Fred’s Birthday

I took the lazy man’s way out of a tech problem by upgrading the iPad to an iPad Pro with more memory. It will put off the day when my memory fills up and I can’t load photos anymore. I didn’t consider the amount of memory Lightroom uses locally, figuring I had solved my storage problem by storing the photos on the cloud. Just the cached local files in Lightroom, about 8 gigs worth, froze my old iPad.

I braved the trip out of the old city and into Metairie and the mall. It is a culture shock to go from the French Quarter and Marigny to the modern world, with all of consumer America fully on display. It was good to walk through the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware and sit in the chairs I don’t quite want to buy. I found the Apple store, and joined the queue to talk to a salesperson. Apple has it figured out, and I got my questions answered before pulling the trigger on a Pro with a middling amount of memory, but 8 times what I had before, a keyboard and a pencil. Now I just have to do a better job of learning what this thing can do. It does have a USB port but supports limited accessories, and I will have to do some research before figuring out how to use it.

I rushed back to join Susie’s quincinera for her dog, Fred. The birthday party was a thinly veiled excuse for a going away party on Susie’s last day in town for a while as she heads to Florida for the winter. She had arranged for a stilt walker, had decorated a cart to pull the dog through the Quarter, and brought party hats. Beverly joined in spectacular makeup, including feathered eyelashes and a fur hat We met at the Original Johnnie White’s, joined by Susie’s regular customers from years past, and had a very small second line down the sidewalk, with Susie walking the dogs in front, followed by Alison the stilt walker, me carrying the boom box, and the decorated dog cart with a tub of margaritas. Locals on Bourbon Street got the idea, but tourists appeared bemused, some entertained and some irritated by the frivolity. We marched down Bourbon and Royal Streets, trying to keep moving so we didn’t get arrested(somebody blow the whistle), and ended at the Abbey on Decatur. We went into the back private courtyard, another great spot I had no idea existed, and were joined by more of Fred’s fans, including the owner of the bar, Joan.

I sat for a set, okay two, at the Madison, sitting a couple of feet from the stage as Aurora Nealand and the Royal Rounders played. She is definitely one of my favorites, and friends of hers with small children came and danced in the doorway as she played. I ran into Seker and Roscoe on the way home, and made too late a night of it following him from the R Bar to the Apple Barrel and back. An action packed day!