Spike has asked Bobby repeatedly if he can drive, but Bobby is stubborn that way...
It has been a whirlwind since we left Houston! We traveled from Houston to Lake Charles, Louisiana and did an interview with KTLC TV (NBC local affiliate) with Evan Johnson. From there we traveled to Lafayette and interviewed with The Daily Advertiser newspaper (great article! - here is the link)
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708020335
We then interviewed with Fox 15 TV in Lafayette. Next drove to Baton Rouge and interviewed with WVLA 33 TV - and they aired the interview at 5 PM and again the next morning at 9 AM!
New Orleans
Got some sleep and then took off in the morning for New Orleans.As most of you know, Bobby is from New Orleans and was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. He gave us a tour of New Orleans as well as some of the harder hit areas, like the 9th Ward of New Orleans.
The Ninth Ward
What struck us the most was that there is still so much to do there. It is almost 2 years since Katrina hit this area. Rebuilding has started, but there is still debris piled on some roads, other roads are still closed and most disturbing were the slabs of cement, where people's homes once stood; now empty with weeds growing up. Front steps going to nowhere now. These were people's homes now abandoned . . . . gone.
Like Bobby having to start all over again from scratch. I wish all the victims of Katrina peace and blessings in their efforts to put their lives back together.
Bobby next took us through Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi. The beaches that had at one time been busteling with vacationers and filled with casinos, resorts and thriving businesses are now bare. Only some debris remains. Empty parking lots, cement slabs where businesses once stood, bent light poles, plumbing pipes going no where. They are working hard to rebuild this area. We stayed at an RV Park right across the street from the Gulf in Biloxi. The woman told us this story:
"The man who owns the RV park is 76 years old and when Katrina came in he decided to ride it out. His RV Park is directly across the street from the Gulf. At that time, there were numerous hotels and casinos on the beach side in front of his property. They all blew down and washed across the street and formed an 8 foot wall in front of his RV park. That 8 foot wall of debris saved him and his Park. He only had 1 foot of water and 1 oak tree blew down. He watched from the window the whole time."
Amazing story - he certainly does not have the protection of the big hotels and casinos anymore as they are all gone.
We made one other very important stop: to meet up with Bobby's sister, Lumena. She was incredibly kind enough to make us some homemade Gumbo - from their mother's recipe!!! Once we got to the campground, I could not wait to eat! I had no idea what Gumbo would look like - nevermind taste like - but was I in for a delicious surprise!! This Gumbo was so mouthwatering good that I not only ate my bowl, but finished up what Mikey had left in his bowl!!! What a piggy!! But worth every savory bite! For breakfast I actually even thought that it would taste good to dip my English muffin into the leftover Gumbo!! LOL! Thank you Lumena!
The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.
Today is August 3 and we are driving from Biloxi to Atlanta, Georgia. Bobby drove us through Alabama and we stopped at the Rosa Parks Museum and also Martin Luther King's church and his home. Bobby is an excellent tour guide! He could start his own business! The kids are certainly getting good history lessons. We've all formed a great bond together; Bobby has become like a brother to us!
We should be in Atlanta in about an hour - and we'll be having Andy Lebkuecher, Director Southeast Support Groups and our good friend, join us for a cookout! Maybe I'll even share some of the leftover Gumbo with him! :-) . . . . maybe . . . . . :-))))
Love to all,
Robin
P.S. Don't forget our Event in Atlanta:
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Sunday, August 5 at 10:00 A.M.
1701 Uppergate Drive, 1st Floor Lobby
Parking Lowergate Parking Deck is located behind Winship Winship Building
Hope to see you there!!