Road Trip Highlights - Part Two

So for the next leg of our journey we decided it would be fun to go to New Orleans, Louisiana and experience Mardi Gras...Blue Dog style!

Of course we needed some seriously fun Jazz to accompany us along the way, and who better to supply those Jazzy music needs than NOLA's very own...the Mr.'s Wynton and Ellis Marsalis...pure jazz royalty!




Once we arrived, we realized that beads, masks, feathers and crowns were going to be needed...everyone was thrilled about that!

So we tried some things on and then got to gettin all dressed up!

This is Frank...he wasn't very thrilled about having to dress up, but he was a good sport about it and ended up looking quite festive!

And this is Estelle...Frank's wife. She was still trying to decide what color all her finery should be when I took this picture. Frank kept telling her she looked just fine as is, and since they were running late, she should just stick to the all white theme and call it good! Estelle would hear nothing of the sort...but as we had to hightail it out of there to get our perfect parade spot, we never found out what she actually ended up choosing...I'm sure it was dazzling though!

This is Lavinia...Estelle's best friend. She stayed behind to help Estelle in her decision making.

Then there was Fern...she decided to be different! Since Blue Dog can technically be blue, red, green, pink...or yellow, she thought it would be fun to mix things up a bit. Who wants to wear the same color all the time anyway?

And then at long last, when we'd had our fun and explored all the shiny, glittery and colorful delights of Mardi Gras and New Orleans (well, not all the delights, we are ages 6-10 after all)...it was time to head back home to our beloved Seattle...

And to once again see the glorious night sky that hangs like an umbrella over that famous Emerald City skyline...that is, when it's not cloudy of course!

And when we finally did reach home...it was time to immediately start planning our next trip! This time, we're going Around The World...London, China, Russia, and Egypt I think...still working on the itinerary...but there's plenty of time...we don't leave until NEXT MONDAY! Wish me luck!

A huge thank you to all of my delightful traveling companions - to my partner in Art...Alicia, who's very special talents provided us with our New Orleans and Seattle destinations, to Miss. Kaitlyn Elizabeth...who's map reading and many other skills were indispensable (you always rock, even after a night of Katy Perry),...and of course, to our fabulous students who amaze us with their creativity, humor, wonderful stories...and plain old cuteness...you all are the very best! ♥