Even though New Orleans is in our rear view mirror I never finished posting photos from our visit to NOLA. As Paul Harvey would say - "And now the rest of the story."

A trip to New Orleans isn’t complete without visiting Mardi Gras World.  This is where 80% of the floats are built and decorated. The average float costs $75,000 a year just to decorate.  Once the parades are over the floats go back to Mardi Gras World to be stripped of their decorations and prepared for next year’s parades. In addition to parade floats the company makes all sorts of items for Disney, Universal Studio and even Chick Filet (they make the full size cows used on billboards.)  

 

 

We also took a swamp tour. I know they’re hooky, but we always enjoy seeing the gators, birds, turtles and other inhabitants of the tea colored waters .

 

Home Sweet Home (mosquitoes, snakes, alligators and all.)

   Big Bertha.

Berth's little sister.

 

This floating plant is a favorite for sun bathing young gators. Frequently all you can see is a pair of reptilian eyes peeping out of the greenery.

Our grandson Max is a REALLY BIG fan of Gator Boys so we had to get a photo with a gator. Jim is holding a two year old alligator that is three feet long.  Note the electrical tape over his jaws.  I actually felt sorry for the little guy, getting passed around to 40 people can’t be much fun.

And finally, the city of New Orleans. We loved this city. The architecture here is amazing. All the neighborhoods are different. I think our favorite style of house is the shotgun. The French Quarter is lined with these homes. They have a real Creole flavor – loads of ginger bread and bright colors.  The houses have no front yard, just the public sidewalk. The French Quarter has a lot of these single and double shotgun houses. LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

Can't talk about the Big Easy without mentioning food. Oh My God, the food is awesome. Can't visit New Orleans without having Beignets and Café Au Lait at Café Mundo.  And then there's the gumbo. My favorite is Chicken and Andouille sausage with a scoop of rice floating in the magical mixture. The Gumbo Shop in the French QUarter have the best! Don't forget the pecan (pee can) pie -  it's a slice of Heaven.