Willcore has set up a nice gallery for everyone to upload their St. Anthony Ramblers photos. If you've got photos of the procession be sure to register and upload them all. I just put up a bunch of photos Kay sent me. I'm not sure who snapped them but they sure look good. Comment here if you have any trouble uploading pics or if you have any other questions.
There's always a point at the end of Mardi Gras where I feel totally deflated and depressed. At that very moment I have the most intense understanding of the transient quality of our lives through the passage of time and the entropy of all beautiful things. As Rex and Comus meet I'm always sad to realize that another Carnival has passed, and another year of my life.
This year those feelings were more intense than ever because of the unique circumstances of this Carnival. The combination of this being the first post-K Mardi Gras and having most of my closest friends in town was a powerful force. It turned what would have been a normally joyous celebration into a white hot streak of joy and happiness.
I'm so blessed to have the friends that I do. You all give me so much to me. This holiday weekend was one of the best experiences of my life. My life is rich because of you.
Here were some of my favorite experiences this Carnival:
Cassady and Heather's wedding was an elegant and lovely New Orleans event. The ceremony was held in the courtyard of the Beauregard-Keyes house and fireworks erupted from the River celebrating the arrival of Rex as they exchanged their vows. After the ceremony we were treated to a great performance by the Hot Club of New Orleans and delicious food from Matt and Naddie's.
Spending the evening with all of our closest friends, celebrating such a wonderful union was a real treat. It was also a great contrast to the St. Anthony march.
The 2006 march of the St. Anthony Ramblers was incredible! We had our largest group ever and everyone's costumes looked fantastic. A big shout-out and thanks to all who contributed financially, aesthetically, and organizationally. Special thanks to Chris and Rose for having the awesome cocktail breakfast and meetup at their house. It was really special to start in the Treme this year and to receive applause from the residents, especially the bone gangs.
Here's a link to a set of photos Shanna took throughout the day. Willcore is going to organize everyone's photos from this year's march which we will post online. If you have some photos you'd like to contribute please send me an email or post here.
"Ramblers rule the streets, all the rest of ya'll is monkey meat!"
One of the coolest throws I received last night were these kickass cards from the Krewe of Chaos depicting all of their floats.
I may or may not post until Ash Wednesday so if I don't see you before then, HAPPY MARDI GRAS!
"May the moon be turned to green cream cheese, if ever I cease to love"
Willcore has posted some amazing scans on Prosthetically Hip of the invitation to the Rex Grand Ball that he received this year. These are amazing symbols of the beauty and history of the old-line Krewes. This is the first year that the Rex Ball will not be held in the Municipal Auditorium since 1930, due to flooding. Instead the Ball is being held at the Sheraton on Canal St. The traditional meeting of the courts between Comus and Rex will take place in a ballroom at the Mariott. Rex will more than likely walk down Canal St. to meet Comus, a sight that I may try to make it out to see.
I performed one of my most cherished Carnival rituals last night as me and a my posse caught the Krewes of Babylon, Chaos and the magnificent Muses. We met up at our usual spot on the corner of St. Charles and Canal, drinking tall boys, dancing, singin, screaming and laughing. Chaos had some very witty floats filled with razor sharp satire and Muses was as great as always. We were showered in throws including an entire pack of glass beads, tons of great signature Muses beads, a pack of cards displaying all of Chaos' smart floats (I'll scan and post these later) and Rose caught the ultimate throw, a hand-painted and bedazzled Muses shoe! That's got to be a good omen for the rest of the season.
As usual, the marching groups were my favorite part of the parade and this year the MAX band, consisting of St. Aug, St. Mary's and Xavier Prep students was the hands-down winner. Other groups holding it down were the 9th Ward Marching Band, the Camel Toe Lady Steppers, and the Rolling Elvi.
Now I just need to make it through one more day of work and errands before Shanna and I park the car for 5 days and enjoy this magnificent and joyous city in her finest moment.
Last night, as Shanna and I were returning from running some errands we heard a very loud 10 piece Panorama Jazz Band playing outside of Cafe Brasil on Frenchmen St. We walked down and watched them for a little while and they sound amazing right now. They now have 7 horn players and 3 percussionists which makes them louder and wilder than I've ever heard them before. A little later a bunch of our friends congregated there and we had our first mini get down of the season.
I also completed the cape and hat for my costume yesterday. Today I will construct the armbands and paint my shoes & cape. It's coming along very well.
Tonight it's off to see Knights of Babylon, the Krewe of Chaos and the Krewe of Muses. If you plan on being downtown tonight come and hang out with us on the corner of St. Charles and Canal, next to the Pickwick Club and across the street from Rubenstein Bros. I'm so excited for what this Carnival time will hold and tonight is the real beginning.
Pages from the Times-Picayune
Cloth from shirts I wore in the days following Katrina
Blue Tarpaulin
Rubber overalls purchased from HJ Smith
Orange Spray Paint
Gold Spray Paint
Tulips
Wooden Clog pendant from the Dutch conference
Stencils
The Royal Standard of the Netherlands
The Flag of New Orleans
a clay smoking pipe
a whistle
Shrimp Boots
pamphlets
This CNN clip, A Mardi Gras for the Locals, is totally spot on. This Mardi Gras is for New Orleanians, past, present & future and is probably more meaningful to us than any other before it. The images of Barkus and St. Bernardians is really something to smile about.
