Nola Diary #7 – A NoLa Secret – Old U.S. Mint free Jazz concerts

Would you like to know about a well kept secret spot on the edge of the French Quarter? Well, I found one: the Old U.S. Mint building near the French Quarter Flea Market is holding regular jazz concerts for free in their new beautiful state of the art performance space on the 3rd floor.

This building’s upkeep is sponsored by the state of Louisiana in conjunction with the National Park Service. Yes, you read that right – the building is a part of our national treasures in the U.S. National Park system. The park is called the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, and it might just be the only national park in the country dedicated to a uniquely American musical art form – and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have stumbled upon it.

Today I saw a one hour jazz piano presentation along with a ragtime and jazz history talk by Steve Pistorius which was a lot of fun. They have other concerts planned with Jim Hession, Phillip Manuel and the park rangers themselves who also play jazz. You can pick up a schedule of performances either at the U.S. Mint building, or at the Jean Lafitte National Park location at 419 Decatur Street.

 

Steve Pistorious tells us about Ragtime beside the new Baby Grand piano in the beautiful perfomance space on the 3rd floor

 

Photos: Memories of Mt Rainier National Park

Along the trail - the lush greens of Mt Rainier Natl Park

When I visited Mount Rainier I encountered snow and rain in late May, early June. That didn’t stop me from taking a hike though, and the lush greens of the mosses and pines were enhanced by the weather. This particular tree was had such an interesting root structure, I grabbed a shot.

Snow Bank - Paradise Inn - Mt Rainier - June 2011

Did I mention there was snow at Paradise Inn? Yeah, there was. 25 foot snow drifts edged the parking lot of the famous Mount Rainier lodging. The morning I awoke there, it was snowing lightly. The staff estimated the snow wouldn’t melt until late July.

A Fox in Paradise

It was just me and this beautiful black fox in the Paradise Inn parking lot in Mount Rainier National Park at dusk when I took this photo. The snow banks were too high for him to climb so he did what any sly fox would do – he took a shortcut.

Fallen Giant - Mt Rainer NP

Mount Rainier and the surrounding Wenatchee National Forest are gorgeous areas and fun to explore. I didn’t spend as much time there as I wanted to…but if I go back I’ll have a decision to make – should I go in July and August and see the beautiful Alpine flowers and battle huge crowds of tourists, or will I go in an off-peak time and continue to deal with whatever cards Mother Nature has in the deck?

Photos: Little Critters in the National Parks

I’ve taken many pictures of the small critters I see in the wild on my journeys and they always make me smile. I hope you enjoy them too.

Baby Bison, Yellowstone National Park

 

This baby bison is adorable. He was walking along the side of the road in Yellowstone National Park. You can’t see it in the photo, but his mother is closeby. He still has his light brown curly baby fur and it’s hard to imagine but he will grow into an animal many times this size.

 

Chipmunk lunch break

This little chipmunk has a couple of blades of grass in his mouth, he’s taking a lunch break. I found him in Grand Tetons National Park and he was nice enough to sit still for me so I could take his picture.

Chipmunk or Golden Squirrel? Mount Rainier National Park

 This handsome fellow may be a golden squirrel, but I’m not sure. He doesn’t seem to have the distinct black stripes of a chipmunk, and his tail is bushier too and look at those long toes! If he seems close in this picture it’s because he was, he was no more than 2 or 3 feet away. I have a feeling people fed him, which reduced his fear of people and allowed me to get close. That said, if you are in a National Park PLEASE DO NOT FEED the wildlife. It is very bad for animals and people and can easily result in the animal’s death.

He sure is cute – but I’m not going to feed him!

 I know I said I saw this guy in Mount Rainier National Park, but actually it was on the way to Mount Rainier. Just outside the park you’ll find the Wenatchee National Forest, which is this guy’s local neighborhood.

 

Crow nestled in a pine tree - Grand Canyon National Park

 

Of course all National Parks have an abundance of wildlife, some which are familiar to us, others not. This crow was nestled atop a pine tree overlooking the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t resist the shot.

 

Wild Turkeys, Zion National Park

 

Where can you see wild turkeys you’d like to know? Why Zion National Park at dusk, of course!  This must be a natural formation for these birds because they maintained this “u” shape while walking in the grass looking for dinner. I know turkeys are supposed to be awfully dumb birds, but when you see them in a group like this they look magnificent.