Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
There is no such thing as a vacation
Ok, lets face it. When you have kids, there is really no such thing as a vacation. It is just same stuff, different place. The kids will still get up at the crack of dawn (sometimes before that), they will still need to eat three regular meals, still need to take naps (and fight me about them), still need to be watched ALL the time. The hardest part is that we won't be in our familiar surroundings. I can't just tell them to go and play in the backyard or in their rooms and know they will be safe.
We also like to eat at place called Sticky Fingers which serves great bar-b-cue.
But, saying all of that, I really can't wait for our trip. We will be heading to Isle of Palm SC next week and we are renting a house near the beach with my three siblings and their families and TTG's youngest sister. There will be 13 of us in all. Some combination of my family has been going to IOP for the last 12 or 13 years. It is a great little island off the coast of Charleston. It is about 98% residential property which really makes it an ideal place for families. There are really no forms of entertainment (Well except of course, the beach). There are a few playgrounds for the kids, a marina, a very small grocery store and one or two restaurants. When we have gone in the past we spend most of our time on the beach, and generally hanging around the house playing cards or reading. We don't go out to eat much and just cook meals at the house and eat as a family. One or two nights we go out to eat at the same places every year. We usually make a trip into Charleston to eat at Hymans Seafood. 
Our family really enjoys eating there because the place originated as a dry goods business owned by a Jewish family. If you know my family, you may understand the similarity/significance. They eventually turned the dry goods business into a great place to eat. Hmm, Silver Dry Goods: the restaurant, it could happen!
Our family really enjoys eating there because the place originated as a dry goods business owned by a Jewish family. If you know my family, you may understand the similarity/significance. They eventually turned the dry goods business into a great place to eat. Hmm, Silver Dry Goods: the restaurant, it could happen!
We also like to eat at place called Sticky Fingers which serves great bar-b-cue. So, knowing my family, we will probably do the same things that we always do and have a pretty good time doing it. Of course we will probably be sick of each other by the end of the week but, hey, its family, you understand!
If you know me, you know how important my family is to me. So no matter how crazy the kids get, how smelly the bathrooms get, how sick we are of each other by the end of the week, I just can't wait to be with my family.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
New Orleans Day 2
I have eaten myself sick. I love it! Dad and I could not even finish our dinner (he got a shrimp po boy and i had a catfish po boy) last night.
After dinner we walked up and down Bourbon Street just taking in the sights. If you enjoy people watching, well Bourbon Street is the place for you! Wow. It is so strange to walk down the street and see t-shirt shops with families buying things and then right next door is a strip club. And, these are not just your ordinary strip clubs either (not that I would know an ordinary strip club from an extraordinary one). No, they offer entertainment for both men and women. We are talking equal opportunity here. Anyway, it was interesting.
Later in the evening we walked up to the Mississippi River (just 2 blocks from our hotel) and sat on the banks of the River and watched fireworks celebrating Independence Day. The fireworks were launched from barges floating right in front of where we were sitting. So, we got to see the amazing fireworks display and hear and feel the blast of the fireworks too. It was nice.
This morning we got up and drove out to the Lake District to visit Mt. Carmel Academy where my mom went to high school. We were given a personal tour by the Principal, Sister Camille Anne. She has been the principal for 27 years. This school has become her life. She let us view a DVD that documented the school before, during and after Katrina. You could tell immediately that the hurricane and its damage is still very fresh for her. She showed us buildings that had been severely damaged and were now mostly rebuilt. They still have a ton of work to do. Dad made a donation in memory of mom from the family. You know, considering the amount of money they need, it was not much but you could tell Sister appreciated it so much. If you have time, please visit Campaign for Your Cause and vote for Mt. Carmel Academy. If they win, they will receive $50,000 for their school. You can only vote once a day and voting ends July 13th! Sister hugged us as we left and asked us to pray for the school.
Driving along to get to the school was completely amazing. The school is located in a area of the city that was a fairly wealthy neighborhood. It seemed like as you drove down the street, every other house was still abandoned. You could see waterlines on the houses where the water had sat above the first floor for about 3 weeks after the storm. It looked like a run down abandoned old city that had been left for dead. Every now and then you would come across a house that had been completely redone; new paint, carefully manicured grass, beautiful landscaping. But, it was sitting next door to an overgrown lawn, abandoned house.
