tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100308622024-03-23T13:21:50.487-05:00Swamp Storiesbayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comBlogger561125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-53300332271169556462010-07-27T15:19:00.001-05:002010-07-27T15:19:50.609-05:00Evening in New Orleans<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">here's the dance. when evening falls unencumbered. when the warm blanket of humidity wraps the new orleans lights with a thin fog and the termites swarm to the glow, when the streetcars throttle, rock, and metallic thud their way down st. charles, when cool glass of lime filled water sweats, waiting to be sipped, as cars seem to too quickly swing their way around the corners, the intersections speckled with pedestrians, the stories on the stoop begin. the random pellets of truth sprinkled throughout the gossip. when friends share drinks, cigarette smoke slowly curls its way into the air and decides momentarily as it hangs, whether or not to rise or fall. it drifts its way into the wisteria. disappearing. this life progresses. it moves on. sometimes surreptitiously, yet always successful. it makes its book longer, its next chapter. collecting the lives of the lonely, who with windows open, dream of joining someone else's story. the groups of casual acquaintances who lazily get their alcoholic evening loaded. all of the characters in this scene feel the weight of the day lift and fall away as the relaxing white of the crescent moon hooks the casual observer into a low, temporary pause, and then releasing, lets each one go slowly, softly into their own night. </p>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-26027165369048185182010-07-21T18:36:00.001-05:002010-07-21T18:37:00.268-05:00The Dock<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">step. as my weight hits the wooden dock, it creaks, and i pound my feet fast down the warmness that the sun has brought by scorching the dock stretching out from the beach. my legs lift, and staring hard ahead at the sparkling tips of the water as little waves jump and push themselves up to catch crystals of the sunlight. taking last step, i push off, momentarily defying gravity i soar upwards. my hair lifts off of my scalp, and the air runs its fingers through my brain. in taking deep breath, i plummet into the water and descend into the quickly darkening refreshment of the cool water. air effervescence surrounds me and plays little games on my skin as it slides around me. opening my eyes, i orient myself and drift up, quickened by a strong stroke of my arms downward. kicking, i ascend, things growing brighter, clearer. breaking the surface i exhale and make way for full lungs of new, clean breath. relaxing i float to my back, rolling my arm i push and swim towards the dock. </p><div><br /></div>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-2134715841964688402010-07-18T20:57:00.000-05:002010-07-18T21:00:45.019-05:00Two Thoughts<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>volleyball</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">illusory tellings take my mind as escapes they bring to carry me up this hill. where beaches and volleyballs sink and spike in the nola of my life. when the future fortune teller tries to show me the fast forward button i know that only i will want to see it, but must inhibit my knowledge to actions that will continue to evolve my life into positive structures. when stars align and steel and cement form below them into skyscrapers that reach up into the heavens, the two of them shall meet. the above and the below. the two seemingly impossible finally connecting. the ethereal vapors forming to dew-covered skylines, and buildings lined with glass and hard edges together share the wetness of the water. when the moon rises and illuminates the scene that surrounds the transcendent event, the earth holds its breath and quietly exhales in a peaceful release. the palpable evanescence soothes the sides of the shapes in the stars. slowly i rise to the tops of the buildings, and leaping off am caught in a sea of stars, shapes reach out their arms and pass me up, farther, beyond, and above all below, i see the colors of the night swirl into a uniform color of blue with white star stripes. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>arrested love</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">what is the weight of love? how much does the louisiana heat increase the passion that a mother feels for her child as he is taken from her? he in no longer a child, he is a man. he is taken from her and she collapses. he has tried to flee. he has been running for a long time. now he has driven himself across the parish line. he is a wanted man. wanted by many, many lawmen. his crimes accused are heinous and hard to verbalize. his actions should be run from. all humans should run from his actions. but he was not able to escape. he has caused hurtful destruction, and he has been run down by the enforcement, the officers, uniformed nopd, LA state troopers, and countless undercover