Nov 9 - Departure Day

It was hard to believe the visit was ending. These photos tell the story.

The last photo of 527 Bouny Street

Oh, sad, so sad

The last trip on I-10

Louis Armstrong International Airport

No one was happy

Cousins forever!

Good-bye

Nov 8 - New Friends & Old Favorites

D Day (departure day) was the next day. The cousins wanted the morning to organize for the return trip, so we arranged to pick them up at lunch time. Much to our surprise, we found lunch awaiting us chez Daubard! Early that morning they had made one last trip across the river and brought back some lovely fresh shrimp that Bernard lightly sauteed. Romain made rice from a Zatarain's package, and Fabienne presented ice cream for dessert. Perfect!

We set off for the French Quarter, but encountered some serious delays. The Crescent City Connection was a parking lot, both in front of the toll booths and on the bridge itself. We made our way over to the ferry but must have just missed it, as we waited a good long while for it to come back. Once across the river, we encountered further traffic delays related to road and trolley line construction.

In any event, we finally made it to the home of Marie Francoise Crouch and her husband, Michel Bechetoille. Lloyd and I had met Marie Francoise at an LA Creole conference the week before the Daubards arrived. She has taught French in New Orleans for a long time. Kristie Kaufman Rollen was one of her students back in the day. We followed up on several of her suggestions regarding French-friendly excursions, including Norbert LeBlanc's swamp tour.

In the kitchen

It was chilly on the balcony, but no one wanted to go inside.

The French language flew as we enjoyed wine and cheese.

This historic building on Rue des Ursulines
makes a charming home. Note the high
window that comprises the door to the balcony.

A lovely view of the French Quarter

We took leave of Marie Francoise and Michel and headed for Drago's Seafood Restaurant at 3232 N. Arnoult Road in Metairie. We wanted their final dinner in Louisiana to be special, and I couldn't think of anything more special than the char-broiled oysters at Drago's.

Gloria Barbarin joined us.

A toast to a most amazing visit!

This is where the oysters are grilled.

In the right hands, an oyster, butter, garlic, and
a little Parmesan cheese can be heavenly! Gloria,
Bernard, Romain, and I indulged. Lloyd
had raw oysters, and Fabienne opted for chicken.
All delicous!

Creme brulée for dessert. We agreed that
the whipped cream was a bit much, but the
creme brulée itself was excellent.

Once again, the Dobard family crest, this
time with an extra spoon to honor Gloria.

Nov 7 - Research and Dining

Bernard wanted to get a copy of a particular genealogy book when he saw our copy. I called the author, who came by with a copy for Bernard and in turn left with a copy of Bernard's book.

William R. Stringfield, author of Le Pays des Fleurs Oranges,
a survey of Creole families of Plaquemines Parish
that includes the Daubard/Dobards and allied lines.

Amazon.com lists the book but says it is
out of print. It isn't. You can contact Richard
Stringfield at Blossom Press, PO Box 128,
Belle Chasse, LA 70037.

When Richard left, we headed for the French Quarter.

We ducked into Café du Monde's café
to see an original Hemmerling that few see.
It seemed like an ordinary day until I had
coffee with Jesus at the Cafe du Monde

Earlier in the visit the Daubards had a good meal and wine at Café Napoleon at 500 Chartres Street in the French Quarter and wanted to treat us to a late lunch.

Lots of atmosphere in what is reputed to be
the most haunted pub in New Orleans.

A nice diner took our picture.

Daylight savings time ended last weekend.
Good think my phone has a flashlight app.

Bernard could not resist the wall of signatures.

One draw of the restaurant, we realized, was
the espresso coffee. Our French cousins were
not fond of American coffee in big cups.

The waiter didn't believe we didn't want to
share one order of bread pudding.

Once again, the bread pudding elicited
a five-spoon rating.

Nov 6 - Aunt Louise

After visiting the Dobards in the East, we headed back upriver to Tremé to visit Aunt Louise Dobard Kaufman, who lives in the family home where Lloyd was born (as he's fond of pointing out).

The family home is on relatively high ground
near Esplanade Ridge. During Katrina, the
water did not rise high enough to enter the house. 

The corner Lloyd is in is where the bed was located
when his mother gave birth to him. He teases
Louise that she was born in a hospital while
he was privileged to be born at home.

