Mama's 80th Birthday

Mama celebrated her 80th birthday on November 15th of this year. After telling her I was unable to make the trip, I surprised her and showed up anyway! It was pretty epic to see her and Daddy's reactions when I walked in the door! But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, there was the trip to the airport.

I had to leave the house at 4:45 am. Larry was at work, and I didn't want Sarah driving at that hour, so I took myself to the Sunset Transit Center, and left the car in the parking garage for Larry to retrieve later. I swear I fell asleep on the MAX train during the hour's ride to the airport - that's a first! I slept again on the flight from PDX to SFO, and appreciated every moment. Changing flights again in Dallas made for a very long day, but you do what you have to do, right?

In typical fashion, I had to fly in through Gulfport because Mobile's ticket prices are so ridiculously high. I chose not to rent a car because my trip was so quick and I really didn't think I'd need one. That meant, of course, that someone had to come pick me up. Laura volunteered to do the honors, and, after a full day of travel, we headed into Mobile to surprise the parents.

On Airport Blvd., just a few miles from the house, I started hearing a funny noise coming from the front right of the car. "Oh, it just makes that noise sometimes," was Laura's response. But, after slowing down and gradually picking up speed again, I was convinced it was a tire. Moments after Laura's assuring me that the car was not pulling to one side, it indeed started doing just that. Yup, the tire was going flat. We pulled off and took refuge in a well-lighted spot in front of Applebee's, where we assessed the damage - flat as a pancake. What to do? No AAA membership. We couldn't call Daddy; he'd have been minimal help, and we didn't want to spoil the surprise of my arrival. Matthew? Justin? Who knew where they were or what they were doing at 11:00 on a Friday night. Nothing to do but change it ourselves. At least it wasn't raining!

Laura was dubious, but I assured her we could do it. (Thank you, Larry, for insisting I learn how to change the tires on my car...) Alas, we did need help loosening the lug bolts (damn pneumatic bolt tighteners!), and, indeed, received help from a departing Applebee's patron, who was happy to "loosen and leave". After that, we were home free. We got the car jacked up, removed the flat tire, replaced it with the doughnut, jacked it back down, tightened everything back up, and we were done. Girl Power at its finest!

That near-crisis solved, we headed to Mama and Daddy's house. They were so surprised and delighted to see me, it cemented my decision to come in for the occasion, despite the fact that I would be missing Sarah's actual birthday  - for the first time ever. At least I'd be home for her party with her friends.

I spent Saturday doing some shopping - new tires for Laura! - and visiting with everybody. Dinner with the family, including Ruth Ann, then off I went to Daphne to see Tommy and Tricia.

Sunday was party day! Friends and family were invited for Brunch at Courtland's Restaurant in the historic district near Oakleigh. Forty or so people attended, and it was delightful on several fronts. We weren't responsible for any of the preparations, so could just sit back and enjoy; the almost 100% guest attendance proved just how loved Mama is; and the food was really yummy! My shrimp and baked-then-fried grits was pure decadence!

Fay Gold

 

Mama with Marge Kotnick

Mama and Daddy

    

Mama with John Adam and the Brutkiewiczes

Mama with Tommy

Harold Cohen

Pollman's did the cake, of course, and it was a beauty. I seem to be the family's now-traditional cutter of cakes, so I had the dubious honor of mutilating, I mean cutting, the cake.

On the way home, while I was so close by, I stopped and visited briefly with Susan. It was great to see her, even if it was quick. Back home, Mama opened her gifts, and we settled in for a lazy evening. I would be leaving the next day, so this was our last chance to catch up on the latest happenings.


Thankfully, the trip back to Gulfport was uneventful - especially since it was raining by then - and I even had time for lunch with Laura before heading to my flight. The weather made it a bumpy trip home on more than one leg. In fact, I thought I'd lose my dinner on the approach to Portland, but managed to hold it in check. My options for getting home from the airport past midnight were limited. Again, Larry was at work, MAX had made its last run, and Sarah wasn't an option at that hour, so I took a cab. $65 later (!) I collapsed in my bed. So glad we'd arranged for Sarah to get herself and Emily to school that day - I was wasted!

It took me two weeks to recover from that quick trip between three time zones, but I'm so glad I went. Mama will only be 80 once! Happy Birthday, Mama!

New Orleans fun!

Since we had to fly out of New Orleans to come back home, we planned a day there to do some fun stuff. The idea was to leave Mobile Friday morning, and take advantage of activities going on that weekend. Tom and Susan were going to join us. We had tickets to several events and reservations at a hotel. We'd fly out Saturday afternoon. It was going to be a blast!

Uh-oh! Tom and Susan weren't feeling well all week, and, although they tried to ignore it, the inevitable happened, and they were too sick to accompany us. We were all really disappointed; we'd really been looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with them, but, alas, it was not to be. :-( We tried to find someone else to go with us and take advantage of our prepaid tickets and non-refundable room, but no one was able to go. In the end, the event tickets were no issue, and the girls stayed in one room, giving Larry and I a room to ourselves. Not such a bad deal!

