Today's Frog In Exile News

Ms. Hollie & I took a half-day vacation from our refugee status yesterday to visit St. Augustine Florida, 45 miles away.

Old Spanish colonial town, a good part of it jammed with tourists, also a bohemian and artistic community.

Felt like home.

The local jazz band playing "Girl From Ipanima" on the main square, however....

Well, I still havn't been able to round up enough fellow evacuees here in Jacksonville to start a brass band and a carnival krewe, so we'll probably be heading west within the week.

Things seem to be comming together faster on the West Bank than in Orleans, so I may wind up crashing at Ms. Hollie's in Terrytown for a bit.

Thanks to Ms. Hollie for keeping me sane through this all.

First tentative sign of recovery

As a participant in the last New Orleans parade before the storm (Krewe of OAK Midsummer Mardi Gras the Saturday night before Katrina hit), I'm glad to hear that this is no longer New Orleans' most recent parade.

WDSU short story from here:

NEW ORLEANS -- Not even Hurricane Katrina could prevent the Decadence Parade from being staged in the French Quarter.

The annual Labor Day gay celebration drew about two-dozen people.

As street musician Matt Menold explained, "It's New Orleans, man. We're going to celebrate."

Carrollton, Louisiana

New Yorker article on my general section of town: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/050912ta_talk_baum