Tag Archives: NOLA

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Delicate

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Ann-Christine of Leya has selected “Delicate” as this week’s challenge and illustrated the theme beautifully with images from Japan. (See her post HERE.) My recent travels took me to New Orleans, Louisiana – which is known for being outrageously over-the-top and far from delicate! So, I consider it a worthy endeavor to look for the intricate, ethereal side of such a place. “Exquisite, fragile, subtle, elegant”…

This snowy egret in Louis Armstrong Park reminded me that not far from this loudly human city is a fragile and intricate ecosystem draped in the softness of hanging moss and humidity.

In the architecture of the old French Quarter, there are many historic buildings decorated with ornate iron work and hanging gardens. Inside one of the museums there hangs this Victorian hair wreath. Fine strands of human hair from beloved family members were braided and woven together to create this intriguing artifact.

More modern in material and design, but equally exquisite in workmanship, are the many sequined, beaded, and feathered costumes and parade props used in the Carnival celebrations that make New Orleans famous.

And finally, we come to dessert. New Orleans cuisine is known for being bold and spicy, but you can also find elegant attention to detail and subtle flavors in fine French restaurants in the historic district.

Thank you, Ann-Christine, for bringing such delicacies to mind!

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Hopeful

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“Hope is a dimension of the soul … an orientation of the spirit,
an orientation of the heart. It transcends the
world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. … It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty
that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.”
― Vaclav Havel

Mahalia Jackson statue in Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans

In this time of systemic and environmental collapse, which some call “unprecedented”, HOPEFULness is a very hot topic. Thank you, Patti, for having the courage to put it out there as our challenge this week! (See her interpretation HERE.)

My illustrations of Hopefulness were all gleaned from my very first trip to New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) last weekend. NOLA is a city with a unique history, a colorful layering of cultures and suffering and community awareness. I visited during the annual Jazz Festival with nine other members of my family. Humanity was evident everywhere! And the stories of relationships were palpable in the streets: indigenous, Creole, French, Spanish, African, and American people interacting in every way.

“It isn’t outcomes that matter. It’s our relationships
that give meaning to our struggles. If we free
ourselves from hope and fear, from having to
succeed, we discover that it becomes easier to love.”
― Margaret J. Wheatley (author of Warriors for the Human Spirit)

JAMNOLA (Joy, Art, Music – New Orleans, LA) Wall of Intentions

Traveling with my sisters, and my adult children and their partners was a heart-filling intergenerational experience. We are all unique individuals, and we are all family. We value our own choices, and we value each other.

“We’ve learned that no matter how despairing the circumstance, it is our relationships that offer us solace, guidance, and joy. As long as we’re together, as long as we feel others supporting us, we can persevere.” ― Margaret J. Wheatley

I was struck by the stories of the Mardi Gras or Carnivale parade traditions in New Orleans. I suppose I had assumed they were about debauchery, hedonism, or self-aggrandizement. I now have learned that they are also about honoring the human spirit and community support. The African-American “krews” who make and parade in elaborate feather costumes in semblance of indigenous cultures are paying homage to the bravery of those tribal people who assisted slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad at the risk of their own lives. They raise their children in awareness of the price and practice of solidarity as they prepare annually for these parades as a family.

“…Only in the present moment, free from hope and fear, do we receive the gifts of clarity and resolve.
Freed also from anger, aggression, and urgency,
we are able to see the situation clearly, take it all in,
and discover what to do.” ― Margaret J. Wheatley

So, I suppose I am interested in discovering what might lie beyond Hopefulness and fear. I am interested in building supportive relationships based on what is needed, on what is most important for the good of the whole community. May we all be able to support each other so that all may thrive.