July, 2012...The Busiest Month of My Life

Ah, yes.  It has been a month since I last blogged.  And what a month it has been!  We finally moved in two weeks ago, after passing our city occupancy inspection with flying colors.  I have not watched TV in over a month.  Seriously. 

After working day in and out, we decided that a short vacation was in order to relax and rejuvenate.  We just returned home from NOLA-New Orleans, Louisiana.  My favorite U.S. city (besides St. Louis, of course!).  We visited several museums--including the Edgar Degas House, Pitot House, and Laura Plantation--and of course dined on delicious Creole cuisine, listened to Jazz on Frenchmen Street, and wandered through Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District, during a storm of all things!

Edgar Degas Historic House Museum

Statue in Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District

Lafayette Cemetery during the impending storm.

My favorite artwork in the cemetery.  I call her the "Weeping Widow," but am not sure of the real story.  Perhaps it is just the embodiment of grief. 

Memorial to the Destitute Orphans.

Laura Plantation in Vacherie, LA.  Later in life, Laura moved to St. Louis!

The interior design of our home certainly has a NOLA vibe to it, and that is because I have traveled there six times.  Each time I leave, a small piece of the sense of place travels back to St. Louis with me.  I have met some of the most wonderful and talented people there--artists, musicians, travelers, mounted policemen, the grand-niece of artist Edgar Degas.  There is almost a timeless feel to it.  If you have never visited, I highly recommend going.