down the mississippi...

this past weekend, jason, amber, rita and i headed down the mississippi to new orleans. i'd never been there before. and i have to say, i absolutely fell in love with the city. we stayed in the french quarter. we wined and dined on bourbon street. did some shopping and ate the best mexican food on magazine street. and had oysters and champagne at oceana in the french quarter. i can't wait to go back.

on sunday we drove down and stayed the night on the gulf shore. the amount of destruction we witnessed from katrina was beyond words. almost the entire coast was demolished. there are only signs and concrete slabs where souvenier shops, restaurants and hotels once stood. we walked the beach. instead of seashells and seaweed, the shore was draped in pillows, pieces of remote controls, and two by fours. there were tables and chairs floating in the waves. it was like being the only survivors in some post-apocalyptic world. despite the devastation. the ocean is still so beautiful. there are signs of life. half way down the beach, we found two horseshoe crabs that were stranded on their backs. helpless. we flipped them over and guided them back to sea. and a few seagulls sang and laced the sky.

i encourage people to visit louisiana and mississippi. they are trying to rebuild. and need tourism more now then ever. you won't regret it. the people and the land are beautiful.