www.davidandcarol.com

Our Magnificent Journey

Chapter 7

New Orleans

 

10.13.06 Friday Day 8

I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was gone...

We slept late, having stayed up reveling with our friends until the wee hours of the morning.

Showered,dressed and enjoyed yet another Angela-blessed breakfast of fresh fruit with whipped cream; coffee; incredible egg souffle of tortillas, crawfish, shrimp, green chiles, cheese and salsa; heavenly sweet rolls and orange juice.

I visited with Angela and Michael while Carol recuperated from last night's festivities.

When Carol felt up to it, we jumped in the Jeep with Michael and Angela, and they gave us a wonderful tour of the Garden District and Magazine Street. It is a gray and cool day. On the way, we stopped to look at the great apartment that Michael has recently rented, not far from Magazine Street and close to the River.

We window-shopped for a while, then stopped for lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with these very special friends, and very much enjoyed wandering in and out of interesting shops like Aiden Gill, an interesting "old time" men's sartorial shop (and more.) We met Aiden Gill, who is an interesting and charming gentleman. http://www.aidangillformen.com/

Having gotten a late start today, it was time to return to the B&B for a very special treat for me - a reunion with a childhood friend I have not seen for forty years.

Dean Bramson and his lovely wife Pamela arrived at the 1896 O'Malley house at around 6PM, and when Dean walked through the front door it seemed like all the years had melted away. We visited in the living room, then said goodbye to Carol who was still recuperating, and jumped in the Jeep and drove back down to Magazine Street where we decided on La Petite Grocery for a delicious dinner. In spite of the ambience and the wonderful food, the highlight was most definitely catching up with Dean. Both Dean and Pam shared Katrina stories with me. They were evacuated to Houston with their three daughters, their dog and their cat. What they thought was going to be a three-day stay in Houston turned out to last more than a month. Fortunately, when they returned to their home north of Lake Ponchartrain, they found minimal damage, unlike some of their neighbors.

The hours flew by too fast and soon it was time to say goodnight to Dean and Pam. We promised to keep in touch in the future.

I found my bride comfortably snug in bed and feeling almost like a human being again.

On this, our last night in New Orleans, we both fell asleep and slept well, planning a return visit to do some more volunteer work to help get NOLA back on her feet again. There is so much that needs to be done, and every brush stroke or dab of caulk takes her one step further...

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