New Orleans
 

While there's still a lot of damage from Hurricane Katrina (last picture), the city is coming back and seems to be doing pretty darn good based on the traffic and number of people! The guys I was with were down there the year after Katrina and areas that were totally wiped out are now 40% or more rebuilt. Homes are going back up and businesses are reopening. It'll still be a long time, but the direction is good! :thumbs:

Thanks for sharing, dicksbro, great pics :thumb:

The house in the final pic is in a sorry looking state :( but next door seems to be looking much better so it's showing progress :)

It does look as though much progress is being made..... how many folks have moved back DB? I seem to remember hundreds of thousands of people had been forced to leave (including our own Wicked Wanda) but, over here at least, I haven't seen any news about N.O. for a long time.

Cracking pictures btw!

I had heard (but don't know for sure) that the city is back to about 250,000 people or more. Here's a few more pictures from our trip. Fourth picture is the hotel (time share) we stayed at.

... and one more page. My nature shot is second; third is another damaged home. Last is a fruit stand where the oranges were fresh and delicious!!!!!!!!

Interesting side bit. When we were talking to the lady at the fruit stand, I noticed some swampy areas nearby and asked if she ever saw any alligators nearby. She said just a while back her neighbor's grand-daughter (3-years old) went running into her house telling her mom that there was a large lizard in their backyard. It was an ALLIGATOR! :yikes:

Doesn't happen often, I guess, but they do see Mother Nature's handiwork every now and then.

dicksbro,

Nice pics. TY.

What is the bird in #2 (101_0215u.JPG)?

I'm not real sure. Looks a bit like a stork but I'm not an expert. I was a ways off and was lucky to catch the picture zooming in.

Pelican.

Unfortunately, while much of the city is being/has been rebuilt, my eer-so-distant family's place will not be one of them. They lost the fight with the insurance company.

It's a pelican. We have them allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll over near the shorelines.

That's a "Roger" on the pelican! Thanks. :thumbs:

poor pelican

:roflmao:

I confess that at first glance I thought the bird was flying left but I was looking at it the wrong way around and thought its tail was its head :o

Great new pics, dicksbro! I have never seen a pelican in flight. They have them in the big park an hour or so away from where I am but their wings are clipped so they only ever swim, waddle or flap. They have a couple of babies now. Must have been awesome to see such a large bird in flight :)

Behold the pelican;
his beak can hold more than his belly can.

- Ogden Nash