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NOLA Snapshots

Just a few photos I've taken the past month I've been here. Sadly, only a very few. Hopefully I'll get out more in the coming weeks.

{Sunset from our front porch.}

{The donuts here are delicious! I bought some for my students, and they ate them all up, leaving just one for me to split with the other student teacher.}

{I drive past this every day on my way to school. This photo doesn't do it justice. I might try again later.}

Living with Pete

I've been a pretty successful aunt for over five years now, but I've also been a somewhat distant aunt. First I was in school in Logan and then in Indiana. I got to see Claire regularly for the year I spent in Salt Lake, but now I get to live with my nephew Peter. Right now he's 15 months old. We get to have lots of fun together. A couple of weeks ago, we all drove up to the temple in Baton Rouge. Pete and I played outside while waiting for Mike and Amanda. Amanda already posted some of the photos, but I wanted to show some off here as well.

Someone discovered a nest of little birdies in one of the trees. This was the best picture I could get.

Pete and I like to play ball, read, and race trucks.

But since I've been so busy, most of the time this is what I see of him.

He may look a little sad in that photo, but it's not because of me. Really, he's just sad that he can't play with my computer (the shiny apple and all those buttons are so tantalizing!) or my cell phone (more buttons). It's ok. I know it will take some time, but I'm in the prime position to become the favorite aunt.

Fertile Myrtle

I think I finally identified the beautify flowering tree I see everywhere I go here. From what I can tell after doing a hasty Internet search, it's called a crape myrtle. If anyone knows otherwise, please tell me! I never used to be interested in plants, but now I find myself constantly wondering about these new varieties.

Also, in case you're wondering, this is what the weather report has looked like ever since I moved here.

And yes, it's currently raining (for the first time today) with a background of thunder.

9th Ward

Amanda rightly pointed out that my post about the effects of Katrina didn't accurately reflect it. The pictures weren't really that great. So when I drove out the my school district's office, which is in the lower 9th ward, I snapped a few more photos on the drive.

{All of those posters are for cabinets, carpenters, mold removal, buying houses, etc. They line the entire street. That's an old school building. There is currently only one school open for the entire 9th Ward. It's a small charter school. Most of the kids that live there will have to be bussed all over the city.}

(Please note the street name, Desire. I just read A Streetcar Named Desire for the first time a couple of weeks ago.}

{FEMA trailers}

{Last two photos are buildings across the street from the Recovery School District Office.}

Fisheye Flashback

Before I left for England last February, I bought a little toy camera at Urban Outfitters with a fisheye lens. I imagined how awesome Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower, among other ruins and buildings, would look through the contorted lens. I took two rolls of film only to come home, develop them, and realize I had a defective camera. I exchanged it a couple of months ago and just developed my first roll of film. It took me back a couple of months to the spring and as recently as driving out here. Turns out when there's real film, I'm a little more conservative with taking pictures. Thought I would share some.

{On my visit to the vast copper pit I never got around to blogging about. See here.}

I learned from this first roll that it looks better the closer I can get to the object. I'll have to play around with it some more. I can't wait to be done with Summer Institute so I can wander around town a bit. I'm dying to take some photos at one of the many awesome cemeteries.

Katrina Revisited

Before Liz left to go back to Indiana, we wanted to drive through some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, which I'm sure everyone will remember happened in late August of 2005. The tricky thing with New Orleans is that everywhere you drive you see the effects of the hurricane. It's hard to tell what came about because of it and what is the result of years of poverty. But there are certain areas that you can feel very comfortable saying are because of Katrina. The Lower 9th Ward is one of those.

Amanda drove us around. Liz sat in front, so many of my pictures are more of this guy:

than the view outside. I'll be borrowing some of Liz's pictures, including the one at the start of the entry, for this. Bad picture, but this is the tent town under the overpass I drive by every day on my way to school.

The school I work at this summer and will continue in at the fall is in the 7th ward, which is fairly close to the photos I will be posting. I see similar houses with spray-painted X's and boarded windows every day. It's becoming normal.

