4.10.05
Well, Wendy flew down to B'Ham and the 2 of us drove Mom back to the Quarter this weekend. It was very eerie. We had no trouble getting into the city through Covington/Mandeville and across the Causeway. Noone stopped us or even looked at us. I guess I pictured Police or Military checkpoints or something but we saw nothing.
The Quarter is still largely deserted and there are huge piles of extremely smelly garbage, but most of the places look OK and a few bars and restaurants are open. We actually sat at the piano in Laffite's Blacksmith Shop and had a couple of beers saturday night. Aunt Kay, Uncle Tim and Emily came by Mom's earlier and brought us a cold beer which was much appreciated.
Mom's house is fine, just a few tiny roof leaks. The water looks and smells fine but is still not "cleared". We showered in it however. One official said the water in the FQ is probably OK but they can't clear the water in just one section of the city.
It was both uplifting (seeing little damage and some returning normalcy) and disheartening(deserted, filthy streets and closed businesses) but I'm glad I was able to see it and I feel OK about Mom returning. I look forward to seeing all of my family and friends there again soon.