Happy Mardi Gras!!!

[ThirdHatt]

Let me be the first to wish all fellow boaters a very Happy Mardi Gras from Louisiana! We spent the whole weekend in New Orleans and just got home yesterday. The party is still going on through midnight tonite, but I have had my fill. I've lost my vioce and my head is still throbbing a bit, but it was BIG FUN! I rode with the Krewe of Endymion and it we had an excellent crowd turnout this year, contrary to popular belief. Many were concerned about what kind of Mardi Gras it would be post-Katrina, but I think it is just what the Doctor ordered for New Orleans. The city is alive and getting well after severe, widespread devastation. Crime is way down, and attitudes and appreciation for the city is way up. It's a shame to think that it takes a tragedy to make some of us really appreciate what we have or had. I, for one, feel priveledged to have had the opportunity to ride in a parade to support the city I love and entertain the crowd which was made up of many that lost their homes and everything they had, to the workers from all over North America who have come to help us rebuild our city.

I think we will go out for a nice boat ride this afternoon. Sunny and 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky.

Laisez Le Bon Temps Roule! (Let the good times ROLL!)

 

[Passages]

PICTURES!!

I want pictures

 

[jim rosenthal]

Well, God bless you all and a speedy recovery.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Passages, I didn't bring a camera but a friend snapped a few shots. I've never posted pics before, so I apoligize of I do not succeed.

This one is of Sweet Melissa on the left, myself and our friend Windy. We rent a balcony on Bourbon Street every year to stay out of the thick crowds on the street. This shows my new plan to encourage the more attractive ladies down on the street to "trade" with me by attatching stuffed animals to the big beads! (It worked like a CHARM!)

 

[ThirdHatt]

This one is of Sweet Melissa on the left, myself and our friend Suzie at the Endymion Ball on Saturday night. The Commodores played and so did the Blues Brothers, among others.

 

[Passages]

Ohhhh,,,,,yer not havin any fun at all are you? Just what are you tradin anyway?

Geeeze....I never been to the Big Easy but I think I need to put it on the "places I must see before I die" list.

 

[Angela]

Ahhh, there's nothing like a good "drinkin' holiday" as my friend, Skelly, calls it. Posting Mardi Gras pictures.... Thought about posting one, but... angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other.

Angel says, "Don't do it. It might get you kicked out of here. Besides it would probably get 'poofed' anyway." Devil says, "Awe, go ahead, it's just body paint. After all, it is Mardi Gras, and it is art, isn't it?"

Guess I better not. But thanks for sharing your Mardi Gras pictures with those of us who couldn't make it this year.

Ang

P.S. But then again, who ever listens to the angel on the shoulder in the Big Easy during Mardi Gras?

 

[Passages]

Ang,,,,,,,

PICTURES!!

I want pictures

 

[Angela]

I bet you do! LOL LOL LOL

Ang

 

[ThirdHatt]

Hey now, I listened to the angel (now that I'm back at home anyway) and only posted angel-approved pics! I agree, most pics that would show what I was actually trading the big beads for would probably not be in the best interest of this wonderful forum that we all love so dearly. I think everyone pretty much knows what goes on down here this time of year. It's the only place and time I know of where normally shy, beautiful women will show you things by simply offering a pair of pretty $4 beads that would normally get you a nice slap in the face if you asked anywhere else or any other time of the year!

These days it is a bit more difficult at times to "trade" because more and more guys hold digital cameras in front of the girls that are considering and/or negotiating, and many guys will post to the web. Many sweet shy innocent women that don't mind giving an occasional flash during Mardi Gras for some cool beads will not have themselves published like that. I completely understand, and it ruins it for lots of gents. That is why I stopped carrying a camera long ago. I can still see them all in my mind!

I agree that the body paint thing is really cool and when done well it is hard to tell that it is not a costume until you are up close! No need to offer the body painters a trade, because they are already "out there" so to speak!

 

[Angela]

Oh...not to worry...just a little Mardi Gras humor. I’d never post any photo like that! The photo is something I stumbled across in the internet about 8 to 9 years ago. The girl has a striking resemblance to me, and in fact, my mother was fooled for a short while, and some just can’t be convinced it’s not me! But, it’s not. In fact, I've never even been to New Orleans, but have always wanted to experience Mardi Gras there, at least once. The artwork was absolutely stunning and I had never seen that before - looks very much like a costume.

Ang