Jazzing to Geno...

Once again it is impossible to wake-up after this good nap I just had, wish I could remember the dreams, since the dreams in a afternoon nap are more vivid. I better hurry though because I have to go and get drinks for tonight's dinner at Moto. I bike quickly over to Rouses, buy one six-pack of Abita Restoration and a six-pack of Abita Jockamo and for the wine-drinkers a large bottle of Cavit's Pinot Gridio , I think that should do for a while. I pack it into my back-pack and buzz back to Karen's to unload, leave the heavy stuff to the girls and then bike over to Moto's in the University District. Another good ride along busy streets here in New Orleans. I got there via Airline, the overpass to South Carrollton Ave., let onto Fontainbleau, right to Broadway then zig-zag over to Pine street. Not no sweat at all, I arrived soaking wet, but had a fresh shirt and my flip-flops with me. Moto greeted me by sitting on her front-porch, Karen and Sabine haven't arrived yet. I'm ready to party.

Dinner party at Moto's with, Karen, Sabine, Jeffrey & Diana from Atlanta, GA, Sarah & Lee, in the backyard...


Moto prepared a large plate of Antipasti for appetizers, spaghetti with a meat-sauce and a salad. Enough to feed an army, but she was worried all the way to the end that it might not be enough for all of us. Al and Joann could not make it and later a client of hers showed up too. It was grand, what else can I say. In the end I was way too stuffed to sit my fat ass onto the bike and ride back to Karen's. Instead I stuffed the bike in the back of Karen's car and we went home that way. Ready for another good night sleep...



In the morning I have a bunch of things I want to get done before I hop back onto the bike and go to the Jazz Fest one more time. Writing this blog, fixing pictures, making Chai Tea, eating breakfast, uploading pictures, answering e-mail and then I had to force myself to leave. I want to be at the Fais Do Do Stage by 12:20 to dance to Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band. But first, lets send some birthday wishes to my friend Abbot Cutler in Western-Massachusetts, I'll have a drink on you later in the day!
This is a great way to get to the Jazz Fest, by bike, there is a special area for bike-parking right next to one of the entrances, racks are set-up and guards are on duty. Again, I'm soaking wet, I change from bike-shirt and shoes to a nice shirt and flip-flops and dive into the already busy Fair-Grounds. Music coming from every direction and the smell of food is making me hungry again. Good thing is that I ate a egg-sandwich before I left Karen's.

Bike-parking and the Grand Entrance of Jazz Fest...


Then Keith Frank with his Soileau Zydeco Band, with a few familiar faces...



It's gonna be another hot day, I can feel it. Better drink lots of water and conserve my energy so I last all day. I stroll along the crafts-fair booths and come across Ginger Kelly. She is a glass-blower, has a store in Breaux Bridge, LA, right around the corner form the famous Cafe des Amis. Last year during Laborday weekend, when I was there and Hurricane Gustav was about to ravage through this area, I bought a wedding-present from her for Christoph and Ina's wedding, she packed it up and mailed it to Switzerland and all went well.

Ginger Kelly at her booth at the Jazz Fest...


The variety of the different genres is amazing, like years before I went to see the South African Crocodile Gumboot Dancers, another jaw-dropping sight to see them perform this call and respond dance and singing.

Crocodile Gumboot Dancers from Durban, South Africa...


Then more friends form the Bay Area to Louisiana and any other place of the US...


Three o'clock comes faster than expected and next thing is I'm dancing to Geno Delafose...

More Music, More Fun...

This Jazz Fest thing is exhausting, hours of walking around, it is hot, a cool breeze once in a while, then music and more. I watch the Mardi Gras Indians and feel for them to be dressed like that in the full sun, or even on the stage for an almost hour long show.

The Creole Wild West Indians, dance, sing and drums...


One of the highlights is Joe Cocker, how old is this guy now and he is still at it. What a show it is, I only can see him on the big screen, too many people to get close enough to the stage to actually see him, but it seemed to me that he needed to be propped up to make it through the program.

Watching Joe Cocker on the big screen...


Hanging on to the camp paid off... the gang is watching Joe sing...


I watch for a little while then I move to the Fais Do Do Stage to listen to Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, what him again??? Didn't I just saw him last night!!!

Fais Do Do Stage, that's where all the action is...


Lonnie dancing with Sharon, and a guy wearing a crazy hat...


Watch the pin that reassembles a Swiss Pro Juventute Stamp from 1920 showing the flag of the City of Zürich, too bad it was not one from Basel, I would have talked to that guy, but Zürich...

At the last moment I discover the webcam of the NO Jazz and Heritage Festival, every year I see that darn thing and never know anybody that I could call and get a picture done this way, this time I had this brilliant idea to call my friend and neighbor Eva Ruland, if she is home she is more likely on-line. I call and she promptly goes to that site and captures me 2500 miles away, just to send it to me, another 2500 miles back so that I can share them with you...

Thank you Eva, go see her link, see above, and help spread the word about her workshops...

Promptly at 7 the fields get cleared, and thousands of people steaming to the gates, Karen and I grab our chairs and slip through the Sauvage Pedestrian Gate and walk to her friends house about 12 blocks away for a party. She keeps telling me that I know Pat too, she has been on the Cycle Zydeco ride the years before and and and...
Moto, a.k.a. Sharon is taking the shuttle to the parking-lot and will meet us there too, we beat her. During the walk there I was fantasizing of a good beer, preferable an Abita and a bowl of Rice and Red Beans. Boy am I in luck, once we're inside the house, meet the host Pam Danner, and as Karen says, I do know her, attack the food and drink. A big pot of Red Beans with Sausages, another big pot of Gumbo, white rice, brown rice, platers with cheese, veggies, dips, chips and and and, a feast an the right beer to really fulfill my wish from before. I'm happy!!!

Party at Pam's...


Talking with Lonnie at the party, he reminds me about going to Cafe des Amis in the morning, before the International Music Fest in Lafayette. I convince Moto to come and join me on this. Well, not too much damage I had to do to her before she agreed to pick me up at 7 in the morning, but you know what that means??? Getting-up real early, and also we better get going to get home a decent time to catch enough Z's.

Sharon drives her grasshopper-green Element into Karen's driveway, I load-up all the stuff I might need, spare shirts, my shit-kickers for dancing, lots of water and a thermos with Chai Tea I made fresh this morning, cameras and other stuff. I'm ready for another adventure.

Diving West on I-10 across the Atchafalaya Basin...


One of my favorite places to dance, eat and hang... Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge. We get there sometime after 9 am.

Walking into Cafe des Amis is like coming home, lots of people that know me and I know through the Zydeco dancing...


Lonnie and Cleo from the Bay Area, CJ is local and Sharon & Lindy are form New Orleans...


Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys is
playing for us and the place is a madhouse, lots of people come just for the dancing, others just for the food and I'm sure there are a few who are here for the music. For me it's all of the above, love to music, the dancing and of corse the food, lets order some soon. First we have to get a table and that is a problem. They do have now the newest technology with them peepers but the wait is still long, so more dancing more fun...

When Moto and I finally get a table we have to share it with a father and daughter couple who live in Texas, we enjoyed them a lot...


I ordered a Egg-Croissant with sausage patty and cheese, that comes with Cheese-Andouille-Grits, and let me tell you that is the only grits I eat in this whole country, the best stuff called grits. By now I'm so hungry that I also get a stack of Pancakes, a cup of coffee and a Mimosa. The whole thing cost me around 30 bucks!!!
Some time after 12 the show is over, the band is packing-up and I'm ready to go back home to sleep some more. For some reason I woke up at 5 and could not get back to sleep, so I got up and worked on the Blog again.
But the day is far form over, while driving over to Lafayette we pass the turn-off to Lake Martin, an interesting nature place, swamp, bird-rookery, fishing and alligator watching, right here between Breaux Bridge and Lafayette. We decide to go and have a closer look. I did a swamp-tour 2 years ago with Sarah Hazlip and I was amazed about the beauty and wilderness of this area.
I discovered improvements, they build a wooden walk-way over a swampy area so we all can get a better look at the Cypress-Trees and other plants that come out of the water.

Lake Martin, Swamp, Cypress-Tress, Birds and more...


Just before 3 o'clock we finally settled our chairs in front of the Popeye Stage of the International Music Fest in Lafayette, on the way there we ran into Jo from Dallas, TX, our new friend from Thursday night at the dinner.