French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest, Busking Fest

OK, so Busking Fest isn't a real festival like French Quarter and Jazz Fest but it was for us.  Towards the end of March when we thought our visit was coming to a close, New Orleans convinced us to stay not one not two but four more weeks until the end of Jazz Fest.

We made our way to the French Quarter - sometimes with the pony sometimes with a borrowed iron horse - to busk for 6 to 8 hours at a time in front of the constantly bustling crowds.  The artsy, not so hectic Royal street became our best friend.

The shot above was taken at 2 a.m. on Royal Street and even though you can't see them, hundreds of people were still passing every hour.  You can see our friend A, a fellow busker, playing fiddle while we take a break to eat sandwiches from a "street buffet" that our friend J brought down from his nearby apartment just for us.  J also helped us acquire a much-needed parasite checkup for Meadow.  We all agree, he gets 'trail angel' status.  Thanks for everything, J, hope we meet again.

Mama Cat, as she calls herself, has a street cuddle session
with our therapy puppy, in our 'living room' (the padded carpet we began bringing
to save our feet from being sore after so many hours on stone sidewalks)

Hannah's old homemade moccasins are Mama Cat's new, stylish duds

Seriously, though the busking was mad boss.  We put a big enough chunk in the bank over 8 grueling days to pay for our honeymoon.  Yayra.  There are too many good busking tales for this update; people we met, people who gave us things, the crazies we had to fight off, the crazies we couldn't get enough of... Here's a cool shot of an Irish couple, on their honeymoon as it rurns out... They stopped to listen to us play The Boys of Ballisodare; looks like somebody's gonna go home and buy themselves a nyckelharpa.

And then there was the music WE got to listen to.  Endless groovy bands playing up and down Frenchmen street every night of the week, the stages spread out all over downtown for the FREE French Quarter Fest, and of course, the world-famous Jazz Fest up near our Gentilly friends, at the race track.

Dr John rocks out.  Right place, right time.

The moon was also watching/listening to the Rebirth Brass Band

Rebirth actually played a short set on a friends' front porch, two weeks earlier;
Grammy winning band, 5 feet away, playing for 30 people... Won't forget that one

Live music wasn't the only thing we saw, either.  We were witness to the greatest show on earth; or at least the wacky, estranged stepchild of the greatest show on earth.  Cirque di Gras, a talented troop of young artists put on a spooky tale set in post-apocalypse New Orleans.

There was juggling, a contortionist, flaming pistols and a bed of nails, to name a few of the daring skills displayed. Your visit to New Orleans is not complete if you haven't wandered down to the Bywater to visit the "Red House" for this unique indoor circus.  Meadow made an appearance onstage, climbing up (and down) the old porch steps to stand calmly in front of a packed house with a pleasant horsey smile on her face.  She was apparently made for showbiz.

Check out this feller's bass... stacked suitcases...
Wonder what it goes in when he travels

The local talent was amazing.  Jazz Fest invites some big names to play as well.  We saw Chick Corea, John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen.  All of them lived up to the hype.

'The Boss' toed the line between epic and a little too epic... Awesome

Apparently Chick Corea has a fever too (white T-shirt)

We followed an African percussion group as it meandered along the walkways at Jazz Fest... Actually, it sounded very similar to the drum circles in downtown Asheville only way more together.  The dragon snuck up on us...

Check out this old style printing press we found in one of the tents at Jazz Fest

And of course many nights ended with good food and a jam session back at the E's place, known fondly as Rochville. Their family is a gem on this planet, and the joy and good times we had in their friendly community is sure to keep us coming back for more.

Our final get together before starting the journey back to Asheville