scooterific update

Its been a week since my random and spontaneous purchase of fuelled transportation. I've travelled over 200 km around the city of Vancouver. That seems like a lot, but it's 10k to work 1 way.. so before I know it.. boom- I've traveled to Seattle on side streets.

So I burned through a tank of gas. What did 200km cost? $5.00. That's less like $0.025 a km or $0.45 a commute to work and $3.60/day in insurance. So ya, it's cheaper than the bus by $0.75. Good lord. I'm surprised there's not a zillion scooters on the road.

I went grocery shopping and pack 2 bags into my little top case. I brought home a big bag of cat food. I went through Stanley Park and stopped to watch a cricket game. I've zipped out to the beaches and ran off to meet a friend for dinner.

I need to get back on my bike though so one more day and then I'm parking it for a few days.

scootedly

Here...

and then gone...

Thanks to the lovely Sonia Sangha for the photos (and for dinner)!

scoot

I had an offer for a car allowance at work. It set me off on visits to car dealerships and test drives and alot of stress. Do I buy a car? Do I lease a car? Do I finance a car? Why do I want a car? What do I need a car for?

Maintenance..Insurance..Gas..stress..stress..stress..

No. I don't want a car. I don't want to own a car and get parking permits and insurance and gas and pay for all kinds of things just so I can have the luxury of *maybe* driving somewhere like Seattle. Otherwise, you drive around with alot of space around you.I have the Vancouver Car Co-Op for my car needs.

But.. I did want some more freedom than my bike. I wanted to be able to go places and take photos. I wanted to be able to pick up some groceries. I wanted to be able to zip around the city a bit easier than transit and my bike..

I remembered when I was 13 and the neighbour had a silver one and I thought it looked so cool. Then the Mods in high school had old Lambretta's and they were the cat's meow..I think I've always kind of wanted one, and I figured I could afford one..so I decided to buy a Vespa. Tomorrow, I pick it up. It's black. I got a deal on it. Yes, Catherine- I will add a reflective vest to my accessories for night time rain riding. Don't worry.. I'll be safe. I'm excited.

a typical shotgun

IMGP0060-1, originally uploaded by jilly71.

I would so live in one of these..

"Shotgun houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways. The term "shotgun house", which was in use by 1903 but became more common after about 1940, is often said to come from the saying that one could fire a shotgun through the front door and the pellets would fly cleanly through the house and out the back door (since all the doors are on the same side of the house)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_house

transportation

IMGP0046-2, originally uploaded by jilly71.

I'll be home in a few hours. It was a fabulous trip. I wouldn't do anything different. Thanks New Orleans.

corner of St. Peter & Royal, New Orleans

IMGP0054, originally uploaded by jilly71.

I hired a poet on Frenchman St last night.

New Orleans- Stormy Weather

New Orleans sleeps under the river,
And the lake that hug her shoulders,
In a no- time, clothed in clapboards,
Strewn with colored beads of many years.
Promising to drown one day,
Already inhabiting our memory.

I remember our first rendezvous
With this dreaming candy- woman.
The night in the pink parking lot,
Gravel gleaming on the pavement.
Moisture gleaming on my forearms.

A part of me was struck by storm,
Checked and reeled and thirsted,
Grew mold, decayed, and marched
Its family to the afterworld,
And came back after the storm.


We both grew in these 5 years.
I brought my boots to wade through
More flooding. But the sky was washed.
The moon chiseled the outlines
Of epic, monstrous clouds.

A storm is brewing now to see me off.
There's talk of oil rain,
There is colling in the air
Unseasonal and sweet, while swirling.
Hysterical winds slash their way

Towards this nodding shore
When they get here
I won't be here anymore.

Erin Lierl
Poet for hire
New Orleans
June 28, 2010

painted pony

IMGP0059, originally uploaded by jilly71.

a walk through St. Louis Cemetery #2

Red Beans and Rice Postcard recipe

1 pound dried red beans
1/4 cup green onion tops
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/2 pound smoked sausage (Andouille or Chorizo)
Boiled rice

Soak beans in cold water overnight. Drain and add enough water to cover beans in a large soup pot.. Add all ingredients except the sausage and rice. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 3-5 hrs. Add more water if it gets too dry. Stir occasionally. Cut and brown 1/2 inch slices of sausage in a hot skillet. Add 1/2hr before serving.. Serve over cooked rice with French Bread. Serves 4-6.

Jambalaya post card recipe

1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 pound of ham, cubed
1 cup onions
1 cup bell pepper chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup green onions chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16ounce can tomatoes, drained, reserving liquid
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup converted rice
1 1/2 cups stock or water
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pound peeled shrimp (optional)

Saute sausage and ham in heavy Dutch oven until slightly browned. Remove from pot. Saute onions, bell peppers, celery, green onions and garlic in meat drippings until tender. Add tomatoes, thyme, pepper and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Mix together liquid from tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire Sauce to equal 2 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and add raw shrimp, ham, sausage and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until rice and shrimp are done. Serves 12.

Do Not Demolish

IMGP0023-1, originally uploaded by jilly71.

I woke up early this morning; my bike rental was going to end at noon. My destination was the 9th ward. The 9th ward was the area most destroyed by Katrina. I wasn't too sure what I was going to find. You have to ride over a bridge to cross a canal that dumps into the Mississippi River. Once across the bridge, the 1st house I saw was pockmarked with gunshots. It was not going to be pretty, I thought.

