Dumpster Diving by the bayou

I had to go to the bayou yesterday to deliver some swag. A local artist did a write up on Heather and me and I wanted to thank her. After dropping off her cuffs I came upon what Chris Rose has called "those mountains of sorrow." A half block sized pile of what remains of some little old lady's life.They are just now getting to gut her home some two years after the storm. I can only imagine what the family has been through and the reasons why they have only to just now start gutting the home. The house next door was one that burned down in the eighties and is only just now being rebuilt after a protracted lawsuit with NOPSI/Entergy and a faulty wiring situation.On the same street, and block, a young couple were robbed in their home, the husband killed after driving to the ATM to get cash out for the 17 year old robber. John Mac school #16 is also there; the school where middle schoolers got into a fight and shot the off duty police officer and a couple of students.One of the things I love about the city is that virtually every block could be a microcosm of all the life here: drug dealers living next door to college students, little old ladies living next door to the Bear Nation president and his pack of cubs that come home in leather night after night.It is really time to start making lemonade out of the lemons we've been dealt- politically, morally and spiritually in this city.
Yesterday morning I awoke to hear that some of the school board members - who committed some of the most unjust acts against our cities' children- are being called up before a federal judge. It's time for renewal and making flower bouquets out of all the debris.

Fringe Benefits- All of the fantastic inspiration available on Etsy!

One of the benefits of being a seller on Etsy has got to be the wealth of inspiration and the support of a creative community to help you on your journey.One such artist is Dennice, better known as "Fringe" http://fringe.etsy.com. After viewing her shop, I just had to purchase this scarf of crocheted orange roses (pictured above on the mantel). It is hot as heck here these days and not quite the crochet scarf weather so it just seemed fitting to place this on the dining room mantel.Her work really brings a 3-d dimension to dressing and gives an outfit a bit of a sculptural and shabby feel. Dennice, along with Kateri Morton, http://leavesofglass.etsy.com and Judy, http://talula.etsy.com have been featured in this blog: http://katerimorton.blogspot.com to bring a bit of urban shabby our way-

Buy local and buy often Artist Rudy Rowell coming to a NOLA market near you

Late last fall, Heather and I were both thrilled to have discovered this great local artist, Rudy Rowell. Rudy, also known as "Vigo" (www.vigoboom.com),has been focusing on capturing some of the local color in the form of musicians, mardi gras indians, and vernacular architecture, to great success. His paintings usually sell out before the markets even begin to open, especially at holiday time. Heather gifted me with this painting of the Olympia Brass Band last Christmas, and since then we have begun to accumulate a new one just about every month.
This past market, Rudy suprised me with a portrait of Billy Bob Hopson, a local art car maker and folk artist extraordinaire.Billy Bob is/was a good friend of mine, and happens to be the subject of my thesis film. Billy Bob lost his wife, his home and most of his art cars due to Katrina and has only recently begun to rebuild his life and vehicles in the past year. This painting reminds me of friendships past- Billy- and friendships new- Rudy and how more important than ever it is to keep good people close to you. I am inspired to sek Billy out and I will be reporting this news from the fringe as soon as possible.

Found: Love on the streets of New Orleans

It's Father's Day and in hommage, we've got to thank whoever brought this bundle of love into our lives, Miss Estelle. She cried right there on the street until Heather picked her up and brought her home. I refused to look at her, thinking what will we do with one more pet, one more animal to clean up after. We'll just keep her until we find her a new home I thought. Hell, we're both allergic to cats.

It's now four years later and we've got two more contenders to join the cat colony, Cry Baby and Casper. I missed them so much during our holiday and couldnt wait to get back to them.True Love, found on the streets of New Orleans.

EEEEEEEEEEEE

Well we've been cleaning up around here but cannot still believe the snake situation.We talked to our neighbors who seemed stangely fascinated and yet unperturbed by the snake bite prospects. Aparently thehave had some experience with this. That possibility is plausible if you you have ever met these folks. We might just be living next door to deep down snake charmers. In the meantime,my parents are coming for a visit and our yard looks like Beirut. A shabby chic Beirut.

A time to?

A time to grow a time to ... cut down?-


We have been so pleased to have a lush garden this year and beaucoup rain. Our plants are enormous and taking over the yard. They are also providing shelter for some animals we cannot harbor here: snakes.

Yes, a snake has appeared and it seems to be a sort of dangerous fellow. A water moccasin that could bite any of us and most likely kill our animals. He was scared away, most likely to our neighbors yard, but we will have to call the snake buster folks.

And, I may have to get some heart medicine...

Hey, What Time is it?

ITS YARD SALE TIME DOWN BY THE RIVER in NEW ORLEANS


Just about the only thing good around here in the summer -besides cold Abita- is the plethora of yard sales and estate sales. Today we hit this one right around the corner and for ten bucks got a cute antique table for our foyer and some vintage trays & a tub for displaying our stuff at the market.About the only thing good about West Bank yard sales is they are the less traveled path and not too picked over.

Then we hit a really random Estate Sale in the old Aurora Heights section. They didnt lose too many oak trees in the storm and the neighborhood is eerily reminiscent of Lakeview right around the streets named after birds. We got a shiver and it almost felt like estate sale-ing in Lakeview pre K. THose were the days.
Anyway Aurora Heights is vastly under-realised for estate sales. Lots of little old ladies and faux rococo furniture. A gem,sho nuff.

TGIF

It's official.We get our dumpster this morning. Today we get to move from talking about renovating our studio to actually renovating our studio.Today we lose our driveway.Today we start spending a lot of money to get this done with the threat of hurricane season on our backs.Today I will start buying beer again.

Be it ever so humble....

There's no place like ...There is nothing like coming home from a long ten days of thrifting to the fruits of one's labor. We returned to a bucket of tomatoes and a bushel of sunflowers.We returned to swampy days and cool frog-filled nights where even the cats wont come in to escape the frog call opera. We returned home to people who know how to make tea and pull off wearing flip flops to work.We returned home!

Unloading the goods from our thrifting adventure cross country

It has been almost a week and we are still unpacking boxes,taking stock, decompressing and catching up on sleep.


It is amazing how much stuff can be cramed into a car and yet have no place to live in a house full of "collections."

All in all we've been refleccting on how much fun we had visiting Heather's parents while visiting the great wide open.