Friday - on the road again

Up early and took one of the trolleys downtown so I could pay a visit to Cafe du Monde for cafe con leche and an order of beignet. Oh, sigh. Many of you know how much I love soapapillas. Beignet is basically a soapapilla with a French accent.

No they are doughier than soapapapillas. Thankfully I don't have to choose between the two. Just have to travel a LOT farther for the beignet.

I left New Orleans, passing the Superdome, where so many lived and died during Katrina. It was a jolt to see it, as my only experience with it is the photos from that time. It was unnerving.

But no time to dwell. I had to do some fancy lane switching and merge onto I-10. My friend in Ocean Springs MS called a short time later and suggested I take Highway 90 instead of I-10 as it goes through the Mississippi River Delta and along the ocean. I immediately hopped off the interstate and eased onto the slower paced highway.

I was on a stretch of road the other day that I should have photographed. It was paved over, but along the edges I could see the remains of the old road - tar and seashells. Imagine driving on seashells! I pulled over and poked at the shells a bit, astounded that some were intact.

I found a nature preserve just east of New Orleans and managed to photograph a small alligator. I have no idea if he is a small breed or a young one. But all I could think of is him encased in oil. Nature preserve or no, this place will soon be full of oil and toxins. My stomach churned, and I left.

In far eastern Louisiana, workers were stringing snakes of absorbent tubing along the edges of the marshes. If there are no hurricanes or heavy storms, this may help.

I saw one of Katrina's odd and beautiful benefits on this drive. Live oak trees are protected in Mississippi, so when the hurricane killed a number of the trees, the state was hesitant to let clean up crews cut them down.

Enter local chainsaw artists. These dead trees have been chainsaw-carved into dancing dolphins, pelicans, turtles, and more. The huge carvings now grace the roadway and city parks in western Mississippi. Such a far better use than for beach firewood!

I settled into my beautiful B&B (actually, it's just a B - Marian doesn't serve breakfast any longer) in Ocean Springs and wandered downtown. It's a small town and I am so wishing I could just stay awhile. A gallery owner checked out the island tours for me, and they're still running, but going to clean beaches. I could maybe track down a small craft to take me out, but the island I'd want to go to is about 14 miles out. And there's another storm coming in. I have seen enough of these storms to know there's no way I want to be out on a small craft if those waves begin.

Met up with my friend Clive last night. We hadn't seen each other in 34 years! Had the best dinner I've had on this trip, for sure, and maybe the best in a few years. Ocean Springs is on my list of places to recommend!

So, sadly, I leave in the morning, heading north. If I had the money, I'd stay for many weeks and really dig into this somehow.