New Orleans, Louisiana 12/26-31/2013
On Winter Break from school, Mamma, Dadda, Gramma, Grampa, and I went to New Orleans. When it was -5 degrees in Chicago, in Louisiana, it was 60 degrees. The picture above is at Mardi Gras World where floats for Mardi Gras are made. Mardi Gras is a HUGE parade/party in New Orleans that last almost two weeks. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. Most of the accessories for the floats are made by taking an image, projecting it onto Styrofoam, cutting it, and covering it with Papier-mâché, then painting it. It's amazing!
We bought a few masks and alligator heads at some souvenir stores. On Mardi Gras, it is a day to be anybody else except you, so many people wear masks. New Orleans has bayous and there are alligators all over. I ate some alligator, and it tasted like chicken except a little fishy. It's really good. They have the best popcorn shrimp, and they have crawfish, but I didn't like it. The first night we went to Cafe du Monde and they had the BEST biegnets ever! It's fried dough covered with powdered sugar. The floor was completely covered in powdered sugar, and so was my dad.
One of the days we went on an airboat trip to a bayou and it inspired me to write a story about an alligator. This story was also inspired by a little wooden alligator I bought as a souvenir. Here it is:
We bought a few masks and alligator heads at some souvenir stores. On Mardi Gras, it is a day to be anybody else except you, so many people wear masks. New Orleans has bayous and there are alligators all over. I ate some alligator, and it tasted like chicken except a little fishy. It's really good. They have the best popcorn shrimp, and they have crawfish, but I didn't like it. The first night we went to Cafe du Monde and they had the BEST biegnets ever! It's fried dough covered with powdered sugar. The floor was completely covered in powdered sugar, and so was my dad.
One of the days we went on an airboat trip to a bayou and it inspired me to write a story about an alligator. This story was also inspired by a little wooden alligator I bought as a souvenir. Here it is:
Biue Bitter Part I (Bayou Biter)
I was in New Orleans on vacation. I had a wool owl bag that my Gramma gave me. Gramma is actually here, so we were walking when she said to go in a store. There was a bin that said "fake alligator eggs." Then Gramma asked if I wanted anything. I said "Those alligator eggs look nice!" Gramma said "Pick one out!" I started fingering through the nin. I saw a huge egg. It had a yellowish look to it. It seemed more heavier and more egg-like than the rest. We bought it, and then left. I put it in the owl bag.
When we got back to the hotel, some popping noises occurred. I took the egg out of the bag. It was cracking!! It WAS A REAL EGG!!! Then the weirdest thing happened. The egg crack spelled 'biue bitter.' Then a huge albino alligator hatched out of the egg. Her pink eyes looked at me. She said "Hi!" I looked at her blankly. She responded "Haven't you seen an alligator before??" I responded "Uh-no. I live in Chicago!" She looked puzzled. "Are you Biue Bitter?" I asked. "Yes Ma'am!" Biue Bitter replied. "You're albino?" I asked. "Yes Ma'am!" she answered. "I LOVE ALBINO ANIMALS!" I shouted.
I took colored pencils and weaved them so they made a cage. I asked Mamma if we could go down to Acme Oyster House for Biue Bitter. Mamma said "Yes!" I slipped Biue Bitter in a cage to carry her because I didn't want to lose her in Bourbon Street. I asked Biue Bitter if she knew the guy from Man vs. Food went there and ate 180 oysters. She said "Cool!" I took her out of the cage and she sat down.
As she gulped down the first oyster, I had a shrimp slide down my throat. Biue Bitter knew that she wanted to eat 180 oysters. She screamed "My GOODNESS!! These are delicious. Can I do the 180 Challenge?" Grampa called over a waiter. He asked if she could do the challenge. She ate 180 in 20 minutes. A WORLD RECORD! "More Please!" she pleaded. "Waiter!!" I yelled.
The waiter came with more. Biue Bitter ate 31 dozen total in 40 minutes. "More!" Biue Bitter asked. She ate 490 in one hour! ANOTHER WORLD RECORD! That's when I remembered we had an airboat tour that day.
We went to the hotel and got a bigger bag. I slipped her into the bag and we got on the bus. We saw a lot of Spanish Moss on trees, (which is not Spanish, nor moss.) When we got on the boat, the driver said to ask questions. When we set off, it was fun! Then we slowed down and I raised my hand. I stood up and showed everybody Biue Bitter. They "Oooooooooo" 'd. Then Biue Bitter said to hold her hand. She dragged me into the cold dark water.
To be continued...
When we got back to the hotel, some popping noises occurred. I took the egg out of the bag. It was cracking!! It WAS A REAL EGG!!! Then the weirdest thing happened. The egg crack spelled 'biue bitter.' Then a huge albino alligator hatched out of the egg. Her pink eyes looked at me. She said "Hi!" I looked at her blankly. She responded "Haven't you seen an alligator before??" I responded "Uh-no. I live in Chicago!" She looked puzzled. "Are you Biue Bitter?" I asked. "Yes Ma'am!" Biue Bitter replied. "You're albino?" I asked. "Yes Ma'am!" she answered. "I LOVE ALBINO ANIMALS!" I shouted.