After we left the school we went out to Lake Pontchartrain to see the lake and the flood walls. The area had once been a high class, high rent, upscale place. The houses were just devastated. There were restaurants that had been there 4 years earlier when my parents last visited that had been completely destroyed. All that was left were the pilings standing in the lake. I was able to take some pictures of the levees that had broken during the storm and caused much of the water damage.
We then drove to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. The couple we met the evening before led us to believe that the neighborhood was really awful. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Church still standing and looking absolutely beautiful. I lit a candle for my mom and my grandmother. I was also able to get some great photos. We went over to the Parish office and met the Priest who was busy standing on a ladder trying to fix something in the ceiling. I guess the work has to be done by someone, right? He was very nice and appreciated the donation dad made in Mom and Grandma Preston's name.
After the church, we drove around the block to S. Bernadotte Street where my mother grew up. The neighborhood was in much better shape than we had imagined and had been led to believe by others. The houses were run down but the neighborhood was not really in the greatest shape before the hurricane. 217 S. Bernadotte St. was still there. The house was definitely being lived in but the residents were very different from when my mother and her family lived there. There were many Voodoo statues on the porch. I will just leave it at that.
We then drove back to the Quarter, parked the car and walked down Dauphine Street to the place where my mother lived after she finished nursing school. It was a neat little apartment just a block from the French Market. How cool would that have been: 23 years old, no worries, living in the French Quarter.
I was close enough to smell beignets so we had to stop in at Cafe duMonde and eat more. SO, SO, yummy. I did buy a box of the mix but you know, it just won't be the same.
We stopped into St. Louis Cathedral where I lit more candles and we sat and waited out a rain storm. I am now sitting inside the hotel room with the french doors of our room wide open. The courtyard is in view and I am enjoying just sitting here watching the rain. Dad is snoring behind me so it is not 100% peaceful. :)
More eating will be on the agenda for the day. I will write more later.
Julie
After dinner we walked up and down Bourbon Street just taking in the sights. If you enjoy people watching, well Bourbon Street is the place for you! Wow. It is so strange to walk down the street and see t-shirt shops with families buying things and then right next door is a strip club. And, these are not just your ordinary strip clubs either (not that I would know an ordinary strip club from an extraordinary one). No, they offer entertainment for both men and women. We are talking equal opportunity here. Anyway, it was interesting.
Later in the evening we walked up to the Mississippi River (just 2 blocks from our hotel) and sat on the banks of the River and watched fireworks celebrating Independence Day. The fireworks were launched from barges floating right in front of where we were sitting. So, we got to see the amazing fireworks display and hear and feel the blast of the fireworks too. It was nice.
This morning we got up and drove out to the Lake District to visit Mt. Carmel Academy where my mom went to high school. We were given a personal tour by the Principal, Sister Camille Anne. She has been the principal for 27 years. This school has become her life. She let us view a DVD that documented the school before, during and after Katrina. You could tell immediately that the hurricane and its damage is still very fresh for her. She showed us buildings that had been severely damaged and were now mostly rebuilt. They still have a ton of work to do. Dad made a donation in memory of mom from the family. You know, considering the amount of money they need, it was not much but you could tell Sister appreciated it so much. If you have time, please visit Campaign for Your Cause and vote for Mt. Carmel Academy. If they win, they will receive $50,000 for their school. You can only vote once a day and voting ends July 13th! Sister hugged us as we left and asked us to pray for the school.
Driving along to get to the school was completely amazing. The school is located in a area of the city that was a fairly wealthy neighborhood. It seemed like as you drove down the street, every other house was still abandoned. You could see waterlines on the houses where the water had sat above the first floor for about 3 weeks after the storm. It looked like a run down abandoned old city that had been left for dead. Every now and then you would come across a house that had been completely redone; new paint, carefully manicured grass, beautiful landscaping. But, it was sitting next door to an overgrown lawn, abandoned house.
After we left the school we went out to Lake Pontchartrain to see the lake and the flood walls. The area had once been a high class, high rent, upscale place. The houses were just devastated. There were restaurants that had been there 4 years earlier when my parents last visited that had been completely destroyed. All that was left were the pilings standing in the lake. I was able to take some pictures of the levees that had broken during the storm and caused much of the water damage.
We then drove to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. The couple we met the evening before led us to believe that the neighborhood was really awful. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Church still standing and looking absolutely beautiful. I lit a candle for my mom and my grandmother. I was also able to get some great photos. We went over to the Parish office and met the Priest who was busy standing on a ladder trying to fix something in the ceiling. I guess the work has to be done by someone, right? He was very nice and appreciated the donation dad made in Mom and Grandma Preston's name.
