NOLA for Thanksgiving

A dwarf palm (I want one!), as seen last week in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans.

We spend the week of Thanksgiving 2,300 miles southeast (and in tropical cold-hardiness zones 9a/9b) from our new home in Montana (cold zones 4b/5a). We're in my husband's hometown of New Orleans to wine and dine with about 20 cousins and their families. Otherwise, we walk around looking at homes and gardens, a LOT. I want every other plant that I see. Most won't grow where we now live.

On Day One, weather is eerily like what it had been when we left Western Montana -- overcast, damp and a chilly 40 degrees. It is too cold even to spend much time on our lovely little balcony of the Maison Dupuy in the French Quarter. But the hanging baskets of ferns and the tall palms of the courtyard don't seem to mind the chill.

Days Two and Three are perfect winter weather in NOLA -- clear blue skies and high temps in the 60s.

We stand in line outside the Acme Oyster House as the stars themselves -- raw oysters in their shells -- get unloaded out front.

Inside the Acme, we sit at the bar and have fried-oyster po-boy sandwiches and local beer. Truth be told, our Acme sandwiches this time are too bready and not dressed as we like. Maybe it's a holiday fluke. The place is busier than I've ever seen it. So are the street cars -- shiny and refurbished after Katrina. We take one (below) to Uptown.

Can you see the beads decorating this Uptown tree?

On another gorgeous day, we walk in the Marigny neighborhood, where the line-up for music at the Blue Nile catches my eye. Next trip!

Just the two of us try a posh little place near our hotel for dinner. It's Bayona, with a lush rear courtyard and even lusher interior. The place is packed but walls are beautifully upholstered, and we can really hear each other for a change. 

Alex waits for the check at Bayona. Let's just say that service was a little slow. I didn't mind.

But here's who we really came to see -- the Gales and Gale-related persons. They are cousins who generously lent us their little island-plus-cabin up on Lake Superior for 15 or so summers in a row. Now, we're in Western Montana and they are in Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, even Dubai. We all traveled to get to this lovely dinner arranged by Peggy Gale, far right. Our only problem? We stayed on the other side of the Quarter from most of these folks and saw them only twice -- for a lunch and for this wonderful dinner. Thanks, Peg!!