The Roosevelt New Orleans with View of Mississippi and French Quarter + New Orleans Cooking School

Okay, in my previous post I did write about the reason for ending up at The Roosevelt in New Orleans. So let's look around a bit in this remarkable city.

We did stay for one night at the Howard Johnson, Downtown New Orleans.

Next day after Mass, at the Moorish Jesuit Church across the hotel, we did walk with a Dutch business friend and a Chilean business man to French Quarter.
We moved to The Roosevelt in the afternoon.

On the wall to the left are the letters The Fairmont, as The Roosevelt was still called on March 6, 1988.
But our view was spectacular!
The mighty Mississippi river...

This photo is a bit more zoomed in.
We viewed actually the New Orleans Cruise Terminal!

Right from the back of our hotel.
2nd from right is the Sheraton hotel.

To the left is the Marriott and to the right the Sheraton, as we walk on Canal St. near Carondelet St.

French Quarter with its typical balconies and lots of wrought iron.

Husband Pieter took this photo as we stand here on 500 Bourbon St, New Orleans.
The Chilean gent to the left and Dutch business friend Anton van Overveld, from ALCOA in the center.

Yep the exact same sign from Chris Owens, 500 Bourbon St is still hanging there!
From Google Street View, click on link.

From the same link here above, you get a perfect view of what I was looking at in the above photo.
A bit scared for those protruding balconies with tables and chairs of Bayou Burger Balcony Dining!
The sign from 1988 with Takee Outee is gone...

La Louisiane Restaurant at 725 Iberville Street, built in 1837... It was open from 1881 till 2005.
You do have the feeling that you're back in the Old World, in France!

Crossing of Iberville and N Peters Street.

Yep, this Google 401 Iberville St New Orleans Street View shows it still is there!
Click on link to be shown the exact wall in photo.

A bit around the corner shows you this Google 199 N Peters St New Orleans Street View, just click it.
We're walking towards the Mississippi River...

Near the cruise terminal at the mighty Mississippi river...
The Chilean gent to the left of me.
That day I had a perfect Spanish speaking adventure; good practice!

Pieter is now showing the other side, with the Mississippi river and the bridge in the back.

While Pieter took the above photo, Dutch business friend Anton van Overveld took this one with Pieter in it, to the right of me.

Happy together on the mighty Mississippi river...
Such a perfect sunny Sunday in March!

Dreaming of one day being able to make a cruise with such a boat...
On Monday, March 7, both of us had early breakfast with the conference participants and while Pieter did prepare for his lecture in the afternoon, I joined the Grand Tour bus at 10:00 AM and got to see beautiful New Orleans, together with Peter and Els Janssen, from my hometown area.

Card bought: Jackson Square with its famous General Andrew Jackson on his bronze horse statue set against the
beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis King of France
This is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.
Daily Mass is at 12:05 and I wish we could have had time for that.
By 12:30 we had all lunch at the Roosevelt hotel with all conference guests.
Also would love to visit the Old Ursuline Convent Museum...

Card bought: Creole Queen on the Mississippi river against Chalmette Battlefield monument.

Card bought: Steamboat Natchez a Harbor Jazz Cruise would have been fun!
That afternoon, Pieter did present his lecture and I also was successful selling my own design, brass mushrooms for window decorations, see link below post: My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms.
On Tuesday, March 8, we did have the exhibition opening after a lunch buffet and in the evening Grand Ball with Dinner.
On Wednesday, March 9, after breakfast I went by bus at 10:00 AM to the New Orleans Cooking School where we learned to make Gumbo and Jambalaya and ate that for lunch...

Still have this great apron that was included for wearing while preparing our food!
Just click on above link, you can have this HANDS-ON CLASS still today, ever since 1980.

By 15:30 we were in our car and drove the 590 miles or 950 km home to Dublin, Georgia and arrived on Thursday at 2:30 in the morning.

Thanks for your visit!

