Paris Parfait

Paris-bound

Miniature garden gnomes at a brocante at Chatou, France.

 

IF there's no train strike tomorrow morning, I'm off to Paris. Don't these garden gnomes remind you of Amelie? That film makes me smile, no matter how many times I watch it.

Back later this week with photos. Au revoir!

Ode to New Orleans: Happy Mardi Gras!

Today is Fat Tuesday! In honor of Mardi Gras, here are photos taken last year in the great city of New Orleans. Click photos to enlarge.

(Pictured above and below) Costumes for sale or rent are displayed in a New Orleans shop window.

A dress fit for a princess.

Mardi gras masks.

Gold and silver fleur de lys in many variations.

Alligator heads at the farmers' market.

"Alligator" jerky.

Ice-cold thirst-quenchers.

Palms for sale.

A Tarot card reader and passers-by admiring art pinned on a fence.

Street performers.

Mardi gras beads bedeck this balcony.

Saints country.

Christmas all year round.

Wrought-iron grillwork and greenery.

Reading on a balcony.

Green shutters.

Beads and flags.

A balcony weighed down with greenery.

Green is a popular choice for shutters in the French Quarter.

White pumps (thankfully, after Labor Day) dangling from a balcony.

Wrap-around balconies.

Les fleurs.

 

Grillwork, plants and flags.

Grillwork and green shutters.

Turquoise shutters enhanced by plants.

A sprig of green in a metal envelope.

Ode to Dixieland jazz.

Street life.

Horse-drawn carriage ride.

Pink bicycle to match the blossoms.

A private courtyard.

Reflections in a vitrine featuring a crystal chandelier.

French antiques shot through glass.

Reflections in the window of another antiques shop.

A child's wonder in a French quarter lighting store.

Wedding celebrations.

No visit to New Orleans is complete without a stop at Arnaud's.

A legendary restaurant.

Another popular local eatery.

Decorative lights on a lovely side street...

...and on the raucous Bourbon Street, which sadly has deteriorated into a loud, drunken tourist trap.

The New Orleans skyline.

The waterfront.

The Creole Queen.

The Steamer Natchez in the Port of New Orleans.

Happy Fat Tuesday! Happy Mardi Gras!