Life with Dee

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Dinner at Antoine’s

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David and I honeymooned in New Orleans 34 years ago. We bought a honeymoon package from a travel agent (remember those?) which included lodging at the Royal Orleans plus a few other things, including dinner at Antoine’s. We both grew up in families that ate in nice restaurants pretty often but Antoine’s was definitely a cut above. Opened in 1840, it is still owned and operated by the family of the original owners. It’s quite an institution.

DinneratAntoine's

We ate lunch there with friends a couple of years ago but had not been back for dinner in all these years. We had decided to have one really nice dinner during our vacation last week. There were several choices up for consideration but we opted for Antoine’s, in part because we were staying at the Royal Orleans our second weekend and Antoine’s is only a couple hundred steps away.

White linen tablecloths, freshly baked bread, a nice bottle of wine, good food…definitely my idea of a good time. We finished our meal with an old-fashioned dessert – Cherries Jubilee or “Cerises Jubile” as the menu states. Yes, the menu is still in French but with English descriptions. Back when we were kids Cherries Jubilee was a dessert which was served fairly often in nice restaurants but I haven’t seen it in years.

Sweet, dark cherries flamed in brandy at the table and served over vanilla ice cream, not only is it tasty but it’s a bit of a show as well.

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David ordered Cafe au Lait to go with his dessert. The waiter brought out two small silver pitchers, one with hot coffee and the other with hot steamed milk. He then poured the two simultaneously into the cup. Nice presentation. I ordered tea, of course. I just love those little silver pots.

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The service was impeccable. At the end of our meal David asked the waiter if we could take a menu. They are often given as souvenirs. David told the waiter that we still have ours from our honeymoon (somewhere). He returned a few minutes later with a menu which he had taken to the chef to sign. Wasn’t that nice?

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The leisurely pace of the meal, the wine (a nice Beaujolais), and the formal setting all reminded us of meals in Paris. We decided that at least a couple of times a week we will make time for a more formal, slow-paced dinner at home.  Now I’m on the hunt for a French linen tablecloth. Oh, and one of those cute little silver tea pots.

La rentrée – or “welcome home”

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The French population generally takes off work and school for the month of August. I know! Wouldn’t that be awesome? They have a term for the return to “real life” in September – la rentrée. Children head off to school, adults return to work, routines are implemented and life generally regains its usual rhythm.

We returned from our visit to New Orleans late last night and after being away 11 days it feels a bit like la rentrée for us. David headed off to work this morning and I am trying to get back in the swing of things around here. There have been calls to return, suitcases to unpack, laundry to wash and all those little domestic tasks which call out for attention after time away.

Fortunately we came home to nice weather because this is what we had the entire 10 days in New Orleans:

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Blue skies…

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Warm, sunny days…

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Honestly, the weather could not have been better. In fact, I’m pretty sure I told David at least a couple or ten times that I could be happy with that weather year round. The days were sunny with highs in the 70s and 80s and overnight lows in the 60s. Perfect!

The other reason I am grateful for nice temperatures here at home is that I’ve been without heat or a/c today. I received a phone call at 7:30 a.m. this morning – yikes! – from our plumber. The part he had ordered for our unit had arrived and he was calling to see if he could send his guys out to install it. I put them off a little while because I had just woken up and wasn’t quite ready for unexpected “company”. After several hours of work, they just left. Unfortunately the part was defective, they had to put the old one back on and now we wait another couple of weeks for the new, new part. Which means I get to spend yet another day with workmen in the house. At least the guys were nice. In fact, one of them is a friend of our son’s and has been here numerous times for parties and such.

So that, and a mild sore throat have been my welcome home or la rentrée. Vive la Oklahoma…or something like that.

A little update from New Orleans

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I can’t believe we are past the half way mark on this vacation. So far there has been lots of live music, some good food, time with friends, a ride in an ambulance (more about that later), streetcar rides, and a bit of river watching.

There is still much I want to do before our time here in New Orleans draws to a close so I had better get dressed!

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French Friday ~ New Orleans

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NewOrleansJacksonSquare

Over 34 years ago David and I took our first trip to New Orleans. It was our honeymoon and I chose the destination because it was within reasonable driving distance and I had a vague notion that there was a French influence in the city. I had taken French in junior high and high school and had been a Francophile for years. There was no way we could afford a trip to Paris so New Orleans seemed like a good option.

I instantly fell in love with the city. Looking out over the French Quarter from the observation deck of the Royal Orleans, I felt as though I had been transported to another country. It wasn’t Paris. But it sure wasn’t Oklahoma, either.

Settled by the French in 1780, the Gallic influence is evident in food, language, festivals, architecture, and music. Until 1830, most of the residents still spoke French. Like France, New Orleans is predominantly Catholic and that permeates the culture. There is a decided lack of puritanical influence.

