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Finding an Angel in New Orleans, and Diversions along the Way “YOU GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO HOLD ’EM; know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away; know when to run.” Yes, Johnny Cash, an auction in New Orleans is a good crap shoot, a fine gamble , and exciting, especially when you can “just walk away” from Neal’s Gallery with a “Guardian Angel.” Neal’s guardian angel fit well into the iconography of good angels, not the fallen or Lucifer type. Its spreading wings offer protection to a vulnerable mortal. Almost five feet tall and created in a foundry in Italy, this angel exemplifies the fine range of bronzes, marbles, paintings, and ceramics that one can find at the auctions in the major New Orleans galleries: New Orleans, Neal and St. Charles. These auction houses enjoy a fine reputation for their extensive and lovely collections of antiques and fine arts. Bidding at auctions today is relatively easy. Telephone and internet bids work well as do “left” bids. Shipping can be easily arranged with FedEx or UPS. However, when you have purchased a 128-pound angel, the challenge of retrieval is somewhat greater. What better reason for a journey to New Orleans than to pick it up? A drive to New Orleans from Charleston, all eleven hours of it, can become like an afternoon ride in the country. It is simply a matter of attitude and a question of appropriate diversions and destinations along the way. Crossing the Edisto, the Cumbahee, and the Ashepoo along Highway 17 reminded me that the South Carolina coast has water fingers that meander through exquisite marshland alive with gulls, pelicans, and kingfishers. How best to while away the hours on such a long drive? Each landmark on I-10 brought a song to mind. As we crossed the rolling hills of the Florida panhandle , the roiling Suwannee River (flowing southerly from the Okeefenokee Swamp slicing the panhandle) evoked Stephen Foster’s 1851 “Old Folks at Home”: “Way down upon de Swanee ribber, Far, far away, Dere’s wha my heart is turning ebber, Dere’s wha de old folks stay.” Entry into Alabama stirred memories of Mitchell Parish’s 1934 “Stars Fell on Alabama,” which evokes the Leonid meteor shower of 1833: We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white, and stars fell on Alabama last night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An Angel in New Orleans and Diversions 177 My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight, and stars fell on Alabama last night.” Before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination, Fairhope, Alabama, and the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel sits on a point looking south into Mobile Bay. The water-lapped location and manicured grounds are welcoming after a long drive. We watched the sun set into the bay against a lavender and purple sky, and then we settled into one of the many swings to watch the stars. The stars seemed to hang on sticks. The cool night air soon drew us to one of the blazing fire pits that dot the grounds of the Grand Hotel. Other friendly souls were there enjoying evening cocktails. Early the next morning I toured the grounds with Niall Frazier, the chief gardener. He told me how the oaks had been pruned and fertilized after Katrina. One especially towering oak grows around and through a huge camellia. With more than eighty weddings a year at three different outdoor “chapels,” the grounds are always brightly planted with annuals, roses, and perennials. New Orleans is an easy two-hour ride from Fairhope. We stopped along the way at Bellingrath Garden, ten miles south of Mobile, and listened to the splashing sounds of water rills and cascades in the memorable formal water gardens found riverside. Situated on the Fowl River, Bellingrath was originally a fishing camp, but it was transformed in the 1930s into a camellia haven. A highlight of any trip to New Orleans is a walk around beautiful Audubon Park. The park is a watery oasis for wood ducks, and their eerie cry fills the evening air. The glistening backs of turtles shine on fallen limbs. White egrets balance beautifully among the American cypress trees. Over it all towers the cathedral on the Tulane campus. LongVue is another New Orleans house and garden that is always worth a visit. The water gardens were created by the owner Edith Stern (1895–1980) after a visit to the...

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