H U R R I C A N E

I've had the opportunity to see the aftermath that hurricane Katrina left in Biloxi, MS, Plaquamine Parish, LA and the water devistation to New Orleans. Here was my take of each:

Biloxi, MS (March 2008)......Casinos, restaurants, souvenir stores and fun parks that I've frequented wasn't there. They are trying but it will just take a while. I don't understand how people can stay there not knowing what the next hurricane will bring.

Plaquamine Parish, LA (6 times since Katrina).....N O T H I N G could have prepared me for what was seen in southern Plaquamine Parish (Empire, Buras, Venice). The December after Katrina we went down. The big bridge at Empire with the boats laying next to it...that was REAL. Slabs with no houses, houses in the middle of the street...that was REAL. Furniture in the trees, a dead horse in a tree, a shipping contianer on top of a trailer...that was REAL. People knowing the parish as the only way of life and willing to return just because "that's the price you pay for living in paradise"...that IS REAL. They've come so far in 3 years and knowing/seeing what can happen makes me very unhappy. This is MY playground! Again N O T H I N G could have prepared me for what I saw.

New Orleans, LA (December after it happened).....I saw the pictures, I saw what happened on tv BUT seeing it and viewing it in person.......WOW. To drive down the interstate that housed people for days, seeing the debri that was still left...that is gut wrenching. To drive by the Superdome where people were told to go because it was safe...knowing what happened, that is gut wrenching. Driving by the Ernest C. Memorial Convention Center...seeing and knowing what happened there....UNDESCRIBABLE! The first thing I thought of was all of the people who (again) were told to go there because it was a safe place, dying, suffering, looting...what ever else they did, that was UNDESCRIBABLE. Parking next to the convention center, getting out and hearing.........almost nothing.....scary!

NOW just having come back from Crowley, LA (south LA) I got to experience just a little of what happens BEFORE the hurricane. Now people take the hurrican threat seriously. It is a very erie feeling to see most of the traffic heading north and you are heading south. It is a very erie feeling seeing (120 miles away from the potentional hurrican path) people at the gas station waiting 2 to 3 deep. It is a very erie feeling going to a shopping center where I've seen the parking lot be packed full on a Saturday afternoon and seeing it 1) empty and 2)stores with windows boarded up. To make even more chill bumps go down my spine, seeing the elderly in the nursing home being loaded up into buses so that they can be taken away from danger.....helicopters removing patience from a hospital.....and this town is 60 miles from the coast.

For those of you have experienced the aftermath of a tornado...imagine that EXCEPT instead of a couple of miles think of 40 miles!

Having seen what happens BEFORE and AFTER I have just a few thoughts:
1) When living on the coast is all you know and have ever done....that is a true dedication to keep going back OR just stupidity. That is a very fine line and one I won't ever understand.
2) Mother Nature is in control. You CAN NOT stop her, you CAN NOT wish her away...you have to be the best prepared as possible for what she gives. If you do not take her warning and you survive then go ahead and subtract 1 of your 9 lives.
3) Go ahead and start thinking.....if I had to evacute how do I determine what will go and what will stay. What do I need it I cannot come home for days, weeks or even months.
4) Know that you are not in the recovery by yourself. When you least expect it someone (family, stranger, customer coming down to fish) will show up, volunteer and take your greif upon themself.
5) Hopefully one Katrina is enough. Even if Gustav is no where near as bad I PRAY that the people throughout the gulf (TX, LA, MS, LA, FL) will always be prepared. From Katrina forward any more deaths probably and should have been prevented.

Now that my neice & great neice are in Monticello for a few days, I am actually THANKFUL for being able to see what happens BEFORE. This will always bring a greater appreciation. Don't know I want to see if again, BUT if a family member/friend are in need I will GO WHEREVER at WHATEVER time is needed.

Here we come

What do you call two ladies that are headed down to south Louisiana with Gustav headed that way? The first word that comes to my mind is CRAZY but since I am one of those ladies I will use the word determined.