{Photo by Liz}

We crossed the river and drove around some neighborhoods near Chalmette. The area felt so suburban to me. Rather than the too-close houses of the 9th wards, these were neighborhoods I could relate to more easily. They seemed more in keeping with my childhood, so it was weirder to drive down streets where two out of seven houses actually had someone living in it.

{Note the FEMA trailer in the front yard.}

{Another Liz photo.}

The pictures didn't really turn out, especially because we felt like we had to take them so sneakily. It was embarrassing to be touring the wreckage, even though I know there are commercial ventures that do. The point of it, though, is that people should still be aware of what it's like here. It's been 3 years, but the effects of Katrina are still felt here every day in so many ways. There are reminders everywhere. One of my students was just kicked out of her home because FEMA wasn't making the rent payments. Her family is now split up because they couldn't find a place where they could all live together and she has had to move for the 6th or 7th time in three years. Katrina is the marker for everything here. Was that before or after Katrina? Where were you? How much damage did your house get? People are moving back here all the time, which makes for very uncertain classrooms. Teachers I've talked to say that their school planned for 400 students and ended up with 700. Classrooms had 45 students in them. Many schools are still operating out of modulars because there aren't enough buildings.

I didn't move down here because of a strong sense of social justice like many of my fellow teachers. I moved here because it was a quick way to get my certification and live in a new place. But after being confronted on a daily basis with the needs of students here, I am proud to be a part of people that are trying to do something. The stakes are raised. There's so much that needs to be done to close the achievement gap. And New Orleans is just one city among many.

(I probably should have put a warning at the start of this entry that I was writing it on a soapbox. Rest assured, I've stepped off the box and will return to the fluff. I'll leave off with something adorable and symbolic - you know, the hope of the future and all.)

Moving to Crescent City Part 5: The French Quarter

It's been about a month now since I arrived in New Orleans. I really am behind, but now that there's only one more week of Summer Institute, I should have some more free time. Considering, though, that my life here has been practice teaching in the morning, framework sessions in the afternoon, and then coming home and working on lesson plans (promise, it's the last time I complain about them) all night long, there really isn't much to blog about anyway. But again, all that is going to change after next week. At least until school starts up. Back to this entry, though. Of course, one of the first things Liz and I did when we arrived in New Orleans was head out to the French Quarter. I've blogged about the Quarter before, so I won't spend too much time on it. I'll just share some photos.

I never thought I'd live somewhere with palm trees. It's like I'm always on vacation. See the lines for the streetcar? Still haven't been on it. And no, it's not called Desire. It's the Canal line.

Of course I took Liz down Bourbon St. and I was curious to see more of it, since last time I was there we only saw about a block's worth. I don't think I really need to go back. Next stop, Cafe du Monde for some beignets. Some of the bussers tried to play a trick on customers. They would put cash down on the ground and wait to see if anyone would pick it up. When no one stooped for two dollars, they added more money. But everyone just trampled over it.

Then we just wandered around for a bit and soaked in all the beautiful architecture and the atmosphere.

Liz and I returned to the FQ a couple days later to go on one of those haunted history walking tours.

Our tour guide was fantastic, and I actually learned quite a lot about the French Quarter, so I would definitely recommend one of these tours, even though they're kind of pricey. We heard lots of stories about ghosts and gruesome acts and even one about Richard Simmons. I guess that fits.

Moving to Crescent City Part 4: Galveston

I know what you're thinking. Galveston is also in Texas, so why the separate entry? Because Galveston is a little more special than the rest of Texas. It's the home of the Timmerman's, Kyle and Jenn, whose wedding I blogged about last March. In fact, you can see their home in the photo right above... that adorable white building in the heart of Galveston's downtown. Since Kyle and Jenn were so hospitable and allowed us to pause in our trip and spend an extra night there, we had a lot to do and see. I'm not going to be able to give my visit there the blog entry it deserves, though, because I'm still knee-deep in lesson planning and should really be reading up on money, banking, blah blah blah to share with the kiddos tomorrow, but I'm getting behind on my blog and I want to FINALLY catch you all up so I can start posting about New Orleans. Thus, a blog of mostly photos. Maybe that's best afterall.

