Acadie.
Here we are, back on St. Charles. The rain is falling so hard today that the water is running down the curbsides in little creeks. I miss storms like this. Growing up in Kansas it seemed like summer thunderstorms happened with some regularity, and I reveled in the thunder and lightning, especially at night. It is a rainforest here compared to southern Utah, which is like the face of the moon in its lack of moisture of any kind. I'm listening to an older album, Daniel Lanois' Acadie. It is THE perfect New Orleans soundtrack in its Frenchiness and spookiness; plus, Aaron Neville appears on quite a few tracks. My buddy Carolyn loves this album--and New Orleans. I wish she could come visit while we are here, but her life is busy.
It seems like we never left, now that we are back. It's strange. This city has no business being in our lives, and I am amazed that after all the things that have happened to this place, we're somehow involved in its drama. When my mother-in-law bought her condo here, we were real excited. "Oh yeah! We'll get down there sometime and have fun..." We just didn't expect that we'd be here so soon after the big blow-out, and that we'd be a part of the renewal and witness the city's slow recovery. See, this is what happens when you own your own business. You get to do more stuff than you would if you didn't. All right, you work harder and get paid less, but the freedom of the job is PRICELESS.
From my seat, I see the traffic on St. Charles. The cable cars have not returned to St. Charles yet. I am not sure if they ever will. We have not seen my husband's cousin Dorothy since we arrived at an odd hour last evening, but when we do we will get the time frame for the return of the cars. It seems as though Mardi Gras went well. There are all kinds of new bead strings in the trees that line this grand boulevard. I am pleased that the city seems to be gaining momentum in its clean-up. There are fewer blue tarps than in December, and fewer piles of debris on the streets. New businesses have popped up on St. Charles as well! I love the American entrepreneurial spirit, and it is evident here. I'm not saying things are going 100% well and the city is totally recovered. No. That is not the case as whole neighborhoods still stand empty. It's just going better than it was in December, that's all. The bells of the church down the way just tolled the hour...Christ Church Cathedral, an Episcopal church. We strolled by last night and it is lovely. I will try to get some church in while I'm here since I can't get any when I'm in Utah.
On the drive here we went through Texas in one long day, from Tucumcari, New Mexico, to Longview, Texas, just this side of the Louisiana state line. I do love Texas, and this time I jotted down a few of the things that make it great:
Fields of sunflowers...rusted corrugated steel-covered shacks, barns and sheds...an official town sign by the road pointing to "WISDOM" (it's not in the atlas, either. I suppose you have to look for it on your own)...safety rest stops with Wi-Fi and tornado shelters...mesquite trees...dust-nadoes and dirt devils...roadside art...old-timey signs...old town squares...Whataburger restaurants...really old and rustic BBQ stands...old pick-up trucks in excellent shape
Driving into New Orleans through most of Louisiana was interesting, too. Shreveport has these huge mall churches! It was Sunday morning and the parking lots were packed. As we drove through wooded areas, and most of the time we did since the huge trees lined either side of the highway, I noticed that small palm trees lived in the understory of huge, leafy trees, like Elm, Walnut and Oak. I was charmed. And of course the swamps...most of I-10 goes right over the swamps, and along Lake Pontchartrain. Water rules here, as do the plants. When we drove over the Mississippi River at Lafayette, my heart pounded. It's so...damn...big. It is the heart of the nation, its circulatory system...goods go out, goods come in, all on the big river. It joins the East and the West at its sides, and all is calm at its center. If any feature of our country is most representative of what our nation is, I cannot think of one that would be better than the Mississippi.
Our list of projects for the building is really long this time. We can only spare two weeks here, as it will take us a week of driving to get here and get back home. We'll see how much we can get done. Pictures top come, maybe even a v-log of sorts. Lafayette Cemetary is on the way to little coffee shop where we check email and blog, so perhaps we'll investigate that sooner or later.
It seems like we never left, now that we are back. It's strange. This city has no business being in our lives, and I am amazed that after all the things that have happened to this place, we're somehow involved in its drama. When my mother-in-law bought her condo here, we were real excited. "Oh yeah! We'll get down there sometime and have fun..." We just didn't expect that we'd be here so soon after the big blow-out, and that we'd be a part of the renewal and witness the city's slow recovery. See, this is what happens when you own your own business. You get to do more stuff than you would if you didn't. All right, you work harder and get paid less, but the freedom of the job is PRICELESS.
From my seat, I see the traffic on St. Charles. The cable cars have not returned to St. Charles yet. I am not sure if they ever will. We have not seen my husband's cousin Dorothy since we arrived at an odd hour last evening, but when we do we will get the time frame for the return of the cars. It seems as though Mardi Gras went well. There are all kinds of new bead strings in the trees that line this grand boulevard. I am pleased that the city seems to be gaining momentum in its clean-up. There are fewer blue tarps than in December, and fewer piles of debris on the streets. New businesses have popped up on St. Charles as well! I love the American entrepreneurial spirit, and it is evident here. I'm not saying things are going 100% well and the city is totally recovered. No. That is not the case as whole neighborhoods still stand empty. It's just going better than it was in December, that's all. The bells of the church down the way just tolled the hour...Christ Church Cathedral, an Episcopal church. We strolled by last night and it is lovely. I will try to get some church in while I'm here since I can't get any when I'm in Utah.
On the drive here we went through Texas in one long day, from Tucumcari, New Mexico, to Longview, Texas, just this side of the Louisiana state line. I do love Texas, and this time I jotted down a few of the things that make it great:
Fields of sunflowers...rusted corrugated steel-covered shacks, barns and sheds...an official town sign by the road pointing to "WISDOM" (it's not in the atlas, either. I suppose you have to look for it on your own)...safety rest stops with Wi-Fi and tornado shelters...mesquite trees...dust-nadoes and dirt devils...roadside art...old-timey signs...old town squares...Whataburger restaurants...really old and rustic BBQ stands...old pick-up trucks in excellent shape
Driving into New Orleans through most of Louisiana was interesting, too. Shreveport has these huge mall churches! It was Sunday morning and the parking lots were packed. As we drove through wooded areas, and most of the time we did since the huge trees lined either side of the highway, I noticed that small palm trees lived in the understory of huge, leafy trees, like Elm, Walnut and Oak. I was charmed. And of course the swamps...most of I-10 goes right over the swamps, and along Lake Pontchartrain. Water rules here, as do the plants. When we drove over the Mississippi River at Lafayette, my heart pounded. It's so...damn...big. It is the heart of the nation, its circulatory system...goods go out, goods come in, all on the big river. It joins the East and the West at its sides, and all is calm at its center. If any feature of our country is most representative of what our nation is, I cannot think of one that would be better than the Mississippi.
Our list of projects for the building is really long this time. We can only spare two weeks here, as it will take us a week of driving to get here and get back home. We'll see how much we can get done. Pictures top come, maybe even a v-log of sorts. Lafayette Cemetary is on the way to little coffee shop where we check email and blog, so perhaps we'll investigate that sooner or later.
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