Not Nice, Hurricane Isaac

I've missed sitting on my blogging throne the past few weeks, y'all.  Me and the interwebs, we had a fight, and I was away for three whole weeks.

Or maybe I was in New Orleans with no access to power.

Or it could be that I was on vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas, for awhile.

Okay, it was both.  I spent two weeks in the Big Easy, with the intention of helping my mother do some major de-cluttering, instead spending half the time searching for cooler conditions while the electricity stayed off during and after the hurricane.  

Instead of going into too many details, I'll share this photo essay with you (it's a photo essay because that sounds all smart-like).

Neighbors lost a tree.

Cooling off at the front door.

Eating out of the freezer (big sacrifice: I must've eaten three pounds of shrimp).

Adventure eating out of the fridge (12 year old chocolate truffles. I had one--still delicious!)

Waiting patiently.

Cleaning up afterward.

Half-flooded motel in Bay St. Louis, MS.  It was chilly and comfortable, though.

Passing time at the beach in MS.

Sleeping at my mom's office, which got power long before her house did. 

Driving around with mattresses in the van--Your place is cool?  Mind if two adults, three kids, and one stuffed animal
crash with you?

Retail therapy in Gulf Port.  The stores had AC, so the kids got new wardrobes.

 All in all, the trip worked out. My generous in-laws picked the children up after five days without power and drove them to Georgia for a week.  Once the lights came back on, I was then able to get to work and crack that whip with my mother (who decluttered so much stuff it was an inspiration).  Then we all met up in Arkansas for some family fun, photos to come.

What I learned:

1) The kids are adaptable and resilient.  Almost no complaints while we were vagabonds in search of cool air.

2) Going through a "mild" hurricane is kind of fun--we had the windows and doors open to let in all the winds during the storm--but the aftermath sucks big time.  My mom is blessed to live in an area less prone to flooding, and for that, I'm grateful.  It could've been worse and actually was way worse for those in surrounding parishes (parish = county in LA).

3) Post-disaster workers, while generous with their time, sometimes need direction and instruction. Not from me, but from somebody. A day after the storm, we had a guy doing donuts on our street...in a backhoe.  After an hour of dancing around with the machine doing nothing productive, he left.  At least I got a good show.

4) Le Foret in the Central Business District in New Orleans is a delicious restaurant, perhaps serving the best food I've ever eaten.  (Don't ask how I managed to slip in fine dining during this disaster, but I did.)

Ryan completed some projects while the kids and I were away--can't wait to share them with you.  Glad to be back.