I took colored pencils and weaved them so they made a cage. I asked Mamma if we could go down to Acme Oyster House for Biue Bitter. Mamma said "Yes!" I slipped Biue Bitter in a cage to carry her because I didn't want to lose her in Bourbon Street. I asked Biue Bitter if she knew the guy from Man vs. Food went there and ate 180 oysters. She said "Cool!" I took her out of the cage and she sat down.
As she gulped down the first oyster, I had a shrimp slide down my throat. Biue Bitter knew that she wanted to eat 180 oysters. She screamed "My GOODNESS!! These are delicious. Can I do the 180 Challenge?" Grampa called over a waiter. He asked if she could do the challenge. She ate 180 in 20 minutes. A WORLD RECORD! "More Please!" she pleaded. "Waiter!!" I yelled.
The waiter came with more. Biue Bitter ate 31 dozen total in 40 minutes. "More!" Biue Bitter asked. She ate 490 in one hour! ANOTHER WORLD RECORD! That's when I remembered we had an airboat tour that day.
We went to the hotel and got a bigger bag. I slipped her into the bag and we got on the bus. We saw a lot of Spanish Moss on trees, (which is not Spanish, nor moss.) When we got on the boat, the driver said to ask questions. When we set off, it was fun! Then we slowed down and I raised my hand. I stood up and showed everybody Biue Bitter. They "Oooooooooo" 'd. Then Biue Bitter said to hold her hand. She dragged me into the cold dark water.
To be continued...
Biue Bitter Part II
I gasped. I gurgled. I motioned upward so that Biue Bitter knew to go to the surface. The people on the boat gasped when we came up. Then I said to Biue Bitter "I can't breathe underwater!" Biue Bitter said "Neither can I, but I can hold my breath for two weeks." A little girl named Luna screamed and fell off the boat. "What?" I said. Then Biue Bitter said to the little girl, "Do you want to show Addie why you screamed?"
Then Biue Bitter said to hold her hand. Luna held Biue Bitter's hand and a burst of light flashed.
I then realized why everybody had gasped. Standing where Luna had been was a magnificent Albino Alligator. Biue Bitter was turning both of us into Albino Alligators! The people were amazed that we were talking alligators. Luna's roar reverberated on the trees of the bayou. Biue Bitter dove underwater. Then we both followed her. When we got to the bottom of the water, we saw a morose grayish blue fish nibbling on some coral.
The bayou's water was brackish, so we saw a few sharks. We got really scared and hid behind some rocks. Then we decided that we would have an underwater talent show.
I was first. I flicked my cool scaled tail which gave me a little boost. I started swimming as fast as I could. I never realized that alligators had a bit of webbed feet. Then I flung myself out of the water. I turned back into a girl, jumped back into the water and turned back into a gator. Luna tried to do the same thing, but she did it better than I. Soon we were all doing flips out of the water.
When we got really tired we swam back to the boat which was deep into the bayou. The boat ride was really fun especially the part when Biue Bitter turned us into albino alligators.
I decided to leave Biue Bitter there in the bayou because that's where she belonged. I told her I'd be back to New Orleans to visit her again...
It is kind of weird at swim class when I jump into the water and turn into an alligator but turn back into a girl when I get out!
The End!
Then Biue Bitter said to hold her hand. Luna held Biue Bitter's hand and a burst of light flashed.
I then realized why everybody had gasped. Standing where Luna had been was a magnificent Albino Alligator. Biue Bitter was turning both of us into Albino Alligators! The people were amazed that we were talking alligators. Luna's roar reverberated on the trees of the bayou. Biue Bitter dove underwater. Then we both followed her. When we got to the bottom of the water, we saw a morose grayish blue fish nibbling on some coral.
The bayou's water was brackish, so we saw a few sharks. We got really scared and hid behind some rocks. Then we decided that we would have an underwater talent show.
I was first. I flicked my cool scaled tail which gave me a little boost. I started swimming as fast as I could. I never realized that alligators had a bit of webbed feet. Then I flung myself out of the water. I turned back into a girl, jumped back into the water and turned back into a gator. Luna tried to do the same thing, but she did it better than I. Soon we were all doing flips out of the water.
When we got really tired we swam back to the boat which was deep into the bayou. The boat ride was really fun especially the part when Biue Bitter turned us into albino alligators.
I decided to leave Biue Bitter there in the bayou because that's where she belonged. I told her I'd be back to New Orleans to visit her again...
It is kind of weird at swim class when I jump into the water and turn into an alligator but turn back into a girl when I get out!
The End!