http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/gallery/0000b5h2.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/gallery/0000b5h2 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007wr3q.xml This is what I look like when I just wake up and my dad is trying to learn how to use my camera's flash. He took about a billion pictures before just giving up. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007wr3q.xml d144615c8be62b8b6e21cc313afe7331 image/jpeg 640 480 50396 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007wr3q Some of the locals fishing for a free lunch. Along with the fish you eat from the river, you get a yummy side of mercury, a hint of industrial waste, and a dessert of human excrement. Mmmm... Mississippi River food! http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007rzbz.xml be8b159778424d9bcf1c1db2574f08b9 image/jpeg 534 712 94363 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007rzbz If you look through my photography, you know I love street performers. Jackson Square in New Orleans is full of them, including some really great artists. I consider them street peformers because they are putting themselves as much on the line as the people singing and strumming their guitars. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007hprb.xml 3f6a8e1881590dbce66577a7b8007df3 image/jpeg 712 534 137583 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007hprb Another artist's work. He said it will take a month for this piece of work to dry. I really liked it. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007khzc.xml eda5816fb00b74b46f60e1e3f43d3a33 image/jpeg 534 712 122923 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007khzc This lady talked to us for a good fifteen minutes. I asked her what her favorite piece was. She pointed to just about every one of them and told me a story about each one. How charming! The large pictures on top, incidentally, were $500 apiece. Too rich for my blood. But I got some good stories out of her for free, which was good enough for me. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007sbkb.xml 4e0e34a68e666a348f556ef5a5dc0d7a image/jpeg 712 534 132146 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007sbkb A band of people sitting in front of St. Louis Cathedral playing away. I liked the Asian banjo guy the best. Just because I like banjos. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007q0xg.xml cf50e6689684065f61c4923ba43960f2 image/jpeg 712 534 108824 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007q0xg This guy, as far as I could tell, was a city worker who spends much of his workday listening to music and pretending like he plays a mean broom. He also really likes posing for pictures. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007pa2e.xml ce19f18ef2f01a1fe01dfaa50a5d4cd6 image/jpeg 534 712 101413 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007pa2e Christina and I had some beignets and cafè au lait at the Cafè du Monde. It's a New Orleans staple. If you ever go to New Orleans for one thing, go there. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007gfpt.xml c79913204ebd3fe6f5a10495ee3ba2a9 image/jpeg 712 534 108743 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007gfpt Louisiana hot sauces. Every hot sauce had the word "Ass" in the name. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007fa3x.xml 9cad4a97a3b9b947c37d2def0f2be435 image/jpeg 712 534 79504 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007fa3x The next day, Christina and I took my sister's daughters to Chuck E. Cheese's to play and eat pizza. To PLAY... and, well, we took the pizza home. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00089gw8.xml cc0550a6a20f31b4b83c4953f5f9748e image/jpeg 712 534 76083 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00089gw8 This is Darien. She's cute. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007yab6.xml 18e78d3d1832a93e02b3f26da749675f image/jpeg 712 534 88613 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007yab6 After a whole day at Chuck E. Cheese, we went to Toys "R" Us for the girls to pick out a present. They never get to see their "Umple Paul", so when I get a chance to visit, I spoil them rotten. They were tired on the way home and crashed. Hard. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008h94y.xml ff0a3f6b6959b0849cafef6dc9b08595 image/jpeg 712 534 77408 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008h94y My sister and her girls. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008fcrr.xml 4db3bc44e48d9775ea697956a9249458 image/jpeg 712 534 107320 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008fcrr The next day, we woke up to this snapping turtle on my mom's doorstep. It was an appropriate find, because we were spending a day in the swamp. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008ge7e.xml 917d228c32a880271f02bd34c6f9fd72 image/jpeg 712 534 111707 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008ge7e This is a boat house. People live here. In the swamp. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008e26s.xml 3255c3c003c3ba71acd9d9064e728bb9 image/jpeg 712 534 145971 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008e26s This was the second alligator we saw. It was a twelve-footer. We spooked it and it jumped out of the water a little bit, and he was absolutely huge. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008cc28.xml 9affe97b18ac94a32faf65eb51f39e66 image/jpeg 712 534 187475 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008cc28 This is some kind of constrictor snake that found a wood duck's nest. Well... a former wood duck's nest. A former wood duck's former nest. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00088w6d.xml 71b20af3be8a6687d5b3649573e85b4a image/jpeg 712 534 155876 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00088w6d This was a baby alligator. I was doing my best "Crocodile Hunter" impression. "Nyeer Nyeer" http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008ahws.xml c29e409d0ba267d6818597feba902820 image/jpeg 712 534 42682 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0008ahws This is my cousin (step, twice removed, yada yada yada). She's cute. She calls me her boyfriend. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007z59s.xml 11eba3539d2bdc94cc125e91fc393298 image/jpeg 712 534 92032 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/0007z59s The azaleas were in full bloom. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000853q2.xml 408c1e100173a29c74e74861d431fbff image/jpeg 712 534 56843 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000853q2 So was the clover. This was my favorite shot of the whole trip home. I had my camera only about an inch from the bee. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000847ey.xml 0c9f1d706e408db21d2304d6fea733e2 image/jpeg 712 534 67603 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000847ey My dad's donkey, Brownie. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00083wxz.xml a2ea7d806c0e97b0f3303a21a18a00c9 image/jpeg 712 534 84104 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00083wxz Brownie and a duck. Nothing witty to say about a donkey and a duck. Unless you say, "Look at my quacky ass!" http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00082w56.xml c3a32224679bf53f8a11795d584cadcf image/jpeg 712 534 130781 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00082w56 We fished again in the evening, and I had much better luck. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00087s5d.xml e03308518e5390192d11f4bc568d2126 image/jpeg 712 534 103048 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00087s5d The sun set through the trees... http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00086q4r.xml 754a7499d889f0a311b01238d9c307b7 image/jpeg 712 534 140477 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00086q4r While my dad help us wrap up our fishing trip. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00080ty5.xml 6bdf8474b391c4e5a9ade3f4b7be52e7 image/jpeg 712 534 44539 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/00080ty5