Blind Boys of Alabama make a visit to St. Augustine Church Treme neighborhood New Orleans

The Blind Boys of Alabama made a visit yesterday to historic St Augustine church, the first US Church formed for the Black community in one of the oldest Black neighborhoods (if not the oldest) in the United States, the Treme. The place was packed and this is significant because after the storm the church was almost shut down and deconsecrated by the diocese due to lack of parishoners and consolidation of parishes.There was a nationwide effort to keep the church going(well and there was something like a lock in led by local protest group Common Ground but that's another entry) and these donations have kept the church going, but just barely. The organist travels from Houston Texas *every* weekend.At work we used to order their catfish (came with macaroni & slaw)plate lunches every Friday to assist but this of course has gone the way of so many other things. What I love about Treme is they still have CORNER STORES there, about four or so of them.You can stop and get a cold drink or get the paper or even a sandwhich and you dont have to get in a car.There was a second line after mass and then the Blind Boys kept showing up all over the quarter and giving the Tourists a thrill.

French Quarter still struggling Post K

After the Arts Market of New Orleans yesterday,I headed down to the quarter to attend the end the war march which is now going to be a monthly event.

After finding a great and free spot on Esplanade (one of quite a few), it was time to march up Royal Street in order to catch up with the group outside the Louisiana Supreme Court building.

It shouldnt be so easy to find a parking spot on a Saturday night outside the French Quarter.There were tons of people in their LSU gear walking around but there still wasnt a crowd to be found anywhere. There was a faux second line coming down the street for someone's wedding, heading out of the St. Louis Cathedral and around the block before hitting a rest. for someone's wedding. I say faux because the only Black people in the second line happened to be the band...

At any rate, it was pretty quiet and tame so it wasnt hard to notice all the empty shops,places going out of business and such. Not so much in the lower quarter where there are a lot of residents and home ownership, but much more around Jackson Square.
I didnt really think about the ease of parking and such til close to ho
me.It was a lovely night, kinda cool, and there is a big convention in town.Am hoping business will pick up for folks and more people come visit.

This Handmade Life... our Etsy debut

Today Heather and I made our Etsy debut:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/thisHandmadeLife/article/erin-from-etsy-new-orleans-trip-part-4/309/

Etsy has a fantastic new feature on their Storque where they interview folks about their process, show their studios, et al. We were fortunate to be able to meet with Erin when she visited this past Mardi Gras.

We really appreciate Erin Haldrup's shout out to New Orleanians. She has so far featured quite a few New Orleans Etsians. Thanks yall for all the care you show to our city!

Making it right Brad Pitt, Common Ground and others making our city a better place to live

After the Saints lose several weeks in a row, my students have said they want to hang the season up. But for every reason we want to hang it up sometimes, there are 20 more to keep plugging away and make this city better. I woke up this morning to hear about a redevelopment in the lower ninth ward that is going to impact our community, for the better, in about 150 different ways.
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/lower_9th_ward_project_to_buil.html
I was just in the ninth ward 2 days ago and took these pics:




For all of the neighborhoods you see coming back with aplomb, there are just as many struggling and suffering and the 9th ward is clearly suffering.
One thing I hope these developers keep in mind, is that this area suffers from a dearth of green space where familes can get exercise, ride bikes and enjoy nature.
When we were house hunting, we looked at several homes in the upper ninth ward but the biggest problem was that so many houses had no available green space nearby to bring our dog to or for us to ride our bikes or even take a long walk. The neighborhood is disected and bisected by wide swaths of mean streets and fast cars.
There are also no more corner stores. So thanks Brad Pitt, but let's also keep in mind that we need resources for wholistic living to sustain our community as well.

Surfing for Debris in New Orleans,Central City

On a lazy Indian Summer type day we headed over to The Bank to see if there was any fabulous architectural salvage we just couldnt live without.The Bank is one of those fantastic, overpriced, architectural salvage places that you can find everything you want but nothing you can afford. It feeds your chippy rusty soul kind of like an Abita Pecan Beer.

The drive to the Bank is one of those turn back in time adventures a person can only have in New Orleans due to the lack of gentrification in areas like Central City.Low brow charm at its best, this aged neighborhood has pockets of its former glory as a historic Black Shopping District but they are covered in vines, plywood sould shuttered against the light of day.Being near these buildings is like brushing up against the fur of history in the night.

If you head south on Rampart, out of the quarter and follow the road along and never turn, you'll hit this spot just a few blocks past the Interstate overpass.Brightly colored murals and a Hope Community Credit union are your guideposts. During the week, you can hit Cafe Reconcile on your right for a genuine New Orleans lunch either before or after your jaunt. They are not open on the weekends. Dont miss the red beans and rice or etouffe.


The Bank is your second or third left at the light past the Cafe on either Felicity or Euterpe. It's a muse- that's all that sticks in the memory.


Housed in a nondiscript red building with black shutters, the Bank houses great salvage and snippy service.There may be a bit too much lead paint inhalation on the premises so keep your visit brief.Prices do vary based on who waits on you so try to get the younger guy to help you out. He's nice.



Dont miss the fabulous debris piles featured around and amongst this neighborhood.There is a shotgun double right next door that threw out their entire slate roof. Sigh.

Across the street was a great cast iron bed and various and sundry rusty metalicious delights on the curb, ripe for the picking. This is a dont miss neighborhood for trash picking and debris surfing!