It's been a real bumlaying day here. So tired from the trip last week and the work all weekend.
Lexi- sorry you had to detour, a trip that was already long enough. Other than those few things, everything else just keeps changing. You wouldn't know campus. It's even more beautiful now.
PJ-7 outta 7,
MOO HOOTYThe look means everything. Parents were always shocked I could just look at their kids and freeze them.
cel-Mickey is crazy jealous of Donald. It may have all started with a mouse, but a duck kept them in business for 2 decades. Especially WWII. But leaving Daisy
out is unforgivable.
Now the trip!
We did the drive down in 2 sections. The first night we drove to Athens, Alabama. Of course we stopped in Nashville, at the Pied Piper Creamery. And Jenny was working, and had Glancy with her. So I got to play uncle for an hour. He's huge. And adorable. But we must moove on. We had a great meal at Lawler's BarBQ in Athens, then next door to the Country Hearth. Won't be staying at this one again. It looked great, but the tv, shower, and bed all were lousy. The bed was so soft I felt like I would sink in so deep we'd have to stay all day. The 'free' breakfast was 2 kinds of stale doughnuts or cereal, but they were out of milk. They had a make your own waffle machine, but everyone was trying to use it, so we left.
We stopped for an early lunch at Popeye's. Bob is now a big fan. Cheap, quick, and the best fast food chicken out there. Just a little spicy. But the mashed taters are spiced up quite nicely. Back on the road again. We drove past the lot where Fema trailers ae stored, and there must have been 50,000 of them. It went on for over half a mile.
We arrived at the French Quarter Courtyard Hotel, a quaint place on Rampart across the street from the Quarter. We're on the first floor, as requested. A family is checking in when we arrive, and they spoke no English. Just, you guessed it, French. But they were carrying a WDW bag. I was searing my Three Caballeros tshirt, so we had a small conversation. I speak Francais ' un tres peu'. They thought it was funny. Needless to say, the woman checking us in was thrilled that we spoke English. Or at least southern.
It's too late to really do anything before the game, so we take a little ride. We ended up in St. Bernard Parish. This is where the hospital was that the staff left patients there and got out. My company had a hospital there, too, but it was not that one. Ours was another children's behavioral, and the kids were shipped to another one. The devastation here was the worst we saw. Most houses were see through. Many Fema trailers, but more houses just empty. Only a few businesses open.
We headed to campus and took Elysian Fields. This is the main road to campus, which sits on Lake Ponchatrain. Most houses have a Fema trailer, but work has begun, and many homes look better than they did before. We know this neighborhood well. It will be better than it ever was. And all the businesses are open.
The games are being held in a small gym because Lakefront Arena was heavily damaged, mostly by high winds. The roof is in bad shape. So they're doing a huge renovation and upgrading with skyboxes and new seating. The gym we played in was a crackerbox that sat about 1500. Over 1000 were there, so it was pretty full. Our men played this night, and won by 18. UNO students apparently have a vocabulary of 4 words, and the nicer 2 were you suck. Not a happy bunch. We ate at Landry's after the game, the same folks that own Rainforest Cafe. This too, was overpriced. But goog.
The next day the temperature dropped to the forties and it rained all day. We drove downtown and ate lunch at Mother's. Had a shrimp po' boy for my niece. We drove to campus for the women's team shootaround, and watched the coaches play horse while the trainer ran the practice. Coach Cowles likes to keep things loose on game day. Back to the room, then back to campus via Subway. Not the subway, Subway. Almost wrong to eat there in New Orleans. On to the game, which we won by 11.
After the game, we went to the one place I have somehow missed in a dozen trips to the Crescent City, Cafe du Monde, the place for beignets. I'll never miss it again. They pile so much powdered sugar on them, you end up a total mess, so a goog thing to do at the end of the night. It was in the thirties by now, and the hot chocolate was heaven. The perfect temp, you could actually drink it, yet it was very warming. Worth the overprice.
Tomorrow, the trip home. Let me just say
No really she wants to spend time with her stitching friends. She has made so many samplers, and wants to make more. She is a crosstitching fiend! She reminds me all the time about how valuable they are and that I better NOT sell them on Ebay after she dies! 
I would never do that, but she is obviously afraid that I would or she may be afraid of my sisters. 
If I mail it tomorrow, it should get there in time.Hope your mom is going to do some things she enjoys. I fully intend to work for a while at something lower stress (if I can find something where I can work afternoons or from home).
Cowboys are more fun.
What kind of friend would I be if I didn't provide smileys for those in need?
Of course Goldenchild was highly attracted to them, while I tried to politely distract him while Grasshopper screamed because he was hungry and I was trying to hold him off till after the shots. 
Apparently I am to a 7 year old!
DS weighed 25 at his six month check up! I KNOW! 