The French were Catholic, not Protestant like the founders of most other New World settlements which eventually became American cities. The French Catholic did not share the unremittingly severe, sober view of life with the New England Puritans, for one. While religious, the French Catholics also enjoyed good food and sensual pleasures. Mardi Gras, the most famous and raucous of New Orleans festivals, is a Catholic holiday after all. And in French, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” – a time of indulgence before the self-imposed austerity of Lent. The tension between the sacred and profane, the joyous and the mournful (as with jazz funerals, for example), has long formed an essential part of the Crescent City’s character. (source: New Orleans Official Guide)

We are on our way to New Orleans today and to say I’m excited would be an understatement. David and I have both been working like crazy lately and we need a break. Desperately. I need music, delicious food and wine, visits with friends, streetcar rides, people watching, an hour or two by the river, naps and most of all – time alone with David.

Posts here on Life With Dee will be a little on the light side for the next 10 days. I do have some written and scheduled to post during our vacation and I might write a short post or two while I’m there. But I probably won’t have a post every day. And while I do hope to have at least a few interesting articles and such to share each day on the Life With Dee Facebook page, it won’t be quite the usual quantity and I may not be able to respond to comments very often. If you aren’t already following me on Twitter and Instagram this would be a good time to do so. There will surely be interesting things to tweet about and I always take a lot of pictures while I’m there. However, I’m not going to be online as much as usual for I intend to be fully present and soak up our experiences in New Orleans. I need this. So much.

A love letter to New Orleans

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A Love Letter To New Orleans

Dear New Orleans,

The nation has turned its attention your way because ten years ago Hurricane Katrina tried to wipe you off the map. Presidents, current and former, visit and tour and speak amid reminders of the city’s uneven recovery. Media outlets create splashy features. Everyone seems to have something to say.

I’ve written about you on many occasions but today I’m writing to you. My beloved New Orleans, how can I possibly express what you mean to me? From my first glimpse of you as a new bride I’ve been in love. Love is never entirely rational but there are many reasons to love a city like New Orleans.

  • Hurricane parties – We attended one on Bourbon Street the Saturday before Katrina. We had made what plans we could so what else was there to do but dance with new friends?
  • Mardi Gras – This annual celebration is anticipated each year with a fervor beyond reason. Your people never seriously considered skipping it that first year post-Katrina and it served as notice to the rest of the nation that New Orleans would rise again.
  • Courage – It takes courage to live in a place below sea level. And it took courage to come back to neighborhoods totally wiped out, rebuild and plant flowers when no one else was back yet.
  • Rhythm – Life in New Orleans ebbs and flows, with an occasional crescendo that will leave you breathless.
  • Louis Armstrong International Airport – You’ve just gotta love a city whose airport greets you with New Orleans jazz (sometimes live) and the smell of Lucky Dogs.
  • Costumes – Dressing up isn’t just for children and Halloween. It’s also for random Tuesdays.
  • Living in the moment – Life can be rather unpredictable in a city like New Orleans. Best enjoy each moment as it comes and not worry too much about the future. Sip cocktails with friends in a courtyard, watch the boats on the river, spend an afternoon listening to live music in a dark bar, stroll the Quarter with absolutely no plans or direction, say “yes”. To everything.
  • Acceptance – Differences aren’t just tolerated; they are embraced.
  • Food – Oh, my goodness! What can I possibly say about the food that hasn’t been said a million times before? Let’s just say that New Orleans has forever ruined me. Never again will I be happy with bland, poorly seasoned food.
  • Parades – Any day, any time, any reason. Or no reason at all.
  • 25 cent martinis – At lunch.
  • Music – “Without music, life would be a mistake.” New Orleans takes this Nietzsche quote to heart and the world is richer because of it.
  • People – You can’t know New Orleans if you don’t take the time to know her people. Friendly, generous, accepting and joyous. The people of New Orleans will call you darlin’ and remind you that life is best lived in community with others.
So today, as the world remembers Katrina, I’ll be thinking about you. You stole my heart so long ago but I’ve willingly given you my soul. Take a moment to remember but then shake it off. Sackcloth and ashes are not your style.

