Blogs from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North America - page 57

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North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 30th 2006

After leaving Monument Valley there were some long travel days, and stops to different towns for short periods of time. We stopped in Santa Fe, which was a beautiful little town, and then on to San Antonio, which was a mamoth drive. There we walked along the water canal at night, and eat at the Hard Rock cafe, and then we visited the famous Alamo. We set off from San Antonio the next morning and made a four hour drive to Houston, and spent the afternoon in the Nasa Johnson space centre. This was a brilliant place with many artifacts including a 3.8 billion year old moon rock that you can touch, some of the original spacecrafts used in the first missions in space, and a tour of the famous control room where all the flight ... read more
Houston, We have a problem
Re-New Orleans
Re-New Orleans

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 8th 2006

Hey y'all. None of you even know I'm doing this travel blog 'cause I haven't sent you the link yet. Ah well. Once I leave, I hope this will serve as a point of communication; 'till then, it's just another outlet for my daydreams. In the meantime, I thought I might post the photos from another recent trip I made - to New Orleans. I think it's important to get these out there for the sake of bearing witness, at the very least. What happened in that magical city is a tragedy of incomprehensible proportion and what remains is a morbid juxtaposition of life, color, energy and death, ghosts, and horror. I was there one week and left with a seething sense of anger; my tax dollars go to see 20-year olds to their death in ... read more
Burned-Out House
St. Patty's Cabbage
Rebuilding... Brick by Brick

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 7th 2006

Below is a list that Susan and Amybeth started -- oh, about 2 a.m. --during our 17 hour drive home! Please add your own ideas! 21 ECC students and staff...remarkable 35 hours stuck in ECC vans ... almost unbearable 21 pairs of steel toed boots, goggles, hard hats & PPE's ...safe 1 busted tire ... exciting 1 tent of snoring men ... predictable 10 creaky cots, especially Courtney's ... annoying 1 gal from California... part of our family 1 video camera...providing embarrassing moments 2 birthdays...celebrations 1 football from the just-opened Walgreen’s...6 nights of bumps and bruises 1 3-hour trip to Wal Mart via the ferry ...too long 1 night on Bourbon Street sightseeing and dancing...too much fun! 1 pink pair of male bikini panties - revealing 6 nights of quiet hours @ 10pm...but never quiet Many ... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 7th 2006

Hey All, It's been about 5 days since we got home and I'm still a little sore, but not too bad. I miss everyone that I went down there with. I can't wait to see everyone again at the meeting we're going to have. If you guys wanna keep in touch you can email me at Flirty578@hotmail.com or find me on myspace under Confederate Cowgirl or by typing in my email Traci... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 2nd 2006

it's been 7 months, and it still looks like a war zone. it's hard to believe that as one of the proudest first world nations, we can have the gall to force our own ideological itineraries on others, speak boldly about the importance of boosting the third world to the system of democracy, etc., and still allow this to continue. it's embarrassing, and it's sad. over this past week, i have heard so many heartbreaking stories about the things you couldn't even see on the news. the politics, the struggle, the humanity. the supreme lack of responsibility on the part of both local and federal governments and the corruption. how could we have known that people who lost their homes are still waiting for help from FEMA even now? or that many of these people are ... read more
lower 9th ward
southern hospitality
the message

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans April 2nd 2006

We arrived back at ECC @ 7 this morning...safe...a tired and weary group from the almost-all- night football game on Friday night and the all night drive Saturday night. Whew! But our spirits and resolve are stronger and more determined than before we left on this adventure of a lifetime. There's no doubt! I participated in an amazing experience with an amazing group of folks...each contributing in their own way. So...as we talked about our experience before departing...what 3 words best describe your experience? For me...."Made a difference". And we did. And we did because of what we brought to this experience, what we've become in this incredible process, what we accomplished (for 4 families and their homes, and almot 2000 folks at the soup kitchen) and how we each chose to benefit from this experience. ... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans March 31st 2006

so. i spent yesterday in the soup kitchen for the first time on the trip. wow. since we had enough volunteers to cover the handing out of food, i was asked to go and talk with people who were sitting alone. Now, at first i was a little nervous, cause no matter how social you are, it can be a bit daunting to try and talk with someone whose been through so much. but i figured, im here, and this is what they need me to do.. so my first chat was with a man named frank. now frank was sitting alone,and happened to have very few teeth, so it was difficult to understand him. well, that didnt stop us from having a 30 minute coversation. i was amazed at how much people are willing to ... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans March 30th 2006

First off -- thank you so much to all our friends and family for visiting our blog and commenting on our experiences! We love reading them everyday! Excitng news of the day: 1. Courtney and Amybeth met a very interesting couple at the soup kitchen. Vincent and Pat -- they were married for 23 years and have been divorced for 30 and just recently reconnected. They are so adorable! He reminds me so much of my dad -- tough guy exterior but a big soft heart! They brought Coutney and I po' boy sandwhiches for dinner and also some decals and a New Orleans tee shirt...it was so touching that they even thought of us to bring us gifts when they gave us the greater gift of sharing their story! 2. Rick G., Rick B., Eder, ... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans March 30th 2006

so... where to begin? this is our fourth day of actual volunteering and already so much has happened. we've had the opportunity to get to know an amazing couple, bill & alma, who have made such an impact on our trip and completely opened our eyes to the effects of the hurricane. we've seen the devastation nature can cause, and how much work still needs to be done. we finished bill and alma's house yesterday. wow. what a feeling of accomplishment. i realize now how important our task is while we are here. to be able to walk into their house when we were finished removing everything, it was incredible. the before and after pics will be something to see. walking through the house on our last day there, it was easy to see hope ... read more

North America » United States » Louisiana » New Orleans March 29th 2006

We are certainly sore today...however, it's not just from our work...but football, basketball and dancing on Bourbon Street last night! Another story.... Our team finished the St. Amant's home today while they were there! We've been sooo fortunate to meet our family this week. It's brought the essence and purpose of this trip right to our hearts. They've joined us each day bringing pizza, gatorade and chicken, while sorting through belongings that might be salvagable. They've found many cherished and thought-lost items bringing joyful tears for most of us. Bill would like to ccok for us when we return someday...he is a retired off shore cook! Gumbo is his speciality. Bill and Alma adopted each and everyone of us on the team - there's 10 of us. And we've adopted them....forever! Bill told me today that ... read more




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