My mother's new house - under construction. The front was bricked this past Thursday. Based on the progress of other houses on the street, we're projecting a finish date of September 30 or so.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Rebuilding
Is it Wood or is it Carpet?
This is a great photo of the carpet in Owen's house - fashioned to look like wood floors! Now that the wedding is behind them, I'm sure Gretchen will take on new floor covering as a project Click on the photo for a zoomed in view where you can see the texture of the carpet.
Monteleone Carousel Bar
Before the wedding, Melissa and Jake enjoyed a drink at the rotating carousel bar. There was limited seating, so Todd and I did not get a seat at the bar.
During the Wedding
Gretchen and Owen at the altar during their wedding ceremony. They are facing the back of the church as their parents retreive the bread and wine for the communion service. Behind them are Owen's sister Melissa (maid of honor and only bridesmaid) and his brother, Kevin (the best man and only groomsman). The only others in the wedding were Gretchen's sons, plus Todd and Jake both did readings.
McDonalds for $9.75/hr
On the West Bank in New Orleans, we saw this sign on a McDonald's restaurant - "$9.75 per hour and weekly bonuses." Another sign said 'Dining room closed - Drive through only.'
Monteleone Parking Sucks
This photo is the result of parking the car in Moneleone hotel guest parking. Obviously the car sideswiped a post or dumbwaiter door or something. This was discovered when our car was finally brought to us at 6:31 and we were trying to make a 7 p.m. wedding, so as everyone else hopped in the car, I snapped this shot. Todd's driving to the wedding scared the rest of us witless, so suffice it to say we were all sweating when we got to the un-air-conditioned church that night.
Hotel Monteleone Garage
Have you heard the one about being late for the wedding? Todd, Jake, Melissa and I were 35 minutes late for the rehearsal on Thursday night, and almost late for the wedding on Friday. In a nutshell, the Monteleone Garage is an accident waiting to happen. The parking attendants drive the cars up on dumbwaiters to upper floors, and Thursday night (night of rehearsal) when we got our car out of hotel parking, it took 30 minutes of waiting. Friday night when we were traveling to the wedding, it took 45 minutes and we arrived at the church only 2 minutes prior to the wedding. Whew. But, when Todd's mother pulled up right behind us at the church, I knew we were in the clear.
Riverwalk Food Court
Sadly, the Riverwalk mall has a lot of empty storefronts due to the lack of tourists and shoppers. Only three restaurants in the food court were open, so I took this photo of the empty food court. (Click on the photo for a closer look.) Those 3 open restaurants were doing a booming business.
Hotel Monteleone Pool
The Hotel Monteleone has a great pool area - we were able to relax Friday afternoon before the wedding at the pool for a couple of hours. It's on the 16th floor (rooftop) overlooking the city. From this height, the city looks great. When you get down on ground level, you notice how small the crowds are, how many businesses and buildings are boarded up and damaged, and how few tourists are roaming the Quarter.
Hotel Monteleone - New Orleans
For the wedding, Todd, Jake, Melissa and I stayed at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Although the positives included a great location and neat hotel bar, and nice rooms, we were disappointed in several things about the hotel, including the service. I'm sure the Monteleone is like every other business in New Orleans - having trouble finding qualified labor.
Rehearsal Dinner - Boutte's
The wedding rehearsal was immediate family only. That's good because the car with the four of us (Todd, Jake, me and Melissa) arrived 35 minutes late for the rehearsal. (More on that later.) Anyway, afterwards we ate at this charming family owned bayou restaurant, Boutte's. Great food - and authentic cajun, needless to say. You can drive up to this restaurant by car or by boat - it backs up to the canal.
St. Pius Catholic Church
This past weekend Todd's sister was married in South Louisiana. St. Pius Church in Crown Point, Louisiana, site of the wedding, is a somewhat rural church near Lafitte and close to the canals. The priest was very nice and even let us Methodists take communion at the (full mass) wedding. It was beautifully decorated but the air conditioning was lacking. They ran a box fan during the wedding, blowing on the bride and groom.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
EMS Personnel
Our neighbor, who lives alone and is in her 70's, has one of those medic-alert necklaces. Tonight she fell and was forced to press the button. Not only did pressing the button summon he ambulance, the local police and the fire department to her house (within 20 minutes - ambulance was very quick), it also set off an external house alarm that could be heard for a couple of blocks. It got our attention and we were able to call the woman's son who lives nearby. At any rate, she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and we wish her the best. I have to say that their decision to purchase that necklace was a good one. Within minutes, Trebbie had more than a dozen people who knew she was in trouble.
Cosmo's Cap
One of our two sweet houseguests, Cosmo, sporting his kitty cap. We think he resembles a little bookie. Place your bets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