cops. it is unclear how his mother got so quickly to the scene, did she run to him, or was he running to her for protection? either way, they only meet through the humid distance of a stare. no physical contact can be made. she screams in horrifying anger. he stares back in rage as his freedom is taken away from him, handcuffed. what is the weight of love? where can a measurement be found to quantify the emotions that race freely from this mother into the streets of jefferson parish? her knees collapse beneath her, she falls, fists in the air, screaming obscenities. finding strength from within her, she rigidly rises back up and shaking, continues to verbalize her anguish. her love is maternal, internal, and it languishes on the smooth hard window of the patrol car as her son is placed inside of the back. locked. closed, caged in. she, raw, pleading with the heavens, what is the weight of love?</p>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-4466538773036317712007-09-10T23:53:00.000-05:002007-09-10T23:57:44.987-05:00Somnambulent PostPerhaps I shall start to post here again...bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1153166526208897402006-07-17T14:59:00.000-05:002007-06-07T11:05:40.985-05:00Vacation Time - Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler<div align="center"><a href="http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Food_and_Drinks/BBQ_and_Picnics/Crawfish_cook.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Food_and_Drinks/BBQ_and_Picnics/Crawfish_cook.gif" border="0" /></a><br />Please eat Louisiana seafood!!!</div>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1152730826261445422006-07-12T14:00:00.000-05:002006-07-14T21:16:32.890-05:00The Motorcycle Group .com<a href="http://www.gymisplace.blogspot.com">Gymi</a>, a few friends and I have started a new website. If you're interested in our site, stop by at <a href="http://www.themotorcyclegroup.com">www.themotorcyclegroup.com</a> .bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1152405309634410692006-07-08T19:33:00.000-05:002006-07-09T08:43:23.880-05:00Shoestring and the Huey P.A few months ago while I was hanging out with my father-in-law, Shoestring, he was telling me about when he used to drive trucks for the different used car lots here in New Orleans.<br /><br />He'd leave home every morning and get in his car-carrier over on the west bank. After loading it up with cars at one yard, he'd bring them over to New Orleans on the east bank. In order to do this as quickly as possible, he'd take that colossal truck over the Huey P. Long Bridge. His ascension would start in Bridge City and ultimately bring him over to Old Jefferson.<br /><br />Now for anyone who's never been on the Huey P. Long, you're in for a shock. Because as unbelievable as it may sound it's a bridge that defies any kind of description other than DEADLY.<br /><br />I've ridden my bike on the levee underneath the bridge and had flakes of rust fall on my head. I've driven on the bridge while a train was rumbling down the center of the it and thought that I was going to throw up from all of the movement. And I've seen people heading to the east bank almost get their right front wheel ripped off when the curb on the right edge of the bridge jumps out at them almost a foot. This happens because the construction of the bridge was started at either side of the Mississippi River, and wouldn't you know it, but when they got to the center and tried to connect the two sides they had miscalculated their aim almost 12 inches!<br /><br />Not a problem if you're going TO the west bank, but when you're coming back, you'd better watch out!<br /><br />And Shoestring told me that he used to take his car-carrier over the Huey P. all the time and not have to ride down the middle of both lanes like so many other truckers do. He told me that he had 4 inches around him, and as long as he didn't mess with that, he was fine.<br /><br />"Never rode down the center." He told me. And at first I didn't believe him.<br /><br />Until today that is.<br /><br />Lemon Jammers and I were over at a birthday party for Clotile's son, and Shoestring was there.<br />While a group of us were out on the covered back porch watching the food cook on the grill, a bright red "happy birthday" balloon that was hanging just inches behind Shoesting's head popped. And when I say it popped, I mean that it was a nice loud, completely unexpected BANG! It was loud enough to make everyone jump.<br /><br />Except for one person.<br /><br />Shoestring didn't even flinch.<br /><br />He just kept smoking his cigarette, letting his eyelids close against the smoke of the grill.<br /><br />As I settled back into my chair and everyone's conversations slowly returned to where they had been bumped from, I realized that Shoestring hadn't moved. Not one tiny, noticeable bit.<br /><br />And I understood in that instant that his story about driving the fully loaded car carrier over the Huey P. Long Bridge had been real. He had kept that truck in his own lane, and he had not had to drive down the middle of both lanes like so many other truckers do.