This holiday season we visited our daughter, who is going to Law School in New Orleans. And one of the events that we attended was the annual Bonfires on the Levee celebration in Grammercy, LA.

For those of us from California, this was surreal. I guess it helps to be surrounded by vast tracts of water and swamp...because what we experienced was like nothing that we'd ever seen in our dry and fire-prone state. These bonfires range for more than a mile along the levee, and they were between 20 and 30 feet tall BEFORE THEY WERE LIT. Wrapped into the wood and kindling were massive amounts of explosives--firecrackers as large and loud as any we had ever dreamed of as a child. And every bonfire seemed to have a few industrial sized mortars that sent huge commercial fireworks into the air directly above us.

So we took along food and wine, and partied with thousands of locals as they lit the heavens on fire (theoretically guiding Santa to NOLA). This went on for quite a while. And when we left, they were still partying, and the bonfires lit up a huge stretch of the levee. Cajun Chaos at its best!

Here's very short video of what went on for many, many minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hr6UhPirY0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz8b3EFERhU

Lordy, lordy!

After these things blow up, it gives LNT a whole new meaning.

Pretty sure Gov Bobby changed the state slogan to, "Hey y'all, hold my beer and watch this!"

Nevertheless, sounds like a good time.

Cheers,

Wow! Those guys are crazy!!

I think that's the most firecrackers I've ever seen lit off on that second video. I would've had to back off from that one. (I probably would've ran )

Funny seeing all those cell phones being held up to record it too. That's a pretty new twist on the event.