New Orleans, Part I: Hammond, LA

So this weekend, we got together a group of friends and decided to travel to Hammond, LA. 

Okay, not really. We decided to travel to New Orleans, LA, but ended up spending some quality time in Hammond. Here's what happened:

We met at the train station bright and early. 

Sarah had the goods.

And on to the train we went! This was Christopher's and my first ride on good ole' Amtrak. I enjoyed the comfy seats.

So did Charlie and Sarah.

And Darrin and Jenny.

And Matt...and especially Laura.

It was a little dreary, but interesting to see the country side.

Then, the train stopped. Not slowed down, but stopped. We waited for the "smoke break" to be over. And, we waited some more. Finally, we were told that the bridge we needed to cross was broken....in the 'up' position. Not good.

So we were able to get off the train and enjoy Hammond, LA. Well, enjoy the train station and grounds. Thankfully, it was a pretty day, and we were all in good spirits.

See: love and good spirits:

Love, good spirits and laughter!

Love, trains and flowers:

Even the guys had some love for Hammond.

And each other.

 Have I mentioned that I love the self portrait? Maybe a few times?

Laura is a real photographer. See her real camera?

Thankfully it was sunny, and we got to enjoy Hammond. We even looked cute doing it!

Three hours later, the bridge was fixed and we were on our way! We arrived in New Orleans to a welcoming parade.

Seriously, we stepped out of our taxi at our hotel, and this parade turns the corner immediately behind us. Thankfully, we were all able to grab our luggage and get out of the taxi before it got run over. Such a nice touch to be recognized for the famous and important people we are, but really New Orleans, we don't need a welcoming parade every time we visit....maybe just the next several. 

And there was this guy!

What could be more exciting than that?

To be continued...