<br /><br />Fearless, really and truly.<br /><br />Shoestring really and truly is fearless. And now I am aware of this.bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1152250876048899852006-07-07T00:40:00.000-05:002006-07-07T08:02:57.150-05:00Catfish Festival Down the BayouLemon Jammers and I will be heading down to Des Allemands this weekend for the annual Catfish Festival. I've already got my eating pants on...<br /><br />The festival is behind St. Gertrude's.<br /><br />St. Gertrude Catholic Church is located at 17292 Hwy. 631, Des Allemands. Admission and parking are free to the public. Festival hours are Friday, July 7, 5 p.m. till 11 p.m., Saturday, July 8, 10 a.m till 11 p.m., and Sunday, July 9, 11 a.m till 9 p.m.bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1152145673135048522006-07-05T19:23:00.000-05:002006-07-05T19:27:53.180-05:00Cactus GardenHello...I couldn't decide what to do with the extra section of wooden privacy fence that I had in my backyard. Mmmm...that's a tricky one.<br /><br />So you know what I did? I pulled out my circular saw, chopped it up, and turned it into a cactus garden!<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010070.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/400/P1010070.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010071.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/400/P1010071.jpg" border="0" /></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1151637845848489192006-06-29T22:22:00.000-05:002006-06-29T22:24:05.896-05:00Billy Collins, Former U.S. Poet Laureate<embed src='http://us.i1.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/player/media/swf/FLVVideoSolo.swf' flashvars='id=528900&emailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.yahoo.com%2Futil%2Fmail%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26vid%3D45f6e152e08ec9af2f677a53d59565af.528900&imUrl=http%25253A%25252F%25252Fvideo.yahoo.com%25252Fvideo%25252Fplay%25253F%252526ei%25253DUTF-8%252526vid%25253D45f6e152e08ec9af2f677a53d59565af.528900&imTitle=Forgetfulness%252B-%252BAmazing%252BAnimated%252BPoetry.&searchUrl=http://video.yahoo.com/video/search?p=&profileUrl=http://video.yahoo.com/video/profile?yid=&creatorValue=ZWdnZmxvYXQ%3D' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='425' height='350'></embed>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1151462369883982162006-06-27T21:28:00.000-05:002006-06-27T22:44:21.386-05:00Tonight I Hanged Salvador DaliIf you were reading my blog on Monday, November 21, then you may remember that I got a signed, numbered (50/300), flooded, Salvador Dali print from a friend in Lakeview. Well it's been sitting in an opened garbage bag in the guest bedroom for several months now. I've had two separate artists who specialize in restorations take a look at it, and for what they quoted me concerning their prices, I decided to leave it the way it is. I call it "Katrina Art."<br /><br />So now here it is...I made a frame out of plexi-glass, bolts, nuts, washers, and sliding door locks.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010069.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010069.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Tonight I hung Salvador Dali's <em>Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus</em> in my dining room.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010067.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010067.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a picture of what the signed print would have looked like before the levees in New Orleans broke and flooded the house where my print was hanging.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/dalicolumbus.png"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/dalicolumbus.png" border="0" /></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1151179902258994942006-06-24T14:57:00.000-05:002006-06-24T15:14:10.980-05:00Back from NatchitochesWell I'm back from Natchitoches. I went up there to make some connections at Northwestern State University so that I can get my masters degree from there. Although I have 166 college credits, none of them go towards a masters.<br /><br />While I was there I took a practice GRE. I did pretty damn well. I'm going to work on getting a Masters in English with a concentration in Folklife and Southern Culture.<br /><br />Watch out for da Loup Garou!<br /><br />So what did I do today you might ask? Well, because my new 12' x 9' pergola garden arbor came via UPS on Wednesday, I woke up this morning, waterproofed it, and put it together. That's what I did.<br /><br />Here is what looked like after I put some Thompson's Water Seal on it.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010067.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010067.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010068.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010068.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And here's what it looks like now.<br /><br />Time it took to complete it? Less than two hours. And it's a good thing too 'cause it's 95 degrees outside right now, and I've already had to take two showers today.