Swamp Land Sights

If I didn't know any better, I would say that New Orleans was it's own little country. From the foreign language coming out of our taxi driver's mouth (even though he was speaking English) to the scary sights on Bourbon Street, we at least had an interesting vacation.
Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative for our four day stay. I had packed light to avoid any checked baggage on our flight and had planned for warm weather. With my little toes
braving the elements, we crammed as much sight seeing in as possible. New Orleans did have many great architectural elements strewn throughout the city. We toured 2 old plantations and strolled the streets, admiring the sites. I especially enjoyed purusing one of the bizarre above-ground cemetaries that New Orleans has as a result of it's position below sea level. Some of the graves are extremely lavish!
We tried to go authentic, sampling the most unusual foods we could. The large selection of fried foods got old fast. But I loved the shrimp and other non-fried seafood options. Daniel's crawfish were too cute!
We took a swamp a tour with a guide who regaled us with many of his favorite swamp recipes, giving in-depth cooking instructions for swamp rat, mushrooms, and edible plants. All I wanted was to see an Alligator. I guess they covered that by having a baby Al aquariumized in their headquarters shack. Not exactly the live encounter I had hoped for. Though he was a cute little guy.
Everywhere we went, we were innundated with the Mardi Gras tourism

No More Granny Piano!

I enjoy having a piano in my home. I don't always play as often as I should or would like, but it is still a nice addition. We bought an inexpensive Kimball console piano about 8 years ago and it has been a good little piano all along, at least sound wise. My husband has been bugging me for years to get rid of the "Ugly Granny Piano!" Well, we don't have room or money for the baby grand he would rather see gracing our home. So, I thought I would give my old piano a makeover in the hopes that it would stop further harassment from my husband. It was a long process because of all the sanding. I even coerced my husband to assist me in this part. The staining was a breeze. After several weeks of sitting in our garage, the new and improved piano was allowed back in our living room. My husband even graciously admitted it was the best home improvement project we've undertaken. I am exstatic with the results!!!