Love,
Deanna

Previous New Orleans posts:

Love Letter to New Orleans

My birthday weekend get-away

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My birthday isn’t until Thursday but David and I did our usual “weekend at the Skirvin” celebration this past weekend. We went up Friday evening after David got off work, stopping in Norman for dinner at Panera Bread so we could also buy cherry danish pastries to take with us. Because…CHERRY DANISH PASTRY! 
After we checked in to the hotel, we changed clothes and went to our favorite OKC hangout – the Red Piano Lounge in the Skirvin. We know most of the bartenders there and always have a good time chatting with them and people-watching. Mostly, we just tried to relax and decompress from the busy weeks we’ve both had recently. 
We generally don’t make any plans in advance when we take these little get-aways but this time I had a couple of things in mind. If you follow me on Facebook you probably know that David and I love to stargaze. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that there is a small planetarium at the OKC Science Museum. After lunch at The Garage Burgers and Beer (quite tasty, by the way) we headed to the museum. The planetarium is included in the general admission to the museum and since we had about a 40 minute wait until the next show we decided to walk around and check out the museum. It’s a cool, hands-on place. We had taken our kids a few times but it’s been YEARS since we’d been there. Yeah, it’s kind of for kids but we still had fun. 

The planetarium show was really interesting and the young woman who did it was quite humorous. We both really enjoyed it.

After the show we spent another 45 minutes or so checking out the rest of the museum. We especially enjoyed the train and space exhibits. David has always loved model trains and I love riding on real ones. I think we need to plan another train trip soon. 
We stopped at a Sonic for a Butterfinger Blast (David) and root beer float (me) then headed back to the hotel. We relaxed a bit then got dressed up for dinner. One of the other things I wanted to do was to eat dinner by water. I’ve really been craving the ocean but since a trip to the coast isn’t in our near future I figured the next best thing would be a large lake. I had read excellent reviews for Redrock Canyon Grill on Hefner Lake. We called for reservations but they don’t take them. It was after 8 p.m. so we figured it probably wouldn’t be that long a wait. We were wrong. They told us it would be a 70 minute wait! Ordinarily we would have gone somewhere else but it was a gorgeous night, we weren’t very hungry yet (thanks to the late afternoon stop at Sonic) and the restaurant has an outdoor patio with a bar. They also had live music. 
We spent a very contented hour listening to music, sipping our drinks and admiring this view:
It was totally worth the wait. I had the rotisserie chicken, glazed carrots and the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. This may very well be my favorite restaurant in OKC now. 
Back at the hotel, we settled in at the bar which was pretty empty for a Saturday night. However, that didn’t last long. There were four weddings that night and the place filled up quickly with a crowd that provided good people watching, to say the least. Over the course of the evening, there were at least seven glasses broken. The all-female team of bartenders and servers kicked it into high gear and it was like poetry in motion. Or, as I said to David, it was like watching a ballet behind the bar and a 4th grade playground on the other side. Truly entertaining. 
We never seem to get up in time for breakfast at the hotel but this time we did. Well, it helped that they serve breakfast until 11 on Sundays. We had just about finished eating when a man with several guitars set up his gear right next to our table. Turns out this was Edgar Cruz, an amazing guitarist. (You can read more about him on my Well-Groomed Hippie blog.) We stayed and listened to a few songs and had a short chat with him about getting him a show here in Ada. 

We checked out of the hotel and then went to the final destination on my list for the weekend – the OKC Museum of Art. I’ve been dying to see the Fabergé exhibit.

When we bought our tickets we found out that there would be a tour starting in about an hour. David wisely suggested we go look at the exhibit ourselves first which turned out to be an excellent plan. There must have been 100 people in the tour and it would have been impossible to get a good look at everything while in that crowd. The tour was absolutely fascinating and the exhibit items were stunning. Now I’m on the lookout for documentaries on the Romanov family and Fabergé. 
We stopped in Norman on our way home so I could pick up some groceries at Natural Grocers. We got home late afternoon, ate an early dinner, unpacked and watched the final episode of Astronaut Wives Club. Oh, how sad I am that the show has ended! We then tried to work in a little stargazing before bed. It wasn’t exactly cloudy but the moon was bright and there was so much humidity that we couldn’t see many stars. After a few minutes of looking at pretty much nothing we decided to call it a night. We were both yawning by that time and David had to be up by 5:45 a.m. Today it was back to the rat race but oh, what a nice weekend we had! 

A trip to Idaho

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David’s mother has had some health challenges recently so we decided to make a trip to Idaho to spend some time with her. We took her out for coffee, lunch, and a couple of dinners. We also went for long drives through the beautiful scenery in the Boise area. 
It was good for David to get to spend time with his mom:
During our drives we saw some gorgeous scenery, including the Boise River:
One night we had dinner with David’s mom, sister, two of his sister’s adult children and five grandchildren. It was wonderful to get to spend some time together. Later that night our nephew, Shawn, met us at one of his favorite places and the three of us had a couple of hours to just chat. 

On our last day we picked up David’s mom, went to lunch, drove for a couple of hours and stopped for ice cream before taking her back to the assisted living center where she lives.

