My favourite balcony in the French Quarter. (New Orleans, LA, June 7-11)

And this was a tame Monday night on Bourbon St.

We got one of the coveted balcony seats along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. From our perch we listened to the street musicians and watched the buskers and others make a buck in creative ways. Our beer has been replaced by cocktails with names like hand grenade and hurricane. (New Orleans)

Toured Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World; his company has been making floats for Mardi Gras since the mid 30's. After looking at float characters in various stages of the build process, we were free to roam the building containing several completed floats. Theme requests are received from parade participants, called Krewes, a year in advance, they're designed and then cut out of styrofoam, covered with layers of paper mache, painted and mounted on the float vehicles. The history of Krewes and how they fund their floats and sponsor their own parades is worth a Google - very different than parade models at home. (New Orleans)

Wandering the French Quarter in the evening, when the 33 degree heat of the day cooled to a balmy 28, and listening to the street musicians was a lot of fun. Some, like this band, were particularly good. (New Orleans)

A parasol has always been on my list and now with the intense sun, I've got the kitschiest one of all tricked out with eyelet material. (New Orleans)

This was day 3 of so much walking and sun, that I sought out a foot massage: I laid on a damp towel (someone else's sweat?) while a guy rubbed, slapped and pounded every part of my feet. It felt soooo good. (New Orleans)

With a canal right behind the RV, we were able to put in our own "yacht" steps from our door. (New Orleans)

Thrilling ride (no seatbelts!) through a 1700 acre privately owned swamp. Over a 100 yrs ago someone bought the land to rent out for crabbing, crawfishing, shrimping, hunting and a small fanboat operation. We saw 4 alligators with one being an old 1,200 pounder. The soft pink within their open jaws looked almost dough like. (Des Allemands, LA, June 5)

What a cutie.

Eating my vegetables trying to stay healthy; baked yam drizzled with caramel sauce & topped with marshmallows...surprisingly yum - maybe it will appear on our next Thanksgiving menu :) (On the road in Louisiana, June 4)

The calm before the storm...hours later our campsite looked like a bayou. We're in the Atchafalaya Basin, the continent's largest river basin swamp & now proud owners of a mosquito zapper. (Lake Fausse, LA, June 3)

First time out in the kayak, but now we're in alligator country - both the ranger and state park signs warned "no swimming allowed". (Baton Rouge, LA, June 2)

Louisiana State Museum - Another great one, especially the floor filled with costumes from various festivals with Mardi Gras being the highlight. (Baton Rouge, June 1)

A brunch food tour that turned out to be private... Kim took us to 5 places while talking about the city's history, sites & architecture. The state allows you to carry your alcoholic drinks in the street, so our local-rum drinks went from restaurant to restaurant. This fried tomato with a crab bernaise was a fave. No dinner that night! (Baton Rouge, June 1,)

Louisiana's state flower - the magnolia. I've been drawn to them like the tropical frangipani. Too bad they don't have the same scent. (Baton Rouge, June 1)

Crawfish feast - the butcher recommended 6lbs for 2 people! An hour later, with a cut thumb & tender fingers, we were finished - from now on its pre-peeled ones for us. (Natchez, MS, May 31)

Family business that apparently appreciates hunting & wine. (Natchez, May 30)

Toured through this 1847 antebellum house filled with elaborate original furniture & fixtures (14,000 sq ft!). Most of this quaint town was spared from destruction during the civil war leaving many circa 1800's homes. (Natchez, May 29)

It's starting to look like the bayou, so far north, with submerged tree trunks. (Lake Providence, AR, May 27)

We got caught in such a bad storm that drivers slowed down and proceeded with their hazard lights on and, at its worst, many of us pulled over to await a break. Eventually the corn fields started to flood. (Leland, MS, May 26)

Today it started raining hard and the wind was causing our RV to sway a bit... About an hour into it my phone made a loud horn noise & then this warning message was broadcast. (Memphis, TN, May 25)

Civil Rights Museum; most authentic museum we've seen - it was housed in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. As the exhibits wound around the hallways & rooms of the motel, you ended in his room left as it was the day he was shot on the balcony. Afterwards you walked across the street into the assassins motel & repeated the process. (Memphis, May 24)

The Civil Rights Museum outlined to us how slave songs sung in the cotton fields contained hidden meanings, especially when it was time to make an escape effort using the rivers & the Big Dipper as their guide to Canada, the promised land, as the destination. (Memphis, May 24)

Toured the Gibson guitar factory - we wandered the shop floor watching each crafts person do their piece. Their guitars are handmade in about 30 steps (except 2 computerized stations). Only 2 guys paint every instrument in this factory! (Memphis, May 24)

Beale Street - declared Home of the Blues by an act of Congress. We parked ourselves at a really beat up little joint to take in its signature sounds. (Memphis)

At the gates of Graceland... We spent over 5 hrs - mansion, stables, cars, jets and a room filled with awards & gold records. We had no idea he sold so many albums or movies. (Memphis)

One of Elvis' countless elaborate stage costumes. Up close the number of rhinestones sewn on and the weight of them struck me, especially thinking his performances were so energetic under the hot lights.