LIKE THE BIRDS WE ARE SO FOND OF, now that we’re back from Cameroon, it’s once again time for our migration North. Unlike the birds we have no driving force to mate, nor will food be an issue. We have the luxury of taking it slow, “Pole, pole,” as they say in Madagascar. We worked our way along the Florida panhandle, across Alabama and Mississippi and into Louisiana. We’ve both been to “Nawlins,” of course, but not as tourists, so we decided to settle down in Slidell for a bit and visit the Big Easy — or the Big Sleazy, if you prefer.
Jackson Square, NOLA
A decade after Katrina, New Orleans still has a ways to go, but the French Quarter is back in business. There is no shortage of local music in Jackson Square and New Orleans street artists still sell characatures of out-of-town tourists. We wandered around the Quarter, visited the NPS Jazz Heritage Center where locals like Pete Fountain and Louis Armstrong are celebrated, and ate Po’Boys at the outdoor market. NOLA was definitely more fun when I was younger, on convention with an expense account but I can still see its charm.
New Orleans, where jazz is a state of mind
We stopped outside of Houston to have dinner with former-niece, Ashleigh. She may be a pariah as far as the rest of the family is concerned but we grew very fond of her in Germany and hope to keep connected. The rest of the trip up to Denver was uneventful except for the incessant wind and occasional heavy rain . . . thankfully, no snow this year. Once again we’ve made the FamCamp at Buckley AFB our home for the next six weeks. Something went awry with the water lines and the base engineers are backed up so there is no water at the sites. We are near enough to the hydrant that we can run a hose — several hoses, actually — to fill our tanks. It’s a twice weekly chore but much better than hooking up the RV and driving to the hydrant. On the plus side, the site costs on $12 an night, a real steal.
We must be down front! Pretty in Pink
Our Colorado Rockies are leading their division and we watched them beat up on the Dodgers under sunny skies on Mother’s Day. All of the MLB teams donned pink hats and socks and many players used pink bats to honor Moms and support breast cancer awareness.
