I finally scanned this photo of us. It was taken February 27, 2006 - Lundi Gras day, the day before Mardi Gras, and also my birthday. We were sitting on Greg's cousin, Lyle's, balcony waiting for the parades to start. Pre-Katrina we would usually take advantage of the holiday to get out of town and avoid the throngs of people. This year was different. We don't need any more beads or doubloons but we were just glad to be back home, taking part of one of the many things that makes New Orleans special. The crowds were smaller this year and mostly locals. Uptown, where we live, is usually more subdue than the French Quarter. Uptown is families with kids who set up camp in the same spot their family has for generations. The Quarter is where all the drunk obnoxious tourists who feel compelled to drink until they puke and lift their shirts go.

Yesterday, I kept thinking about what we were doing this time last year - boarding up the house, looking for a gas station that still had gas, getting cash, packing our things, gathering important papers then finally getting on the road. At this exact time last year, we were at Greg's parents, watching the fury of the storm whip trees around, over 100 miles north of New Orleans. It was fascinating and frightening. You couldn't not watch the storm. We didn't know about the levees breaking yet. It was a long day.

Anyway, today we are breathing a sign of relief that Ernesto isn't coming this way and that it keeps getting downgraded, for my friends and relatives in Florida. They don't need any hurricanes either. All the Katrina stuff is overwhelming, there really is no ignoring it. I think we will commemorate the one-year anniversary with a quiet dinner at home, thankful that we are in our home unlike so many others who are still scattered across the country, or living in trailers.

Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Emotions are high and every sort of imaginable memorial service, concert, seminar, art exhibit, etc. will be going on. The threat of hurricane Ernesto doesn't help. In today's paper, along with the "looking back" articles are the "make sure you are prepared" articles. I had stocked our pantry at the beginning of hurricane season, but picked up a few more things and extra batteries this morning. If a Cat 2 or higher comes our way we will evacuate to Baton Rouge as we always do. I will post something here if that is the case. However, even if the storm heads west of us, we can still get a lot of rain and wind so it's good to be prepared. When we got home from the store, G pulled up the hurricane center's web site and Ernesto's path is now expected to swing around and hit Florida's east coast. But it is still too early to tell for sure.

Pictures and comments from my most recent hiking trip to New Mexico in July can be seen here. It was so nice to get out of town and away from work, rebuilding, humidity.

Speaking of rebuilding, Spike Lee did a four hour documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" about New Orleans. You have to have HBO, which we don't, but Greg's brother does and is taping it for us. Acts I and II premiere Monday, August 21 at 9pm (ET/PT), followed by Acts III and IV on Tuesday, August 22 at 9pm. All four acts will be seen Tuesday, Aug. 29 (8:00 p.m.-midnight), the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Visit the HBO website for details. I have friend who went to the premier and said it was very good. You even laugh at some points (New Orleans is full of characters who speak their minds.) It's probabaly going to be a media zoo here next week as every one rushes to cover the anniversary. Good.

Well I've certainly been a slacker on this blog. But I've been good updating the "Gonzo for Cats" blog. I've also updated our house renovation web site. It's only been more than a year...