I’m in New Orleans for a weekend of Mardi Gras parades. My friends Derick and Maitri graciously invited me down, and hooked me up with the Krewe of King Arthur. As a result I’m now the proud owner of a few thousand beads that I’ll throw from a float tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to it.

Before yesterday I hadn’t even seen a Mardi Gras parade. I did get to catch the end of the Krewe of Cork parade, a walking parade through the French Quarter. After that we headed down to St. Charles Avenue to see the Oshun and Pygmalion parades. It was raining so hard, though, that Pygmalion rescheduled.

There are a lot of rules surrounding Mardi Gras parades. Some of them are city ordinances, some are Krewe rules. One of the rules for King Arthur is that everybody must have a mask or face paint on. So yesterday I walked into the French Quarter to find a mask shop. This is the first sign I saw after crossing Canal St.

I have to say that it is really a treat to be able to take a drink to go. Not very many places in the United States let you do that.

Enough for now, I have to go watch more parades. :-)

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