It wasn't as bad as I imagined. There were definitely some pretty bad looking houses. I'll admit, this was an area that I had no interest in checking out the insides of these houses. I haven't gone into any abandoned houses in New Orleans. You still see alot of Katrina markings.

Houses would be checked and an X was spray painted on the front of the house. The north quadrant would have the date the house was checked, east would identify who was there, west would identify if there were animals, and south would identify entry or no entry (or some version of this). In some neighbouhoods, they just knocked on the door.

I rode around and I saw people mowing lawns, sitting on porches, walking around, ,fixing cars. I said hello to anyone I passed and kept on riding. I rode past a dead dog, which was pretty grim. I don't think it had been there long. When I noticed the car with the blacked out windows more than once, I figured my holiday in the 9th ward was over.

It's a poor neighborhood, but I saw a transit bus. No businesses seem to be open, but people were there and living and trying to rebuild. I hope New Orleans makes it.

IMGP0017-1, originally uploaded by jilly71.

on desire street

IMGP0058-1, originally uploaded by jilly71.

dueling trumpets

Last night I headed to Frenchman Street, which is less tourist- more local and closer to my Guest House than the quarter. OMG. There was this group of horn players on the street playing for money. Good thing I brought my little video maker...



The truly amazing thing that I couldn't capture on video was that there was a competing group of horn players on the opposite corner. It was insane! There were people everywhere. The music was all that you could ever expect from New Orleans. Ellis Marsalis was playing, and I hoped to hear it from outside because I didn't want to pay the $30. I popped into the Spotted Cat and listened to a set of The Cottonmouth Kings who were also tres amazing. This video looks like it was shot right where I stood last night and I heard almost the same thing. (not my video)

Gas off

Gas off, originally uploaded by jilly71.

new orelans- day 3

I got up this morning and went for a 3 hr bike tour. I would have preferred less talking and more biking. I can't recall most of what was said to me today. Which is kind of sad for $45. I did see some neat things and learned about the post Katrina marking on the houses and what they symbolize.

Then I came home and napped for 5 hrs. This heat...I went for a walk in the "suburbs" of Baywater and Marigny. I don't know what people are on about New Orleans being dangerous. If it is.. I haven't seen or felt a shred of it yet and I was walking where it was getting sketchy.

I had a great light diner at a place called Satsuma. Had a lovely young spinach salad with bacon, egg, onions and tomatoes. Mint ice tea and a side of crispy toast.

I'm off in hunt of some good music ala New Orleans. Ellis Marsalis is playing a few blocks away...

new orelans- day 2

Today I set out to do nothing but see where I went. I had one minor objective simply because it was close to my B&B.. was to find a Banksy graffiti job. I did find it, but it's been mostly covered up.

I wandered through the French Quarter in the muggy morning, staying on the shady side of the street. I know Louis Armstrong says 'life can be so sweet on the sunny side of the street' but it's also scorching hot. I took a lot of photos. You can see what I've been up to here..


side note: I bought a pair of Toms shoes in Toronto. They were incredibly comfortable and kept my feet cool.

Some things I did/ saw today..

• Bought postcards and wrote them all. They'll be mailed in the morning
• Bought a cool can of coffee called Cafe Bustelo

• went into a out of the way shop: The Voodoo Spiritual Temple and bought a bar of African Black Soap. It's kind of strange. 
• road the Canal Streetcar from one end to the other and learned I can buy a $5 all day transit pass
• wandered into a Photography Gallery and learned that New Orleans has an annual celebration of photography called PhotoNola. I also saw original Bellocqs, Arbus, Weegee, Adams.. wow
• saw a man riding a bike, wearing what looked like a tight curl black wig.. made out of yarn.
• saw a lot of for sale signs in the quarter and wished i had a million dollas to make a perfect B&B dream come true.
• happened upon a group of men in shorts, tube socks, gold spray painted shoes dancing in the street
• met a woman who looked exactly like Janis Joplin but from the 80's. I should have taken her photo. 
• noticed the flood lines on some buildings
• ate at Mother's
• wore myself out and came back to my room at 7pm and didn't leave

Tomorrow at 9am I have a 3hr bike tour booked with Confederacy of Bike Tours.

New Orleans

IMGP0054, originally uploaded by jilly71.

...but it also looks like Paris, Havana, or Brussels..

a brief look at the B&B

starting..

I have to admit.. reports that a huge methane gas cavity in the Gulf of Mexico could rupture and take out the ocean floor causing multiple tsunami's.. I almost booked my way back to safety and holiday boredom. Then I thought, what if I do and then what if nothing happens and I forfeit my B&B and my flights? I'd regret it. Would I regret being swallowed in a giant methane bubble? Probably. But I wouldn't really know. This way I have adventures under foot.

My first thoughts were.. it's like Havana & Cuba. It's hot and muggy. The French Quarter is alot like Havana Veija but not as run down. The bougainvillea flowers are in bloom, like in Cuba.. and the smell of damp wood and musty spices fill the air.

I'm safely in my lovely B&B. It's cool and quiet. In fact, I have the whole joint to myself tonight. The fridge is stocked with English muffins, bagels, peanut butter and juice. There's cold cereal and milk and I can help myself all I want. The ceilings are high and everything is really comfortable. Nice big bathroom, nice big room, a TV, WIFI, books, a common area, tourist pamphlets..etc. Honestly, we does anyone EVER stay in a hotel?

I don't smell any gas, but apparently a hurricane is due on the weekend. So is the gay pride parade.. 2 blocks away. I don't know what's in store for me except I hope I never have to fly on United's tiny wobbly planes ever again.