TIS THE SEASON!

TIS THE SEASON

Tis the season,

To trim the tree, palm tree it is.

Tis the season,

For Poinsettias, in your neighbour's garden that is.

Tis the season,

The weather man calls for "A very hot winter day" 30 degrees Celsius.

How strange.

Question, how do one celebrate the season, in Southern Florida? Just like in Canada I guess. To my surprise, they trim "Natural trees". Strange, but true. People set out to pick and buy their very own evergreen from the tree lot just like us.  Some trees, even comes "frosted". Very pretty I must say. For us, in the North, ( not sure if it's up north or down north, I want to say "up"),  we tie the "tree", to the car top, drive it home and let it sit to defrost impatiently before the trimming starts. Here, I heard on the local radio, that they "de-spider it" if that is a word. Yes in deed, ....spray it, or do something to it, before it comes in the house. Who wants an infestation of spiders? ( thought about you on this one, Christina Langlois). Strange, but very smart.

Celebration of lights, parades, midnight shopping, crazy traffic, all the same. It is not uncommon for the locals near buy, to take a little evening boat cruise in the inlets to see the waterfront homes all lit up for the Holiday Seasons.

For us, Jean-Paul and I, celebrations will be kept simple. A swim for sure, cocktails by the pool with our snowbird friends enjoying warm sunny Florida, in the absence of our close ones. Hopefully, it will be followed by a moonlight after dinner coffee and desert.  I will try to capture a photo, of the "Cold Moon", the full moon of December, just one of the added gifts of the season. Last time we had a full moon on the 25th, was in 1977.  Take a good look at it.....for the next one will be in 2034.  Don't even want to do the math. All I hope, is that I will still have my eye sight to see the next one. 

All of the seasons traditions that are so close to my heart, "tourtière", "biscuits sablés", "réveillon de Noël", will be revamped by the essence of simplicity this year. We did not come up with a menu for our festive meal yet, but it will be very "un traditional".  We will celebrate with a small table top tree and a few candles to light the very spirit of the magi of the season. The gifts of health, love, friendship, joy, peace and abundance. These are the real gifts of Christmas for me. Something to rejoice now and all year long.

Jean-Paul and I would like to wish all of you a Very Happy, and Merry Christmas. Our one wish for all our friends, loved ones, immediate family far and away that we miss dearly,  is for Peace and Happiness for one and all.

I have captured a few photos of the season for you to enjoy! Merry Christmas!

PHOTO TAKEN BY MY NEW FRIEND, BETH DARLING FROM MARYLAND.

MY NEIGHBOR'S POINSETTIAS, THAT SHE PLANTS YEARLY.

US $ OF COURSE.

OUR VERY OWN, TABLE TOP TREE, "IT'S REAL!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 

A WALK IN THE FRENCH QUARTERS.

A WALK IN THE FRENCH QUARTERS.

Please walk the French Quarters with me, in New Orleans that is. Always wanted to go to Louisiana.  Well It's been crossed off my wish list. At last, had the chance to spend two nights there and walk the streets of down town New Orleans.

The city survived floods, disasters, but it is still the city where you let the good times roll. " Laissez les bons temps rouler". As you drive in the city, visible evidence of Katrina is still very alive even after ten years. This City, truly shows its unique culture and its rich musical heritage. If it's all about the food and the music, it is exactly where Diane wants to be. The whole French Quarters also known as "The Vieux Carré" is fully animated with sidewalk singers, musicians, gypsies, performers, you name it. It is true, the party never ends on Bourbon Street, seven blocks of it. To my pleasant surprise, there are still traditional jazz brass bands that marches the streets at the tune of "When the Saints go marching in". Of course had to partake in that parade, even got lucky I guess, as we had lots of string beads tossed at us from the balconies. 

Our visit there, included an historical walking tour of the French Quarters. New Orleans was founded in 1699 by the French but soon taken over by Spain in the mid 1700's. Must we not forget the very important influential part that our very own French Ancestors played in the survival of the early settlers of New Orleans. The "Cajuns", the Acadians, the deported French speaking colonists who arrived from Acadia, Nova Scotia, Canada. Apparently it is them who passed on some very important skills and knowledge on how to survive the very harsh conditions of the swampy patch of land at the mouth of the Mississippi River that is New Orleans today.