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010069.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010069.jpg" border="0" /></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1150764773981897472006-06-19T19:41:00.000-05:002006-06-19T19:52:54.013-05:00National Guard Back in New OrleansIn response to the Five-Murder Shooting down in Central City, I'm glad that Mayor Nagin asked Gov. Blanco for some National Guard troops. Hopefully they'll be back in the city by Tuesday. <br /><br />The state police shot and killed some thug at the end of my street a few weeks ago. It's still possible to see the two rectangles that the police spray painted around the dead body. In orange, one says "HEAD" and the other says "FEET."<br /><br />I'm sick and tired of the violence and the stealing. Too many people who have been working on their flooded houses have had their new (and sometimes old but still good) stuff stolen.<br /><br />Over and over the stories repeat themselves.<br /><br />On another note, I've been doing more work on the El Camino lately. I replaced the starter last week, and today I pulled the fan motor out and gave it a little tune up, so now it's a little quieter. <br /><br />That's all for today. Thank you. Drive thru.bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1150433792754457242006-06-15T23:54:00.000-05:002006-06-15T23:56:32.783-05:00Fried Catfish Po' BoyI just wanted to say that tonight for dinner I had the best damn fried catfish po' boy I've ever sunk my teefers into.<br /><br />This weekend I'm going to pick up Shoestring and bring him to my house for the first time.<br /><br />Then, we are all going to the Picadilly.<br /><br />I'm bringing my gun.bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1150162392670148322006-06-12T20:32:00.000-05:002006-06-12T20:33:12.710-05:00Post Office UpdateI still haven't received that envelope that I've been waiting for...bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1149639778792172872006-06-06T19:22:00.000-05:002006-06-06T19:28:27.953-05:00New Orleans East and What's Up with the Mo' Fo' P.O.?Lemon Jammers and I met FunnyGirl and D down in New Orleans East on Sunday. Their rebuilding status down there as well as at their house in Mid City is moving along at a nice progressive pace. While we were there, we helped them chop down the one million ton steel pole that used to hold up their satellite dish. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it did weigh quite a bit.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/100_3824[1].jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/100_3824%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>FunnyGirl, LemonJammers and I took the stove out of the wall...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/100_3879.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/100_3879.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And we hauled stuff to the neutral ground...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/100_3847[1].jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/100_3847%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> We fixed the wooden privacy fence...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/100_3850.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/100_3850.jpg" border="0" /></a> And then we ate gumbo in their gutted, but air conditioned house. They just had their new, four ton a/c unit installed. It was really odd, but fun, eating lunch in a house with no walls, but one that was still a nice cool 75 degrees!</p><p>Lastly I just wanted to say that when I checked my mailbox today, I once again found a little blue post card from the United States Post Office. It stated that we would soon start receiving catalogs again as well as regular mail service.</p><p>Regular mail service?...all I got today was their stupid blue postcard. Last week I only got mail three times. What's up with the mo' fo' p.o.? I had someone mail me a large envelope over two weeks ago, and I still don't have it. I want my mail ya heard me?<br /></p>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1149639705975608532006-06-06T19:21:00.000-05:002006-06-06T19:21:46.003-05:00<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/1024/100_3831%5B1%5D.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/200/100_3831%5B1%5D.jpg'></a><br />Eating Gumbo and Fried Chicken in the East <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1149121082476855452006-05-31T19:03:00.000-05:002006-05-31T21:17:30.056-05:00Not Buying a Flooded House, Gardening, & the Price of Tea in ChinaAlthough I have followed the recommendation of my kick ass aunt, A.K.A. the Camaro Queen, and bought <em>Fix It and Flip It</em>, I have decided against buying a flooded house in Gentilly.<br /><br />For too many reasons to get into great deal with tonight, here they are...<br /><br /><ul><li>Gentilly flooded. Remember? Me, I'm still gunshy.</li><li>My pad'nah XT has backed out of the deal.