Let's take a walk at the cemetery

Since Halloween is approaching, let's put ourselves in the mood... I don't know about you, but for me, walking around in an old american cemetery brings back a lot of memories about american series or movies I watched during my teenage years. It just doesn't look like the ones in France. I must have watched Buffy a little too much. The old tombstones are not straight, a lot of them don't have a base, grass grows on nameless empty plots, as a result alleys look very unorganized, it gives it a spooky feeling, but I find it all rather pretty. 

Here is one of the oldest cemetery in Baton Rouge: Magnolia Cemetery. 

It is a national historic site, where a lot of local personalities are buried. It was  the site of intense fights during the Battle of Baton Rouge on August 5, 1862. Union soldiers were camped on the west side of the cemetery, and the Confederates to the East. 

When the battle started, the northern forces were directed towards the Mississippi levee (to the west), because the Confederate army was waiting for relief from a battleship gunboat coming from Vicksburg (located further up the river in the State of Mississippi). Unfortunately for the South, the boat's engine broke down several time between Vicksburg and Baton Rouge, and eventually had to be destroyed by its own crew, in order to not be taken by the Union. It was blown up close to where Huey Long's bridge now crosses the Mississippi, just north of Baton Rouge. On the ground, the Union soldiers were then able to block the Confederates and push them to retreat. 

 

 

During the battle, tumbstones served as cover from bullets and bombs. One can still see traces of it on some stones or trees. The cemetery has a common grave filled with Confederate soldiers who fell during the battle. They were all buried on site. Union soldiers who died during the battle were transported out of the battle field and buried individually in what is now a federal cemetery, right accross the street. That cemetery looks much cleaner by the way: rows of neat white little stones typical of a military cemetery. 

Baton Rouge has grown a lot since then and now the cemetery is in the center of the urbanized area, between Florida Boulevard and Main Street. It's all ugly around, but the cemetery makes almost for a pretty public park, with big oaks, and old stones.  

New Orleans Red Dress Run!

It was last month, in the seeping heat of August: New Orleans Red Dress Run. An annual event organized to gather funds for charities. It's fair to suspect that they don't only run, of course. Truthfully many don't run at all, but join the party in the French Quarter. It's yet another occasion for Bourbon Street to get filled with party-goers, but this time, all of them in red dresses!

Bourbon Street

How did Red Dress Run start? 

The Hash House Harriers are the biggest running club in the world. Their first red dress run happened nearly by accident: On August 7, 1987, a young lady wearing a red dress is arriving in southern California to visit a high school friend. She ends up shortly after in Long Beach, where her friend intends to introduce her to this zany running group called the Hash House Harriers. One member, noting her gender and attire, urged that she “just wait in the truck” until her host returned. With that goading, she ran into history sporting her red dress and heels. 

One year later, to commemorate the event, the San Diego Hash House Harriers sent “The Lady In Red” an airline ticket to attend the inaugural Red Dress Run. Hundreds of male and female hashers adorned themselves in red dresses for a spectacle widely covered by California newspapers and TV news. In addressing the crowd, The Lady In Red suggested that Hash House Harriers hold the Red Dress Run annually as an occasion be used to raise funds for local charities.

This tradition quickly spread to every corner of the globe. The New Orleans Hash House Harriers attracted 7,000 participants to their Red Dress Run in 2010, raising more than $200,000 for local charities.

Our group of cheerful chaps joined the crowd late in the morning. French quarter bars, sidewalks, and streets are packed. It's very hot, and very humid, and everybody starts dripping sweat very quickly, even without running. People, young and old, drink and dance inside and out. For those who know, this could compare to the southwestern France Feria. By the late afternoon we all are worn out, a good nap is a must, in order to make it to round 2 later that evening. Most friends in our group are staying in hotel rooms to not have to drive back to Baton Rouge. I now have my "second home" on site, even better... I ended up napping until the next morning. Verdict: partying is getting harder and harder these days... 

A little toilet story

The first experience of the public bathroom in the USA can be quite a surprise. Generally speaking, they score on cleanliness, but totally lose on intimacy... As shown in this photo taken at work: one foot of clearance between the ground and the bottom of the partition on every side. For people often so individualists and puritans, it can be disconcerting.  

And there is that thing that I had never seen in Europe: the toilet seat with a whole in the front... Why isn't the toilet seat a full round?! 

The answer to this existential question: Of course, the hole is here for sanitary purposes. In sitting position, the full oval lid sometimes has spatters underneath and forms a nest of germs much more concentrated than with the slit version. 

I'll let you look into that situation next time you cross the Atlantic...

To wrap up on the fascinating differences we find in public bathrooms: 

• The disposable oval paper lid sheets, with a hole in the middle, to cover the toilet seat and sit ones butt on a clean surface.

•  The automatic soap dispensers where you don't push on anything for the soap to get out. 

•  In the same category, the automatic tap so you don't have to touch the tap after you washed your hands.

• And the automatic flush that is supposed to sense when you are done doing your business so you don't have to flush manually... This one has left me perplex more than one time. At first because of wondering where the hell they hid the flush handle or button, or for not getting up quickly enough... Even passed this stage, i found myself several times looking down and waiting for the flush to do its job and trying to find a way to wake up the sensor that hadn't sensed anything in the first place!! Sometimes technology just doesn't measure up...