Amber Lights and White Whine

Helen Taylor, 82, (left) and Dorothy Jones, 70, are friends, neighbors and a bright beacon in a mostly deserted block of Prieur Street in New Orleans' 8th Ward. While attention has focused on the obliterated 9th Ward, folks in the 8th were hit hard as well. I came across Helen and Dorothy hanging out on Dorothy's porch as her family was in the process of gutting and renovating her home. The spirit of New Orleans shines through as people like these gals slowly make their way home.


I paid a visit to Habitat for Humanity's Musicians Village in the upper 9th Ward shortly after visiting with Helen and Dorothy. Volunteers from all over the country are here lending a hand because we all feel like shit and can't believe the post-Katrina chaos that occured. Sober spring-breaksters have made their mark with legalized graffiti.



After a typical late NOLA night, I awoke this morning with noble intent but was only able to volunteer for 15 minutes after photographing the site since they quit at 3:30pm each day. I basically showed up for my own photo op. Don't I feel much better now? Don't we all want to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity someday? All cynicism aside, this is a terrific project to build homes for displaced musicians. Come on down, they could use your help. Uh, hours are 8:30am-3:30pm, don't stay out late...yeah, right.


Meanwhile, back in the swamp...I took a ride out to St. Bernard Parish, where I spent some time "embedded" with a Robert Dineroeseque National Guard colonel back in September. FEMA trailers have finally arrived, but like white ghosts they represent the former lives of their residents. Traffic lights are stuck on amber, a metaphor for the slow process of rebuilding. Mounds of trash and debris line the streets, discarded refrigerators lay on their sides and food from September still spoils and stinks. Signs reflect former gas prices or specials of the day, and time seems to stand still here as it does in the majority of the city. Did I need to see this again?


Today was the opening of the New Orleans Our Hometown photo exhibit at Lemieux Galleries. I was glad to contribute three pictures for the show, which will help raise money for displaced New Orleans' artists to do a residency program at Studio in the Woods in high and dry Algiers. You can purchase prints at www.nooht.org

It was cool to attend an art opening in New Orleans instead of photographing destruction. What a nice change. The picture on the upper right top row is mine. Openings are weird though, they sometimes seem a bit forced. I don't know if I could ever be an artist because of this. The Va Va Voom jazz band played and they were tight. Off to see Rockin' Jake, an old aquaintence from my Portsmouth, NH days. Jake, like others, lost most of his belongings in the storm. It takes a village.