While the Party Lasts

I took this Mardi Gras photo during the Krewe du Vieux (CROO-duh-VOO) parade – traditionally the first parade of the Mardi Gras season. For the many residents of New Orleans, Krewe du Vieux is Mardi Gras – still adhering to the 100-year old traditions of Carnival – mule or hand drawn floats winding through neighborhoods showing off satirical themes, jazz musicians, and costumed revelers parading in the streets. During the parade, so many New Orleans residents (total strangers) welcomed us into their homes, fed us, and hugged us warmly. At the end of the night, we felt like we had made lifelong friends. So I cried when I learned that those neighborhoods were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. I now wonder if this woman (or all the people who welcomed us openly) still call New Orleans home.