</li><li>I drive through Gentilly (and depending on what kind of mood I'm in I sometimes drive through Lakeview and the Upper 9th Ward) and the progress is not where I would like it to be.</li><li>I need some me time.</li></ul><p>So with that said, I'm going to focus on myself in the immediate future. Specifically, I will be doing some gardening.</p><p>Two days ago I planted some climbing hydrangea (yes I spelled that without using a dictionary) along my wood fence, and my backyard will soon become home for a 12x9 pergola. It's kind of like an overgrown wooden arbor.</p><p>I'm going to put down some square slate with some pavers randomly set down in places.</p><p>And I'm going to do what comes most unnaturally, I'm going to relax. </p><p>The easiest way that I know how to relax is by reading. So I'll be doing some of that. And if y'all are looking for a great (true) short story to read, check out Fritz from <a href="http://www.reelfellas.com">www.reelfellas.com</a> 's true story by clicking <a href="http://www.flashquake.org/vol5iss4/voices/index.html">HERE</a>. Scroll down to "Katrina" by Fritz Esker. It's well worth the read, and I even play a roll in the story, so check it out y'all.</p><p>Oh, and by the way, what is the price of tea in China these days?</p>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1148416065122187842006-05-23T15:27:00.000-05:002006-05-23T15:27:45.170-05:00Why Tonight I'm Happy with KatrinaTonight, and only tonight, I'm going to say that I am happy about one small thing that Hurricane Katrina brought me.<br /><br />Well, okay it's actually really big.<br /><br />When I was driving out to the bookstore tonight I passed by Bayou Daiquiris in Metairie, and on the side of the road, along with all kinds of other hurricane-related debris, was the store's huge plastic sign that used to hang up in the air on a steel pole.<br /><br />I immediately pulled in to their drive thru and asked the owner if he was really throwing it out. And he said, "Yup. Do you want a hand putting it in the back of your El Camino?<br /><br />Luckily I had just drilled the I-bolts in the bed of the Camino so I could ratchet it down because as you can see in the picture, the sign is humongous! And as easy as that, the colossal sign is sitting in my backyard!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010327.4.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010327.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1148097358527446802006-05-19T22:41:00.000-05:002006-05-20T09:15:18.680-05:00My Night's Drivetonight...i went for a drive out to where i used to work...lots of good stuff to look at...enjoy...<br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010333.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010333.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Mississippi River or just "The River."</p><p></p><p><br /></p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010332.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010332.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaiser Aluminum...nice looking from far away...<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010330.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010330.jpg" border="0" /></a> The house where Hollywood filmed <em>The Skeleton Key </em>starring Kate Hudson.</p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010329.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010329.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> Another shot while I was driving of the <em>Skeleton Key</em> House. </p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010328.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010328.jpg" border="0" /></a> St. Joe's Plantation...between Oak Alley and the <em>Skeleton Key</em> House. </p><p></p><p><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/P1010327.3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/320/P1010327.jpg" border="0" /></a> Oak Alley Plantation...can you believe that the three houses above are all right in a row? It was a great way to start my morning when I would drive by these things on my way to work.</p>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1148002030751521502006-05-18T20:08:00.000-05:002006-05-18T20:31:54.186-05:00It's AmazingIt's amazing how I've forgotten about my blog as of late. My mind wonders around, and my brain sends signals to my body, and before I know what has happened, another week has gone by.<br /><br />I've been working like a maniac these last few weeks.<br /><br />But now I have a masterplan. I hatched it two nights ago. Hold on, I just heard a thump out front. I'll be right back. I need to see if my jackass neighbor has parked his car in front of my house again even though his driveway and the spot in front of his house are empty.<br /><br />...I'm back. He did park there. I fixed the problem by logically explaining to him that when there are no cars in front of his house, and no vehicles in his driveway that (here comes the bandwagon part) "because everyone else on this block parks in front of their own house" that he should park in either his driveway or in front of the empty curb that runs in front of his house. <br /><br />Just kidding. <br /><br />I threw a brick through his window and now his stupid alarm is honking incessantly. Problem fixed.