Today is cloudy and cooler than yesterday. In fact, the weather report predicts thunderstorms. I need to hurry to get to 7:30 am mass. I jog a little, than walk fast, jog some more, walk fast. Along the sidewalk I happen to notice a familiar plant. It's the plantain herb. I pick these in the wild in California. It is one of the most nutritious and beneficial plants that exists. I pick four long leaves, sit down on a nearby bench, rinse them off and eat. Nothing like fresh veggies to start your day.
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| Plantain herb |
Continuing on I realize that I'm just not going to make it to mass on time so I just walk the rest of the way to the river. Today I need to find a Chase Bank so I can withdraw some money. I refuse to pay withdraw fees at another branch ATM machine. Then I will be able to take the trolley to church tomorrow morning.
There's a ferry boat that transports vehicles and people across the river to Algiers Point. Vehicles pay one dollar and people are free. The ferry operates all day till midnight. It's 8:30. Time to get to work.
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| Ferry to Algiers Point |
Another day of lying around and watching my heart at work. It's amazing to think that all the cells of the body rely on the continuous pumping action of the heart to keep the blood flowing. It never rests. It reminds me of how important it is to respect the body and provide it with the proper nutrients it needs to give reliable unfaltering service for a longer more productive life.
One of the local models working the same booth as me had recommended to one of the ultrasound company representatives a nice little restaurant in the Garden District called Atchafalaya located on Louisiana Street. She spoke highly of the cuisine and was so happy he recommended it to her. She added that it is a beautiful house of the typical New Orleans architecture and it has been converted into a restaurant. Sounds good to me, I will definitely check it out.
My shift is over at 4:30 pm. I change into jeans and a T-shirt, chomp down a handful of almonds and hit the streets.
I located a Chase Bank branch with my phone's internet service. It's on St. Charles Avenue on the edge of the Garden District, a couple miles walking distance. The weather has become more cloudy and windy. Maybe those thunderstorms will arrive after all. I walk west to St. Charles Avenue and follow it south admiring the architecture, the trolley cars, the giant oaks with vines scaling the thick trunks, and mardi gras beads still lying on the sidewalk or hanging from the trees and power lines. At the intersection of Jackson Avenue I sight the bank.
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| St. Charles Avenue |
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| Memories of Mardi Gras |
My wallet replenished it's time to continue my walk and find a place to eat. Atchafalaya is about a mile away. I walk down Jackson Avenue towards Magazine Street. I really want to find a place to eat but I keep getting distracted with all the beautiful sights. I keep my camera busy shooting architecturally interesting homes and churches. One amazingly gorgeous mansion on Jackson Avenue is being occupied by a film crew. Several trucks are parked on the street and lights and cranes are being set up on the property. I assume it's for the TV series "Treme" which is shot in New Orleans.
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| Mansion on Jackson Avenue |
It takes me an hour to cover five blocks. I follow Magazine Street west until Washington Avenue and then turn right to make a visit to the Lafayette Cemetery. It is now dusk and the cemetery is closed but that doesn't stop me from taking a peak. I set the timer and raise my camera up above the high concrete walls with the use of an adjustable extension arm. The dark grey sky and dim lighting create an eery haunted image of the tombs. The cemetery closes at 2 pm so I will make sure I return on my last day for a thorough visit.
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| Lafayette Cemetery #1 |
The sky is darkening as night sets in. The wind blows harder and drops of rain begin to intensify. I decide to abort efforts to find Atchafalaya and begin walking back to St. Charles Avenue. I will need to buy something to make change so I can pay the buck twenty-five for the trolley to take me to Canal Street. Maybe I'll try the buffet at Harrah's Casino.
As I'm walking down St. Charles Avenue I receive a call from my brother in South Carolina. He asks, "Did that storm hit you yet?".
"Not yet, it's just been sprinkling a little", I answer.
At that moment a flash of light fills the sky above me and the sound of thunder roars. Immediately follow an intensifying rain and powerful gusts of wind pushing me from behind. I yell into the phone, "It's here now! I gotta go, I'll call you back!"
I race a few blocks hunching over to protect my camera until I get to the awning of a building. Desperately I stow away my camera. A large door mat is hurled at me from behind by a gust of wind. I throw my pack on my back and continue running down the street. Lightning continues all around. At the corner of Jackson Avenue I see a convenience store and sprint to the door.
Dripping wet I search for a few items to eat. I settle on a can of sardines and a small bottle of milk. Now I have change for the trolley. As I exit the door an emotionally and educationally under-developed youth smiles and says, "See ya cocky ass". I simply wave and walk away.
The rain is still falling and lightning continues to the south and east. I take shelter under the awning of a shop next to a bar and eat the sardines and drink the milk. This is a good place to relax and enjoy the rain. A couple hurry up the street and tell me about a lightning strike two blocks down. Apparently a bolt of lightning struck down a tree. The rain is now reduced to a sprinkle so I load up my gear and go check it out.
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| Protection from the rain |
There it is, a tree splintered at the lower trunk and lying across the trolley cables. Ah, that's why I haven't seen the trolley go by lately. A security guard for Zea Rotisserie and Grill is working his night shift at the front door. We start talking. He's a local, lived here all his life. Shares about his fishing trip at Lake Pontchartrain this morning. I love fishing too. He often catches redfish, speckled trout, flounder and catfish. We admire the results of the lightning strike. Katrina inevitably comes up in the conversation. He says that many of his family members he hasn't seen since. They left the area and never returned.
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| Tree splintered by lightning strike |
I guess I will have to walk back now. It's about 9 pm. Canal Street is a mile away. The streets are empty, obviously due to the storm. Strong gusts continue from time to time. Some street signs have been blown down. A lamp from a streetlight lies shattered on the sidewalk. Falling objects seem to be the greatest danger in a stormy scenario like this.
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| Shattered lamp on sidewalk |
At Canal Street the trolley car sits motionless. I will obviously have to walk back to the hostel. As I cross the intersection of Canal and Bourbon an agitated man starts yelling at another. He was accusing him of being too close to a hotdog cart parked at the corner. The agitated man reaches for the other man and a fight commences. They both throw off their jackets into the street and start to throw punches. Within ten seconds a police car rolls up to the scene. A large uniformed officer gets out, grabs the aggressor and lays him over the hood in a shoulder wrench hold. Within a minute four more patrol cars arrive on the scene. A woman comes out saying that she had asked him to watch over her cart while she went to the bathroom. Since I was the only person there that actually witnessed the fight I gave my eye witness testimony to the police and was on my way.
Eventually I make it back to the hostel. Some areas feel a little unsafe so I hurry through thus getting a pretty good workout with thirty pounds on my back. I waste no time and go straight to bed. Will be up early in the morning.
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