner lecture on C Diff - horrible infectious diarrhea that one gets when they have to take powerful antibiotics to combat serious and often life threatening infections. I had to pass Andrew Jackson Square and proceed down Decatur Street to get to the venue.

The food was pretty crappy, but I did meet a nice gentleman from Montreal. He got my food for me, and my beverage, and exhibited a courtly, suave nature that we don't often see in men from the US.

The next night, I met a friend for dinner at a local restaurant. She is a vegetarian, so she chose the restaurant.

 It was called Tujuaques. It was down on Decatur Street, I had absinthe for the first time. I also had crabmeat gratin and gumbo.

Things started to get a little crazy, this being Friday night on Halloween weekend.

I wore a black and gold dress by Connected Apparel.

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My gold mesh necklace is by Avon. I have had it for many many years.

As we were walking back to our respective hotels, we saw a mule dressed up as a unicorn. So cute!!!

When i got back to Bourbon Street, it was crazy.

I walked around a little bit, but it was not really my scene, so I went back to my hotel.

This morning, it was back to the conference for me.

This morning, I only attended one lecture before lunch. The food at the convention center is pretty bad. I went for a walk along the Riverwalk again. As I was walking, the Delta Queen paddled by.

I ended up going to a flea market and wandering around. If I had more time, I would have loved to spend time browsing around the offerings. There was a pretty impressive zydeco group playing on one corner.

Then it was back to the conference, for the first annual Bug Bowl.

This was a game based on Jeopardy, with all the categories involving infectious diseases. The teams were LSU, Ochsner, and Tulane University, and all their ID fellows and residents were on the teams.

It was really cute and really fun.

Tomorrow, I am going on a swamp tour, complete with alligators. Wish me luck !!!

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Stay tuned for some gator wrangling!!!