Bonfires!

Tonight, Billy and are going up the river to catch the annual lighting of the bonfires. We have never done this so we are very excited.


Every Christmas eve night folks from Lutcher to Gramercy light up HUGE wooden structures at 7 p.m. sharp. There were 120 fire permits issued this year and each fire is spaced about a block apart.

There are many theories as to the meaning of this tradition started by the Acadians forever ago.

Practical:
-the fires serve as a guiding light for those who are traveling to Christmas Eve mass along the river, as a good fog usually kicks up off the river at night...

Does anyone else think it is a little strange to light
the way to mass by burning the little baby Jesus up?*

Practical-ish:
- the fires light the way for Papa Noel on Christmas Eve

FYI:

Papa Noel's pirogue is pulled by alligators in bayou country

Spiritual:
-the tradition is a relic left over from the ritual of burning the yule log on the night of the
winter solstice.





*I got that picture from a motorcycle website.
**picture from www.louisianagreetings.com

Friend Picture IV

Ana

Friend-Picture III

Jane Maysey

Friend-Picture II

I am posting friend pics for the holidays, and I am attempting to put up those that capture some common expressions of character...

Ruthie Monday XXXIII

She likes to sleep at our feet.

Friend-Picture

Thinking about friends right about now, it being the holidays and all...

Family Resemblance

My sister keeps talking about how much her daughter, Violet looks like me. I have been promising her that I would post some baby pictures of myself next to those of Violet (taken by her Mom) for comparison...here they are:

Family photos:

Jess, Manna and Violet

Dad, Ma and Moi

Wee Violet

Me

Me, again

Vi

Vi

Me...

And here a few for the future...

Don't Shoot and Drive

I don't recommend this technique, but look at that gate! Had to tweak the photo as it was not of the highest quality since I was whizzing along and shooting from the hip without (of course!) taking my eyes off the road...very stupid, I know, I know.

Monster Trucks on the Road

Has anybody else been seeing monster trucks on the road in Metairie? I sure have. This is the second one -the first scared the living be-jees-ums outta me when it shot four feet of flames out of the gate-door right over my hood. Couldn't take the kamikaze shot when that happened.

I think I would have lost my eyebrows but for the windshield, no exaggeration.

Ruthie Monday XXXII

New Orleans Kind of Trash

Killer Kitty

Ruthie Monday XXXI

The Stretch and Shake

Close Encounters with a Real Big Grasshopper

A Dancin' Fool and One Hella Focused Dog

Look at what Ms. Amy's old cowboy boots can do:

Never underestimate the power of the pointer fingers

The dog who loved his ball.

Jugglin' Fools

Hayden learned the basics of juggling.

The fear of dropping the ball...

Thanksgiving in Sonoma I

Here we go with the family posts. Three days worth, I am afraid...

My brother-in-law lives in Sonoma (yes, he works with wine) and since he has produced the newest addition to the family, we all went to him.

We did the usual things like eat, play football, soccer, etc. There was some juggling and some very, er, interesting dancing. To start with, here are a few photos for the fam (how did we not get in a family shot?)

Hayden was the ball boy

Amy, Phoebe and Miles

Winnie, Miles and Me

Hayden, a contraption, a Miles-blurr and Sponge Bob

Amy, Eric and Phoebe (making her signature face for the camera)