Aunt Louise brought out some photo
albums to share. In this picture she is preparing
for her wedding to Elliott Kaufman with her
great aunt Elvira "Vavsie" Dobard looking on.

October 22, 1955 

Louise

Cousins

More cousins!

When we left Aunt Louise, we went back to Lloyd & Kathie's for a light dinner of stuffed mirlitons. We were so tired that no one took pictures.

Nov 6 - Uncle Guy's Sons

Adrian Dobard was the only one of the seven sons of Uncle Guy Dobard to attend any of the family activities  This afternoon we headed to his house, where five of his brothers have been living since Katrina took out the family house on St. Anthony Street in New Orleans. We learned from Vernon that the house renovation is nearly completed; they will be moving home very soon.

(You may be interested to read of the brothers' plight in a 2007 story by their cousin, CNN anchor Suzanne Malveaux. To read it, click here.)

The Daubard/Dobard Men
Leo, Bernard, and Roy in front
Kenneth, Romain, Lloyd and Vernon in back.

Lloyd accepts a painting by Leo as Kenneth looks on.

Leo presented a painting to Bernard.

Vernon's Artwork

Since Katrina (2005), Vernon has been
painting in his brother's garage.

Our cousins were surprised to see a popular
French model as one of Vernon's subjects.

Although several of his paintings were rescued
after Katrina and cleaned by volunteers,
there was much to do to restore them. Vernon has been
touching up the vibrant colors and, in some cases,
enlarging the paintings.

Vernon's palette with its rich colors
caught my eye.

Many paintings rest against a bedroom wall.

A commissioned painting awaiting shipment.

A photo of the painting behind the altar at Our
Lady Star of the Sea Catholic church in the
8th Ward. The window broke and the rain
essentially erased Mary.

Nov 6 - New Orleans: Shopping on Royal Street

Tuesday, November 6 was a day for shopping and visiting. The unusually damp, chilly morning didn't slow us down.

The intrepid travelers pose for the obligatory
standing-in-front-of-Jackson-Square-and-the-Cathedral
photo. It was windy on that parapet!

Fabienne had a mission: find a perfume typical of New Orleans. I asked Gloria Barbarin, my go-to person for all things New Orleans, who said she didn't know of a typical perfume. She later called back to say that Bertha's son Miles said there is a perfumery in the Quarter.

The Bourbon French Perfums company is
at 805 Royal Street. The fragrances were
a bit overwhelming for me, so I wandered
on out, but Fabienne found a delightful
fragrance.

I wandered into the Black Butterfly gift shop at 727 Royal Street. Myra Landry and her brother, Norbert, are the third generation of this 100+-year-old business. They carry knickknacks and miniatures. I was looking for a couple of plates and some miniature spoons. I scored some plates. You'll see them in the final post.

The rest of the gang was just exiting the perfume shop, so I waved at them to follow me into the Hemmerling Gallery of Southern Art at 733 Royal Street. I wanted them to see more of the Hemmerling and Hemmerling-inspired artwork they'd seen in Ponchatoula. Wouldn't you know, there was a print of a Hemmerling I'd coveted for a few years, hanging right up on the wall where I couldn't miss it. While I couldn't begin to afford the original and have never been a fan of giclée prints, I couldn't resist.

This is the painting as it graced the cover
of last year's Hemmerling calendar.
I had it framed and hanging on the wall.
Now I have the semi-real thing. :)

While we waited for the painting to be wrapped, we wandered into the Gems de France shop next door at 729 Royal Street. I bought a tablecloth guaranteed not to stain and received matching napkins as a gift from Bernard. 

Our cousins enjoyed visiting with Sonia,
the owner of the shop.

It was getting on to lunch time, so we went to Pere Antoine's Restaurant at 741 Royal Street. It advertises an "open air atmosphere" on its website. We sat at a table near the open window but soon moved to a warmer spot.

The view was interesting at Pere Antoine's,
but between the cold air and exhaust fumes . . .

Pere Antoine presented us with the only bread
pudding that didn't deserve the 5-spoon
Dobard crest rating. Chocolate and caramel syrup?
Puh-leez!
(Luckily, Lloyd was the only one to order it.)

After lunch we collected my painting and headed eastward to see more art, that of cousin Vernon Dobard.