Crawfish Boil

Yesterday was my brother Danny's wonderful annual Crawfish Boil! Danny and the other sponsors of the Crawfish Boil spend months every year planning for this event. Besides the great food and people, there is a line-up of musical performances throughout the evening. It's like being at your own private, up-close jazz fest.

This year's Crawfish Boil, the 21st annual one, was dedicated to New Orleans musician Coco Robicheaux, who died within the past year. Beautiful flower displays and an altar were set up in memory of Coco.

The fantastic food included lots of well-seasoned crawfish (of course!) with corn and potatoes and artichokes and onions, delicious pulled pork and beef brisket, fish tacos, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Music performances included Michael Cain & the Parishioners, the Brian Stoltz Trio, Billy Iuzo & Jimmy Carpenter, and a burlesque show with Moxie & Cherry.

The whole evening was a wonderful and memorable event. I'm already looking forward to next year's Crawfish Boil!

Bike Ride, Breakfast, Stroll, Chat

What a beautiful morning I had yesterday. I rode my bike to Ellen's house near City Park from my apartment near the Riverbend -- about a 30-minute bike ride.

Ellen, her husband Paul, and I had breakfast in their back yard. We had delicious fresh eggs straight from the hens on the farm of Ellen's friend Will, toast, and Ellen's homemade scones.

After breakfast, Ellen and I strolled through City Park, particularly the sculpture garden, and spent time chatting and catching up with each other. Ellen is quite good with recognizing birds and pointed out the starling, the mockingbird, and the red-breasted robin, as well as some others.

Before I rode my bike back home, Paul sprayed my bike lock with WD-40 (or is it DW-40?), as the lock had been getting stuck. It works much more smoothly now.

Just a simple morning with good friends. A blessing.