A Little Summer Reading!

Yesterday, I finally had some time to myself and was able to do one of my favorite things—hang out in the bookstore for several hours on end and catch up on my reading. I had in my hands all the latest decorating magazines (just the ones that I don’t subscribe to), a few of the latest decorating books (the ones that I refuse to order from Amazon until I’ve previewed them first), and finally a few chick-magazines thrown in for good measure. The barista could barely see my face so that I could order my coffee of the day with skin milk and my chocolate chip cookie.

One story that really caught my eye is in this month’s current issues of Vogue , “A City, a Man, a House”, by Julia Reed's whose stories I always enjoy. I myself am married to a New Orleanean, and I have a very good friend who is too, and she even moved there after her wedding so she and her husband could start their lives together. They opened an antiques store on Magazine Street, and I absolutely loved the house they bought together on Louisiana Avenue! My brother-in-law still lives there, and probably always will! He has his own band, and he plays in a few others. Strangely enough, the hubby and I seem to live vicariously through him, and he doesn’t even have a checking account!

My good friend's first house on Louisiana Avenue

Most importantly though, while reading Reed’s story, it made me think of my good friend, and everything she and her husband and two small children went through with their own dream home. At one time, in our early years when the hubby was trying to decide on which graduate school he wanted to attend-- we ourselves had high hopes of moving to New Orleans. I had vision of living in the garden district; after all, hubby would need to be close to Tulane. I had visions of living in one of those incredible old mansions on St.Charles Avenue—just like the ones my brother-in-law with no checking account always seems to have. He rents but that’s OK—I would too, just to be able to live in one. I had visions of us cooking red beans and rice every Monday, and basically eating our way through the city while enjoying the mysterious oak tree-lined boulevard. Unfortunately, he chose a different graduate school, but I still have those visions!!!

The House on First Street

I am adding The House on First Street to my summer reading list. I did purchase the Vogue so I could share the article with my New Orleanean hubby and my girlfriend, who like many, left New Orleans due to Katrina and its aftermath. The End!