Happy Friday, My Lovelies! Welcome to another edition of Tales of the Traveling Tote!
If you'd like to learn more about these posts and our group, please click on THIS LINK. La Countess de Monet and I have been super-busy this summer traveling back and forth to Lake Martin and Louisiana for events. In today's post I will feature our trip to New Orleans for a very special group birthday party: Mr. Bookish and a few of his childhood friends had a birthday party at Commander's Palace. We also had fun visiting a few of our favorite haunts as well during our trip to his hometown.
We spent one afternoon at the New Orleans Museum of Art gazing at their permanent collection. This field trip deserves its own post, and I plan to write it soon.
Wayne Thiebaud
Salmon Rose, 1966
Oil on canvas
Mr. Bookish also took me shopping. We went to three shops: the Tasc Store, Aux Belles Choses, and Octavia Books. Tasc sells the most comfortable active wear in the world. Most of their clothing is made from sustainable bamboo. I love their yoga pants, and I purchased several pairs of them and coordinating tops for summer and winter. Although we're fortunate to have a Tasc store here in Birmingham, it's still fun to shop at their original store in New Orleans. Aux Belles Choses lives up to its name because the shop offers the most beautiful French and English treasures for home and garden. Their vintage linens are stunning, and I always purchase French soaps to bring home. Octavia Books is one of my favorite indie bookstores, and the sweet booksellers there never disappoint. I purchased a book for myself and a few cute bookish things for our daughters.
Octavia Books is on the upper left, and Aux Belles Choses is on the upper right.
We started our day at District Donuts (bottom).
La Countess met a friend there. Check out the first graphic in this post at the top of the page. She loves making new friends!
Not only does Aux Belles Choses sell beautiful things for the Anglophile and Francophile in your life, they also sell pretty Mardi Gras gifts and decor all year. I love their king cake and Mardi Gras float porcelain boxes: They make the cutest gifts!
All the shopping made us a wee bit peckish, so Mr. Bookish wanted to go to the very best place in the world for snowballs: Hansen's Sno-Bliz.
I ordered a strawberry one. They are famous for their nectar flavored ones and some of the cream ones, too. What makes Hansen's Sno-Bliz snowballs so good is their ice pulverizing machine: It's the only one like it in the world!
We always enjoy Audubon Park, and our hosts live right by the park. What I love most are the gorgeous live oak trees. Did you know that there is a Live Oak Society that registers and names these beautiful and ancient trees? We found one on St. Charles Avenue that had lots of personality.
Called "Open Arms," it was registered by the Live Oak Society on August 14, 2001.
As I was saying...Open Arms has lots of personality!
Speaking of personality...
Mr. Bookish in the Garden Room at Commander's Palace.
Virtually everyone there was an LSU fan.
Roll Tide Roll!
Please visit the other Tales of the Traveling Totes posts by using the links below. Jackie @ Purple Cocolat Home is hosting a giveaway for the pretty Courtly Check To Go tote.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader (You're here!)
Mr. Open Arms would like to invite you to join us for the next episode of Tales of the Traveling Tote which will be live on December 1, 2023.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill