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Southeast Louisiana’s winter weather is so fickle. One day it’s cold, damp and gray and the next is sunny with blue skies and mild temperatures. During Christmas break from work hubby and I decided to go looking for pelicans in … Continue reading
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I love to walk around with my camera and take pictures of things of interest to me, mostly photos of sites I find attractive. Here is a slideshow of doors and windows (mostly in the French Quarter) that have caught … Continue reading
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Once again I’m ruminating on social media and my participation in it. Lately, I’ve been enjoying the interaction on Google+ where I’ve been very careful as to who I circle. I’ve learned from my Facebook account that friending/circling can get … Continue reading
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I am a shoreline person. My blood pressure drops when I hear the sound of the surf. I adore walking barefoot in the sand. I live within a mile of a bayou, I cross Lake Pontchartrain 2 times a day … Continue reading
Please let me preface that with the fact that I am not one of those “Northshore Snobs”, I’m a yankee who’s been here since ’75, mothered a cajun girl and am not going back. Louisiana is my home and that’s … Continue reading
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This weekend was the perfect time for outdoor activities. The sun was shining, the skies were blue and there was a steady breeze. With so much going on around us, we decided to stay close to home. We had breakfast … Continue reading
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We were pleasantly surprised today when we finally decided on what to do on Saturday… we went to Camp Salmen Nature Park to see what updates have been done since our last visit in February. Originally a Boy Scout camp … Continue reading
Today we’re profiling Katy Monnot of Bird On The Street blog. Katy describes herself as “a Metry Girl”. She attended St. Martin’s Espiscopal for elementary school and Dominican for High School. She went to LSU for college where she met her husband. He served in the Air Force for five years and they lived in Texas and Arkansas,moving back to the New Orleans area in 2007. Katy is a stay at home mom of infant twin boys and their older special needs brother.
Katy, when and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in late 2005 on a whim. Shortly after, my husband deployed to the Middle East for four months. Blogging became an outlet for me to interact with others and share my experiences. After my son was born in 2007, I realized I needed blogs to give me a first-hand experience that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
Do you consider yourself a “mommy blogger”? And what does that label mean to you?
I do consider myself a “mommy blogger” even though I was blogging for a while before I became a mom. I prefer the term “parenting blogger” because I think that’s what I actually blog about: parenting, specifically, parenting a child with special needs. Mommy is job title and lots of moms blog and never mention their kids. So yeah, I’m a mom blogger, a parenting blogger, but also what some people call a memoir-style blogger.
Are you trying to connect with a specific demographic?
Yes and no. I consider my main audience to be people who are raising children with special needs. Specifically, I want to provide them with hope and a positive view of what that life can be. As my blog has grown, however, I have discovered that there is a second audience–people who wish to support those with special needs. So I find that I am also writing for them these days.
Why did you choose BlogHer as your blogging platform?
Well, Blogher is just my advertising network. I applied on whim and it was probably years before they contacted me about joining. I control the rest of the site myself.
What do you think are the benefits of utilizing BlogHer over an independent blog?
The greatest thing, from my perspective is the exposure. Once a week, my post’s title appears on other blogs in the Network. It’s a nice way to find new readers. Also, I don’t think I was ever going to solicit my own advertising for the site, and Blogher ads provide a (very) small about of revenue for essentially zero effort.
I know you are the creator of The Louisiana Bloggers Network. Tell us why you started it and what you hope to accomplish.
I’m so glad you asked! The Louisiana Bloggers Network is my attempt to promote, unify, and help bloggers in Louisiana. Right now it’s just getting started, but we’ve already had a Baton Rouge and New Orleans meetup, and we’ve put together a panel for the Rising Tide Conference. My ultimate goal is to have it become a hub of collaboration and assistance. Bloggers can share information, stories, goal. They can band together to seek advertising and sponsorship. They can plan road trips to conferences.
Katy, tell us a little bit about your involvement in the Rising Tide Conference.
Mallory Whitfield organized Rising Tide’s new addition this year: Tech School. She asked me to participate as a representative of The Louisiana Bloggers Network. I was completely intrigued by RT, so I started attending the planning meetings. I wasn’t able to do as much as I would have liked since I had my twins in the middle of June, but I was able to organize a panel on Photography and Graphic Design for your blog. I also live-tweeted Tech School and made some vegan red beans and rice for vegan attendees. Next year I hope to do even more. Rising Tide was created and is organized by old-school bloggers: not people looking to make a buck, but people with something to say. That is still my favorite type of blogger, and I’ll do anything I can to keep that aspect of blogging alive. Don’t get me wrong, I think bloggers can and should make money for their time and energy, but I really love people who do it regardless.
Are you involved in any other online endeavors you’d like to share?
Nothing I can think of, but you never know what project I’ll be up to next!
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Katy’s links:
Less than a mile down the road from Fountainbleu State Park toward Mandeville is the Northlake Nature Center , a four-hundred acre park that is absolutely beautiful.
(click on the pictures below to see the full sized version)
This park offers the opportunity to witness four different ecosystems AND a first hand look at an historic example of crooked Louisiana politicians. A recent archaeological survey revealed the Center site as home to ancient peoples more than 500 years ago.
At the end of the initial boardwalk, you will come to an unfinished “hideaway” club house
As stated in the photo below, this exclusive hideaway golf course initially was the idea of Louisiana Governor Leche in the late 1930′s for his political cronies. This governor has the unique distinction of being the first Louisiana governor sentenced to prison.
Leche and several of his political pasls were indicted in what were termed the “Louisiana Scandals”
The hideaway was destroyed by fire in March 2010 and is not accessible. However, hubby and I took a trip into the park before the fire and got some of the following shots.
Beyond this piece of history is lush, serene swampland and forest.
There are several trails to choose from, all of them pretty primitive, so be prepared to watch where you step!
The boardwalk crosses what is purported to be an active beaver pond
But on this day we only spotted friendly turtles
Lots of turtles!
There are several benches along the boardwalks and paths through the woods.
This area seems to be where they hold nature seminars and is probably used for the annual Great Louisiana Birdfest that happens here.
We spotted this cypress at the edge of the pond.
Notice how the lower branches are bent down as a result of Katrina’s winds.
There are several overlooks constructed throughout the park where you can take in all that this little environmental gem has to offer.
These pictures were taken in February of this year, thus the reason that everything looks muted. If August weren’t so darned steamy, I’d love to be out there right now with my camera.
This photo whispers about the circle of life to me. You can see the victims of Katrina being used to nourish the new growth.
Amidst all that gray stood this proud little tree, all decked out in new green leaves.
Throughout the park are bridges which cross Bayou Castine
I’m not an avid hiker, but I managed to walk around the park for several hours and didn’t feel the least bit tired (with the exception of my bursitis, but that’s a sign of my age 
).
If you ever want to get away from it all and just listen to the sounds of the woods and waterways, make your way to the Nothlake Nature Center to unwind.
I woke up today feeling very vulnerable and sad. I really can’t pin down the reason for being blue. I guess it has a lot to do with what’s going on in my life right now. All the thoughts and repressed emotions have bubbled up and today was the day that they reached the surface of my consciousness.
Don’t take this wrong, I’m not writing a “woe is me” post, just airing out these things to try to put them in perspective.
One of the oldest issues I’ve been carrying around is my impending loss of employment. It’s not the losing the job that bothers me as much as losing touch with people I’ve literally grown up with:
We will soon scatter to different parts of the country, perhaps never to meet again. Social media will help some of us keep connected, which makes it a little easier.
Actually I’m excited about my future. I have absolutley no idea what I’ll end up doing and that doesn’t really bother me. I’ve done the corporate things for more than half my life and I am over it!
My beautiful, sweet 23 year old daughter left for her last semester of school today. That makes me melancholy . While I truly enjoy my alone time, I cherish the time that she and I get to spend together. She has grown up smart and strong and I am extremely proud of her.
She will be graduating in December at a Chef/Nutritionist. She and I spend so much time talking about food, exploring grocery stores, creating recipes and eating. I miss her presence.
My husband’s 86 year old mother passed away last week and the services were on July 30th. I believe the catalyst for my sadness was the memorial services. While she led a fruitful and long life, I was saddened to see her family suffering emotionally, especially her 90+ year old sisters.
Life is full of changes and we get through them any way we can. We become stronger by surviving the not so good changes. Experience is a fantastic teacher. The good changes in life also mold our character as we go through life. We experienced a good change a few weeks ago when we adopted a puppy. A huge, excitable puppy.
His name is Deuce and he is five months old. 55 pounds. He’s part Lab, part Chesepeake Bay Retriever. He drove me to frustrated tears today. See, Deuce had a little sore on his leg so he had to have a the E-cone put over his head. The cone is falling apart because Deuce is such a goofball so he runs into things. I was trying to tape the cone together this morning and it was impossible to do by myself and I lost it. I am not a dog person. While Deuce is extremely smart, he’s still just a puppy and I don’t know where to start in calming him down. He’s fine right now while I’m sitting on the sofa typing. But the minute I get up he starts wagging his tail and wants to jump. Someone tell me WHAT is a way to get a puppy’s attention? It’s driving me mad! He will sit on command (for a second), but his puppyness makes him have a very, very short attention span.
So yeah, life is full of changes and I’m happy to embrace them. I guess we just have to take some days off and process all the changes and regroup our emotions so we can get through life. That’s what I’m doing today and that’s why I posted this, it helped! Thanks.
“On St. Joseph’s Day a few years back, a man and a woman stumbled upon our celebrations at St. Augustine. I was serving food from our altar and asked them if they wanted any. They asked me what the cost was. I replied that there was no cost and began explaining to them the customs and traditions of St. Joseph’s Day. They were thrilled to be with locals and partake in our traditions but noted that if it weren’t for mere chance, they never would have found us.
I understood what they were saying. I am a world traveler and search out local culture when in a new place but find that tourist guides don’t do much to help me with that. Both before and after Katrina (but especially after), people from all over the world hunger to know New Orleans like locals do. I am a resourceful person, so I always end up getting the inside scoop but realize that many travelers don’t have the skills or time to research a place. 411 NOLA aims to remedy this for our visitors. I want to connect people to each other, to make travel about genuine communication between people and cultures.
Although the site is popular with people from out of town, many locals love it too. We are a city smitten with itself like no other. There is so much to do, so much local talent, so many hidden opportunities…people want a place where they can learn about it all. ” ~ Marcia Wall
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Marcia Wall is the creator and administrator of 411 NOLA, a local website dedicated to all things New Orleans for New Orleanians and visitors alike. This profile of Marcia is the first in a planned series about New Orleans bloggers: who they are, why they blog and what they talk about. The formats will be eclectic, including interviews by myself, interviews by others and profiles by guest bloggers like the one you’ll read today by Marcia’s former student turned friend, Jhae Dupart. The NOLA blogosphere has grown by leaps and bounds since I began blogging in 2005 and I discover new-to-me bloggers almost every week writing on a myriad of subjects from politics to fashion to lifestyle and everything in between. I hope you’ll enjoy this wonderful tribute to Marcia that Jhae has shared with us and I hope you all as readers will participate by making suggestions as to which bloggers you’d like to see profiled here.
~Charlotte, NOLAFemmes creator and administrator
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I met Marcia Wall in 2000. I was a sophomore at the University of New Orleans, and she was the instructor of the English course I took that summer. Her class centered on interactive discussion of taboo topics like gender and sexuality, making it a like no other I’ve ever had. But her innovative approach to education isn’t the only thing that makes her a standout. Marcia, a writer, educator, photographer, performer, activist, and founder of 411 NOLA, is a unique blend of talents that make her a welcome and integral presence in the NOLA community.
Marcia is originally from the South but grew up in California. After graduating from college in Santa Cruz, she moved to San Diego. But wanting to live some place that “oozed creativity,” she relocated to NOLA twelve years ago. She quickly fell in love with the culture – “[not] just festivals, good food, and good music, [but] the close-knit feeling of the city, its ethnic and religious diversity, its sense of pride and determination, and the way each neighborhood is almost a city unto itself.” As someone with both Southern and Sicilian Catholic heritage, Marcia found NOLA’s diverse community a perfect fit.
Her first job here was teaching English at UNO. Since then, her focus as an educator has taken many roles, like life coach and consultant for educational programs. To Marcia, education is about empowerment. In her words, “I can’t teach anyone anything. I can only help them to realize that they already know everything they need to know.” Likewise, as an activist, she strives to enable herself and others to have a positive impact in the world.
Marcia is a modern-day Renaissance woman. She always envisioned herself as a writer and, after school, as a photographer. She also developed a knack for performing, transitioning from reading her funny essays on stage to creating her own hilarious comedy routine, which she’s performed at venues across NOLA, San Diego, and Los Angeles. On top of all this, Marcia continues to dabble in other creative outlets – designing jewelry, making bath and beauty products, and experimenting in the kitchen. As she says, “Being an artist is about manifesting one’s vision and sharing that vision with the world. It’s about giving the world the gifts that the Creator gave you.”
It is her relationship with the Creator that sparked the inspiration for her most recent venture – the 411 NOLA website. “One day, after I had finished doing a big consulting job for an educational program for developmentally challenged adults, I prayed to God and asked what I should do next. In an instant, the whole idea for 411 NOLA unfolded before me. I saw in my mind’s eye what the site would be like.”
411 NOLA is a rich info source for all things NOLA for visitors and residents alike. Since coming online, the site has evolved to include articles, guides, recommendations, links, lists, photos, as well as an events calendar, a visitor’s guide, slide shows, products, contests, freebies, and opportunities for writers and artists. Marcia attributes the success of 411 NOLA to faith and hard work. When I asked how she feels about the site’s progress, she responded simply, “So far so good. Thanks J.C.!”
Marcia, ever the visionary, is already looking to expand the features available on 411 NOLA. “We would like to create a 411 NOLA video channel that highlights up and coming NOLA performers (of all kinds). We are trying to develop a program that will allow users to send postcards of their adventures in NOLA directly from the site. Later on, we hope to offer more merchandise and to host live chats and performances with NOLA writers, artists, personalities, musicians and the like.” As the site evolves, she will continue to follow her inspiration from God.
I can’t help but be inspired by the breadth of Marcia’s talent and character. She embodies the diversity of spirit and delightful quirkiness that makes NOLA one of a kind. In all that she does, she continues to make NOLA a richer, more vibrant city.
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Marcia Wall lives in the French Quarter with her two cats, Gracie and Boo. When she’s not working on 411 NOLA, she enjoys traveling, cooking, exercising, and Sunday services at St. Augustine Church. To find out more about her photography, see her photography website at See It My Way Photo. To find out about her upcoming performances, “like” Cia’s Comedy Corner on Facebook. Follow 411 NOLA on Twitter.
For as long as I can remember I have been in love with wildlife. My fascination with anything – from crazy mockingbirds to turtles sunning themselves on a quiet summer day – attract my attention a thousand times more than who’s the next American Idol. Or anything on tv.
Lately I’ve been blessed with several opportunities to get away from the fast-paced life of NOLA festivals (which I LOOOOVE) to enjoy the simpler things in life, like a sunset, or the exploration of a local nature park. In fact last week we had the opportunity to visit the Gulf Shores State Park on the coast of Alabama. Being the cheapo that I am, I refused to pay $5 to walk on the beach, so we opted to check out the Nature Exhibit of the park and I’m so glad we did! The taxidermy done at this place is second to none.
Beavers!
Bear, who was quite huge
Not sure if this is a cougar or a bobcat. Help me here, please.
This is a Gannett. I remember hearing a lot about this bird last year during the BP oil spill. I didn’t realize they were this big.
Cute little owl
One of my favorite birds of all time, the Louisiana Pelican.
After checking out that fantastic Nature Center, Billy and I took a walk at the some of the nature trails found at the park. This proved to be a bad choice, as the sand felt like it was molten and the sun was vicious. This is the only sign that made us laugh
After we left the Nature Center and were checking out another boardwalk I spotted a group of pelicans heading to the Gulf and shot this.
I love watching pelicans fly and dive. It’s a thing of beauty.
I googled things to do in Foley before our trip and learned about the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo . It was touted as a small zoo, so we decided to check it out. What a great experience it was. We spent 2 very happy hours there and would have spent more if it weren’t so hot.
One of the first sights we saw was in the lagoon right outside the visitor center
This sweet pelican with a broken wing found a home here. He was a tough little guy and didn’t let anything get in his way as far as moving around the lagoon.
Sharing the lagoon were several ducks.
A Blue Heron
Crazy monkeys (cannot remember their names)
Along the sidelines we caught the following
Camels
Lions….
These two guys reminded us of our cats at home.
A good variety of goats
Can someone please tell me what this animal is? It was driving the white tiger on the other side of the fence insane!
This zoo has a huge population of parrots too. My only regret is that all of the birds were in cages, which makes photographing them difficult. Here’s what I got:
There was a neat little reptile house at the zoo. I went in and made a bee line for the door when I saw the huge snakes living in there. No pix.
These precious little monkeys stole my heart
We couldn’t get this guy to turn around for anything.
This is Chuckie. He weighs over 1,000 pounds. The sign below tells his story.
It was a fantastic visit even in the 95 plus degree weather along with the sun. I recommend this zoo to anyone who visits Orange Beach/Foley/Gulf Shores. Support these people!
One last group of pictures and a shout out to local animal rescue people here in St. Tammany Parish. We attended the Lacombe Crab Festival (I mark it a 4 on a 10 scale for the food and lack of ambiance) and came upon a family of wildlife rescuers from our area that I never knew existed. They call themselves MF Wildlife Control/Animal Trainers. and they rock! they help wildlife such as Skunk/Armadillo/Bats/Bobcats/Possums/Otter/Snakes/Beaver/Fox/Squirrel/Raccoons and Nutria.
Here is one of their babies, a fox
I applaud this young man and would never get this close to a snake. But you know what? In time I may learn to love them.
Thank you profusely MF Wildlife Control. Glad to have you around.
