Day 432 Tuesday

Have a fine April Fools Day.

Also the favorite flower of Shirleen's of two days ago was not an azalia that the lady identified it is a Tung Oil tree: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/tungoil1.htm

Off for a tour of the city by trolley and then tackle the car thing. Then who knows what. jerr

Well to start the day we took the tour of N. O. Anther couple at our hotel went also, they from Ottawa vacationing in Florida and SC. The van was partially filled with guests of other hotels. Off we went through the French quarter into Ward 9. Katrina is much better understood through ones “minds eye”. It is the massiveness of the destruction, that part of the town with its many now open lots, few to ever be filled. The Fema trailer next to a dilapidated home is being rebuilt. To get back into the house they have to remove everything down to the studs. Then the family has to treat the black mold, according to city law, with a chemical at $8 per square foot. The hardest hit are those who are middle income and have traditionally paid there bills. There is little help, they have to eek it out on there own. The Cad dealer service guy owns a lot next to a levee. It was taken by the Corp of Engineers, but not paid for nor can the owner sell the house without jumping through hoops and the two in the Cad shop have taken hits. The guy sold his lot for $88K, before Katrina his lot alone was worth $250. His father had two lots worth about a half mil and he got $66K for the two. No rhyme or reason. My car troubles pale in comparison.

We went down St. Charles Street, garden areas. The houses on the front street were massive mansions with cared for gardens and shrubs, iron gates and a beautiful setting. The house adjoining it behind was run down or boarded up. This has always been typical and unseen by the people living here. That street is also the one that Mardi Gras goes down, all along the street, on the trees, lamp poles and anywhere they can hang Mardi Gras beads are wrapped on them never taken off.

We stopped at the local cemetery! They bury there dead above ground. Many of the markers have no names and are uncared for and when the cemetery needs a opening they can confiscated it. Not sure what they do with remains.

He showed us a marker with many family names on it and 88 bodies within. The families own the site and a yer plus a day after they died they take the little remains, suitcase full and wrap it and place it into a chamber in the front or behind the marker.

You may wonder how they retrieve the body, behind the center marker with the names on it can be removed. Behind the markers is a brick wall, this they brake through and remove the slightly embalmed body. They only embalm for the funeral, this aids in the quick decomposition, sure the heat doesn’t hurt.

Now for the event of the day, taking the car in. When we got there they said they would take care of us. They are paying for a 07 DTS Cad at Enterprise rent a car. Ours is somewhere inside the service area. Stopped by at 5:30 pm no ideas yet, I said not surprised. Stopped for a quick bit to eat at a Steak and Ale, just a chain but nice people.

We did go to a Mansion and Garden during the afternoon. As we went to it we passed a cemetery where the originating owner of Popeye’s Chicken and now Copelands restaurants was being laid to rest. The man found out he had cancer last December. Around the area was his #13 race car, motorcycle and racing speed boat, all painted yellow and black, flashy. He did have the ceremonial 5 band members play the tunes for the funeral dirge and then the jazz.

The setting is again in a large open area with many live oaks lining the way. The gardens were being spruced up for the weekend activity. Flowers blooming, neat stone work on the walkway and manicured lawn. We then went through the mansion. The original owners were Sears owners and another rich family. The matron of the family wanted to leave the mansion to the city of New Orleans for a place to exhibit her art and style. Homes walls from England and German. They would remove the walls and reconstruct in America.

Pretty

Pretty

Rock work and adjoining brick.

We brought 8 inches of snow to Denton Texas and street flooding water to the streets of New Orleans. Do you want us to stop by, what should we bring? jerr