Louisiana and Beyond . . .

We have determined that the official shoe of Louisiana is the rubber boot. There is water and mud everywhere. Many people store their rubber boots upside down between the cab of their truck and the bed.

This character is a friend of Mr. Johnsons (our family friend). After Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Johnson spent several months, helping where needed. He happened by this man's neighborhood called the Irish Bayou with some extra food. Apparently about the time Mr. Johnson showed up, poor Gene had lost 30 lbs and he was hungry! We enjoyed his stories of alligators and hurricane damage. Mr. Johnson definitely made a friend for life with his generosity. He sends warm greetings to the Johnsons. He is pictured with his wife, Vivian -

We drove through some of the areas that were most devastated by the hurricane damage, and it is quite sobering. There is nothing left, but a few snapped trees, and concrete staircases or bits of foundation. And . . . the destruction goes on for miles. A little further in, entire apartment complexes and shopping centers are completely abandoned and boarded up. It has been 3 yrs since the disaster, but it doesn't look like some places will ever return to normal?!

Due to the high water table, the cemetaries are vault style rather than grave style, like we're used to seeing. The high water table is obvious with water EVERYWHERE! Makes one a little leary that every puddle of water could potentially be home to an alligator.

We found a restaurant called, "Mila". We didn't choose to dine here, as their menu looked a little too adventurous for our taste buds. We did try alligator soup for dinner at the seafood place we chose.

After walking for about 4 miles, we gave our tired legs a break and hopped on this trolley down St. Charles Street.

We enjoyed the French Quarter and surrounding areas. Everything looks just like the pictures . . . but it was really neat to be walking down the streets - ones that could tell many stories, I'm certain! I can't imagine how crazy it must be during Mardi Gras - not something I would care to experience.

YES! The famous Bourbon Street! We need the help of our French speaking relatives to pronounce some of the street names as I'm sure we are slaughtering the beautiful French language.

Scott and the kids on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain