Road Fotos 2021 F 2

We’re a week out from Christmas Eve and fewer days than that from the solstice, it’s time to complete road photos from two weeks ago already;  here was part 1.  The French Quarter of New Orleans has a lot of colored neon all year round, but here, juxtaposed with tropical colors of house paint, are some fairly traditional decorations.

But surprises abound: joy on the marquee here marks the Joy Theater, so named and so identified all year round since 1947 when opened by Joy Houck.  On next trip, I need to see what’s doing at the Joy.  More on the Houck family and specifically Joy’s place in it here.

Down a random street like St. Ann’s, you might see some seasonal lights, but

not all I suspect.

To the west 85 miles or so, Morgan City is the original home of Conrad Industries. We saw the front gate but had no appointment to go any farther.    Conrad has launched a long list of vessels since 1948, but the most common to sixth boro readers carry names like Weeks, Vane, and Great Lakes Dock and Dredge.

Morgan City, originally Tiger City, is currently named for shipping magnate Charles Morgan, buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in –you guessed it–Brooklyn.  His connection to the city stems from his dredging Atchafalaya Bay.  He’s unrelated to Charles W. Morgan, namesake of the whaling vessel seen here at Mystic Seaport.

The formidable gate is the result of the “great wall” surrounding the city, created and improved by the USACE to protect against flooding, particularly floods from snow melts in the Upper midwestern US.  I was surprised to learn the Atchafalaya is the fifth largest river in the US ranked by outflow.

The photo above was snapped by bowsprite, sitting [below) on this delightful public dock outside the “great wall” along the east bank of the Atchafalaya River gussied up with a bit of Christmas cheer.

This mural on the southeastern corner building at Front and Freret shows a crossing from another time.

The riverfront had lots to see.  Unfortunately, the rig museum and its centerpiece Mr. Charlie are closed, likely forever.  It would have been an interesting tour.  More on ASME landmark rig Mr. Charlie–the first offshore drilling rig that was fully transportable, submersible and self-sufficient–can be read here.

Since I started this post referring to Christmas displays in New Orleans, I  need to end it with the next several photos.

Lots of places have their local takes on Christmas trees, like this one of lobster pots I wrote about nine years ago.  Resplendant in flora from the Atchafalaya is Morgan City’s, which I’ve written about previously here.  That I believe must be La Christianne, Mama Noel sort to Papa Noël.  A cajun version of “… night before Christmas” can be read here, but you need to affect the accent.

Roux-dolf is the lead rein-gator towing the Spirit of Morgan City and its cajun Santa, a gift to the city by native son, Lee Romaire. A full compliment of gators would be called Gaston, Tiboy, Pierr, Alcee, Ninette, Suzette, Celeste and Renee . . . .

All photos, WVD, who welcomes any of your local waterChristmas photos and stories.

For tugster’s “twelve tides of Christmas,” click here. For my idea of a sixth boro container tree, click here.