La Petit Mort - Ain'ts

Tis the season for Mardi Gras, and there are now parades everywhere and around all conceivable themes. Yesterday afternoon I witnessed "Barkus," the dog parade. Friday evening was "Ochan," a parade celebrating the Voo Doo gods.
This is a float, not much bigger than a shoe box, from Saturday's "Petit Rex" parade in my neighborhood, the Bywater. People put together miniature floats around the theme la petit mort. In this case, the float is a salute to the deceased "ain'ts," a former nickname for the Saints. 9, visible on the left, is Drew Brees.

65,000 abandoned homes

This is an abandoned home in the 9th Ward, not far from where I live. Specifically, this is on Marais just off the corner of Bartholomew. According to an NPR report last year, there are 65,000 abandoned homes in New Orleans. There were some before Katrina, but the number obviously mushroomed after the storm. I'm going to be photographing more of these buildings and investigating related issues for journalistic stories. Stay tuned!