Thursday: A travel day.....

This morning was more humid in N.O. than the past few days, but.......knowing that we were leaving made this weather change not very important.

After checking the rooms for any things we might have overlooked, I checked out, sent for the car, and soon we had the luggage loaded, hot coffee and tea with us, and we left the hotel at 7:30AM. Using our GPS, it was a piece of cake to get out of the one-way, narrow streets in the French Quarter....and quickly onto I-10, which hooks up with I-55 going north to Missouri.

We made a couple of quick stops for refreshing ourselves and for refreshments for ourselves. We made a late lunch stop just south of Memphis for some really great BBQ sandwiches with sides......almost too much to eat and then have to drive....haha.

We arrived home at 6pm.....a bit longer than it took us on the trip down to New Orleans, but we did take longer for lunch and had a couple of extra stops today than on Sunday. It is such an EASY trip down to New Orleans from here.......I don't know why we don't go more frequently.

I must make a comment about the French Quarter, as well as other parts of the New Orleans we visited this trip........ The Quarter is shining with lots and lots of the beautiful old French style buildings all sporting new paint jobs.....or in the process of getting painted. Now...that is not to say that it is all clean and spiffy, but progress is being made....and it is going to really be nice when...and IF....it is all finished. On Canal Street.....it is much cleaner, much brighter, and looks just great for an older city.

New Orleans has soooooo damned much charm......it is sooooo unique, sooooo attractive in it's own way......and a jewel of culture that most cities cannot claim. The 1st Lady and I absolutely love this wonderful city.......the culture, the arts, the wonderful people, the architecture......the city is fantastic!!!! We actually discussed that if the weather was better year round we would actually think seriously about moving there. These few days there in such perfect weather certainly were the best few days we have ever experienced there.............and, we had many regrets about having to drive away from all of these things we enjoy sooooo much!!!! We are already looking at the calendar to try to find a way to get back there in the spring when we leave the Rio Grande Valley after we spend the winter down there!!

Ahhhhh........I am still very emotional about the results of the election.....and the "Change" that has already occurred with President-elect Obama's election. I have soooo much to say about this.....specifically since I had soooooo many experiences with the Civil Rights movement during the 60's while I was in college.......of which I will write about very soon........

But, this has been a super week.....and I just cannot say how lucky I/we are to be able to enjoy, to experience, to have the opportunities to make these trips to such wonderful places.......and I know so well that.......

LIFE IS JUST REALLY, REALLY INCREDIBLE!!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!