Day #3 -- Post-wedding brunch.

We were awake by 7AM because we had pretty much crashed relatively early the night before. First, we decided to take some pictures of the lobby of our hotel, the Monteleone.  It's a beautiful old-style place.

This was the inscription on this beautiful clock.

We also checked out the rooftop pool - really lovely, but we hadn't brought our suits (not that I would have sat there in my suit anyway!)  We also found the newlyweds' nephew Teddy swimming with his dad  - how cute.

Bob took an arty shot of a mosaic mural and flower by the entrance to the pool.

Since we had yet to taste a real New Orleans beignet, we decided to try Cafe Beignet, another coffee/jazz place not too far from our hotel.  The place was hopping at 10AM on a Saturday morning - there was a jazz duo playing, and of course there was a drinks machine where you could get daiquiris and margaritas.  We chose coffee & chicory with 3 beignets, which taste curiously like funnel cake (or maybe fastnachts) - fried dough with powdered sugar. 

Bob standing by the entrance to Cafe Beignet

Then it was time for the post-wedding brunch. We saw Swanna and Christian, looking smashing, as we were having yet another drink at the Carousel Bar.

 Since the place was about 8 miles away, we planned to take a cab and ended up sharing a ride with the Smythe family -- Christian's parents, sister and brother-in-law, and baby Teddy. The place was a private home - the owner had offered it to Swanna's friend when the first place they chose fell through.  It had a pool and some shade and a big porch, but the day was HOT with little breeze.  We chatted, ate, and sweated a wee bit.

Bob made me take this picture of bamboo gone wild - my sister Fran's neighbor was so angry that her husband had planted some in their yard because grows and grows and grows...case in point.

 Swanna's friend Gina took a little siesta before joining the people in the pool...

Of course, she was wearing a bathing suit while Swanna jumped in in her darling dress...

Then some more people joined in...

By this time, we'd gotten word from the Smythes that the cab was due to take us back to the hotel in about 10 minutes.  We all piled in and had a nice chat on the way back to the hotel.  Mrs. Smythe is an artist, and she and her husband often visit the Lambertville-New Hope area.  She gave us her card.

Bob was very tired by this time, and so he took a mega-nap.  I'm so jealous because I just don't do well with naps anymore.  I either can't fall asleep or, if I do, I wake up all groggy.  Anyway, he slept almost 3 hours while I read the novel Paris by Edward Rutherfurd. I woke him up at 5:40, and we got ourselves freshened up to walk across the street for some Mr. B's barbecued shrimp.

The staff there served us with a sense of humor!  We both ordered Crescent City coolers (which used to be called Breeze Specials because of the Saints quarterback).  We both ordered the shrimp--what an eating adventure. It was INTENSE.

They look innocuous, no?  NO. Think about it. How does one eat these things?  They're headed shrimp still in the shell.  You must eat them with your fingers, and they're swimming in this amazing sauce. So you, your fingers, and at least two napkins are slathered with shrimp and sauce; hence, one must wear a bib.

But getting totally shrimpy is totally worth it!!! These babies were swimming in the best sauce I've ever tasted on shrimp.  And because you're getting down and dirty (literally), you really have to just EAT THE SHRIMP UNTIL THEY'RE GONE.  Do NOT try this meal on a first date - or even a fifth date.  Luckily, they bring really hot towels and lemon after you've finished and - voila - your hands are shrimp and sauce-free. A dessert went by just as we were cleaning up that caught Bob's eye, and we shared in some delicious profiteroles.

So sometimes my camera decides no extra lighting is needed...

After dinner, we strolled the streets of the French Quarter and saw another two weddings with second lines -- so cool.  As we returned to the hotel, we saw Swanna and Christian headed out for pizza.  We said our good-bys and had our last drink at the Carousel Bar, where the people-watching on this particular evening was totally awesome.  Because of our early flight, we were in bed before 10PM after an action-packed three days in New Orleans!