Nawlins

We leave New Orleans in about an hour.

I want to talk about the drive in, to update my faithful readers on the roadkill and abandoned cars count. (Once we crossed into LA, we saw virtually no more roadkill and started seeing abandoned cars. I had visions of coon asses saying "Why waste the meat?")

I want to talk about driving into the city and all but losing count of the blue tarps on roofs before we even got to Orleans Parish.

I want to talk about going through Cat's old stomping grounds in the East and witnessing block after block of devastation. The East is not back.

I want to describe how, ten months after the storm, I still saw downed radio towers and trees and piles of garbage; more For Sale signs than you'd believe peeking out of the months of jungle-like overgrowth.

In some places in the city, it seems as though nothing has changed. People are up and working, moved back in, eating at restaurants, living and loving and rebuilding. In some places, however, it seems as though nothing has changed since the storm. Stop lights stay off. Houses have collapsed. Spray-painted glyphs from the National Guard stare out from virtually every door. The streetcars aren't running.

We ate. We ate at the restaurants that we know and love, like a second home: Lebanon's, Five Happiness, Dot's, Zea. Heck, even Arby's and Nacho Mama's and New Orleans' first IHOP, packed with almost an hour wait at three in the afternoon. Also grilled burgers on Bennett's dad's propane grill.

We played. I fragged and roleplayed and boardgamed. (These will be their own posts; I have pictures and geeky observations.) I (thought that I had) invented a new derogatory term, "whorecake." (The Blogger spellcheck just suggested "heiress" instead.)

It felt really good to spend Texas money in New Orleans.

We ignored the television and the movie screen, apart from Cat falling asleep to Nick at Night. We were in town to see friends and family, not the big or the small screen. We can buckle and watch Superman just like the rest of you, but we don't need to spend our vacation time doing it.

I helped my grandparents salvage from the top floor of their house. This is an entirely other full emotional post.

Simon is en route to interview us for his video blog, and we are going to hit Dot's again for breakfast before we leave.

More later. Needs must we finish loading the car.