NEW ORLEANS MEMORIES

Our tour of New Orleans included a stop at the Sydney and Walda Bestow Sculpture Garden that had many interesting sculptures including ones by Henry Moore and George Segal.

Sculpture by Henry Moore





New Orleans is known for above ground cemeteries.  

                         The Garden district is one of the loveliest areas with grand houses.                                                

Another highlight was the WWII museum that tells the story of the American experience in the war. 

This part of the WWII museum shows some of the involvement in Europe

We visited Mardi Gras World where one can see floats and decorations that have been used for past parades and watch work being done for future floats.

The Louisiana State museum had displays of costumes worn at Mardi Gras balls.

We had brunch at the Court of the Two Sisters in the French Quarter and enjoyed listening  to jazz music while sampling local cuisine such as gumbo, turtle soup and bananas foster from the buffet.

We had the opportunity to go to a cooking school to watch the preparation of creole dishes like gumbo, shrimp estouffee, bananas foster and pralines.

Preparing bananas foster

Jackson Square is in the heart of the French Quarter.  It is easy to stroll through the district to admire the architecture and listen to street musicians

This building has a good example of the wrought iron railing seen on many balconies.







Note the Mardi Gras beads on the left balcony

This jazz group was playing in front of the Louisiana State Museum.

Jackson Statue in front of the St. Louis Cathedral,  the oldest cathedral in the U.S.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRIP MEMORIES

Paul and I enjoyed a river trip on the Mississippi River on the American Duchess.  The itinerary began in  Memphis with visits to the National Civil Rights Museum, adjacent to where Martin Luther King was assassinated  and  the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum before boarding  the paddlewheel river boat American Duchess.

A mural at the Civil Rights Museum

A mixer used with Elvis Presley music

 A stop was made at Vicksburg National Military Park that preserves the site of the Civil War Battle of Vicksburg in 1863.  The 47 day siege ended with the surrender of the city.  Over 1000 historic markers and monuments are scattered over the battleground.

Markers describe the battle in this area

The Illinois state memorial is modeled after the Parthenon

Longwood Plantation in Natchez is  known for its octagonal plan  that  was never finished.

           Stanton Hall is an Antebellum Classical Revival mansion in Natchez.

Tea garden area behind Stanton Hall

Stanton Hall entry

Paul is making friends with a horse trained at Angola Prison

A museum exhibit at Angola Prison about the on site rodeo

Angola prison in Louisiana is the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. with over 6,000 prisoners. It is self sufficient with a dairy, ranch, repair shops and cash crops.

It has vocational and education classes.  It also features a rodeo in April and every Sunday in October in a 10,000 person stadium and included is an  Arts and Crafts festival with items made by the prisoners.

  Nottoway Plantation in White Castle is a Greek Revival and Italianate-styled mansion with 64  rooms built in  1859.

Nottoway Plantation

The Ballroom at Nottoway

The elegant dining room      

Sitting room at Nottoway

Paul and I in the show room on the boat.

       After Nottoway plantation the next day's boat stop was New Orleans, our final destination. This paddle wheel boat looks similar to the American Duchess that we were on.

OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO

We enjoyed refreshing root beer floats one afternoon in Old Town

Old Town San Diego

By 1846 the U.S. declared war on Mexico and a new constitution was written in 1849 and California was a state in 1850.  By then the American flag was raised in the plaza and San Diego was incorporated as a city.

 The San Diego Union Museum is a historic structure in Old Town San Diego.

This first office of the San Diego Union newspaper is restored to what it was when the Union printed its first edition on October 10, 1868 as a weekly paper. Visitors can view the original printroom with a Washington press and the editor's office

Don Jose Antonio Auirre adobe mansion site  

Don Jose Aguirre

Father Antonio Ubach

Casa de Aguirre is an important landmark within the Old Town Market as it displays the life and traditions of the settlers of Old Town, San Diego’s first city. The home of Don Jose Aguirre and his family, the original adobe was built in 1853. Don Jose later gave the building and all his land to the Catholic Church. Father Antonio Ubach used the home as a site for an industrial school for Indians.

figurines in shop next to museum in Aguire's hom

store room-Casa de Estudillo

In 1907 Spreckles bought the remains of  La Casa de Estudillo and started to restore Old Town. La Casa de Estudillo is a fine example of a home of a leading family of that era.  It  was built by Jose Estudillo with an inner courtyard with bedrooms,  servants quarters, a kitchen, storage rooms, a living and dining room and a chapel.  It was the social and religious center during the Mexican and early American periods 

La Casa de Estudillo