I see skies of blue

I persuaded Phil to have breakfast at Café Beignet this morning, which turned out to be a big mistake. I took one bite of the pastry, and that was it. It tasted off to me ... a completely different animal to the Morning Call beignets. I also tried the grits for the first time ... not something I need to repeat. So breakfast was a bit of a washout, though the café decorations were pretty cool.

We walked on down Canal Street to the Riverwalk Outlet stores. There were some really nice things to spend money on, but most were outside our price range. The best bargains were at Kate Spade - saw a handbag for $89, and others for 70% off - skechers and Le Creuset - both with 50% discount.

We walked along the Riverwalk to Jackson Square, listening to some of the street artists singing and playing their music. I particularly liked the guy playing the keyboard and singing "My Blue Heaven," though the guy with the dog on the back of the truck was belting out a pretty good blues medley ... accompanied by melodic barks 🤣

After some crabcakes for lunch, we headed up Dumaine Street to Louis Armstrong Park. It's so good to see he's memorialized in his home city, with both the airport and the park named in his honour. It was very serene, pretty and quiet there, with just a few people relaxing in the shade under the trees or snapping a few photos of his statue.

We dined this evening on the Paddleboat "City of New Orleans," catching up with Craig and Kiki for the last time in New Orleans. Yakking away over dinner while we paddled up and down the Mississippi, and listening to the "Dukes of Dixieland" jazz band serenading us, was a nice way to round off our experience. Eventually, we ventured outdoors. It was a warm and clear night, though I noticed tendrils of mist hugging the water's edge. Everyone was out on the open deck, taking photos, watching the skyline, and enjoying the night.

And that ole man river? He just keeps rollin' along.Read more