Wanderlust. Nola Edition

It feels like ages since we've taken any time off. Our plan for the month of June was to tackle projects long put off and then enjoy the rest of summer lounging by the pool. June projects have stretched into July and now into August. It's too hot to play outside, yet vile temps haven't stopped our vacation planning.

I've also be thinking about food. Specifically good eats. For weeks I've been considering how best to approach Uncle Harry about putting us up in New Orleans for a week or so, while we made the rounds. Only a fool would leave Mayberry in August to go to NOLA, so the current thinking is mid September. That will give us chance to visit Louisiana's famed fall rainy season along with the New Iberia Sugar Festival. Harry will grumble but eventually he'll give in, so long as we promise to take him to lunch.

The fish of the day at Galatoire's is his last meal of choice, and believing any meal may be his last, he worships there often. Should you visit Galatoire's, take a local, the service improves when the waiters needn't translate the menu, and dress up for dinner.

Tourists, having heard of the famed lunch time atmosphere, line up for lunch much too early, as if expecting a show. I suggest 3:30 as the perfect start time for a convivial repast. Afternoon cocktails taste better, and your sense of self indulgence throws restraint to the winds. Have dessert too. Let your Puritan ancestors spin. If need be, begin with the shrimp or oysters down the street at Felix's, should you need something to tide you over. It's worth the wait.

My mind was cluttered with memories and menu planning when I received a "guess where I am" email with a photo attachment (photo at the top). Harry's table was ready, the guests were met, the feast was set, and he was well into his second restorer. Wherever Harry lays his Borsalino is his home and for that 1 minute I hated him. Having him to put us up just became easier.

Toad

PS: I was privately taken to task for suggesting that visitors to Mayberry may be forgiven for believing the Mayberry Olympics and World Fair were recent events, not something that occurred 108 years ago. I got my evens when a Mayberry World's Fair story appeared on the front page of the local paper Tuesday. Locals just won't let that story die.