Mardi Gras Recap – Do I Even Remember At This Point

We started the Mardi Gras season off right – eating a doberge king cake and watching some floats slowly drive down the road behind a police escort, heading from their den to the lineup.

The first parade of the season that we attend, generally, is Cleopatra, and the children were wild with excitement on the night. They all dressed in costumes for the parade, and as this one tends to be more thinly attended than some of the later ones, we caught a LOT of stuff.

Costumed crusaders, ready to catch. ("That's alliteration!" says Jack) — Costumed crusaders, ready to catch. (“That’s alliteration!” says Jack)

Throw the Green Ninja somethin', mister! — Throw the Green Ninja somethin’, mister!

He has slept with this dragon every night since catching it.

My favorite throw of the season - bumblebee beads! — My favorite throw of the season – bumblebee beads!

Showing his blinky, glowing CLEOpatra love.

Big boys carry their own bead bags full of stuff home. Craig insisted.

Cleopatra was great – good weather, good haul, the boys had a blast, and the first parade of the season is always fun. By the end, we’re dragging a little bit, but at this point we were still fresh and excited.

Next day was my day to walk in Chewbacchus, with the Wonder Woman krewe.

Check out my hair height. That took work.

The weather for this one was less ideal, though it could’ve been worse. I’m sporting a long sleeved shirt under my bustier in part because it was pretty darn cold, and it also misted with rain for significant chunks. But it wasn’t freezing, and it never out and out poured, and everybody came out to watch even with the rain. Really good times.

Invisible Jet – this is an evening parade and so many things are designed with darkness in mind. This invisible jet frame was lined in lights, so it was a glowing outilne of a jet throughout the march. So cool.

For Chewbacchus, the plan was that we would all meet up at a friend’s house near the start, and finalize our costumes while drinking some wine. It sort of worked this way – but our uber ride took almost an hour given the parading going on everywhere, so the drinking/chatting/costuming time was shortened to a zip-through-the-potty, tease-your-hair-and-let’s-go kinda thing.

We all showed up at our friend Christina’s home in the Bywater, oohed and aahed at each other’s costumers, and then headed out in a troop down to the lineup point, where we proceeded to stand around for a couple of hours, getting rained on and looking at all of the amazing creativity on display.

E.T., wearing a poncho at this time to keep him from dissolving in the rain, and later sporting a jester hat. Also, the brain in front of him was part of a krewe of people who all wore elaborate brain hats. I can't do it justice with words, but it was amazing. — E.T., wearing a poncho at this time to keep him from dissolving in the rain, and later sporting a jester hat. Also, the brain in front of him was part of a krewe of people who all wore elaborate brain hats. I can’t do it justice with words, but it was amazing.

Sewerage and Water World. (NOLA's Sewerage and Water Board is an absolute disaster, our pumps were built in the 1800s and constantly break, and the system is constantly failing - yet our rates go up up up. This made everyone in NOLA groan with recognition.) — Sewerage and Water World. (NOLA’s Sewerage and Water Board is an absolute disaster, our pumps were built in the 1800s and constantly break, and the system is constantly failing – yet our rates go up up up. This made everyone in NOLA groan with recognition.)

Rosemary's King Cake Baby — Rosemary’s King Cake Baby

Avatar – their tails glowed

The route was a couple of miles, through the Marigny and the Bywater, two very trendy New Orleans neighborhoods (Wikipedia calls them “off-beat”). It was absolutely packed with people of all ages, out to see the creativity of the sci-fi nerd parade. I pressed cheap plastic trinkets into dozens of hands, pranced to the music, and occasionally drank from a flask stored in my bustier (I did not drink much, you had to carry everything on your person, of course). I took way too many selfies.

A little damp with rain, but in good spirits!

We could not agree on which way the headband star points, (but I'm right). — We could not agree on which way the headband star points, (but I’m right).

This insane weirdo is about 25 weeks pregnant - she found herself a wonder woman caftan, which you can't see in this pic but which was awesome. — This insane weirdo is about 25 weeks pregnant – she found herself a wonder woman caftan to wear, which you can’t see in this pic but which was awesome.

The selfie skills devolved as the night went on . . .

. . . and the hair poof began to migrate to one side.

It was a really fun night. At the end of the route, we stopped at a bar for burgers and a beer, then took an uber home. Such an absolute blast. We’re doing it again next year, but we’re going to bead and light up bustiers so we will glow like most of the rest of the parade.

The next parade was on the following Wednesday – Druids, the krewe the Prof rides in. (Note the Mardi Gras countdown clock on that website.) I have no pictures of Druids because it was pouring rain. We went out, like troopers, to see Daddy’s parade, but we headed home immediately after. The Prof invited his dad to join him on the float this year, so they went together while his mom (my MIL, Dee Dee) watched with us. I felt bad that it was such miserable, cold and rainy weather for this one, but it rains on Druids a lot.

The next night was Muses, and we had much better weather, so we got to show a little more of what the typical Mardi Gras is like. We set up chairs on the sidewalk, a little elevated from the street (due to a tree root, mostly), and enjoyed the block party feel of Magazine street right before a parade.

Muses night – Craig in his Chewbacca pjs.

Wearing Daddy's costume hood. — Wearing Daddy’s costume hood.

An older man, solo, wearing a Vietnam Vet jacket and looking perhaps homeless, perhaps just down on his luck, ended up standing near us. And Craig, for some unknown reason, decided they were best friends and went over and snuggled up to him. I kept an eye, but the man seemed pleased for the connection, and not at all dangerous, so Craig sat there a while with him on a tree root, leaning back on the guy. It was really touching.

Eventually, the man wandered a little further down the road to smoke a cigarette, and Craig came back with us. It was a sweet, New Orleans kind of moment – unusual social connection is part of why I love this weird place.

I can never get good shots of Muses since it's a night parade and everything glows, but I always try because it's so prettyyyyy — I can never get good shots of Muses since it’s a night parade and everything glows, but I always try because it’s so prettyyyyy

St. Aug's, the Marching 100. These poor kids probably march 200 miles during Mardi Gras, but they get well paid for it. — St. Aug’s, the Marching 100. These poor kids probably march 200 miles during Mardi Gras, but they get well paid for it.

New Mayor, woot woot! First black female mayor of New Orleans!

Jack tends to range up and down the street with friends his age, while Liam usually parks on a chair mid-parade and whines to go home.

They look like their father, don't they? — They look like their father, don’t they?

The theme was Night at the MUSEum, — The theme was Night at the MUSEum.

. . . and the rubber ducky bathtub float. See links for better pictures by professionals.

Really, it was gorgeous – float after float of art. Go here, here, and here for some better pictures – you’ll love what you see.

Girl with the Pearl Earring. Sporting my throws, after the parade was over.

I have run out of time/steam, and so we will have one more Mardi Gras update – probably just in time for Easter. My work informing you people about our day to day boring lives just NEVER STOPS!! 😉