New Orleans

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(RVICS Village; Smithville, Texas)

We spent a few days in New Orleans (on our way to Smithville, TX); Bob has been there before, and I was anxious to see it. My first insight was that I had no idea there was soooo much water! I mean it’s kind of a given, but when you see it, it’s crazy. There are more canals in New Orleans than in Venice. That includes canals (man-made) as well as bayous. I learned a few terms right away: swamps are forests standing in water; marshes are the same as swamps, but have no trees; bayous are small natural bodies of water that connect to a large body…they can be fresh or salt water or a combination of both (brackish), and have little or no current; wetlands covers all types. (It’s the teacher in me; I just can’t give it up!)

The French Quarter looked familiar, from all the pictures I’ve seen. The thing that surprised me is how narrow the streets are. When I saw pictures of that area, I thought the streets were the size of a neighborhood street, but actually they’re so narrow that if there are cars parked along the curb, a car has to squeeze to drive through. After 5:00 they close the streets to cars, and everyone’s on foot. We walked along Bourbon in the daylight, and it was interesting, with bars and music and gift shops one after another. I thought there were a lot of people there, but after I talked Bob into taking me down after dark, I soon realized there weren’t many people in the afternoon! It was very loud and very…..you know. I thought we would enjoy the music, but it was so so loud, and I was reluctant to focus my eyes on anything, so overall I’d say I didn’t enjoy it! It was more of a sprint than a walk! As far as seeing damage from Katrina in the French Quarter, Bob said it didn’t look different than he remembered, so even though there was work being done everywhere, I kind of think that’s an ongoing event.

The area around the river, though, was very fun, and that’s where we spent most of our time. I enjoyed the music on the streets and along the river….some sounded like they were professional groups, while others seemed to be making spending money, but most of them were very good, and all were entertaining. There were street acts also; we didn’t see mimes (and I totally expected to) but there were several human statues, and acrobatic acts. It was fun to be able to stop and listen whenever we wanted to! Everyplace was decorated for Christmas, and looked so pretty.

We went on a city tour with a wonderfully enthusiastic guide, who not only showed us which showed interesting things, but was a wealth of information. The history of the city and the people is fascinating. It was a fun afternoon!

Some random thoughts:
• The World Series of Poker is going on at Harrah’s there, so we watched that for a while. Didn’t play, just watched! There wasn’t much chit chat at those tables!

• There are many billboards advertising law offices willing to handle your oil spill cases. (We didn’t see, or smell, any evidence of the oil spill, but did hear some comments from a few of the vendors at the farmer’s market.)

• On the weather report they give high and low tides for the rivers! That threw me, until I realized the geography of the area. But in any case, it’s strange to hear!

I won’t be writing again until after Christmas; thank you for reading my blog, and for your comments. I love having you travel with us! Merry Christmas to you, and may the new year be more than you even dreamed of.

Vicki

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Photos

Quite a decision!
I-10 runs from Jacksonville, FL to Hemet, CA. We have been on both ends of it, and by the time January 5 comes, will have traveled on a good portion of the middle.

A well-focused picture
that was snapped just before the dip in the highway! (Biloxi, MS)

I can't even guess how many miles of roads
are over the wetlands. We'd discussed how expensive it would be to build roads in Kentucky, where the mountains have to be blasted out of the way, but this cost would have to top that, I'd think.

See the boat?
He came whizzing out from under our highway! This hints at the vastness of the wetlands.

Looking up the Mississippi;
a freighter and a ferry. The ferry just goes from one side of the river to the other, but after crossing that bridge at a non-rush hour time, we could see why you'd take the ferry!

There is music everywhere,
but these young men were very fun; when we put money in their case the trupet player followed us like he intended to spend the afternoon with us! The drummer was playing the drum, and he only sat for a while, but later when we passed the trumpet player was sitting on the trombone's case! They were probably middle school age.

A steam powered calliope.
You can see the organist up there.

Santa explained that he dresses
in black and gold because he's a Saints fan!

No longer occupied, this is an
authentic bayou house. And what you see is 90% of what there is.

Can you see him?
It's a male alligator (according to the guide, and the size). We saw many females, but the males are territorial, so you don't see them together.

I didn't catch him~~
but he was alive. (Notice the tape on his mouth!) I was surprised at how soft he was....smooth too, but very soft. I didn't take him home with us!

The yard of a private home
in the French Quarter. The building at the right is a separte house. Beautiful, isn't it?

And there are neighborhoods in New Orleans!
I took this through the bus window because it shows some of the "regular" houses in an older area. This architecture style has the windows the same size as the doors to allow more airflow.

And of course a cemetary tour!
I was amazed at the size of most of the crypts. Many of them house families, from four or five generations. There was a giant one that was for priests.

Lake Pontchartrain,
which is the second biggest lake in the US. (Lake Superior)

Five years after Katrina, and this
is all the are has recovered along Lake Pontchatrain. We drove probably fifty miles with it looking like this.

Comments

[Sara!]

Wow Mom! This was a cool one! Not that some aren't cool but, you know! :)

[Bette Pickin]

Beignets?
Did you sample (actually devour) the beignets at Cafe du Monde near the waterfront? You end up covered in powdered sugar but they are so good with a cup of coffee. I'm enjoying your travels! Thanks. Bette

[Danielson]

Thanks Sara!
See you soon!

[Danielson]

Hi, Bette!
We didn't have those. We sampled a lot of things, and having their pecan pie was on my list, but we didn't get a chance to try that either. There's only so much you can eat in three days! But I'm remembering the beignets for next visit! Thanks for reading my blog.....Vicki

[Sandy Keyes]

Love your blog
Hello Vicki, My husband and I are 7 years from retirement, and were dreading it, until we ran across your blog and the websites for missions for Rving retires. Oh, we are so excited now! Leaving it up to the Lord if this where he wants us, but sure is up our alley for enjoying traveling and continuing to do the Lord's work. We live in Wheatland WY, moved here 8 years ago from Beulah ND. Yes, we know Dickinson, Medora, etc. well! Our grandchildren are in Hillsboro, ND and in Mesa, AZ. Love to spend time with them but also want to continue our lives in retirement. I have enjoyed reading your whole blog and enjoyed your pictures and stories, and dropped a few tears reading about your homesickness for your grandbabies, and the loss of your friends who went on to be with the Lord. God bless you and Bob on this coming years travels, we will keep you all in prayer, hoping some day to join in with your group or one similar. God Bless! Sandy Keyes

[Danielson]

Hi, Sandy!
We know Buelah~~my mom grew up in New Salem! And we spent 13 years in Wright, WY, so we know Wheatland too! All that goes in the It's a Small World category! I think you will really enjoy this lifestyle! Until we found RVICS, we didn't have a plan for our retirement years, as we knew we couldn't sit around, and golfing day after day was not for us. This gives us the BEST of all worlds! There are several organizations, just look around and find the one that suits you best. I would love to keep in touch with you. Thanks for reading my blog! Vicki