PHASE 1- Gator Ranch.
The fun begins- swamp tour!
This is Jimmy at the entrance of the gator ranch. This is NOT a gator farm, which raises their gators for food. 
Careful, they're vicious!
The first gator we saw- an intimidating 10 inches long!
I got to hold a baby one!
Me and Jimmy before going on the tour.
Me in front of the airboat. It was one of those boats with the giant fans on the back that you see on tv. 
This is one of the gators they keep in an enclosure, not one from out on the tour. They aren't kept in cages but parts of the swamp were fenced in so they wouldn't get away. The guide told us that a lot of them swam out when Katrina hit and they've only gotten some of them back. 
In the background is a momma gator. The lump of leaf litter in the front is her nest. This was apparently her first year laying eggs so the nest wasn't up to par.
This one swam right past our boat.
View of the swamp we were boating down.
The water when Katrina hit was this high for about 20 minutes, according to the guide. Then it went down to the bottom of the bridge for a few days.
Double-decker Osprey nests. This has never been seen before, says the guide. The Osprey mates for life and doesn't share its nesting area with others. These two, however, appear to share a mate.
In case you need a gator head for your shelf, you could buy one at the gator ranch.Gators on the move: (the best part is the narration by one of the 'locals')
A taste of the airboat ride:
PHASE 2- New Orleans.
Turns out New Orleans is an hour and half from where I live. I was told it was only an hour...this makes a big difference when planning a little road trip.
Walking through the French Quarter.
New Orleans block in the French Quarter.
Another classic New Orleans building. There were people all over the place dressed like this guy crossing the street. I'm not sure why but all white with a red belt and/or other red accessory was a pretty common site.
These were the greatest street performers I may have ever seen.
They were transformers! This is Bumblebee.Prepare to be entertained: (sorry it's sideways)
The most convincing psychic EVER! I could just tell that he knew what he was doing.
Please enlarge this for full impact! Another very dedicated street performer. In case you aren't familiar- these silver colored people stand very still until someone drops money in the tip bucket. Then they move to a new position and don't move again...repeat. Don't you just want to give this lady your money??
Pretty church. I have no idea what the significance is but it sure was pretty.
Me and Jimmy across the street from the park/church.
The whole scenic view. I tried to wait and not take a picture of random people but they kept lining up.
Thomas Jefferson- I believe...
A really good band performing on the street. Wouldn't guess they were from New York, would you?
I didn't go in, but I was still really excited!
PHASE 3- The Jefferson Davis House
Jefferson Davis
Walking up to the main house. This little house was for guests...I think...I really don't like history so I missed a lot of what the guide told us.
"Sittin' on the porch, watchin' the water, thinkin' 'bout my life." (as Jimmy put it)
Front room of the house. The guide said this front area was all for show and the bedrooms/kitchen, etc were towards the back of the house.
One of the bedrooms. The picture on the mantle is Jefferson Davis' daughter. 
Sitting room. The furniture was reupholstered after Katrina- the cloth was $500 a yard!
One of the back bedrooms. One of the owners before Jefferson had 11 kids- the daughters slept here. The sons slept under the porch on hammocks. 
Another bedroom- Jefferson Davis' I believe. Hard to see because of the reflection but in the back left is the 'bathtub.'
Food prep area/kitchen.
Tomb of the unknown confederate soldier.
The other side of the tomb.
Poem on the end of the tomb.And that was our weekend! Slightly rushed due to Jimmy's short time here but fun-filled and exciting nonetheless.
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