My Husband, the Gardener

Dean and I were dating. It was still a long distance relationship and I was in California for a few days. We were going to go away from Tahoe for a while because of business. As we were just about to walk out the door, Dean says, “will you water those plants, please, before we leave.” I almost said, “No.” Then I decided now was not the time to tell him I was not a plant person or a gardener or any other dig-in-the-dirt sort. If the relationship developed into anything more permanent, there would be time enough to let him know. So I watered the plants. 

The relationship did develop and at some point after moving to Tahoe, I told him if he wanted me to water the plants, they all had to be in one place. And so they are. And that is the extent of my gardening: watering a group of plants in the front hall. 

Dean, on the other hand, likes to garden. The mountains are hard places for growing and finally this year he has begun to gather some plants around him. He has mint, three tomato plants, some cilantro, and as of this afternoon a spinach plant for 50 cents in a pot from a yard sale. One of the tomato plants has produced several little tomatoes. One has been eaten. Yummy. I use mint every morning and afternoon in my tea and have a couple of fruit soup and dessert recipes for light summer fare that include mint. We are already enjoying Dean’s garden - and no I don’t water or do anything else. He is the gardener for which I am grateful. 

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From the sublime to the ridiculous ~ both of which were great fun!

Tea at the Ritz: a Meredith and Mom tradition from Boston days. One time the Ritz was closed for renovation so we went to the Four Seasons. Ah well - delightful but not the Ritz. This was the Ritz again even though in NOLA, not in Boston. This was the savory course. Meredith had English Breakfast tea, I had Earl Grey.

Sweet course with hot scones in the middle. 

Condiments for the scones: Devonshire Cream, mixed Berry Compote, and Lemon Curd. This lemon curd was Superb!!! 

And finally ~ yes, the Tahoe Mom went to Bourbon Street on a Saturday night!! :D

So you really believe me! And yes - the sign above my head does indeed say "Show Girls"!

People on the balcony toss beads.

And Meredith is expert at catching them and draping them around mom's neck. It was a fun, fun trip ~ lots of food, lots of walking, lots of visiting and loving being with family. Thanks for taking the trip with me via pictures!!

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~ or A Praline in my Pocket!

The Best fried chicken since I walked away from my Aunt Mabel's table for the last time.

Willie Mae's fried chicken and butter beans. My southern soul sang.

Onion rings for breakfast!

A Po-boy for breakfast

Look at the size of that biscuit!!

Black-eye pea fritters with a delicious tomato sauce

at an African restaurant ~ Benechens.

Beef stew over rice and a delicious yeast roll.

Broccoli and chicken over rice with roll.

Boudin rolls with onion rings at Huck Finn's while we waited for ~ 

~ bread pudding souffle'. Oh my.

The quintessential New Orleans praline ~ which I grew up pronouncing pray-line. They pronounce it prah-line. Either way from the Southern Candy Makers they are Wonderful!!

Cafe Beignet's specialty of course - delicious. No one else uses powdered sugar like New Orleans.

Went to Deanie's Seafood for fish. They brought little potatoes instead of bread. 

Fried cat fish - melt in my mouth, lightly battered, absolutely Delicious fried cat fish.

Crab stuffed shrimp. 

I worked on this blog before lunch and was positively drooling by the time the pictures were ready to post. And let's be honest ~ this is the post you were waiting for, right? 

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The Aquarium ~ a perfect way to spend the hottest day of your visit. 

And we loved every variation we saw ~ well, I didn't visit with the python nor did we seek out the spiders. Still, Emerson's quote posted in the Aquarium is very appropriate.

They have a bird area. We fed them. You have to check your hoodies and backpacks before leaving as they tend to land in interesting places.

Amazing fish of all sorts and types.

The little pregnant seahorse tummies belong to the daddies. We even saw a video of mom, who becomes pregnant, depositing the now fertile eggs in dad's tummy. They just hang out tummy to tummy and hers decreases in size while his increases. Fascinating.

Stunning.

I have other pictures of live butterflies which I prefer of course.

Insects, beetles and bugs. I took this one mainly for granddaughter who has a beetle (named Thor) that she nurtured from a pupae into a beetle.

Butterfly room in a museum we passed several times. We were always late enough in the day that it was closed and we didn't get to go in. However, here they are, feeding on fruit and flitting around in a room where we can walk in and be with them. Next time. 

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I am saving pictures of New Orleans' food for a food blog all on its own. This morning, however, Meredith took me, via the St. Charles Street Trolley, to a little, tucked away, found when on an entirely different mission in the Lower Garden, delightful cafe called Il Posto. It is Perfect. 

~ and this was brunch: Meredith had an iced latte, blueberry muffin and fruit cup. I had cold cucumber herb soup with a wonderful chunk of ciabatta and iced tea with a Huge sprig of perfect mint. We sat at a window table and relished every moment. What a little gem of a place!

Gecko hanging out.

Another gecko showing off ~ maybe for a casting director for a new commercial.

Old, lovely New Orleans neighborhood.

Can you tell that those are beads hanging from the branches, not moss? Hard to tell even from the trolley. 

And look who has his own Baja Burrito Bar in NOLA! Who knew? 

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Let's start with art. Walking down a rough and tumble side street, this beauty was just there.

We took the ferry across and back - short free ride, got me on the river.

The Mississippi.

Traffic on the river.

Bridge.

Barge.

Meredith and Susan on the ferry.

Cathedral behind Jackson Square.

Carnival Cruise was in port.

Jackson Square. The horseman is Andrew Jackson. 

~ and we will end with the art of the flowered balcony.