Waiting for New Orleans...

It's a rainy day here in Stockton. Finals are finished, and I'm ready for adventure. No travel images yet. The winter break trip will begin on Christmas afternoon. The Big Easy is busy cleaning up after the storm and is certainly not waiting for us, but we thought now would be a good time to drop by and see what the city is all about. Katrina seems to have changed the urban and political landscape in the city, and I want to know with my own eyes and ears what this means for the city's future. We are booked for only two days at the Hotel Villa Convento, an 1840 period building, so after that we will have to enjoy the Cajun region from the Holiday Inn in Morgan City. Hopefully, we will not only spend time browsing the places spared by Katrina-- the ten square blocks known as the French Quarter and the uptown and affluent Anglo Garden District, but also get a tour through the ravaged neighborhoods with camel back homes in the Lower Ninth Ward and elsewhere along the industrial canal. I want to trace the waterline of damage from it's low at the French Quarter to its high at Lake Pontchartrain. Later, we hope to take a swamp tour in the Atchafalaya, to investigate the waterline among what remains of the old growth live oaks and other trees in Cajun country. Later, the plan is to tour through Mamou on the way to the plantation homes of Natchitoches. In the meantime, I've changed the oil in the car and made a packing list. This is a road trip in the planning. Those waiting for an image can check out the photo of myself and our new pooch, Dali.