We took these shots on a morning walk in Houston

Misty photo with accordion

This is Junior Martin's accordions in Lafayette. On the morning we walked by, it was so humid, I couldn't stop my camera lens from misting over.

Jay Cormier at Mulates

Buskers, Bourbon Street

Texas BBQ, or turn left at the giant armadillo with the glowing red eyes

This is at Goode Company BBQ in Houston. Very, very good BBQ.

Houston we have a problem

Our short side-trip to NASA turned out to take much of the day. After, we ate at Frenchie's, where, we were told, many of the astronauts go for dinner the night before a mission.

Holly Beach - "The Cajun Riviera"

The little village here was levelled by Hurricane Rita. Ready for the next one, the new buildings are mostly on stilts.

Prejeans

That's Candy and Stagg in front of Prejeans, an excellent Cajun restaurant in the Lafayette area, featuring the old music, live.

Still in the Swamp

Hey, there's Candy Minx with a water hyacinth picked for her by our guide, Bryan Champagne.

In the Swamp

These pictures are from a swamp tour we took near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I know Mr. Four Dinners wanted me to stand in the swamp and play the accordion, but there was this little matter of alligators.....

Still more New Orleans

I enjoyed my first Muffuletta at Central Grocery. It was an excellent sandwich! The band is The Hot 8 Brass Band, keeping an old New Orleans tradition thriving. These guys have a huge amount of spirit. The other two shots are on Bourbon Street, an oasis of incredible party excess. Even with many fewer visitors than before Katrina, the street was rocking.

more New Orleans

The shot with all the people is the class we took at the New Orleans School of Cooking. I recommend their classes to anyone who visits New Orleans. As well as learning to make Shrimp and Artichoke Soup, Crawfish Etouffee, Bread Pudding and Pralines, we learned a lot about the history of Louisiana and the various influences on the cuisine. Plus, we got to enjoy what was cooked for lunch, along with a cold beer - all for under 30 Americanos each.

That's Tuffy P. in the bottom shot.

New Orleans

Tuffy P and I are back from vacation. We took a lot of pictures! I'll start with some shots taken in New Orleans. We had a great time there. The French Quarter is in pretty good shape. I understand business is still down, and I was told that the population of the city is only about half of what it was pre-Katrina. We saw quite a number of buildings in the Quarter getting fresh paint jobs, but there are still a lot of areas in bad shape in the city. Lots of people told us hey be really careful in New Orleans, that it isn't safe even in the French Quarter - but that wasn't our experience. I felt a lot safer there than in many cities I've visited.