Rediscovering My Neighborhood – Algiers Point, New Orleans – and Transforming Myself
We are now in our 4th month of a stay at home, or what’s been now re-dubbed here in New Orleans, a “safer at home” mandate. In the first month or so of the order, I viewed it as an adventure, of sorts, even as a personal moment of transformation that we were all going through together. I appreciated the quiet. I noticed the cardinals landing in my backyard, as they traveled along their springtime migratory path, even capturing a rare picture of one (they are notoriously skittish). I cooked something interesting for myself every day (more about that in the next few posts). I watched a lot of great shows on Netflix. And I walked in the evenings, using the time to rediscover my lovely neighborhood – Algiers Point – noticing that we were, ironically, in the midst of a particularly beautiful spring, in what would have been the height of New Orleans’ festival season. I am lucky – it’s a neighborhood full of 100 year old+ homes and lush beautiful gardens. I shoot pics of colorful plants, which my Facebook community has schooled me in when it came to their names. We have a couple of lovely small parks tucked amidst the tree lined streets. In those cooler days of spring, people sat out on their front porches – more than I seen since I was a child – sharing a drink, waving at passersby. Sometimes musicians in the neighborhood would grace us with a porch concert as we stood in front of our houses. Park at the Center of Algiers Point Calladiums Hibiscus Variegated Ginger Trumpet Plant There’s a lovely view of the French Quarter, and its heart, St. Louis Cathedral from a walking/bike path atop the levee, just two blocks from the house. St. Louis Cathedral And near the entrance to the ferry terminal, there’s a rare statue, in this city, that no one wants to tear down. Nearby, there’s also, sadly, a reminder of the area’s darker, shameful past – a plaque marking the spot where captured Africans were off loaded from ships and held, waiting to be ferried across the river and sold into slavery. Satchmo’ Louis Armstrong That reminder, in a circle of history, brings us back to this moment – a transformational moment, a shifting paradigm, if you will, for our country. I marvel that, in my 60’s now, I am witnessing now another time of societal upheaval. I find myself saying to friends that our generation’s lives are bookended by this time, as I reminisce about the era of the late 1960’s, comparing the unfinished work of that time to the work taken up by a younger generation today. I find myself chafing a bit, anxious to get back to my life. I use the time to transform myself, as best I can. And I wonder how I can best care for myself, and my...
read moreA New Orleans Ice Storm, a Divey Cafe Bar, and a Duck in a Bucket
Here’s an only in New Orleans kind of story for you. You may have heard that there was an ice storm in and around the city this week. Most of the bridges and highways were shut down, along with a majority of the businesses, including many restaurants. On the first day of the shut down, I was reduced to getting my morning coffee at McDonald’s, the only place I could find open. For lunch and/or dinner, I found a local bar and grill on Algiers Point, right next to the ferry, serving passable burgers and po’boys, and run of the mill soups and gumbo. Each time I went in, I took my IPad with me, hoping to connect with the outside world, since I didn’t yet have Internet or TV set up (the cable guy did manage to show up the first day of the storm, but alas, he had a faulty modem and everyone back at the support office was MIA and the office shut down). But I digress. Later in the week, I dropped in for a quick po’boy lunch, after taking the ferry in from Canal Street, because the cable guy was coming back. Once again, I asked about the Wifi. And here’s the response my waitress launched into: “There’s this guy with a duck in a bucket (okay, at this point, some of you may be wondering, like I was, just what this has to do with the Wifi, right?), and he comes by and sits outside for hours and hours. He sits, taking up a table, using up the Wifi, and then we can’t turn it over. So the owner had the password changed, but nobody knows it. Now he has to call the IT guy”. “Why don’t you just change the password again” I asked. “It should be changed every once in a while, anyway.” She just shrugged, as she walked away. Oh well – at least I didn’t have to resort to McDonald’s for lunch. I am happy to report that I have been able to get out to some of the finer dining and hospitality establishments while here. Come back soon, now that I’m back online, and I’ll tell you about...
read moreGoodbye 2013 – Hello 2014
Saying goodbye to 2013, and looking forward to a new phase of life – in a new home – in 2014.
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