Oak Tree in Audubon Park
Happy Saturday, My Lovelies! It's Mardi Gras weekend, and we've recently returned from New Orleans. This Tales of the Traveling Tote post will feature our two most recent trips to New Orleans during December and last week.
Christmas tree with large bow at Mignon Faget
Mignon Faget is a jewelry designer and a favorite of our girls
We visited New Orleans the weekend after Thanksgiving for a debutante party. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and finishing our Christmas shopping. We also ate at a few of our favorite restaurants including Vincent's on St. Charles Avenue, Commander's Palace, and District Donuts.
Mr. Bookish and I both love Tasc. This is where I buy my favorite yoga pants.
Le Petite Bleu is a coffee shop adjacent to Commander's Palace. We purchased their French Truck x Commander's Palace coffee for our SIL's stocking.
No trip to New Orleans would be complete without visiting my favorite shop, Aux Belles Choses.
Display shelves in Le Petit Bleu
The two photos, above, feature beautiful Christmas decor and treats from Aux Belles Choses.
Most of their Christmas ornaments are imported from France.
All of the stores were decorated so prettily for Christmas, both inside and outside.
This is just a sampling of the camellias and tropicals in bloom during Christmas.
We returned to New Orleans last week to visit friends and attend a Mardi Gras ball. The ball was such a special evening because one of our friends who stood up for Mr. Bookish in our wedding was King of the Krewe of Dorians, and another friend who stood up for Mr. Bookish in our wedding, his daughter was Queen of the Krewe of Dorians. How special is that!
I was also able to visit with several friends, including one of my closest friends from college and her husband. It was such a lovely night!
We usually stay near Audubon Park because we love walking around the park. I don't think I've ever featured The Tree of Life located near the stables in the park before on my blog. Here are a few photos:
"The Tree of Life"
The de Boré Oak
Planted circa 1740
Audubon Park
We spent a large portion of two days in and around the park. We also visited Aux Belles Choses again. I wanted to see what they had for Mardi Gras. I purchased a couple of things for our Mardi Gras decor, and I also purchased more soaps. (I always buy soaps from Aux Belles Choses.) The latest soap that everyone is loving is their donkey milk soap. I bought some, but I haven't tried it yet.
The soaps on the right were imported from Provence. The packaging is so pretty!
The king cake enamel boxes are so cute as are the crown ornaments.
Spring has sprung in New Orleans!
I will leave you with a couple of photos of ferns growing on oak trees in Audubon Park.
Here are the links for all the blogs participating in this quarter's link party.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
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 Bookish Dilettante
Be sure to enter to win this quarter's giveaway at the Pandora's Box Blog!
Be there or be square! ;p
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy March, Ricki Jill! How exciting to see spring in NOLA, and come home to watch it unfold again! I am fascinated by the history of that area, and your photos really make it seem so quaint and unique. How serendipitous for Mr Bookish's oersonal connections to the King & Queen of the Krewe of Dorians! That beautiful almost 300 year old tree! Wow! And those soaps from Provence are gorgeous. Lovely trips, and great way to spend winter months!
ReplyDeleteAnother place I haven't been - the spring blooms have me anxious to see all of our snow disappear! How was the Ball? Sounds exciting. The shops look like i could be lost in them for hours - I hope to visit the area some day! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!
ReplyDeleteI love New Orleans RJ, and your post has inspired me to think about a trip there before the temps are too hot. Your trip sounds like a lot of fun, seeing relatives and friends and finishing up your Christmas shopping. I will reference this post for a list of shops new to me there. I don't think I have seen the tree in Audubon Park, a must see next trip there. Everything is just so beautiful in NO, I enjoyed all your photos. Wishing you a very happy March sweet friend.......
ReplyDeleteHow special Ricki Jill to travel to New Orleans and see Nola close to spring time. The blooms are so gorgeous. We were fortunate to visit New Orleans about 6 years ago. The restaurants, the people and history are so interesting. The tree of life is gorgeous in Audubon Park. A wow tree for sure. Love the ferns as well. How awesome that your friends were King of the Krewe of Dorians, and another friend's daughter was Queen of the Krewe of Dorians. I think attending Mardi Gras ball would be fabulous. Happy March. I am missing seeing your pretty tote, Countess de Monet.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrated Joe's sisters birthday in New Orleans a while back, and my niece was supposed to get married there but the pandemic hit and we couldn't travel so the wedding was held at their home in California. Nice to see that Spring has sprung in New Orleans! The blooms are gorgeous! How awesome that your friends were King of t he Krewe of Dorians, and another friend's daughter was Queen of the Krewe of Dorians. I could easily fill up my traveling tote in New Orleans, and Miss Aurora would be happy to help :-)
ReplyDeleteHello, I loved all the photos. That dress... I love it. And the shops. And the ferns, trees and flowers. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Spring ... but we received 10 inches of snow and have wind, a true blizzard here on Ash Wednesday.
What fun for me to see all the shops you like, Ricki Jill, and to see all the flora and fauna. That tree of life is amazing and soooo old! I’d love the soap shopping and smelling all the varieties. Happy March!
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