The Mardi Gras fun continues!

Sunday, February 15, 2009, an afternoon of relaxation and parade enjoyment. I headed out to Metairie to catch more parades, this time, at a different location. What most people will tell you is that they find a location and stick with it, year after year. Since I'm kinda new at this, I like the thought of bouncing around-catching it off Houma with Shaun, right on the neutral ground on Vet's with Tracy, and now taking in the sights right off Severn.

My plan was to meet a couple more ladies from my office, Linda and Matilda, to watch the Krewe of Rhea parade, and maybe stick around for the Krewe of Centurions parade that followed. Linda's daughter is on one of the dance teams and was marching in the Rhea parade. The day was beautiful, positively glorious. You couldn't have asked for a more delightful day: 75, sunny, with a slight breeze off the ocean. It doesn't get more perfect than that.

I was able, thankfully, to find Linda and Matty with relative ease (which is something you won't oft hear me say). I came prepared to this parade with a fold-up chair and a cooler full of beer. Of all the locations I've been to thus far, I think I liked the Severn one the best. You get to see the parade come up one side, and then it crosses right back in front of you as it comes up the other side of Severn.

The Rhea parade really wasn't all that remarkable, aside from the fact that the parade kept stopping. Seemed like every other float broke down. This caused the parade to stretch far longer than it was supposed to. Once it was over, we just decided to stay on for the Krewe of Centurions, but by this time, night had started to set-in. The temperature dropped and we were all freezing! Fortunately, there is a Morning-Call restaurant right around the corner from where we were stationed. If you're familiar with Cafe Du Monde, Morning-Call is essentially the same thing-coffee/chicory and biegnets.

I promise you, I ate no less than a dozen biegnets that day. Everytime one of us wanted to use the bathroom (as an aside, I was forced to use the men's room almost every time because there was only 1 ladies stall working and after that much beer, Chappy ain't waitin' for the ladies room to clear), one of us went and bought more biegnets, and as soon as the temperature dropped, we took up refuge in the restaurant itself. The Centurions parade was more fun. I entertained myself by watching the men on one particular float that happened to stop right in front of us for a long period of time!

For my first full-on Mardi Gras weekend, I'd definitely give it an "A"!


Matilda, Chappy, Linda:


Krewe of Rhea parade:


More Krewe of Rhea parade: