Hi Everybody,

I'm on my way to "The Big Easy" to meet Sue. Only one more day until the New Orleans Blues & Heritage Festival and then our "Spiritual Virgin Blues Pilgrimage" begins.

Stay tuned.

With love,

Margie, the Voodoo Girl

Date: Friday, April 24, l998 4:56am
Subject: Have Arrived

Hi y'all,

Check it out!!

Voodoo Girls in action. New Orleans is so joyful. Our hotel, the Bienville House, is in the French Quarter and quite charming. Sue did good -- couldn't ask for a better location. We're across the street from the House of Blues and around the corner from Tipitinas. We are definitely in "good company" as Marcia Ball and her band are staying in the hotel and our paths cross everytime we step in or out of the elevator. Sue and I both arrived into New Orleans on different flights and when we had our first meeting both of us were gushing. I, because John Fogarty and crew shared the same flight with me and Sue because she shared her flight with George Foreman.

Dr. John played at Tipitinas on our first night here. It is now 4:00am and I'm tired. After Tipitinas we strolled around Bourbon Street and as Sue says, "New Orleans is the city that takes....:" it takes $$$$$$. I can't believe how much I have spent in one evening (and we arrived at midnight!)

Love from an exhausted Voodoo Girl

Hi Everybody,

We wish you could be here with us. Last night we went to the House of Blues to see R.L. Burnside (MY FAVORITE and I just know that he and I shared a past life together.), John Mooney and Kim Wilson with the Fabulous Thunderbirds were also on the bill. Sue and I had the best seats in the whole house. We got to worship right up in the front with our hands resting on the altar (otherwise known as the stage). Sheri sat up in the balcony but she said she could see our heads bobbing up and down on the overhead video screen . All the music was good. We couldn't help but be possessed by the spirits. We carry our mojo bags with us at all times and talk about power!! My bag seems to want to reach out and touch people. It even tried to get up on stage a few times. Since I am holding the wild mojo bag, I'm the one who has to be restrained. Let me tell you, these mojo bags want to have fun, too. Jimmy Bott invited them and their owners to an after hours party.

The wee hours of the morning were spent drinking chicory coffee at Cafe DuMonde and watching the rising of the Dawn.

Love from a weary Voodoo Girl

Date: Sunday, April 26, 1998 11:30pm
Subject: Survived the Jazz Fest

The first weekend of the Jazz Fest is over and I am soooooo tired. 3 days of all that sun, people, and noise has left me feeling so weary. The Jazz Fest is ENORMOUS. It's like 10 Santa Cruz (California) Blues Festivals going on at the same time.

Boozoo Chavez
New Orleans Jazz Fest

Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Cha's
New Orleans Jazz Fest

Dr. John's Percussion Section

Tomorrow is our last day in New Orleans. We're going to do some last minute shopping and sight seeing. Sue is going to pay her respects at the Voodoo Spiritual Temple and I'm going to hop a ride on the St. Charles line and head out to the Garden District. (Sometimes we just have to take time out to smell the jasmine!)

Ooooooo, the French Quarter sends my imagination into overtime. It's easy to envision ghosts and vampires lurking in the dark corners or peering out through wooden shutters. In fact, I think we've seen a few along Jackson Square.

And now.......a trip to the Louis Armstrong Cemetery. Here are a few shots of some of the tombs and one great shot of Sue, the Blues Priestess "lurking in the shadows" of Marie Leveau's tomb.

P.S. Hey "Left Coasters" How was the Reverend Billy C. Wirtz's performance at The Kuumbwa Saturday night????

Meanwhile...............back in Santa Cruz, California

In a message dated 98-04-27 09:58:57 EDT, you write:

Hey Margie!!
The Reverend was at his best! GREAT SHOW! He recognized our crowd (of course, we are so memorable!) And, we got front row seats. Sounds like you are having a fabulous time! We are anxious to go to this jazz fest sometime, hopefully next year for sure. John Mooney - that's who Rog and I fell in love to. Sounds like even the flight over was fun. Keep us informed about Baton Rouge.

Love Melinda and Rog

P.S. Give Sue a big hello for us too!

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In a message dated 98-04-27 10:58 EDT, you write:

Glad to hear you are having a good time!
I am sure your Blues Trek will be great fun!
Say "hi" to Sue for Jan and me, please.
The Rev. Billy Wirtz was his usual outrageous!
We met Roger, Melinda, Pam, George, Colleen & Onnie for dinner before hand.
It's always fun to get together with the cruisers.
So have fun and don't get too crazy at the Handy Awards

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Date: Tuesday, April 28, l998 2:26am
Subject: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Hi y'all,

Great to receive your greetings! It's important to us while we are on our journey to the Promise Land. The "Traveling Voodoo Show" is camped out right now in a Motel 6 on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. We arrived at 11:30pm with full bellies. We ate a fab dinner of blue crabs on Lake Ponchatrain and in between bites, we witnessed the most dramatic lightening storm over the water.

We are so tired. I can barely type this note. As I type, Sue is reading passages aloud to me from a book she bought today entitled, "The Supermarket Sorceress."

Voodoo Girls do not travel empty handed and our altar is growing. Sue has several candles lit that have been given a drink of St. John the Conqueror Root Oil. Sparkly Mardi Gras beads adorn the alter. Special amulets are there, too. Our mojo bags lie side by side; even they are tired. I brought along some photos of my favorite blues boyfriends to place on the altar. The altar is quite decorative and the flickering lights from the candles are reflecting off the mirror and making designs on the walls.

Tomorrow the "Traveling Voodoo Show" hits the road and we'll enter Mississippi. What's the password today? Oysters. Yum. Have had my fill.

Love from a worn out Voodoo Girl