I was pleased to read the New Orleans is going to have a Mardi Gras in 2006. According to mardi gras neworleans.com “Despite the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, we welcome all of you back to the “City that Care Forgot” for Mardi Gras 2006 — we will again open our arms with Southern hospitality to everyone who loves New Orleans!”
When I read this I was pleased that we chose a jazz/mardi gras theme for the All that Jazz Quilt project.
I have nearly completed the Bags of fun challenge so I am thinking of my next commitment which of course is the Katrina Block. As you can see that ticker is moving along.
I have been digging about collecting ideas for my block So I have stumbled across a few things such as this history of the madi gras and another article on the architectural history of the French Quarter. An interpretation into a block of the Wrought iron balconies is a real possibility.
These led me to the Louisiana Studies in Historic Preservation which I got lost in particularly the French Creole heritage section then somehow I was in the plantation section and had to pull myself up short as I was heading into ‘Gone with the Wind’ daydreams.
I have also been finding out much more about Louisiana . A couple of weeks ago, I found out via the discussion lists that the magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is state flower of Louisiana . Now I think a silk ribbon interpretation is on the cards for that one.
The State Bird is the Eastern Brown Pelican and I found a colouring page of the Louisiana Eastern Brown Pelican that could be adapted for embroidery. On the same site I found a colouring sheet of a magnolia which could also be adapted.
The State Tree is the Bald Cypress (taxodium distichum). Since it is a conical pine it would be easy to translate this to a crazy quilt block.
They have a lot of state symbols in America they even have a state musical Instrument. Apparently Louisiana’s musical instrument it is diatonic accordion, commonly known as the “cajun” accordion. They even have state insects it’s the honey bee and an Iris the Louisiana Iris (Giganticaerulea) is the state wild flower.
Well all this combined with the music and mardi gras heritage has my head full of ideas and its about time I started to work on them!
That pile of mulch is considerably reduced but I still need to have a shovel in my hand today. In the process of mulching the garden has been weeded and everything trimmed – so its starting to look good. Annie came around yesterday (yep, I had a day off) and we had a pleasant afternoon in the garden. She has a new blog format with a definite botanical theme – check it out.
Anyway its time to get on with my weekend task and get out there again.
I think if you knew the situation in NoLa you would be less than “pleased” that city government is thinking about Mardi Gras. There are no basic services, and there will not be for many months. For example, at present a quarter million gallons A DAY of raw sewage are being pumped into the Mississippi River at the French Quarter. Before Katrina the city had the worst murder rate in the nation; now there is no functioning police force at all. The prospect of visitors descending on the city to party is not something to celebrate It’s a recipe for human catastrophe.
I applaud the wonderful effort you are
making to help the victims of Hurricane
Katrina. However, please don’t forget that there were three American states
badly damaged by the hurricane. Not only
was Louisiana hit, but also Mississippi
and Alabama.
Now do you see why we love our state so much? It’s quite magical and romantic for many of us who were born here, grown here, and lived here all our lives. Our area is so rich with culture and natural beauty…I haven’t been able to bring myself to leave here, even though as a young girl I swore I would.
I live in the area that just experienced and survived the Hurricane Rita. (Right after Katrina, and farther west in Louisiana than New Orleans) It’s a mess here, but we are picking up the peices and going on.
Thanks for sharing a bit about our state with everyone. It’s nice to see someone give us some good credit for a change. 😉