After the church, we drove around the block to S. Bernadotte Street where my mother grew up. The neighborhood was in much better shape than we had imagined and had been led to believe by others. The houses were run down but the neighborhood was not really in the greatest shape before the hurricane. 217 S. Bernadotte St. was still there. The house was definitely being lived in but the residents were very different from when my mother and her family lived there. There were many Voodoo statues on the porch. I will just leave it at that.
We then drove back to the Quarter, parked the car and walked down Dauphine Street to the place where my mother lived after she finished nursing school. It was a neat little apartment just a block from the French Market. How cool would that have been: 23 years old, no worries, living in the French Quarter.
I was close enough to smell beignets so we had to stop in at Cafe duMonde and eat more. SO, SO, yummy. I did buy a box of the mix but you know, it just won't be the same.
We stopped into St. Louis Cathedral where I lit more candles and we sat and waited out a rain storm. I am now sitting inside the hotel room with the french doors of our room wide open. The courtyard is in view and I am enjoying just sitting here watching the rain. Dad is snoring behind me so it is not 100% peaceful. :)
More eating will be on the agenda for the day. I will write more later.
Julie
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
New Orleans Day 1
I am currently on a trip to New Orleans with my father to see the city where my mother grew up. We are planning on visiting some of the places of my mother's youth: the house where she grew up, her elementary school, her high school, the church where my parents married. All were severly damaged in the 2005 Hurricane. We arrived in New Orleans today after 2 days of driving.
At the beginning of our trip I was optimistic about what we would see. But, as we were driving I started reading the AAA travel book for the city. There were so many places that are not open anymore that were surprising to me: The zoo, the streetcars, churches, museums, Six Flags amusement park. That made me sad. When we were about 50 miles out we saw a huge area filled with FEMA trailers. There must have been 3000 trailers. It was very strange.
As we got closer, the damage was becoming more visible. It was interesting because nature had repaired itself in the two years since the hurricane. Trees were green with leaves and other plants were just growing away. But, civilization was not so much. There were houses in middle class neighborhoods with no roof, apartment complexes that were abandoned and being prepared for demolition. It was really very eye opening.
We checked into our hotel: Place d'Armes Hotel in the French Quarter. Very quaint and neat little hotel. The French Quarter had little damage from the hurricane but since so many people either died or left the city after Katrina, there are many shops and restaraunts that are closed.
After we checked in we made a beeline to Cafe du Monde and had beignets and cafe au lait. YUMMMMY. It was wonderful. We met a couple who had lived in New Orleans but had evacuated before the hurricane to Ft. Lauderdale and decided to stay. They were back for a visit for the first time since August 2005. They were able to confirm some details we feared (my mother's house is gone) and give us some good news (Deanies Seafood is open)
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Mt. Carmel Academy (my mother's high school) and to Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where my parents got married 40 years ago.
I am taking pictures but I forgot my mini USB cable so I can't upload any pictures. I promise to do that soon.
Julie
At the beginning of our trip I was optimistic about what we would see. But, as we were driving I started reading the AAA travel book for the city. There were so many places that are not open anymore that were surprising to me: The zoo, the streetcars, churches, museums, Six Flags amusement park. That made me sad. When we were about 50 miles out we saw a huge area filled with FEMA trailers. There must have been 3000 trailers. It was very strange.
As we got closer, the damage was becoming more visible. It was interesting because nature had repaired itself in the two years since the hurricane. Trees were green with leaves and other plants were just growing away. But, civilization was not so much. There were houses in middle class neighborhoods with no roof, apartment complexes that were abandoned and being prepared for demolition. It was really very eye opening.
We checked into our hotel: Place d'Armes Hotel in the French Quarter. Very quaint and neat little hotel. The French Quarter had little damage from the hurricane but since so many people either died or left the city after Katrina, there are many shops and restaraunts that are closed.
After we checked in we made a beeline to Cafe du Monde and had beignets and cafe au lait. YUMMMMY. It was wonderful. We met a couple who had lived in New Orleans but had evacuated before the hurricane to Ft. Lauderdale and decided to stay. They were back for a visit for the first time since August 2005. They were able to confirm some details we feared (my mother's house is gone) and give us some good news (Deanies Seafood is open)
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Mt. Carmel Academy (my mother's high school) and to Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where my parents got married 40 years ago.
I am taking pictures but I forgot my mini USB cable so I can't upload any pictures. I promise to do that soon.
Julie
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