Sunday, July 13, 2008

The grand tour

A gracious local took me on a long drive this afternoon, allowing me to see lots of minor back streets of New Orleans. We went through the park past the New Orleans Art Museum and into neighborhoods where one of the levees broke and saw the combination of devastation and reconstruction that is nearly omnipresent here.

We walked along Lake Pontchartrain on the north side of the city.


We had beignets at the Café du Monde. See, photographic proof (though I had, at that point, tried to remove all the powdered sugar from my face).
We took lots of wrong turns and just kept going because there were always sights to see no matter how many detours. I called it "having an adventure" (my current euphemism for taking wrong turns and trying to find my way back) and he used the term "excursion."

I got to see Tremé and the Marigny (with me pronouncing the latter in Parisian French it took a while for him to figure out what the hell I was saying - I can now anglicize it into the local dialect).

This shot was taken with my hands and the camera sticking up through the sun roof while waiting at a light. A look at shops along Magazine.


A church steeple shot taken from, I believe, the intersection of Magazine and Napoleon.

And here is a shot of the Mississippi from its banks just south of the Audubon Zoo.
We then drove pretty much parallel to the river back into my neck of the woods where I could navigate by passing just blocks from where I attended Mass this morning.

This tour, which lasted several hours, would have run at least two days if I had asked to stop every time I would like to have taken pictures, so there are, in fact, only these few shots. But I got to see a lot, know some spots I'd like to revisit, and actually bought a new camera today. The old one works fine but the new one is about one fourth the size of the former and can hold about 1900 photos. I can shoot to my heart's content.

I need to have some work done on my laptop next weekend so until then we will only upload pix from the old camera. After that, look out.

Had a nice 48 minute chat this evening with my nephew back in California.

With that, it looks a lot like bed time.

I had a lovely weekend and hope y'all did too.
--the BB

11 comments:

June Butler said...

Paul, I haven't visited here for a while. I've been busy. My blog is turning into something of a clearing house. People send me stuff, good stuff to post, and I'm glad for that, but it keeps me busier than I want to be. The blog has taken on a life of its own and is getting out of hand, especially my incapable hands.

I'm glad you got a good tour of the city today. I always enjoy your pictures of New Orleans. Would the church be St. Stephen's? Yes, it is. I Googled.

Today I put up a good many posts about Lambeth and Gene Robinson and one about the nine soldiers killed in Afghanistan. The Lambeth posts got a good many comments, but the post about the soldiers none. Something is not right there. No one is dying at Lambeth - at least not yet. I pray that won't happen, but I think our preoccupations are out of whack. Of course, I could be wrong.

God bless you, Pablito.

Paul said...

I saw your wonderful Lambeth posts, Mimi. Thanks for putting those up for us all.

The deaths from Lambeth come in beaten and murdered gays in countries where the bishops denounce them as subhuman. When prayers were offered for Lambeth yesterday in church I wanted to say, very out loud, "and may the bishops not act like assholes this time." 1998 was a rather shameful spectacle, at least according to the report my bishop gave the clergy when it was over. If this round is anything like it I will probably pray for the Communion to dissolve quickly. I hope the designers of this one and the Holy Spirit manage to preclude much of the asshattery but I am not sanguine about this.

June Butler said...

The deaths from Lambeth come in beaten and murdered gays in countries where the bishops denounce them as subhuman.

Paul, I know. Fighting for the cause is is vital. That was not what I referred to. It's the focus on the gathering of the men (mostly) in purple shirts and pointy hats. With exceptions among the bishops, the help will not come from them. It will be the grass roots, the humble priests and pew warmers, who will push the movement in the right direction. The one purple shirt whose presence is vital is excluded.

Fran said...

According to the Reverend Boy, Mimi is a celebrity among some denizens of Key West. Quelle suprise!

We love us some Grandmere, but we must not overdo it- Mimi, kick back if you must.

As for this lovely city... I am enjoying the vicarious visit through your lens.

Thank you.

Paul said...

So very true, Mimi. I certainly to not look to bishops for the future of the church. As you note, the one vital bishop in all this is shut out, alas.

Aside from my fears of what can come out of Lambeth every decade, I consider it mostly irrelevant to the church at large and certainly to the world. I have drawn on the resolutions of Lambeths past but they went so very far astray in 1998 that I really want nothing to do with it.

It did not solve problems with the Highlands, so I suppose laws forbidding more than three bishops to gather together would not do any good. I know enough church history to think it may nonetheless have some merit.

Paul said...

Fran, oh. my.

No, not surprising. A legend in her own time, our Grandmère!

June Butler said...

Fran, thanks for the heads up. You can bet that I raced over to RB's place to read about ME. Of course, HE is the true celebrity. That is too funny. I can't believe it.

Fran said...

You both are. And I've met you both... celebrity brushes with greatness!

BTW Paul, I came back to tell you that I forgot to tell you that you look delicious. Next time leave the powdered sugar, ok?

tee hee i am a bad girl!

Paul said...

Tu es très méchante, Fran. Et toi, une femme mariée!

Fran said...

Oui? And your point is!? OK no reply needed, just saying that for fun!!

Paul said...

Fran, I had to go back to see what you were picking up on. Great loud cackles and chortling here. Which I needed tonight.