Dance After Dark Photography

Life has been hectic for the past few weeks, but looking back I can’t point at a specific reason. I’ve been seeing someone, which is a happy thing that came at me out of the blue. Four months or so on my own was enough, at least for now. At this point I’m happy to spend time with someone else again, whereas before I’d gotten into a bad place and needed some serious alone time. I’m just taking things as they come. Whatever will be, will be. No agenda. No plan. No idea what she sees in me. *grin*

I don’t think I ever posted a play-by-play of the trip to New Orleans. I’ve talked to a few people about it, but I think it would be nice to sit and recollect.

It was certainly one of my infamous whirlwind weekends, though we didn’t do quite as much as we might have if everything had worked out a little better. Charlie, Aleta, and myself left Orlando “right behind schedule” (meaning late, just as I planned) at about 6:30 PM. I’m probably getting the time wrong, but the point is that I told Knight and Aleta that we’d leave at such-and-such time. In the back of my mind, I guessed we’d realistically leave at 6:30. Sure enough, we got the last of Aleta’s many bags into my car at 6:29:58. Two seconds to get bodies (ours) in the car along with the bags, and we were right behind schedule. *grin*

The drive to NOLA was surprisingly fast. I knew the Escambia Bridge had been washed out during the hurricanes, so I really expected a delay there. Instead, we stayed on cruise control and breezed through the Sunshine State with the sun firmly below the horizon. Knight and Aleta stayed awake most of the way through Florida, with occasional bouts of consciousness through Alabama and Mississippi. Knight and I got to know Aleta, and I realized that until we got in the car we’d never had more than a 5-minute conversation shouted over loud music. For her part, Aleta got to know just how crazy two best friends of about 15 years can become. We kept trying to explain the jokes that are based on inside jokes about inside jokes from 10 years back. At that point, they’re no longer inside - they’re inbred. She muddled through, or at least she laughed enough to placate the psychopaths in the front seat. Much fun was had.

The drive went so fast that we got to New Orleans insanely early. The moon was still out, so it was the ass crack of dawn - literally. I hadn’t taken into account the time change, for one thing, and apparently the cruise control was set to Ludicrous Speed.

The freakin’ lead-in is turning into a dissertation. Ees too much. I sum up.

Hung out at the Louis Armstrong Performing Arts Center until the sun came up (and the rain came with it.) Drizzled our way through the French Quarter after ditching the car at the hotel. We had beignets for breakfast at Café du Monde and thoroughly OD’d on powdered sugar. Bad pictures throughout the day because the weather didn’t cooperate. Met up with Kymmie and Jake at M-Pyre, wandered around Magazine Street, and just had fun in general. Took a nap before sushi dinner, then crashed at the hotel.

Sunday: more rain while I wandered the city, Charlie played on his Gamecube, and Aleta worked on the wings she’d brought. Took some good pictures at the Ursuline Convent, and then we met up with Barbara (family friend) for lunch. We had Chinese, and it was good. I gave Barbara untold amounts of crap because the locals absolutely kill what would otherwise be great French names. *grin* Chartres is a cathedral in France; it is absolutely NOT pronounced “charters.”

Took pictures with Aleta and Barbara’s friend Christian, who will quite likely be successful as a model. I always say that the #1 rule of photography is to start with a pretty girl, and we had two. Unfortunately, one important thing we didn’t have was sunlight, so the pictures didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped. That’s why they haven’t really been seen yet. I have to compensate, which is something I don’t like doing.

Sunday late afternoon we dropped by M-Pyre again to show Jake some of Aleta’s creations. We ended up doing photos of clothing & items there in the store. Again, the light wasn’t as I would have liked, but when you rig everything with ceiling lights and a lamp that doesn’t quite reach, what can you do? Jake and Kymmie treated us to an Italian dinner, which was much appreciated and damn good.

Sunday night we went to Dervish. I don’t know how to describe how much fun we had. Charlie danced his ass off, then tucked the fallen posterior into his pants and danced some more. I danced until my hip gave out. (I’m old, damnit!) Aleta danced until she declared that her bounce was broken, at which point we went outside to rest and breathe. Charlie continued dancing sans derriere. Aleta and I talked to random people outside for hours, then wandered back inside in time to dance some more before we all crashed and staggered back to the hotel.

Bright and not nearly as early as planned on Monday morning, Knight, Aleta, and I went to Metairie Cemetery. It was overcast, but at least it was brighter. Good pictures, many of which will be online soon. I got shots of the monuments, of Aleta, of Charlie, and even a few of myself (with Aleta at the helm.)

Highlights of the trip are really too numerous to list, and I’ve already gone on far too long. There’s one last tidbit that I’ll impart before I wander off and work on more of my website revision. This, in my mind, is the best part of the trip. *grin*

My fortune cookie at the Five Happiness restaurant in New Orleans read as follows: “Do onto others as you would have others do onto you.” If that isn’t a sign of something fun to come, I don’t know what is. Pun fully intended.