Here are some more shots of Galveston from a parking structure.

The city/island is much bigger than I expected it to be and it was the perfect transition from Texas to New Orleans. In fact, I think Galveston is almost like a smaller New Orleans. It's got Mardi Gras and spring breakers looking to get wasted. It's got beautiful houses built on stilts. It's got great little shops. I was pleased with the city. The whole time, though, I kept thinking of the opening line from Donald Barthelme's short story "I Bought a Little City," which you can hear on the New Yorker Fiction podcast I blogged about once before.

Our first morning in Galveston, we walked along the Strand and visited shops. I found the statues that I always wanted as a little girl and never got. Remember these?

In Galveston, you have to walk up steps to get to the sidewalk.

Then we went to seawall and looked out at the Gulf of Mexico.

It was nice to be at the beach again. I think it's been 3 or 4 years. I was wishing I had brought my swimsuit. Technically, I did have my swimsuit. It was packed somewhere in my car with the rest of my belongings. But just sitting on a lawn chair under an umbrella was good enough.

Then we went on a walk to look at all the pretty houses in Galveston.

Here are some other sights from our walk:

That evening, after a delicious dinner, we played some mini golf.

I lost. But I also won a free game. Guess who got a hole-in-one on the last hole? Me. Bells started ringing, I jumped up and down, high-fives were passed and I got this little card.

Sadly, our time in Galveston came to an end much to quickly. The next morning, we took a ferry across the harbor to Port Bolivar to continue our trek to New Orleans.

I know you can't really see them in this picture, but there are porpoises following that boat! We same them jumping around.

You can tell the houses near Port Bolivar are ready for hurricanes and flooding. Most of the houses in New Orleans are built on stilts or at least shored higher, but these houses were so high up. I can't imagine bringing in the groceries.

And then we drove across the swamps of Louisiana and down into NoLA. More on that later.

Moving to Crescent City Part 3: Texas

I forgot to load the Friday Night Lights soundtrack on my ipod before the trip. I was so disappointed, but it turns out the landscape wasn't quite right anyway. Leaving El Paso, it was rocky and dry and surprisingly mountainous. Not quite the fields, small towns, and football stadiums I was expecting. Basically, it was hours and hours of this:

Every once in a while, we'd pass oversized load trucks carrying gigantic pieces of somethin' or other. We thought it was rocket, but after careful observation, we think it was the parts for a wind turbine.

Finally, and it was a really long finally, we made it to San Antonio to visit the Alamo.

Confession: I still don't really know the story of the Alamo. But while I wandered around, I did a double take. For a second there, though, I thought, "What did Joseph Smith do at the Alamo?"

Turns out, it was William Barrett Travis, but the resemblance is uncanny. This is what I do know about the Alamo, though; it's really pretty.

After leaving San Antonio, the landscape looked more like what I was expecting.

We drove through a lot more of that, and through Rocket City (Houston really does look futuristic!) and on to Galveston.

{Photo from the Houston CVB because mine didn't turn out.}

Moving to Crescent City Part 2: New Mexico

After Moab, we decided to hit the Four Corners Monument because we both really wanted to stand in four places at once. If you are also filled with this desire and thinking about visiting, be prepared to be underwhelmed. That is, unless you absolutely love a long row of port-a-potties, awkward stalls of people selling their wares, and a long line of people waiting to stand in four states at once. Still, we did it and I got a picture of me doing it, so that's all that matters.

The thing about Four Corners is that we drove through a tiny slice of Colorado entering the monument and a bit of Arizona exiting it and then the rest of the day through New Mexico. My plan to stop in Albuquerque for some Mexican at lunch time didn't quite work out. At lunch time, we were still driving through emptiness except for what appeared in the distance to be the Black Fortress from one of my favorite childhood movies, Krull.

