While I am waiting for Ron to find time to perform miracles on my blog I thought I would give a little update. I have been in the New Orleans area for several weeks now and have lots of photos to share when the blog gets fixed.
In New Orleans there is so much to do and see and so much food to try. Every day for two weeks has been packed with activities. My cousin Jamie and his wife Linda have been willing to share unlimited time with me even though Linda is still working. Linda's mother, Ethyl loves to cook--Cajun! And Jamie is retired and loves to drive. Wow! Could it get any better than that?
A friend asked me if there are still signs of Katrina around. There are some in the areas I have traveled but I have not been into the 9th Ward where the worst of the damage happened. The most startling thing I have seen is Charity Hospital--the single largest hospital when I lived here and the most important to the city. At times I visited friends there and daily passed it on my ride to work downtown. Today it is completely boarded up! Are there plans to rebuild it? I don't know.
On a day trip to Biloxi I saw cement slabs all along the coast that attest to the wall of water that lifted buildings and grand 150+ year old houses and carried them away. Most have not been replaced--the hurricane insurance is now so costly that it is impossible for most to start again. But the Casinos are back.
And a reminder...The French Quarter did not flood! The original city was built on the highest ground along the river and it has remained untouched by floodwaters for almost 300 years. Plus, the pumps that keep New Orleans dry by sucking up the rain water and dumping it into Pontchartrain Lake have mostly been replaced. Those pumps were antiques when I left here 50 years ago so I think it was about time.
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