We roused our Atlanta "virgins" Julie & Mark at 9:30, and hit the road for the fest at 11. We parked in our regular lot, paused for a brief "happy van" experience, and then walked into the fairgounds under beautiful skies once again. I felt especially excited because I was looking forward to seeing Mark & Julie enjoy the Fest for the first time.

Our first stop was just inside the gate at the Poloroid Stage for Royal Finger Bowl. This creative band was obviously a favorite with the locals. I remember one amusing song about the dismal state of bathrooms in local bars . . . "Hey man, it's time to deal with your can". This fun-loving, talented trio then brought an accordion player on stage, and the lead singer started in on a Tom-Waits like number, showing their versatility.

Next up was the Golden Star Hunters Mardi Gras Indians at the Lagniappe stage. It's been our tradition to always catch a Mardi Gras Indian act on our final Sunday morning, and this was one tribe we'd never seen. Their costumes were remarkable – and I was able to take some photos of the cute little girl on stage in full dress. Their chant was long and sustained and we stayed till the end, amazed at how long they were able to keep it going.

We dropped our slightly hungover friends at the HOB stage to catch T-Model Ford & Spam, while we went on a mercy mission and fetched them crawish bread and iced coffees. I also tried a dish called "Cajun Shrimp & Rice" which was creamy and spicy and just right. We ate and swayed to the blues, and started to wake up a bit.

Around this time, we decided to part with our "virgins" and arranged to meet them at the end of the day for one final set by Osvaldo. Joe and I headed towards the gospel tent to see the Crown Seekers. The Gambit review said "don't miss it", and we took their recommendation to heart. This group was a real revelation! They are best known for their version of "Walk Around Heaven" sung in an unearthly falsetto which raised goose bumps on every square inch of my body. After just a few numbers, they had the whole audience on their feet, rocking along in that easy, side-step choir motion, enthralled at the voices raised in praise. But the real highlight for us was the incomparable woman playing tamborine. We've never seen anyone play like that – she was literally driving the band. Her moves and timing were exquisite, as was her obvious joy in what she was doing. Afterwards we learned that she played with several different acts at the Gospel Stage during the fest. Apparently, she just can't get enough!

It was time to do some shopping in the craft booths. Joe and I were both enchanted by a terrific photograph showing a marching Tuba player passing along in front of some Fest food booths. Joe played the souzaphone in a marching band in high school, plus the food signs in the background really "made" the photo. It was a splurge, but we bought it. We also saw this great cowboy walking by, who obligingly tipped his hat after I took this photo.

Since this was our last Fest day, we decided to take short break and explore the inside of the new Grandstand. We wandered upstairs and saw the new storytelling and food stages. At the downstairs food stage, we lucked into a visit by the Herd of Nutria, as they came stamping, dancing and gyrating through, stopping all other action wherever they went. We also made a quick stop in the real bathrooms inside, to rinse off with some cool paper towels, then headed back out onto the fairgrounds.

Next on our schedule was Baaba Maal of Senegal at the Congo Square Stage. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but we were ready for something totally new – and that's what we got. The group put on quite a stage show. Dressed in brightly colored, draped and flowing clothes, they danced and lept across the stage to the insistent, hypnotic music. At one point, Joe "came to" with a start, realizing that he'd been in a trance for several songs. We were close enough to see clearly, and tired enough to be content to simply sway and shake in place. As a stream of bubbles came floating across the crowd towards us, I knew that Marisol must be out there somewhere, grooving to the music too, and sending her bubbles floating on the afternoon breeze.

We caught the last few numbers by Osvaldo and his crew and met up with Julie & Mark at the grandstands. We were all pretty beat! We'd danced hard all day, to every kind of music imaginable - Indian chants, hot Latin licks, party-time Rock & Roll, groove Funk, Gospel, Brass bands, you name it. We were wore out, and still had a full night ahead of us. But for now, it was time to head to Liuzza's, which had become our obligatory post-fest debriefing zone.

Sure enough, a bunch of Kats were partying outside Liuzza's again. We met a new trio of guys from Atlanta, trying to get all the women to drink shots of Jagermeister. Julie and I each bought a sarong from Julie the Sarong Lady, and we got Julie pinned with PetDeKat buttons and George's sunglasses. Everyone took lots of photos again, and compared notes with other kats about our last 24 hours since we'd all been together. A bunch of us women were so inspired by the tale of Phyllis winning the Funky Butt contest, that we all had to pose and show the world that Pet De Kat has the funkiest butts!

The four of us drove back out to Chalmette to take showers and get ready for the evening. The first place we hit was the Café Brazil, because we were thinking about catching the Iguanas. We strolled around, checking out all the clubs jammed into the small neighborhood. We ran into Phyllis, Pete and George and chatted for awhile. But the warm-up band for the Iguanas just wasn't doin' it for us, and we weren't hungry enough to eat at the Praline Connection yet, so we heeded our guests wishes and headed into the Quarter with Mark and Julie.

Joe and I had enjoyed the set by Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas at the fest so much, that we just had to share it with Julie & Mark. So we anted up the amazingly cheap cover charge of $5 each at Maragaritaville in the Quarter and headed in to dance a little and have a beer. Who did we see perched at the bar but our own Dr. Steve Lamb from Atlanta! Julie and I took turns on the dance floor with Steve, and boogied to Nathan - the Zydeco Hog. The club is a little kitschy, but it was airy and roomy and reasonably priced, and the music was terrific. It may be a "touristy" place, but it's worth the trip anyway!

After an hour or so, it was time to keep moving, so we headed into the heart of the quarter around Midnight. We had danced up an appetite and all the normal restaurants were closed, so we wound up eating on Bourbon Street at a placed called "April Lynn's Creole Kitchen". The food was truly awful and overpriced, BUT we got to eat it at a table on the second floor balcony, watching the Bourbon Street parade below us, so at least we had the ambience! After dinner we grabbed some drinks and did the complete Bourbon Street stroll. Then we meandered through the quarter back down to Decatur Street around 2 am, and took a stroll along the Mississippi river moonwalk. We sat for beignets and hot drinks at the Café du Monde, before going back to the car and the long trip out to Chalmette, where we got home around 3:30.

DAY 4

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