Stained Glass, St. Marys, New Orleans

I loved the vibrant blue. The whole church was drenched in bright, joyful colors. I wasn't used to that! :)

The (Not Really) Naked Cowboy of Times Square

I have to assume he's a regular street entertainer there. He's got the special underwear and everything! :)





I love how the crowd is afraid to look directly at him.

Wig Store, New Orleans

Happy Birthday, Dad!

The store and the birthday have nothing in common. I just liked the shot. :)

The French Quarter, as seen from the convent grounds

Almost looks more like Europe than it does an American city, doesn't it?

Buddha Banks

Taken in New Orleans, spring 2008. I assume they are Buddhas -- they might not be!

Hail, Hail, the gang's all here!

The last three of the series from yesterday...



Francis Xavier Seelos: The leader of the group. Probably a little bossy, but he means well.




Cornelia Peacock Connelly: What a sour, smug expression. I can't get over how rude she looks praying.




Henriette Delille: The pretty one. Cornelia hates her for her perfect hairdo and big earrings.


I think the expressions of the three become more prominent when you see them together. They are truly a motley crew, and not in a hair band kind of way!



Best viewed in large.

Ursuline Convent Garden Statues

Taken at the Ursuline Convent Museum, a quiet oasis tucked away in the middle of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The six statues are praying to another statue of Mary and baby Jesus, which is befitting at St. Mary's Church, the church adjacent to the convent. Female saints and religious icons played a strong role here, moreso than I remember seeing in any church in a very long time. But the expressions on the statues in this setting were remarkably real and not nearly as beatific as I expected.



Francis Xavier Cabrini: The bowtie is distinctive, but it's the almost sly look on his face that makes this statue so striking to me.




M. Katharine Drexel: Her plain, broad features stand out. She also has one of the few genuinely devout and sincere expressions of the statues. But she also looks a little glum, don't you think?



Rose Phillipine Duchesne: She makes praying look like hard, joyless work.


3 more tomorrow!

Praying Hands on a Decorated Hearse

Details on the roof of a super-decorated hearse we spotted in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Many more photos to come.

Beads on the Wire

Of course, in New Orleans, you expect to see beads everywhere. But there really were EVERYWHERE: on roofs, in trees, over statue ears, on telephone wires. Not just in the French Quarter, either; we saw them in residential neighborhoods, in the business district, any place you looked up you would see beads.

Blues on the River

A street performer in the French Quarter, New Orleans, spring 2008.

Verandas in New Orleans

The French Quarter in the spring. So pretty.

(Yes, I am back. I will try to post every day this week, I promise. I have New York and New Orleans photos to share!)