You see my great neice Nora Claire was born last Wednesday afternoon and I haven't had the opportunity to be "offically" introduced to her. Jason and I were in Bristol, TN last weekend for the Nascar races. Thursday, Friday & Saturday night when we made it back to the house we were staying at the first thing I did was check for photo's of her.

Tomorrow morning around 6:00 a.m. Blake Burns (the "other" neice who doesn't get Christmas gifts) and I are headed out. We should be there by 11:00 a.m. Hopefully Nora Claire will be up and waiting but if not we are on HER schedule. Blake and I have already been tasked to babysit Saturday night for a couple of hours. I got the feeding and Blake has the diaper changing!

Now back to Gustav......I am about 90% for sure that Kelly and Nora Claire will be coming back with us for the week. Nobody wants them two traveling by themselves. Anthony will stay unless a parish evacuation is issued. The original plan was to leave Monday after lunch BUT now it is totally being determined by how fast Gustav moves. The earliest we will leave will be Sunday evening and the latest will be Monday mid-morning. We will not be traveling the main highways so hopefully the traffic won't be too bad.

A ticker tape parade for our arrival back into Monticello will not be necessary!

My Hubby

Yesterday was Jason's birthday. We didn't do anything spectacular. Grilled hamburgers over at Rickie's. Jason's mom & dad, my mom, Haley & Abriana were there. Jason's mom made a fish cake for him and it sure was cute.

The spectacular part of his birthday happens next Thursday - Sunday. Thursday we leave to meet a bowling buddy of mine in LR then we are headed to Bristol, TN for the Nascar night races. The Bush race (not Bush any more) will be held Friday night and Saturday night is the Nextel race. We are in the Darryl Waltrip seats Section S Row 40. From what I can tell on the web-site this is half-way between turns. We will see everybody come onto pit row on one side and exit pit row on the other.

We've been to the Bush races in Memphis and have been to one Nextel race at Talladega. We are excited about it being a night race (cooler) and a short track. We will take plenty of pictures!

Now how will I top this birthday next year (40th).........Halibut fishing in either Alaska or the west coast!

O O U U C C H H!!!!

How come it is that the time a toothache usually happens is on a Sunday when you can't get to the dentist?

I had a twing hurt yesterday but I did not think much of it. Well today the twing has turned into hurt. I have no ambesol at the house....I have no anti-biotics at the house. I have no MAJOR pain pills. The last time I had a pain that started out like this I ended up having a root canal and was in MAJOR pain for about 2 weeks. The sad part about this pain is I think it is coming from a tooth that has already had a root canal. Needless to say I will probably be getting into work early so that I can be at the dentist when they open at 8:00 a.m.

I sure hope it's nothing major because I have too much to do to be in pain for 2 weeks!

Bowling With the Big Girls

I spent yesterday in Benton bowling in a women's scratch tournament. There were 16 ladies and I can easily say it was some of the best women bowlers in the state (don't laugh cause I was bowling).

I will start off by saying that I did not check to see if all of my equipment got loaded in the car. I got to Woodlawn and called Jason to see if he put my shoe bag in the trunk. He did not. This is not the first time I've left my shoes at home. When I had a 6-ball bag I had enough room for EVERYTHING. With going to a 4-ball bag I do not have room for everything. I know, I know.....leaving your bowling shoes is worse than a softball player leaving their cleats at home.

Upon arrival at the bowling center I paid my entry fee and then went looking to see if the pro shop was open so I could hopefully buy some shoes. Well the pro shop was not open and the guy at the counter offered me a pair of the house shoes. I told him that I did not mind paying for a good pair of shoes. Well he had a key and got me in. After searching for about 5 minutes I found a pair...actually in my size but white. I don't wear white shoes. I wear dark/black/fire shoes, but they fit, were comfortable and didn't need any breaking in.

With being out of state last week I got no practice and I've not bowl this summer. I got to bowl on the lanes with Rachael Perez. When there was a professional women's Rachael bowled on the tour full time. The first game I actually beat Rachael 247 - 215. The next game she bowled 300. She finished the last game with 279.

