It's an Ill Wind that Blows No Good:
When the wind and water that Katrina brought settled down, and the sons and daughters of New Orleans assessed the damage, it was heartbreaking. So much of our home was underwater and blown away. But the oldest parts of the city, the French Quarter, Uptown, Fauborgs Marigny and Treme, are intact. As I rode down the old streets, past historic buildings and familiar haunts, I realized that the parts of the city that need rebuilding offers us an opportunity to blend the new and the old into an even more eclectic and exciting city.
But this is not a city of indistinguishable shopping malls and chain restaurants. Of course, we have a number of places such as Applebys and Chili's. But we can't be defined by them. The people who have lived here, from the early Creoles to the latest citizens from the far east, have always loved the place because it is one where individuality thrives. Entrepreneurs, take note:opportunities abound in New Orleans.
Urban Legends:
There have been widespread reports of deadly violence at the Superdome and Convention Center in the days following Hurricane Katrina. It turns out that most of these reports were exaggerated beyond recognition. See WWL television , and/or The Times Picayune as the National Guard reports that there were six deaths at the Superdome, none of which was by violence. There were four deaths at the Convention Center, one of which had indeed been slain.
The situation at the Dome and Convention Center has become one of urban legend. Suffice it to say that of the tens of thousands of people trapped in New Orleans, and in the most horrible conditions imaginable without food, water, or shelter, there is much reason to understand the panic and hysteria which gave way to those stranded there. The forensic evidence supports the finding that there were a total of four deaths by violence in the time following the hurricane.
I hope that the national press delivers this information in at least as much detail as it did the false information. New Orleans has enough to contend with right now.
I'm back!!
Well I'm back home in New Orleans. Never has home looked so bad and so good at the same time. Our house, which is in the Uptown area, was not flooded. But, our beautiful, old oak tree that greeted me from outside of my kitchen window each morning fell. It took part of the roof and one of the chimneys with it.
Some of the chimney bricks are in the guest bathroom and the rest are in the air conditioning unit outside. Nice. On the top of the roof were two chimney tops, made of terra cotta. They survived unbroken. Each is about 3 1/2 feet tall. I've decided to use them as a base for a glass top table. I'll call it the Katrina table. Look out Home and Garden channel, here I come!
The inside of the house, except for the invasion of the chimney bricks in the guest bathroom, fared pretty well. Becaust our house was built in the 1870's it has plaster walls and crown molding. Part of the plaster ceiling caved in one room, but happily missed my husband's favorite thing, his big screen tv. The plaster crown molding is melting from the heat and water leakage. My creative decorating idea for this is to paint it like stalagtites in a cave. What do you think, do I have a new career waiting for my in decorating or what?
The simple realization that I'm home brings more joy than I've felt in a long, long time. I think I'll sleep very well tonight.
We're Making Some Progress!
My husband and I spent the first night in our home in over one month last night. It was great. Yesterday was the first time I drove my car in over a month. It's been a surreal exprience. My neighborhood was one of the lucky ones. It didn't have any flooding, but there was a lot of wind damage.
Last night about half of the joints on Bourbon Street were open and there were about a dozen live bands playing everything from Jazz to Cajun and the Blues. The curfew is supposed to be dusk. Don't tell the authorities, some people who will not be mentioned stayed out later. I must say the smell is worse than on Mardi Gras day, but it's worth it. (Or so I've heard from those who stayed out after curfew.)
The mayor has appointed a blue ribbon committee to rebuild New Orleans. They look like a great group from where I stand. It's clear that we will have new schools, community centers and businesses coming soon. I'm glad about that. But, I'm even happier about several questions posed to the mayor and his committee from the local press about whether we can still paint our houses blue, purple and green if we want to. Gotta love this town. We can take floods, bad water and wind, and come out ok, but we could never survive enforcement of conformity rules.
