No matter how long I live here, I just never get tired of Mardi Gras.

Believe it or not, there are many realtors, so disgusted with the congestion and craziness in the city, who throw up their hands, give up on working through the traffic, and just take a cruise during Mardi Gras!

Well, as much as I think that annual cruise would be a blast, I would never consider leaving home and missing all the fun this time of year.

Just thought I’d share a few fun things from our Carnival Season this year. First, see that little king cake and the gorgeous purple, green and gold ice cream? We had that at Emeril’s after an awesome “business dinner” a few weeks ago… Not sure most people would want to eat purple, green and gold ice cream… but if you love New Orleans, those food dyes and already part of your DNA, so slurp it down and enjoy!

And my four-year-old son asked when we were going in the attic to get the Mardi Gras decorations down… yikes. I had left the “Mardi Gras Tree” up so long last year, that I was able to move it into his bedroom and change the decorations – just in time for Christmas! So, I wasn’t even planning on getting it back out of the attic until – maybe never. Then again, when someone is four, everything must be celebrated somehow, so… I made a wreath for the front door, which I think turned out really well. Then, with the leftover ribbon, I decorated his tractor, and “Yard Carnival” began. Yard Carnival means Bryce, and sometimes his three-year-old friend next door, driving their little cars and tractors around, throwing all the stuff they caught at parades out into the yard, over and over and over again. They never tire of it. Even now, with Easter and St. Patrick’s next on the agenda… Mardi Gras is still in full swing each afternoon in our back yard.

So… it’s not over ’till we say it’s over. Keep it coming, New Orleans, let’s just celebrate until after Jazz Fest, then maybe we’ll settle in for summer.

Anne Beck
New Orleans Realtor, Reveler, Etc.