Dec 20-21, 2011 Patterson and New Orleans, Louisiana

Before we left Patterson we went into the Weddell-Williams Aviation museum and the cypress saw mill museum.

The museum had racing air planes from the 1920-30s, built by Weddell-Williams aviation.  The 44 was the first plane to go 300 mph. The second photo is a saw from a saw mill in the 1920’s. Mr. William’s family owned the cypress sawmill in the area was very wealthy. He funded the aviation company.

Sue with a 4,000 year old cypress tree they cut down for lumber. Some of the logging tools, in the front are two two person chainsaws from the 1920’s. The cypress trees grew in the swamps, so the had to stand in those little boats in the back ground called Pirogues(PEE-row).

Many of the early settlers harvested the Spanish moss(untreated moss in the left of the photo) from the trees in the swamp. With long poles, standing in the pirogues. They cured the moss(on the right of the photo) and sold it. They used it for packing, stuffing mattresses, ropes etc. They said money grew on trees! The second photo is my new camera charging. My current one is developing a blurry spot in the middle of the pictures.

palm trees in down town New Orleans. A Voo Doo garden in the French Quarter

John in the court yard of the National Park buildings in the French Quarter, tourist curios in the French Quarter

glass jelly fish above the bar in the brewery we stopped in at the French Quarter, Jackson Square in the French Quarter

Sue in Jackson Square in the French Quarter. 76 degrees and sunny for the winter solstice (blurry spot in middle of photo), St Louis Cathedral

street music in the French Quarter, a street scene in the French Quarter

more street music, and only in the French Quarter-John says this is a man

another street scene, John in front of Marie Laveaus house of Voo Doo. They would not let us take photos inside, they said it was a temple. Of Voodoo I guess.

items for sale in the ‘temple’. La Rue du Bourbon-Bourbon street in the French Quarter. In the early days Bourbon street was where the brothels were.

Seen on Bourbon street. A Christmas street scene in the French Quarter

street music in the French Quarter, John with a beignet in Café Dumonte

iJesus store-only in the French Quarter, paddle boat on the Mississippi

skyline of New Orleans from the ferry across the Mississippi River