blue skies

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Housing Piles at MLK & St. Charles

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It was absolutely perfect out there in New Orleans today. It was just a touch cooler and just a touch drier, and by the time I left work this afternoon, it wasn’t even windy. I headed toward Mid-City with a plan to stare at the lake, but my desire to avoid rush hour traffic pushed me off course and through Central City. I found some smooth asphalt on MLK, and spun across Claiborne before stopping at Galvez to put on my sunglasses. I chatted with my sister for awhile while waving the “how you doin'” to the passing cars. I snapped this picture of the posts of a new B.W. Cooper will go. Maybe. Someday, but definitely not before we get Mr. Peanut Park over on Simon Bolivar. But also this picture is of that tree against that blue sky, but wait, also of chain link fence. Many scenes in New Orleans today, many feelings.

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Blue Skies Over the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Magazine & Josephine

Another parade? Are you serious? I am done with parades for now. I’m in the place of intense relief that carnival is over and things are getting back to normal–I’m doing my dishes, cooking actual meals, folding laundry, and answering emails. I had way too much to do today to go out for yet another parade. Continue reading →

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Great (or Grey) Heron at Lake Pontchartrain

I finally felt better today, which meant it was time for a bike ride. New Orleans is treating us to 80 degree weather in late November, so lucky me hopped on the Surly and headed to the lake. After getting stuck in a series of cul-de-sacs over near Lakeshore–that’s what happens when they close my route for levee construction–I finally made it to Lake Pontchartrain, where I sat, listened to the wind, ate a banana, and felt thankful for my health and a most perfect afternoon. Continue reading →

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Tents at the Voodoo Experience Music Festival in City Park

We are in the last days of October and here in New Orleans that means it’s time to put a sweatshirt in the saddlebags when heading out in a skirt and tank top to ride under a perfectly blue sky, sun overhead. What a delight! I had a lovely Saturday, reading for pleasure before hitting to road for a very leisurely pedal out to Lake Pontchartrain. And then I remembered it’s music festival weekend in City Park. I don’t quite have the cash to lay out for the show, so I decided to see what I could hear for free just by biking around. Continue reading →

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Clouds Rolling in Above Magazine & Arabella

We’ve been enjoying an absolutely beautiful fall here in New Orleans, and this past week has been simply off the charts. The sky has been nothing but blue and sun has been doing nothing but shining and it has been like summertime. Today was no different, as least as far as I could tell from inside classrooms and offices and cafeterias. At the end of the day I headed to the grocery to meet S. for some co-shopping. We were sitting outside, S. scarfing down a snack, me ranting about this and that, when I glanced up and needed to take a picture of the sky. Yep, clouds are rolling in, and the sky looked just beautiful, all pink around the edges. We finished up our snacks and rants and I pedaled home. The air had that chill of a new season–it felt good, but I hope it’s teasing. I like that sweaty stuff too much.

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Blue Sky and Clouds Over Majestic Mortuary at O.C. Haley & St. Andrew

I checked the weather before I left the house for a quick ride downtown, and it looked like some clouds, slight chance of rain, so no worries, right? I headed out to meet a sky that was half dark clouds and half that perfect blue. I stopped to take this photo when I turned onto O.C. Haley at St. Andrew. Yeah, rain was following me. It caught up with me at City Hall, where I stopped to do a little early voting (Saturday, people–get to the polls!). I went in under these same half-and-half skies but came out to torrents of rain. We needed it. I pedaled on under the spits that follow a storm, stopping at the gym and then heading to the Treme for a night an evening with friends. I rode back Uptown in cool(ish), humid air. Delightful.

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Moon Over the I10 From the Jeff Davis Overpass

See that glowing dot in the background there? Yeah, that’s the moon. I first saw it as I picked up the Jeff Davis bike path at Washington as I rode to Mid-City for a meeting. I pedaled faster, in time to the music, thinking the view would be pretty good from the top of the highest hill I’ve found in NOLA–the I10 overpass. I actually lost the moon when I got up there. I looked behind me–no dice. Continue reading →

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Blue Sky and Clouds Over Dauphine & Piety

I had a juice date with S. down in the Bywater this morning, so that meant I got to hop on the bike early. I don’t usually see downtown at that time of day, and I swear the light is different. I had trouble deciding on a route. I wanted the speed of St. Charles without the rocky riding I expected on Camp Street in the CBD–they’ve been resurfacing it for repaving–but I decided to risk it, and took Prytania down to Camp. Guess what? Continue reading →

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Clouds Above Frenchman and Royal Streets

I have been having a bit of trouble sleeping lately–getting on the new Fall schedule is taking a bit of time for this little insomniac–and I was dragging a bit today. After getting some work done that I’ve been long avoiding and finishing the book I’ve been reading, I headed to the coffee shop to get some writing done. By the time 6:00pm rolled around, I was not at all in the mood for a bicycle ride. But the thing is, a bike ride is always a good idea, especially in a slight cool post-rain early evening, and I needed bike tubes. I hopped on the Surly and headed down to the bike shoppe. When I got there, I snapped a picture of the positively lovely sky–a perfect blue, swirled with clouds, background to what also looks like a picture of that tree, or that triangle of an aging building, or perhaps just a picture of those wires. Yes, it is always a good idea to take the bike out for a ride, a little tired or not.

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Gates of Prayer Cemetery on Arabella and Garfield

I set out with big intentions today, but the cold that I’ve been denying for a couple days finally kept me to a day in the office and then home again. I needed some groceries before sequestering myself on the couch for a movie. I rode down Arabella headed to the fancy grocery store, and stopped to take a picture of this small cemetery at Arabella and Garfield. Continue reading →