We're heeeerrrrre!! We arrived at about 2:00, and Bob Hanna, our landlord, was waiting for us. He was standing in front of his house, waving to us. How sweet is that?! He and his wife, Billie, are adorable. So friendly and helpful. They are originally from Texas, then lived in the British Virgin Islands for several years before coming to New Orleans and buying this house in 1997.

The street we are on, Esplanade Ave, is a main street in the historic district . It has so many beautiful, old houses (some of them are HUGE) that Roger thought my head was going to swivel off when we went for a walk. A couple of houses down is a quaint coffee house, then about 4 blocks down there is a cute little grocery where we bought groceries this afternoon. There is also an Italian grocery, two or three restaurants in old houses, another coffee house, and an old book store. Very beautiful neighborhood. We are about a mile to the French Quarter, so certainly walkable, and there is bus service at our door as well as a trolley a couple of blocks away.

Our place is the back section of Bob & Billies Victorian house. The house is about 100 years old. Everything seems pretty original - the wide plank floor, the old wooden doors, the tall narrow windows. The kitchen cupboards aren't 100 years old, but they're certainly not new. They have a beautiful back yard with a big lemon tree loaded with lemons, a lime tree, a pond, a couple of wicker table/chair sets, and an old garage with skylights that Billie uses as her art studio. We should be very comfortable here for the next 2 weeks.