<br /><br />Back to my masterplan. It starts with my morning each day when I drive into Gentilly. For those of y'all who don't know, Gentilly is between Lakeview and the 9th Ward, and somewhat southwest of New Orleans East.<br /><br />There are FEMA trailers popping up all over. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so thank you feds. Seriously. Your white trailers make me happy.<br /><br />But...and this is where my plan starts to take shape.<br /><br />There are HUNDREDS of homes in Gentilly that are still untouched. Before the storm (a.k.a. Hurricane Katrina) Lemon Jammers and I, when we were shopping for houses, looked at several homes in Gentilly. However, at the time they were just a little bit more than we were willing to spend.<br /><br />So we passed on them and went and bought the place we live in now.<br /><br />But because our house did not flood, we have some equity in it.<br /><br />How much? Enough to buy a flooded house in Gentilly.<br /><br />Now let's talk maps. I know I'm moving fast, but that reflects my current state of mind. <br /><br />So me and my pad'nah XT, (one of his vehicles is a Nissan Xterra) are talking about splitting the cost. Buying a flooded shotgun house on Gentilly Ridge (which is of course higher than other parts of Gentilly because it's on a ridge) and then redoing it ourselves and then flipping it when it's done.<br /><br />Haha! There you go. Yeah you right. You right for that. Sho nuff. <br /><br />So where am I at?<br /><br />I was approved for my part of the loan today!!! Next step...pick the house that we want and locate the owner...bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1147639618496032842006-05-14T15:34:00.000-05:002006-05-14T15:56:08.230-05:00St. Bernard Parish VideoWhen I was driving home from work in Gentilly on Friday afternoon I saw a small, hand-painted sign on the side of the road that read, "Free Store." It also gave the address and pointed with an arrow. There are so many places in New Orleans that are still left untouched since the flood waters came into the city back in August. <br /><br />The two brothers who moved into the house across the street from me haven't touched their house in Gentilly. I work two blocks from the home where the grew up and lived until August. Both guys are in their sixties.<br /><br />When I say they haven't touched it, I mean that everything that was in their house before the hurricane is still inside of it. <br /><br />Each day that I head out of my house I drive by flooded car graveyards. I should take a picture of one of them so that you can see what I'm looking at down here. Thousands of cars sit motionless underneath the overhead freeways. FEMA towed them off of the streets (although the job is far from being completed) and the tow trucks dumped them in big groups all over the city.<br /><br /><embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DwAAAAG7ggqAHSiJjpW0D3w4aYTVaR3In3ZiWDwuXu1XWJcpbjmzQjqwkz29f4iDfvt6V-GfKes378YqmJcRVtakikrRfHQ2F0HHwes5twSl1AUEAPiw4jaAusKYDzMpHOVP7QheD_O8vSQ0VsKj_7ldzSxp768hL177pl1qyBwLLmUqE4Rvk-hj3Lpoyus6HKCRcUyJ6tyT2D2-iqDIjxQuOMIQJKqVkXqqBoA2td7iMv2ZMSNrMBesy_E14Vn2NBW9jZHbhw9QjEwNfjMX68Kd0kTM%26sigh%3DWNp9s8nAb7XJOZxAw_5EfsNC7Zc%26begin%3D0%26len%3D295566%26docid%3D2706912077473447143&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fapp%3Dvss%26contentid%3D42ca2aff0f1ecbe5%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1147639040%26sigh%3DOW1Wns5pxf5LSJ-U-K37MOI6RhM&playerId=2706912077473447143" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" quality="best" bgcolor="#ffffff" scale="noScale" wmode="window" salign="TL" FlashVars="playerMode=embedded"> </embed>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1147136420122003822006-05-08T19:59:00.000-05:002006-05-08T20:00:20.123-05:00Bayou Coquille<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/1600/DSCF1047.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3795/757/400/DSCF1047.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Lemon Jammers and I took a trip through Bayou Coquille yesterday. Here are some of the pictures that we took while we were there.</strong></div>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1147136125490195962006-05-08T19:55:00.000-05:002006-05-08T19:55:25.490-05:00<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/1024/DSCF1048.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/200/DSCF1048.jpg'></a><br />Baby Alligator - about one and a half feet long <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10030862.post-1147136064727992992006-05-08T19:54:00.000-05:002006-05-08T19:54:24.726-05:00<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/1024/DSCF1045.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/224/2902/200/DSCF1045.jpg'></a><br />Gator Head in Bayou Coquille <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a>bayou_boy504http://www.blogger.com/profile/00032745620508622885noreply@blogger.com