We veered off the Interstate to drive on Route 66 for a bit (you know, for kicks) and finally made it to Albuquerque in the late afternoon. I wanted to stop by Old Town because I remembered it being cool when I visited back in 2004 for my first ever work trip, the National Scenic Byways Convention with my former co-worker and friend, Kellie. But maybe it was driving for so long and the fact that it was really hot still and we didn't really feel like browsing the stores too much, but Old Town just wasn't holding our attention. We wandered for maybe half an hour and I took some photos and then we moved on. But here are some photos since I didn't blog about the trip way back then, even though I actually did have a blog at the time. Yep, four long years.

There were so many great hotels with neon signs on the entrance into town, which is actually part of Historic Route 66 for all you byways fans. Unfortunately, I was driving and it was a new city and I didn't really know where I was going, so I couldn't take any photos.

I loved the color of this bug. Too bad it wasn't parked somewhere more picturesque than the parking lot.

More photos from inside Old Town:

But since Liz was driving out of Albuquerque, I snapped a photo of at least one old neon sign. Too bad it wasn't dark yet. I would love to drive that strip at night.

Then the rest of New Mexico. There was a lightning storm south of Albuquerque. Who knew New Mexico would prepare me for the afternoon lightning and storms we have here almost every day.

We stopped in Truth or Consequences for gas because it was such a cool name.

And watched the sun set over the land of enchantment.

We, however, still had more driving to do, so we listened to This American Life, a staple of the trip, and drove on till we it El Paso.

Moving to Crescent City Part 1: Moab

Let's just state the obvious. Moab and New Orleans are nothing alike. Okay, I'll give you the fact that they are both tourist destinations, and probably concede that people get drunk in each. But landscape-wise, nothing alike. I kept thinking about that the whole time I was driving - how many landscapes I passed through. In Utah, it bleeds from green to beige to red. New Mexico was pretty much the same the entire time, but Texas shifted from dusty and rocky to green plains and then the overbearing lushness of Louisiana where, from Lafayette to Baton Rouge, I drover over huge cement pillars sticking out of the swamp. And here I am, below sea level, relieved to have an evening free so I can enjoy So You Think You Can Dance while I catch up a little on blogging.

The plan when I first started planning my trip was to make the journey to NoLa feel as vacation-like as possible with little stops along the way. My friend, Liz, flew out from Indiana to keep me company. Although I'm a Utah native, I haven't spent a lot of time in Southern Utah and had only visited one of the five or so national parks there. I figured I couldn't leave the West without seeing arches. I was confronted by the Delicate Arch everywhere I go. It's on most of the Utah license plates (although I stuck with the classic Ski Utah myself) and is often used as the symbol for Utah. In Moab, it's everywhere, just to remind you of what you went there to see.

And see it we did! But first, we saw a lot of other things, except big horned sheep. When we first entered the park, we saw a sign for the sheep.

And we read in the brochure that big horned sheep in the park are so tame that visitors can stand next to them and get their picture taken. Sadly, we didn't see any to test that out, so we had to settle for the sculpture at the visitor center.

But there were plenty of red rocks and arches.

p.s. that one rock looks just like Nefertiti, right?

Those rocks reminded me of the oracles in Neverending Story, except without the glowing.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is what we've all been waiting for.

Yeah, it's a little small from far away. Turns out you have to hike to get up there and get a better view, and you all know how much i love hiking. So yeah, that's the best photo I got.

We stayed in Moab that night at the Apache Motel. John Wayne stayed there, so that makes up for how ghetto it was and the nice clerk who spray-painted her hair.

Huzzah!

Two routers and about 5 hours (one of which was on the phone with the nicest tech guy) later and I finally have Inet access from my very own computer in my very own little room. Unfortunately, the whole experience took up way too much time and now I have about 5 hours of lesson planning (for serious) to get done in two hours.

But it can wait till after I find out who Deanna picks on The Bachelorette.

[update: guess what - it still took 5 hours of lesson planning. Hello 1 in the morning. Haven't seen you for a while. I hope this gets faster. Also (spoilerz!) I can't believe she picked Jesse! He's just too good for her.]