Sometime around midnight tonight I shall hit the road,
traveling down that old familiar highway to make my pilgrimage,
to celebrate my most favorite holiday- yes, darlings, it is Mardi Gras time!
I never got around to sharing these photos from last year-
I was preparing to when I found out that my friend Vi
had died suddenly, and the tangle of mourning snared me
in tears and thorns- later, I had lost my momentum somehow..
I just realized that today is the one year anniversary of her death.
If you have a minute today, go and read this
letter that Vi wrote– it’s important.

So now, a year later I’m looking at these images and remembering
all the iridescent cacophony that is carnival and my heart is beating
quickly with anticipation that soon I will be gazing up at this cathedral
again, dancing in the streets with all my dear ones, and the whole city.
Please, please, please let the weather be as perfect this year as it was then!

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day- warm, with a dazzling blue sky.
Colin made this Minotaur costume in about five minutes, and looked
totally amazing. I think maybe he should paint himself gold every day..

Look at these little pastel petitfours! Can you believe that they did not plan
to be birds of a feather with those pale wigs? It’s true. Psychic sisters!
They’re all mostly oceanic themed costumes as well- so beautiful.

Miss Dana Kitten was a Forest in Winter!
She gave us many icy feather-snowflake butterfly kisses,
and melted our hearts with her beguiling ways.

Miss Raven was a most luminous and perfect pearl,
shimmering out from her pink scallop shell cowl.

Liser had one of my most favorite costumes- we were looking around for her,
and everyone kept saying, “She’s still in bed!” we were aghast until we found her
and discovered that it was true! I loved her hair splayed out on the pillow,
with condom and teddy-bear, and the sleep mask that reads Sweet Musings
that she found in the dumpster. It was heaven to curl up next to her
and pretend to still be in bed, too. Mardi Gras is an early morning thing, y’all!

Okay, so Miss Jenny and her beau Jon are basically the King and Queen of Mardi Gras
as far as I’m concerned- their costumes are always so perfect and so incredibly detailed!
If you could see their outfits up close, your eyes would just goggle out of your head
at the psychedelic wonderment of a jackalope in lederhosen and his mad-hattered belle!
By the way, her hat reads, “Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!” -yes, indeed!

This was the cuteness that ate my mind.

Capricornia + Le Minotaure- we were horned beasts, as befitting our astrological natures.

Miss Jackie is always so stunning. Her costumes really are something else.
She has a real poison dart blower too, so you’d better watch out!

Miss Angie is the Queen of the Seadragons! The wind was blowing like crazy
in Jackson Square, and we were worried that it might take her away into the sky-
as her golden finned headdress was acting as a sail! The woman looks good green.

Oh Sienna! La bella cubanitsa! We were dancing in the street eating plums and nectarines.

Beastly boys! David’s creations have inspired my to strap taxidermy to myself this year-
only, not to my face. Although I would love one of his goat masks, with a long silky beard!

This person terrified me very much! All in all it was a very black metal Mardi Gras.

I spent a long time staring at this kingcake, which is apparently considered edible, by some.
I even considered it, until I was pulled away. There was something magical
about those colors, though.. O unnatural icing! Your evil swirls are calling me!

Instead I opted for this much more streamlined fancy-schmancy kingcake,
from a foo-foo bakery Uptown that I can’t remember the name of.
It was delicious, and had edible glitter and iridescent powder!
So gorgeous. I want edible glitter on all my food now.