Really, it’s always festival time, but end of April is the biggie!  Jazz Fest begins in just a few days!  If you’d like to read my tips for Jazz Fest, click here.

Right now weather is fantastic, cool and crisp and sunny, and everything is blooming.  Jasmine, magnolias, gardenias – it’s white flower season.  Everything’s super-green because we’ve had some good drenching rains.  And I’ve been out and about enjoying the weather, taking photos and composing a zillion blog posts in my head, but not actually writing them!

If you’ve been curious about my lovely Appalachian Trail trip a couple of weeks ago, head over here to see what happened.

Ok – back to festival time.  After resting for a day post-hiking, I hopped on my bike to catch the end of the French Quarter Fest last week.  This festival is completely free and in the past few years it’s been ultra-crowded!  Here’s my photo essay – my take on catching the very last act of the Fest and soaking in the ambiance of the riverfront, clichés and all.

1. How have I never noticed this Historic Algiers Ferry sign? So people have been living in Algiers since 1719!  Wonder what they did before there was a ferry across the river?
Even though it was the last act on Sunday, the riverfront was packed.  I was by myself (my sweetheart was still on a trip to Costa Rica with his students) and so I people watched shamelessly.  What I noticed most was the tremendously happy, relaxed vibe.  Everyone was just grooving on the beautiful day and the rhythm of the horns and bass and drums.  No wonder people come from all over the world to be here!
Met this fantastic gentleman named Bo.  He was born and raised in New Orleans, but now lives in Seattle, Washington and has for 30 years or so.  He grew up with Trombone Shorty’s older relatives, and all these famous New Orleans musicians, so when Trombone Shorty (playing on stage) comes to Washington, Bo has the band over and makes them gumbo and red beans and rice.  That is super-cool.  He’s smiling in the pic, even though it doesn’t seem like it!  We had a great chat.
And Trombone Shorty kept playing his heart out to the crowd.

And I savored some crawfish etouffee.  There was so much food to choose from!
And I watched this guy in a yellow shirt and his sweetheart singing along and dancing to old school tunes you could tell they recalled from more youthful times.  As they sang and shimmied and smiled and laughed and spinned and twirled each other, it was like they’d gone back in time thirty years.The steamboat Natchez was looking swell.  I need to remember – every city doesn’t have a paddle wheel steamboat!  Cliche or not, it’s a beautiful sight.
I caught the Iguanas for their encore piece.  I remember going to see them all the time in the early 90s. Now they looked so much older but still sounded great, still.  How can they look so much older when I feel exactly the same?
I love this statue by the river.  She always has at least a few beads…

The clouds were 1000 times bigger than the river or the bridge, and the golden evening light was magical.
I rode my bicycle under the twin spans of the Mississippi River Bridge, just lighting up, and then continued on jasmine-scented streets all the way  home.  I do love this home of mine.