A Can't Miss Event

Beaufort  

On our first walking trip into Beaufort a month ago, I picked up a brochure for the town's Mardi Gras street festival. I don't really know why, because at that time there was absolutely no way we'd be in town on February 10th to attend the event. When it became apparent that we would indeed still be here, I made it a priority to attend. It was a beautiful, sunny, and no-jacket-required day with just a hint of breeze. The town was well-decorated with banners and balloons lining the section of Front Street closed to traffic. The inflatable flailing tube man shared rarified air with the juggling stilt walker.

Several restaurants were hosting musicians of varying genres. Even the instruments in waiting were adorned with colorful masks. Vendors peddled the usual mix of handmade jewelry, soaps, and photographic prints. Food trucks followed the Mardi Gras theme by serving gumbo, king cakes, and po boys. The only booth that we were drawn to was the one serving fresh beignets. We watched the preparation as the risen dough was cut into rectangles, deep fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Barry was unfamiliar with these, but I was introduced to them way back when. I was working with the Cincinnati women's basketball team when they traveled to New Orleans to play Tulane in a Metro Conference showdown (yes, that was a looong time ago). Coach Pirtle was brave enough to take all of us 20(ish)-year-olds to the first day of Mardi Gras. I am very thankful for those great memories. My beignet memory, however, was a messy one as I ended up getting powdered sugar all over my black pants. Therefore, I explained to Barry that we must enjoy our treat over a table with plenty of napkins. That we did, in the parking lot, before we set off on our 4.5-hour drive back to Richmond. We missed the afternoon parade, but were so glad that we spent a few hours at the festival.

We arrived at our house in time to turn on the water and heat before heading to my Mom's for Saturday dinner. We'll do laundry, run a few errands, and watch the Super Bowl tomorrow before taking the train back to Beaufort on Monday morning. I'll take the next two nights off. Check back with us on Tuesday night and see how the scheduled canvas installation goes. We're so close to getting back to our regularly scheduled journey.