7th North American Mushroom Conference at The Roosevelt in New Orleans | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | my previous post by me

7th North American Mushroom Conference at The Roosevelt in New Orleans

On Friday, March 4, in 1988 we had dinner with our dear friends at our home in Dublin, Georgia.

We did inform them that Campbell Soup was forcing us to move to the Reading, Pennsylvania area... 

SAD

On Saturday, March 5, we left by car at 9:30 AM for New Orleans, Louisiana and with once stopping for gas and twice for eating a bite, we got there by 7:15 PM (there is 1 hour time difference). It was 590 miles or 950 km.

Husband Pieter had to lecture at the 7th North American Mushroom  Conference.

We did live at that time in our previous home, at 304 Fairmont Drive, Dublin Georgia/USA.

The Conference was being held at The Fairmont Hotel...

Yes, The Roosevelt New Orleans, used to be called The Fairmont back in the 1980s.

It has been our privilege for having known it in its full glamour!

The Roosevelt still looks just like the Fairmont in the 80s, it has been restored after Hurricane Katrina damaged it severely in August of 2005.

Across from the street is the in 1851 established Immaculate Conception Jesuit Parish by Jesuits from Lyon, France.

The present, rebuild Church (1929) is in Moorish architectural style and is really beautiful.

We did go to Mass on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM and talked with the priest who had served on Dutch ship, The Rotterdam and he'd visited over 50 countries. Such a wise man and I've mentioned him in a previous post, see below under Related link.

This beautiful 1929 Moorish architecture style Church is opposite The Roosevelt New Orleans and it is visible from the pool area.

We really were in another world, at The Fairmont Hotel...

On Monday evening, March 7 of 1988, we did have dinner at the famous Sazerac Restaurant and I had a delicious Steak au Poivre...

As you can read here below from a post, Sazerac had big banquette tables covered with what looked like lace and beautiful china and silverware.

Also dishes received tableside preparation!

Extinct Restaurants - Sazerac Restaurant click on the pink hyperlinks.

Now, back to the REASON of this stay at the Roosevelt hotel.

7th North American Mushroom Conference

That includes the USA and Canada

RIGHT ON TARGET was their chosen theme, all around MUSHROOMS

printed on this beautiful parchment paper that encased the Grand Ball menu card

On Monday, March 7 of 1988, my husband Pieter had to give his lecture.

7th North American Mushroom Conference Pieter J.C. Vedder CO₂ and Temperature Management ←click link for video.

On Tuesday evening, March 9, we had the Grand Ball with Dinner

We sure got a royal treatment in those days.

The Menu Card with its sponsors mentioned on the back, elegantly held together by a gold cord

So many familiar names on this complete list... Some of them no longer are with us today.

On March 24, 1988 husband Pieter received this thank you note from American Mushroom Institute.

Fond memories and we both look back on it with pride!

We made a lot of great friends all over the world...

Stay tuned for more about New Orleans!

Related link:

{After Christmas Sales: Humility - Tolerance - Patience - Integrity - Compassion} | previous post by me

7th North American Mushroom Conference Pieter J.C. Vedder CO₂ and Temperature Management | post by me

Kitchen Bay Window New Crocheted ROSE Curtains & IKEA Roller Blind

At the time that we lived and worked in Indonesia, I had crocheted the Rose Curtain for our Bay Window. Well, that was without ever being able to see the results on the actual window... I've always felt they were a bit 'skimpy'... So in 2017, after completing the new curtains for our Veranda, I knew I had to replace the Bay Window's as well!
Well, first I had to find new Roller Blinds for replacing the old ones.
That worked with IKEA's SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blinds in white.
Except, they did NOT have the size for the large window; only for the sides....
So I had to order that from Europe!
It arrived via my brother Jan in The Netherlands, on July 13.
On July 23, Pieter hung them all three in a perfect way!
Since the Ikea Roller Blinds are with aluminum, I could not use brass curtain rings to go with that.
So I found 20.5mm Sterling Silver CLOSED Jump Rings on Etsy.