We arrived in New Orleans in time to have a quick lunch, then Emily and I went on a tour of French Quarter homes. Larry and Sarah opted to take a tour of St. Louis Cemetery #1. We soon discovered that the girls were a bit embarrassed to be walking around in the French Quarter, especially the fleeting blocks of Bourbon Street we traversed. Larry and I hadn't really paid much attention. We'd been there so many times before, and we were really just intent on getting where we were going. Sarah and Emily, however, were in the Land of the Unknown! They were getting an eyeful - and it was day time! (Imagine if we'd been there at night!)

En route to our respective destinations, I couldn't resist getting some shots of the distinctive French Quarter balconies, brackets, and other architectural features that make the French Quarter so unique.



I've always wanted to take a sneak peek at some of those hidden homes behind the walls in the French Quarter - places the tourists don't even realize exist. The French Quarter is thought of as a tourist destination, and New Orleans Party Central - and it is! - but people live there, too. I've long been aware of all the hidden-away courtyards and gardens, and have relished any stolen glimpses I got of them. Emily and I got to visit and tour, inside and out, four of those hidden dwellings.

Much to my disappointment, we were not allowed to take pictures of the interiors of any of the homes we toured. The first was rather ornate and elaborate, two stories, high ceilings, crown moldings, and full of antiques. The docent there was more intent on giving us the early history of New Orleans and the settling of the French Quarter than she was in telling us about the house, but it was fun to wander around, and imagine living the good life. The courtyard featured some lovely statues, a fountain, and beautiful flowers. I especially appreciated the shot (below) with the juxtaposition of old world and new - the neighbor kid's bicycle!



The second home was a shotgun house, not elaborate at all, and definitely lived-in. Too cramped for my comfort, but cozy. Highlights for us were framed letters from Albert Einstein and Mark Twain. There, in the courtyard, I was able to show Emily a shrimp plant - one of my favorites!



I want to hire the decorator who did the third house - the homeowner herself! It was 1/2 block off Bourbon St., and owned by a couple with ties to Mobile. They have two or three homes they rotate among, and this one was a mere three rooms deep, but cozy, efficient, and sheer fun! It had a Mardi Gras decorating theme, and was full of color and whimsy. Their courtyard held, among other things, a kumquat tree, and Emily accepted the invitation to taste one. She liked it; I declined, as I've had that dubious pleasure before...



The final home was actually a series of apartments. Cozy, quaint, and pricey to rent, I am sure! The docent there regaled us with tales of post-Katrina life - not pretty in the least.

After our tour, we headed down to Jackson Square and waited for Larry and Sarah to return from their cemetery tour. (That's on my list for our next visit.) We checked out the sights and the street artists and musicians and rested our tired feet.



Only in New Orleans can you find "drinks to go"...



On our way back to the room, we sought out the memorial to Hurricane Katrina, sculpted by a local artist.



That night, we headed into Chalmette for their annual Crawfish Festival. It was a family-oriented fair-type event. We were astounded that we were able to walk right in; there was no admission charged. The girls did not ride any rides, and we passed right by the arcade games. We were there for one thing and one thing only - the food. Admittedly, we just ate the whole time! The locals seemed to be purists and preferred the old stand-by - boiled crawfish. We, however, were more adventurous. We had crawfish prepared every way you can imagine, but the tastiest was a crawfish bread - a pocket of yeasty bread stuffed with chopped crawfish meat, tasty sauce, and cheese. Dee-ee-lish! We also had it stir-fried, in mashed potatoes, soft-shelled... Yummy!

We drove through the Ninth Ward en route to and from the night's festivities, and, I must say, it's still pretty grim. You can still see X's painted on fronts of obviously-uninhabited homes. There are blocks with no homes at all, and houses with lights on inside were a rarity. Businesses were closed, and streets were deserted. It will be a long time before this area comes back - I suspect in a different capacity than before.

The next morning, we headed back down to the French Quarter for The World's Largest Oyster Po-boy Sandwich and contest. It was a popular event!



I've never seen po-boys prepared so creatively! Tables were set up in a line for two blocks. Every two tables were relegated to a different restaurant. Fried oysters were provided, and the restaurant could choose to dress the sandwich any way they wanted. We scoped out the different offerings and positioned ourselves for a taste of the one we thought looked the most interesting. The one I sampled featured the oysters tossed in a sherry and oyster butter sauce before placing them on the sandwich with celery root slaw and a creole mustard sauce.



Next to us, the oysters were tossed in a sweet and hot sauce, with blue cheese crumbles topping the concoction.



Others were equally as creative, interesting, and mouthwatering...




Entries were sampled by judges, and prizes were awarded to the top three po-boys. After much pontification on the part of the event sponsors and select politicians, the countdown began, and all the sandwiches were cut at once. It was a hoot!



We grabbed our samples and headed for the airport. It was a great way to end our visit. While waiting for our plane, I checked voice mail and found that the sub job I thought I had just finished was actually going to continue. Back to work...