Ah! The Mississippi River..... A trip to New Orleans would just not be complete with out a cruise on  one of those paddle wheelers steamboat. So on board the "Natchez" we go. We had a full evening of live jazz music, dinner and a panoramic view of the evening skyline of New Orleans. It is on our way back to the hotel that we discovered the "Louis Armstrong Park", a cosy little park turned into a live jazz bar, the very site where slaves would gather, where the birth of Jazz was generated. What a nice place to have a night cap among visitors like us from all around the world.

Besides the shopping, the praline factories, the shops, antique boutiques, voodoo dolls, Mardis Gras masks, spending time in the Jackson Square seemed like the place to be. It is there that we watched the performers, got my cards read and had a fabulous feast of authentic Cajun cuisine at the near by Gumbo Shop. This restaurant was built in 1795, it has a very charming unique courtyard, perfect for a special dining experience. We got to enjoy the city's signature Creole and Cajun dishes, gumbo, jambalaya, red beens and rice, and for desert, an other local favourite, bread pudding. 

Last but not least, coffee and beignets at "Café du Monde" my very favorite. We liked it so much, we just had to return twice, to savour their world famous warm puffy square French doughnuts. One order of their icing sugar covered beignets comes in 3 and believe me, they are not for sharing

Enjoy the photos!

SIDEWALK SIGNERS, MUSICIANS AND PERFORMERS.

TRADITIONAL JAZZ BRASS BAND PARADE

NIGHT CRUISE ON THE "NATCHEZ"

LOUIS ARMSTRONG PARK

WALK IN "THE VIEUX CARRÉ"

JACKSON SQUARE

ST LOUIS CATHEDRAL, oldest and most photographed church

GUMBO LUNCH SPECIAL

CRAW FISH

COFFEE AND BEIGNETS PLEASE.........

FROM ZERO TO TWENTY, LEAVING KENTUCKY.

From Zero to Twenty, leaving Kentucky.

From Zero to Twenty, "Celsius" that is, as we were leaving Kentucky early in the morning. It never ceases to amaze me  how it can go from zero degrees Celsius, to twenty degrees in a matter of a few hours, as we travel from North to South. 

When we migrated this time to our southern destination for the winter, we have only noticed very subtle changes in the temperature, specifically in the first three days. From South East New Brunswick to South East Florida, our travels required a lengthy South West course. We have also noticed, very little changes in the forest for the first two days. Travelling later in the fall, versus early winter, the foliage was perhaps one month behind from what we experienced home, in the Atlantic Coast. Most trees had lost some of its leaves, but they appeared tired from lack of day light. As we left Louisville, Kentucky, it had to be zero degrees Celsius that morning. A little frost had to be scraped from our windshield ( no scrapper handy, we used windshield wash). Then, within two hours, the temperature had increased significantly from zero to 20 degrees within a really short time. It is only the next day that we started to see a quick increase in temperatures.  By that time, our course was due South and only South. All of sudden, palm trees seemed to appear and temperatures had risen to the mid/high twenties by that time.

It was our first time in Kentucky. Had a lovely visit with a friend, who brought us out for a nice typical local dinner at "Claudia Sanders Dinner House". The former home and headquarters of Claudia and Colonel Sanders. Thank you Josée! Of course we had the speciality of the house, Kentucky Fried Chicken with home made fixings. No French Fries, but a nice serving of garlic mashed potatoes with milk gravy and fabulous Kentucky style veggies. 

Claudia Sanders, the wife of Colonel Sanders, believed in gracious hospitality and generous portions in her restaurant. The great Kentucky legend has been kept alive in this dinner house, that was rebuilt on the same site after it was completely destroyed by fire in 1999.

Yes we had a unique dining experience. My favourite, the "Derby pie". A scrumptious chocolate nut pie. A cross between a sugar/pecan/chocolate pie. 

I hope you Enjoy the few photos! Stay tuned for my next blog  on New Orleans, Louisiana.