I didnt want to get up anyway....I had sat up to finish a book last night..but I didnt count on it being just after 2am when I finished and finally turned out the light. Warren went to bed at around 11pm, and I indicated I wouldnt be long...hmmmmm!!!Yes, it was a gripping novel, and yes, I had very little in the way of impulse control ...last night:)
So, today we had to have the vehicle back at the Enterprise rental shop...where we were told they dont really rent to tourists, mostly locals (insurance rentals etc) and we could see that this would be very true, not being a place most tourists would venture into. We are on the border of a suburb called Gentilly, where you can buy a house for $69,900, and it is quite nice. Pity about the neighborhood though.
As usual, we pick up the Real Estate books outside supermarkets etc, and peruse the homes for sale, then go online to see where they are and what the neighbors are like. This town varies soooo widely in its fortunes and the rents are high inner city, which isnt surprising, but in some ways it is too, given the proximity to the water and the aftermath of Hurricanes.
We decided to do a small food shop this morning, once we got going, and then return the car.
At the supermarket, we have to walk past the cakes aisle..every time we go there...I should have known. ....these are American cakes, so you can guarantee that they are high sugar and the frosting is going to be 100% sugar.
...but look how fantastic they are!!This is the peanut butter cup cake
...and this is what we actually bought ONE piece of today, just coz it looked soooo yummy. We shared it when we got home from shopping..YUK! TOOOOO Sweet, and we didnt need lunch until 2pm as a result of all the calories, lol.
This one always looks lovely, but we didnt sample this one, nor do we think we ever will.
This photo is for Lisa and Caro...Lisa LOVES cannoli...these are only .88c each for the small ones, Lisa!
This is our latest 'Chateau Cardboard' for the upstairs drinkies fridge..all the way from nz:) It cost $11.99 for 3litres.
We LOVE going to supermarkets and trawling the shelves for 'local' foodstuffs. I cannot resist taking photos of some of the 'quirkier' items that I know you will enjoy looking at.
This is a 'coating' for your seafood. Cajun, of course.
...and who wouldnt have a chuckle at the name on this brand of Cajun seasoning.?
We didnt buy the shrimp, but as you can see, we were impressed with the size of them. That's Waz's hand.
oops..a bit out of order, sorry....these cakes look lovely, but they are NOT good for the hips, ladies! admire and walk on by!!!
This detergent cracked us up. There was also one called Thai Scent.
Remember I told you I had photos of the gorgeous Tokyo Crab Cakes I ate yesterday?
Served on cucumber slices (thick and angled) with wasabi cream sauce and with seaweed sesame salad on top...perfect! I loved it. Lots of crab meat and they melted in the mouth $11.99 thanks
...and my spinach/blue cheese/ sundried tomato/ olive/ pecan side salad.
Back to today.
After leaving the supermarket, we turned left instead of right to come back to the marina. We had wanted to do this for some time, but always had groceries that needed refridgerating. This time we didnt, so went down the road past the supermarket to the bottom of Lakeside Drive. This is where the road ends in a T-junction along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain. This is also where you have to go up a steep hill before descending to the lake front. Why?? Levees! This is the Levee that borders the lake across the road.
You can see that they have built up the berm on the right, in grass. This goes all the way around lakeside drive towards the Univeristy.
See the levee in grass on the right? the slight rise?? I think this is since Hurricane Katrina in '05.
Having satisfied that part of our curiosity, we went back to the marina, offloaded and stored the food, ate the sickly sweet cake and took the car back to Enterprise. The charge for three days car rental?? $49! Yaya!
We ordered the same rental package for next Friday for a noon pick up. I have another medical apptmt. with the hand doc for taking stitches out...we hope.
Things are looking pretty good...I think!
I soaked the finger this avo, in the hope of removing some of the bloody stuff which doesnt seem to want to leave. I have tried gently massaging it with a Q-tip, but dont seem to get very far. Well, I will try again tomorrow.
Back at the boat, we did some laundry and hung that to dry. It was fairly humid today and the threat of rain was there. It did eventually rain, necessitating the use of the dryer downstairs.
We have been reading up on the next section of our trip and looking at long rainge weather forecasts.
This next section of the trip is a tricky one to be sure, and we will need a three day window of fine weather and light winds for it to be taking place.
From here we have to cross the Mississippi Sound which is renowned for shallow waters and lack of safe harbors to spend the night in. We have tentatively chosen Cat Island, the north side, to anchor the first night. This will largely depend on the right winds, of course. After that we have to travel inside the barrier Islands that speckle the Gulf towards Mobile Bay, Alabama. Crossing Mobile Bay is also tricky, and most of these parts have shallow waters which require vigilance. Well, it all requires that, but some places more than others.
We can leave here a couple of different ways. After coming across a long bridge yesterday (not THE causeway), we decided we were not going to enter the channel in Lake Ponchartrain, opting instead to go back the way we came up the Industrial canal (on which we are moored, currently), under the rail bridge that we waited in the dark for to open, and into the ICW to the left after that.
Lake Ponchartrain is not very deep for the most part, and we might or might not get under some of the road bridges that cross it. We will opt for safety first, always.
Our tentative move will be Tuesday 29th October. This is totally weather dependent.
Lots to do in the meantime.
We are going to have to do some housework in the next day or two and there is some stainless steel on the boat that needs immediate attention. I also need to make some bread and a few other things.
This afternoon we finally did what we had been planning for more than a week...to clean out the fridge/freezer. The drip tray had been dripping for ages, so this was an imperative.
I had put it off because the fridge was full, but as with most things, you often just have to bite the bullet and do it!
The bulk of the job fell to Waz, as my finger doesnt let me do many things, but Im good on encouragement:) and all that other good stuff...like telling him what he needs, to do the job, etc:) He takes it all very well, of course:)
It was a weeny bit major! and this is what is left over of the ICEBERG that had formed in the drip-tray. No wonder the fridge wasnt working well and the freezer was in need of defrosting...and the drip tray was dripping. You get the picture!
It is always nice to be able to throw some things out and reorganise the rest to suit, isnt it?
Well, a few cups of tea later, some books read and some food made and consumed, here we are back at 9pm! Time for me to do the dishes and make the last cuppa of the day.
Let's hope it doesnt rain tomorrow...too many chores to complete.
We have made plans (over the next week and before we leave) to take the shuttle back into the Fresh Quarter and then take the trolley (streetcar) all the way to the Garden Quarter to get lunch at Sushi Brothers, on St Charles Avenue. This should make for a lovey afternoon.
There is also a needlework shop in the French Quarter that I think I will visit to get me something to do in the evenings. I have almost run out of books to read...seriously!! and I would love to do something a bit different that doesnt take up too much space. Good idea?
Ok..dishes and tea time.
Adios amigos!
No comments:
Post a Comment