The Bodacious Adventures of Barb

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Lake Charles

Yesterday I made a 3.5 hour drive from New Orleans to Lake Charles to visit a few schools that had been hit by Rita. Whoa that was one whopper of a hurricane. 6 hours of 110 mph winds. Blew away the wind meter at the airport. Anyway no flood damage there just lots of wind damage which resulted in blown off roofs which then resulted in lots of water coming in through missing roofs and resulting in water damage. I drove through miles and miles and miles of bayou country. Long and straight drive like the 5 fwy through CA but instead of flat farm land, here you had raised two lane fwy through swamp and bayou country. I did keep my eye on the road (sort of) because we were really zooming along and I was driving, but I got to see lots of egrets, and herons and cormorants and grebes. I was scanning for alligators (or maybe crocodiles- don't know what they have) but didn't see any. So you drive from New Orleans for about half an hour and then hit bayou for about 40 minutes then hit Baton Rouge and then another 45 minutes of bayou ( read this no human civilization ) ( can you just imagine what is going on in the water though???? I so wanted to get in a boat and go exploring) and then Lafayette and then more bayou and then Lake Charles.... now there was a little bit of grazing land from time to time so it wasn't completly bayou, but I really loved the drive. Would have liked to have had a few of my cds with me and really cranked up the music and sung to my little hearts content and done some bird watching. But since I had a brand new friend/colleague with me didn't think I should freak him out with my singing and driving on the same day ( he did say I was an excellent driver- even at 85mph- hard to not keep with the flow of traffic you know?) Didn't take too many pictures on that trip but will be going back Monday to see two more schools so will try to take some pictures...especially the egret island that I say covered with white birds of all sizes, so I imagine cattle egret and regular ones and maybe even some black legged big egrets and yellow legged herons. Remember black=egret, yellow=heron, Anne?

Thursday, February 09, 2006

New Orleans

Well I have been here for about 4 days. You cannot even believe the devastation that is still present. Entire blocks and blocks and blocks of neighborhoods wiped out.... Not from the hurricane but from the levy breaks. I am hoping to be able to download pictures to my computer tomorrow to post. It is overwhelming to see the kind of devastation every day. Where we are staying is sort of back up to speed, but there are lots of businesses still down. People still living in the Embassy suites I am staying in and navigating around the city is quite an adventure. Downtown is okay, but there are either no street signs or they are turned around backwards so you really can't read them until you are past. Lots of street lights still out.. and stop signs temporarily posted to help control intersections. can't tell you how many I have missed and gone right through as well as how many left hand turns I have ended up making from the right hand lane. There are several different areas of the city that look like an atomic bomb hit.... still after 5 and a half months. Folks have given up waiting for some kind of government help and are trying to rebuild themselves. Been really encouraged and heartened by a couple of schools I've visited that have had whatever staff returned to help clean up the mud and water damage. Tear out walls to get rid of mold and start to rebuild, so people can return to some normalcy by continuing their college education. Truly incredible.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Disgusted

This past week, Wood and I were leaving the building in NF and it was dark, cold and icky outside. As we made our way down the little promenade, a guy in a hooded sweatshirt who appeared to have Turrets asked if we would help him. Having just watched a very moving special on TV about a month ago about kids with Turrets and the agony they suffer, I thought I would break my usual code of not helping begging strange people and help him. Wood wisely remained silent. Well all he said he wanted was money for a bus ticket back home. So I said ok, I know the bus station is at the end of the block here, we will walk with you and I will buy you a ticket. So we did, and he had all kinds of Turret like issues as we were walking the 1/8th mile or so down the dark and mostly deserted path. We get to where I thought the greyhound station was and discover it used to be there and now it is just a bus stop.... so we wait for the bus with him. I ask about how much the ticket would cost to get him home and he says about 10.50. I think ok, but am starting to have second thoughts about being in this part of town, in the dark and reaching into my purse to withdraw any amount of funds. Wood is still wisely quiet. (He is really good at letting me make my own mistakes) Anyway a bus comes - not his bus- but a bus, that will get him out of the cold and take him to the bus depot where he can get the bus he wants to get home. I had originally thought I would give him a $20, but at this point in time, Wood speaks up and says, do you have any singles BD? So I give the guy all my singles - he! counts all four of them disappointedly and we watch him get on the bus. I tell him that will be a start to get another ticket at the next station. For some reason as the bus is pulling away... I turn around and see that the lying bloke has gotten off the bus and is following us. I say what are you doing. He says - it wasn't enough money and it was the wrong bus. At this point I put up the Hand give him THE look and said, Don't even think about it! Wood and I walked away and got to the hotel safe and sound. (Now for those of you who are my children out there - I would NEVER have done this on my own....not to worrry ok? Anyway when we were safely ensconced in our very favorite Red Coach Inn, I said something to our favorite server, Dave, who has his psych degree and is now working on a Master's in Business. He goes OH NO!!! not the turret's guy, he is such a thief and is always working this area! he is very convincing and I was taken in by him once myself and on and on and on and he doesn't really have turrets he is perfectly healthy and on and on. So I don't know who I am more disgusted with. Myself for going against my usual hard hearted don't help begging strangers rule or this dude for taking advantage and LYING to me and making me less willing to help folks that may really need it in the future. Anyway you look at it though, I am disgusted.