The World According To...: April 2008

Always fun at the NEW ORLEANS ZOO

A zoo staple, these flamingoes seemed to be enjoying the sunny weather.

The fascination with balance on one leg continues!

You are never too old to enjoy the zoo!!

We found statue animals as well. Note the 2 monkeys in this picture!!!

Cool zoo pics, continued...

This little guy had taken a stroll over my toe, quite unexpectedly, and then disappeared into the ferns!

They sure camouflage well!

I think the snake-keeper was waiting for more of a reaction from Megan -

This little guy had just caught his dinner. Can you spot it?

Getting around town

I will say it was incredibly easy to get around in New Orleans.
They have a streetcar system, though much damage was done to it with Katrina.
It was a great way to see the city, and an easy pass to the French Quarter.

The (in)famous Bourbon street, complete with beaded decor

Easter Eve

It was time to enjoy a special event for Easter.
It was time for our dinner and jazz sunset cruise on the Natchez steam paddlewheel boat!
We weren't sure what to expect, but we figured -
if food, open air, sun, and live music were involved...
it would be a great time!

They enjoyed the salad appetizer.

Stop eating for a second and smile!!

These guys were awesome. They played for a good portion of our 2 hour cruise.
Ian, being a trombone player, had a special appreciation for the effort and playing.
Great job!

After cruising and dinner...

The kids were wound TIGHT.
It was time to explore!
Ian wanted to show me the engine room and how it all worked.
Megan wanted to get crazy and do her silly laughter thing!

Ever wonder how the steam engine room works?

Well, we got to see it LIVE and IN PERSON!!
I tried to take notes via information below.
I can tell you the room was very warm and humid, but pretty cool to see and experience.
Ian had discovered it on his first jaunt around the boat.

HUGE boilers!!!

Our steamboat cruise comes to an end...

It was time for our river tour to end.
Ian and Megan had toured the boat on their own from top to bottom and in between.
One of their last discoveries was how cool the paddlewheel was!

The Natchez at night.

Just a funny way to end...right after the bride (just ahead - see previous posted story).
Hope her life just keeps getting better and better from here...

Easter Bunny treats, even on vacation!

Our last part of New Orleans (as you may have read below) was Easter Sunday.
My kids asked me if the Easter Bunny would still be visiting, even though we were far away from home.
I didn't think it possible, but here were some treats!

Even signed by the big rabbit himself.

Ian was surprised to find that the Easter Bunny must have been shopping with him.
He got a miniature trombone, courtesy of a special shop in the heart of the French Quarter.

Megan finally could join all her friends in the Hannah Montana rage!

Twice even!!!

More of Katrina's obvious wrath

This was a beautiful area of town. Many homes had been wiped completely away.
This was a common sight - construction and rebuilding.

I must have counted 40 some piers, all destroyed, such as this one.

Hard to see the details here, but the home's roof is caved in and the side building is essentially on the ground.
We even saw places where only the foundation and any solid framework (such as concrete) remained.

Another pier and gazebo, just gone!

Bridge to a new Biloxi

As we drove across this brand new bridge into Biloxi, it was almost shining in the sun.
Not even a spec of dirt to be found!
But for some reason, I knew it was an important bridge.
A bridge to a new beginning...
And I found out why.
The bridge next to the new one - well, there was nothing left but the base parts of the bridge (see below).
According to the native we spoke with, that bridge was full of people in their cars, evacuating.
The unanticipated storm surge arrived, surprising everyone - and those poor people in their cars -
were swept away, most never to be found...and quite assuredly becoming victims of Katrina's wrath...
Hard to believe on this bright blue sky day.