I have always been fascinated with sunrise. In my 20′s I would party till after the sun rose and be blinded by the light upon leaving the bar. I can remember watching sunrise from Grand Isle State Park and Cocoa Beach Florida. My daily commute puts me in line with pre-sunrise skies every morning, wishing I had my camera with me.
It’s amazing what goes on in the 30 or more minutes between predawn and sunrise.
Recently – well actually Memorial Day – we decided to climb out of our oh-so-comfortable cocoons at 5AM to travel the ten minutes to Goose Point in Lacombe, Louisiana.
For the locals it’s known as Lake Road, an extremely narrow piece of land that joins the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain with the lake.
Lake Road taken from the end
Lake Road is not paved and is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other. I believe it is part of the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge. On any given day you can find dozens of people parked along the road crabbing or fishing. In fact when we passed at a little after 5:30 in the morning there were several people already out there going after the early morning catch.
In the few minutes before the sun actually shows itself on the horizon the red wing blackbirds are out playing. This is one of my favorite “common” birds because of its call. There is something about the sound of a red wing blackbird that lets you know you’re far away from the sounds and activity of a normal day at work or in the city. They’re playful little things, too. I had fun trying to photograph them.
What I never knew until this day was how much energy it takes for this little bird to sing my favorite sound. Check out this guy.
Finally the event that we were waiting for began
The sun rises quickly and so many things are happening during this time. It’s difficult to decide what to shoot!
Still singing his little heart out!
I imagine there was once a camp or a pier here
These little plants caught the rays from the sun so well they appeared to be glowing.
I didn’t realize until after I looked at this picture that the plants have little purple flowers on them.
I love the texture of the marsh grass in this picture.
A marsh rose and wild morning glory
Crab boat going out on the lake to lay those crab traps to catch the best tasting crabs around!
This little guy scampered back into the bushes when we stopped to get his picture.
It was a wonderful experience and worth getting up early for. By the time we were finished it was already 7 AM and we headed out for breakfast and then more picture taking. A time well spent!
Across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans lies St. Tammany Parish.
I have called the eastern part of the Parish home for over 30 years. While I adore all that New Orleans has to offer, I prefer the quiet of the northshore. A truely beautiful attraction in St. Tammany is Fontainebleau State Park .
Located about an hour from the city, Fontainebleau is a world apart from the music, food, unique individuals and wonderful ambiance of the Crescent City.
This past Friday hubby and I headed out to the park to check out the health of the area since Katrina and the BP Oil Spill. Good news: all is well at Fontainebleau. The following pictures should give you an idea how nicely things are going.
The Visitors’ Center is newly completed and has some fascinating items from the park’s past. It also offers picnic tables and bathrooms.
This sign used to be hung out on Highway 190. If you look closely you will see that where it says “Cold Beer” it looks a little scratched out. Our host told us that the sign originally said “sandwiches” until they realized that cold beer would bring more people into the park.
The Center is located right behind what used to be a sugar mill.
The Visitors’ Center itself is fascinating. It gives one the opportunity to learn about the geology and ecology of our region
This display shows all of the different areas of activity at the park: from camping to swimming.
There are miles of hiking/biking trails.
On the far eastern edge of the park are about a dozen cabins ready to be rented for about $120/nite. In these days of high gas prices, we are considering renting one instead of taking a road trip for vacation this year.
We spent a week in a cabin in 2008 and loved it.
It was very peaceful and close enough to restaurants and stores AND home. The perfect spot. But I digress……
Leaving the Visitors’ Center the road curves around. In the middle of the curve this is the first sight you see
This row of magnificent live oak trees marches towards the lake. There were many more oaks before Katrina, but these are all that survived the flooding.
I could still see the beauty in these oaks
As you get closer to the lake, there is a trailhead off to your left. This will lead you in three different directions. We were headed towards the boardwalk that brings you out into the wetlands.
It is out here that Katrina’s destruction is still visible.
But nature is resilient. These wetlands hold so much life! While out here on the boardwalk, the only sound you hear is the wind and the very lovely call of the redwing blackbird.
This little crab was trying to bury himself in the mud.
There had to be a reason why this sign was put up.
The beachfront of the park has been expanded and is really very nice.
The fishing pier is alway busy.
This picture of New Orleans was taken from the pier.
This little weather vane sits atop the building that houses bathrooms and dates back to the 20′s.
To the east of the beach is a trail that follows what used to be a line of cypress trees. It is inside this area where you can find a quiet piece of beach and a little shade to enjoy the day.
Here are some other things we captured during our visit
Here is a link to my album containing all my pictures from this wonderful place
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v217/judyb54/FOUNTAINBLEAU/
