jazz fest update! these guys were so ready for festival season to start:

i went to jazz fest for its second weekend, on Saturday May 4th. it's held at the New Orleans fairgrounds, the same racetrack where Mike & I watched zebra races back in January. it had been pouring buckets of rain for the weeks leading up to jazz fest, and it was an unusually chilly year. the day we went was sunny, beautiful, and a little hot, but also muddy as hell. luckily we knew to bring rain boots; lots of other people were wearing sandals (which were quickly destroyed) or barefoot in the muck. it was too bad we couldn't sit on a blanket in the grass to enjoy the music, which is how this festival usually is. still, it was a great day and i had a blast with the Sarahs.

i laid out my rainboots the night before... kudos to Mike for lugging them here when he visited. hopefully someday they will look this clean again :)

once we parked near the fairgrounds, it took us an inordinate amount of time to find an open convenience store. it strikes me as a uniquely New Orleans thing to have all of the surrounding businesses closed during the time of year where there is the most foot traffic. after all, they want to go to see jazz fest too! i have a hard time imagining that logic making sense in any other place.

 we started the day off right. i don't think that drinking on the street will ever get old; still feels like such a crazy, strange, and illegal thing.

sarah & i enjoying the first show of the day

we saw some great music: the revivalists, galactic, and of course frank ocean were the highlights of the day. i may have cried a little during frank ocean, i was overwhelmed & so happy to see him live.

tons of flags flying-- people bring them to make it easier to meet up with a group. gotta love that piñata.

so much delicious food! i loved how they had it displayed, with these floating signs. i spotted the fried green tomatoes from across the park.

muddy boots! we found a grassy spot to sit after hanging in the mud for a few hours. which was good because those boots were getting heavy & hot. we were able to hear some music from there & do some truly epic people watching, too. 

it was the jazz and heritage festival, so there were lots of exhibits and things to see: displays from the Houma Indians, Mardi Gras float building, and Mardi Gras Indians exhibits were the highlights.

walking home along Bayou St. John after a long & wonderful day.