Last week's white roses that came home from Trader Joe's Atlanta...
Let me show you first the IKEA SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blind in white that I'd found.

Ikea.com as always has great pricing and the size for our side windows, 32" was perfect!
BUT... they did NOT have the size for our large window... ARGH!
So what to do?

Ordering the large size of 140 cm or 55" in The Netherlands and having it shipped to my brother (nope they do not ship to the USA!) and he did forward it to us.
Worked very well, no custom charges either as I ordered it in my name, having used my brother's address as p/o address for delivery.
They arrived on July 13.
So now we could start working with them.
Pieter hung all 3 of them on July 23.

Most important thing DONE!
Meanwhile I had ordered more of the HH Lizbeth thread because I had still some left over from the Fleur de Lys Crocheted Curtains in the Veranda...
This time it was only 16 hours of speed crocheting for the center window and 8 hours each for the side windows = 32 hours.

 With one additional 1 kg cone, yes I had enough thread!
Let me show you first the before:

Never liked this but this was the previous roller blind, hidden more or less behind the white rod with brass ends. Curtain hung on rod with plastic clips!

Aside from these curtains being rather skimpy, it didn't look RIGHT!

ARGH those white plastic clips broke so easily and new ones are white but the old ones turn ugly yellow.

To the left the new IKEA SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blind versus the old on on the right...

Here you still see to the right (through the roller blind) the holes from previous roller blind and rod not yet being filled in.
Looks so much better and flat against the window, not gaping any more and the entire window gets covered now.

Using the same crocheted filet lace rose curtain that I made before but now with 2 edgings instead of just one. See link below blog {More of Our Kitchen}.

Yes, RAND MET BLOEMEN in Dutch or EDGE WITH FLOWERS
Roses that is!

So glad I'd saved my magazines and got them now scanned in, to go back to.

Where the arrow is to the left, that's the length of my 1st curtain.
Now I was going to make it full length.
Since these IKEA Roller Blinds were out of aluminum I could not use brass curtain rings like I did in the veranda where I used Mom's old ones.

So I searched and found them at 5starFindings.etsy.com 
20.5mm Sterling Silver 18ga CLOSED Jump Rings, Made in India

Excellent for using with the crochet thread as these will not stain the cotton when being laundered!

On July 23, showing you the large curtain, almost being done. Well, 3 more points that is... of total 8 = 16 hours at high speed!
I've used a low oak bench on top of my sofa, for having the pattern right next to me at proper height for eye movement.
You see also two more cones in the corner as I did set up for ALL 3 at once. The beginning is the hardest thing to do, counting all those stitches and getting it RIHGT.

Next day, on July 24, I started sewing on those Sterling Silver CLOSED Jumper Rings, for hanging.

July 24, just before dark the largest curtain HANGS!
Now the side windows, each 4 points or half of this one = 8 hours each...

On August 8, almost a small curtain done... Other projects do lie lined up on the sofa...
Wearing my biking gear, as we did keep up with that too!
Did not wear those sandals for biking though.

Pieter made me look up from my speed crochet as he placed a cup of tea in front of me...

Later on August 8, the small one for the side window was hanging!
Only one more to go = 8 hours of speed crochet.

August 10, staying in my silk Laurèl nightgown after breakfast to continuously speed crochet.
Wanting to get it DONE!

Yay, August 11, the last filet crochet rose curtain was up and hanging!
SO HAPPY...

This shows two curtains hanging...

Stepping back on August 11, to show the entire bay window area with the 3 SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blinds and the 3 crocheted rose filet curtains.
So happy that got all DONE!

Finally I managed to share this mega task with you.

Thanks for your visit!

Related links:
{More of Our Kitchen} | Previous post by me

My 2nd Fleur de Lys Crocheted Curtain is Hanging | Previous post by me

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