"So Long for Now" to N'awlins

Yesterday I got on the Honda and rode the 75 miles to Irish Bayou. Lonnie and Vince, the friends that provided a place for me to live before I came to Lizana had just returned from 8 days in Las Vegas - a "business trip" for Lonnie.

But they were rested enough to welcome me with a gallon of margaritas and some great conversation. Then we went to the French Quarter for some of the best gumbo in the world.

At Evelyn's Place, a really seedy dive on Chartres St. I found Evelyn and her gumbo 25, well maybe 30 years ago when I asked a cocktail waitress at one of the "fancy" places, "Where do you go to chill when you get off work?" It's another of those places, like the thrift shop in Laguna Beach, that I consider "mine" even though I never got there more than twice a year.

But whenever I walked in and said, in my best N'awlin's accent, "Hey Dahlin', where Y'at?" Evelyn would put down her drink and her cigarette, come out from behind the bar and give me a kiss. Then she'd look at me for a minute and say, "Helicopters. Right?" and if Mary Ann wasn't with me, "Where's that lovely lady of yours?"

Every time we visited, Evelyn would put a big pot of gumbo in the fridge for us. We'd pack a couple of dozen gallon freezer bags and put them in a freezer chest, duct tape it closed and bring it home as baggage. One year I said, "You know, if this duct tape fails, those freezer bags are toast. So what's the point?" After that we just poured a few gallons right into the freezer chest and REALLY duct taped it shut.

I hadn't been in 10 years. I heard that Evelyn had died in Feb. and I couldn't leave the area without paying my respects with a cold long neck. Having Lonnie and Vince along for support really helped. I don't think I could have done it alone. The memories, oh the memories. GOOD ones, but still.

The lady working asked if I'd been a "regular". I said, "Sorta. I've been away a long time. And I've heard about Evelyn." She took my hand and said, "Oh good. I'm not very good at telling people."

This link, Evelyn's does a much better job of capturing the spirit. But they missed one picture that helps explain why Mary Ann loved the place, and Evelyn as much as I did.


Can you say, "Kindred spirits"??

And one for me



If you look REAL close, in the upper left corner you can see part of a VA Tech and a UVA banner. Obviously, Evelyn would let anybody in.

We drank a little, ate some gumbo and red beans and rice, and cried a little. Well, a little more than a little. But as my counselor used to tell me, "The only reason it's all so hard is because it was all so wonderful."

Yes,I know Life IS Good, but I still miss her so much.

It's going to be very hard to leave my wonderful new friends, already like family, here in MS and LA. But I'm ready to go back to VA.

My last Camp Noah - for now

Wow, what a week. This Camp Noah was the first bi-lingual one for me. The CAMP was bi-lingual - not me. I'm "language challenged" and am just amazed at bi/tri/quad lingual people. To me it's like watching Tiger play golf - it's just a skill to which I can't even aspire.

But the hugs - and tears - are universal. These kids, and the Camp Noah counselors were so loving and I received so much more than I gave. The site coordinator, Nichene and I made a SUPER team and kept everybody fed and happy.

I've been promised pictures from Becky, the head counselor. I'll put them in a later blog.

For now, here are some photos from the previous Camp Noah that I got from their website.









See what I mean??

So this was the last Camp Noah for me, for now. Like everything else in my life, I have no idea where and when I might find another opportunity like this.

I'll spend the next couple of days helping Karen at Camp Hope. Karen's mother had surgery this past week. So one night I was the chef. Four amazing volunteers and I prepared a baked pasta dish, Italian beans, garlic bread and Caesar salad, along with the previous day's red beans and rice. And successfully fed 175 people. Very satisfying work - but still not like Camp Noah.

On Wed, Aug 1st I'll head north for a long weekend with Lesly and my Airstream friends someplace near Jackson. Then it's on to VA and Adam's wedding.

I said "Good by" to the last group of volunteers that I'll spend a full week with and it was really difficult because they were an AWESOME group. Three parishs from near Boston: St Anne's, St Mary's and St Matthew's; St John the Baptist from MN, St John's from NJ, St Joseph and Our Lady of the Fields from MD, and St Thomas More from Washington state. The kids, and the adults were so full of the Spirit of Christ and came here to serve in any way they could. Again it was VERY HOT. They worked outdoors or in houses without air conditioning and I never heard a single complaint. I asked a lot of different kids to help me do things like carry groceries, stack shelves, set up serving lines - things that I'm sure didn't fit their initial thoughts of "serving the Lord in Mississippi". But there was never a second's hesitation. Just, "Sure. Where do you want me to carry it?" WITH a big smile.

The leaders swore they didn't pick on the basis of looks but I'm not convinced. They were ALL so beautiful (or handsome as appropriate). Short redheads, tall blonds, various sized brunettes, they were all simply gorgeous. Maybe it was the inner glow, I don't know. And many are making plans already to come back next year.

They all wanted to know if I'd be here when they return. All I could say was, "I don't know where I'll be this Oct. So next summer's location is a little hard to guess."

Too many options with no commitments could be the definition of

"Life is good !"