Fisherman on the Snake River

It wasn’t a long trip but it was a good one. There are never any guarantees so I believe it’s important to spend time with the ones we love while we can. 
Sunset over Las Vegas
Leaving Vegas on our way home
Mother and Son

Back from New Orleans, still recovering…

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On the river #NewOrleans
We got back from New Orleans late last Tuesday. We just couldn’t tear ourselves away and ended up staying rather late Monday night. We only went as far as Baton Rouge that night so Tuesday was a fairly long day. I then drove to the city Wednesday because my dad was having a procedure done up there. David flew out on business Thursday and returned Saturday afternoon. We then attended a local event that evening. Yesterday I did some volunteer work. This morning I took my daughter to get a wisdom tooth removed. I have a meeting in just a little while, another tomorrow night and probably one on Thursday. In fact, I have something on my calendar almost every day for the next few weeks. David leaves tomorrow for yet another business trip. And so it goes…
Our internet was down when we got home and we just got it back this morning. I have lots of pictures from our trip to share, as well as some hilarious videos of pirates “singing”, dancing and being silly. I’ll try to get those posted over the next few days so stay tuned. 
Oh, and in case you were wondering, we do still love New Orleans. 

Two Days in London

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I still have so much to share from our Paris trip and I fully intend to finish this series within a couple of weeks of the start of 2015. For now, how about a quick post about our little excursion to London? 
David had the brilliant idea that we should take advantage of proximity and zip on over to London during our trip. He knew that I’ve long wished for an opportunity to meet my dear friend, Mary, in person. She and I began corresponding via email about 13 years ago. We “met” on an email list for FlyLady followers. One day she asked for clarification of an American term. I responded and also mentioned that her name was the same as my mom’s maiden name. It seems such a simple and innocuous beginning for what has become a deep and lasting friendship. 
Mid-way through our Paris trip we caught the train to London. The train trip alone was quite an adventure. I’d love to travel Europe via train someday. We met up with Mary near our hotel. She spotted us from a distance and the three of us embraced right there on the sidewalk. It immediately felt as though we’d all known each other forever. Over the years David has heard me talk about Mary so much that he already felt as though he knew her, too. 
It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm and sunny day. We had decided that it would be a good idea to hop a tour bus for an overview of the city. We had done that in Paris and it was wonderful. Well, we didn’t do so well selecting a tour bus company in London. I’ll spare you the details but if you are ever planning to take a trip to London let me know and I’ll tell you which company to avoid. 
Still, it was absolutely splendid to spend the day with Mary:
She caught a train back to Birmingham, where she lives, at about 10:30 p.m. and we said our goodbyes in the train station. I truly hope I will get another opportunity to see my dear friend. Maybe someday she can come visit me!
David and I headed back to our hotel which was only a few blocks from the train station. We had, however, walked our ever-lovin’ legs off that day. That tour bus thing? Yeah, it didn’t work out quite like we planned. Anyway, back at the hotel I had already taken off my boots when I was overcome with a desire – no…NEED – for a cup of hot tea. It was after 11 p.m. and room service was closed for the night. They had a bar downstairs and I took a chance that they might be able to fix me up. I pulled my boots back on and trudged downstairs in search of a fix for my addiction. I should have known that it wouldn’t be a problem in England. This is what the bartender fixed up for me to take back to our room:

My opinion of London shot up dramatically at that point. We had endured crowds, traffic, incompetent bus drivers and the worst food imaginable but a perfect cup of tea fixes nearly anything. 
We slept well in a very comfortable hotel room and awoke ready to give London another shot. The weather was more typical – cool and rainy – but we had a better idea how to get around and we had a lovely day. We decided to focus on the two main things we wanted to see. I wanted to see the Globe Theatre and David wanted to see Buckingham Palace:
We saw the Globe first. We didn’t get to go inside but we did pick up a couple of things in the gift shop and enjoyed a nice lunch there. Finally…a decent meal. Not quite Paris but then, nothing is. Still, we had a tasty shepherd’s pie in a lovely little restaurant. 
We made our way to Buckingham Palace, enjoying a walk through a pretty park. The palace was quite impressive from the outside which is all we saw. That’s right, the Queen didn’t invite us in for tea. Can you believe that? And we know she was home because literally two minutes after we decided to catch a cab across the street the cab driver pointed out that we had just missed the Queen. If we had waited outside the gate just two more minutes…
Ah, well…that’s how things go sometimes. It was time to head back to the train station and back to Paris. I’m really glad we took the time to go to London, most especially because I got to see Mary, but we were both more than ready to go back to Paris. 
Here are a few more pictures from London:

The Tower of London
 A famed double-decker bus
One of their charming red phone booths
A cheerful rebel
Big Ben