After the first game I was actually #1. After the qualifying 4 games I was seated 3rd (not too bad with no practice & not my own shoes). The field of 16 was then cut to the top 8 (double elimination). My being 3rd I bowled the 6th person. Well the game was not good for me. I kept sticking on one lane and (hindsight being 20/20) I really should have stopped and had them clean the approach. I got my a-- handed to me to the tune of 181-235. This put me into the loser's bracket. My next match I was able to slide and I started off with 6 in a row. Frame 7 I ended up with a split & opened. I had another spare and a strike in the ninth. I knew going into the 10th I had to have 3 strikes to shut my opponent out. Well I left the 10-pin, spared and struck. My opponent had to throw 2 strikes in the 10th to shut me out. Well she threw 3. I ended up (with one open) with a 226 and my opponent had a 243. Her two games after that was a 180 something & a 170 something (damn why couldn't she bowl that against me.) The first opponent that beat me ended up 4th and my second opponent ended up 3rd.

I hated to be the first person to get put out....how do you go from 3rd to 8th in two games? I guess that is why they call it bowling and not striking & sparing.

All in all I am very pleased. Rachael complimented me on my bowling (I've taken bowling lessons from her before) and that made me feel real good.

SO, my new pair of WHITE shoes will forever stay in my car (just in case) and I look forward to our next stop. We will be bowling once a quarter and might even have a stop here in Monticello. If so I will let everyone know and maybe you can stop by and not only support the tournament as a whole but even show a little support on my behalf....I won't pay you though!

San Diego

Back in September at our company sales meeting the president of the company said that I could travel to visit customers. Well along with attending MACC in Norfolk, VA the beginning of June I am currently in San Diego, CA. The furthest west I've been has been Las Vegas and that was for about 7 hours.

Where do I start? The weather....I am not lying when I saw the temperature is in the mid to upper 70's and absolutely NO humidity. I am staying at the Holiday Inn On The Bay and am on the 12th floor and I have a wonderful view of the bay. The USS Midway (decomissioned) is stationed over to the left of the hotel and is currently a museum. Just in front of the balcony is the sailship The Star of India, which you can also go on. Just to the right of the balcony there is a Russian submarine that is also a museum.

Today was kind of slow. We (Mike Caldwell, no relation) went to the naval base to work on getting me a pass to get on the various bases here in San Diego. After about a 2 hour wait all of the necessary paperwork was filled out and my pass is actually valid until January 2009. We got to meet with a few guys today briefly (we will have our official meeting with that group on Thursday) and couldn't make arrangements for any more meetings. We had lunch in the GasLamp district, rode over to Imperial Beach, drove through Coronado and saw the Hotel De Coronado, drove over the Coronado bridge (very, very tall bridge) and finished the day by eating dinner at Anthony's Fish Grotto. I chose the Pacif Red Snapper and must say that I was not impressed. It is a very dry fish so I guess we will have to come up with some "wet" recipe to cook our snapper.

Tomorrow's day will start around 9:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. back home) with one of two visits. I will be meeting military customers that I talk with alot and have had the opportunity to meet at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans a few years back.

On Wednesday we are meeting with MESG-1. I've dealt with 2 gentlemen from the group for about 2 1/2 years now and I am so excited about getting to put a face to the name. Both guys are great to work with, easy to get along with and not to mention one of my biggest customers (presently speaking). We will be meeting with their boss also and taking them out to lunch. Even though I am excited to meet them I am very anxious. Now THEY will have a face to a name when they go to fuss about me :).

Also tomorrow my brother is having an arterialgram done at Baptist in LR. After the little heart scare last Saturday he was able to immediatley see a cardiologist who decided (due to our family history) it would be best to skip all of the "little" test and go ahead and do the one that will actually immediatley show what is going on. This is very hard for me not to be there BUT my trip has been planned since June and whatever will happen is going to happen if I am there or not.

Hopefully I will have more pictures to post before I leave!

Offshore Trip

Well I just typed my complete blog and managed to erase it. So here is a quick preview...

We caught our limit of 6 tuna within 2 hours and our limit of 4 red snapper within 30 minutes. It was a great "CATCHING" offshore adventure. We made it home with plenty of fish and 40# of 10-15 count shrimp.

All in all it was another great fishing adventure!