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August, 2005
08.31.2005/20:31
Katrina update from our corner of Louisiana
[Update to this update, 9.2.2005 - We are more swamped with refugees than we would have ever believed. Most of our Katrina efforts for right now are in support of the American Red Cross, and additionally Susan continues with a school-supplies program for the hundreds of kids in our parish who are enrolling this week. Also, my client Southern Mutual Help Association has created a special initiative focused on hurricane recovery issues for the rural poor, the SMHA Rural Recovery Fund. You know what to do.]
Here is the text of an email I just sent to several friends who have taken the time over the last few days to inquire about how we fared with Hurricane Katrina:
Dear all,
I hope all of you will forgive the group email, but I wanted to send an update to all of those who have so kindly inquired about us in recent days.
We escaped damage from Hurricane Katrina, and all of you know the grim story coming from New Orleans. We understand our role, in this area of Louisiana, is as host to literally thousands and thousands of refugees. I spent a good deal of the day in meetings organizing relief-related activities in Lafayette, while Susan did the same, along with arraying library services for these guests of our area, in New Iberia.
FEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies, to which all of us are giving our support, are at this time on the front line in organizing shelter, food and medical care for those who are coming into this, and, of course, other areas. My and Susan's efforts are directed toward providing at least something of a level of comfort and accommodation of needs beyond those most basic ones. For instance, one of my activities today involved helping turn what would have been a Lafayette arts fundraiser next weekend into a school supplies drive for refugee children who are registering at local school systems (I think Susan may be starting a similar project tomorrow through her civic club). We met with school board officials who have identified what items will be most desperately needed by these additional members of our community as they come to their new schools, and we are confident that our community will respond to this and other efforts to serve the needs of these displaced persons and families. Another effort I am helping to organize, in consultation with Lafayette city officials, is aimed at providing other welcoming services and activities for these new members of our community. I spent some time today at the largest refugee local center (the Cajundome in Lafayette) and was deeply moved by the way Red Cross and other community volunteers are doing an amazing job of providing a basic level of services to the refugees, although as you can imagine there is a tremendous sense of helplessness amongst those sheltered there. We believe that we will have many of these people with us for some time, and the aim of this second group with which I am working is to devise ways to provide them with as great a level of dignified comfort as we can, particularly as their time here stretches into weeks and even months.
I should also note that the refugees in our area fall into two broad categories: those who have been welcomed into the homes of family or friends (and there are literally thousands of these), and those who have come here to public shelters through agency or church referral or other knowledge of the refugee centers; you can certainly understand that though the two groups share many needs, those in shelters are a bit more desperate.
Many of you have inquired, What can I do? For now, my best suggestion is to contribute to the American Red Cross, you can never go wrong there.
Meanwhile, thank all of you once again for your kind inquiries and thoughts, and please know that we are buoyed by your concern for us and our fellow Louisianans.
Best to all,
James
08.31.2005/08:10
Katrina
Thanks to all who have called or emailed asking if we are okay. New Iberia had only the conditions of a mild tropical storm and we are all just fine. Our particular efforts in our town are now aimed at hosting refugees, some who have been here since the weekend and others who are just arriving at shelters coordinated by the Red Cross and others. Susan and I went drugstore shopping for personal items last night for one of the shelters, as she is spearheading the drive amongst her colleagues at the library to provide items identified by one of the shelters. In nearby Lafayette Parish, refugee children are being invited to register for school. This is all very overwhelming. The first thing we are all concerned about is getting as many people safe and comfortable as possible.
08.31.2005/08:08
Katrina
Here is the best ongoing news source I have found for info about Katrina in New Orleans: www.wwltv.com. Particularly of interest is the news blog.
08.30.2005/21:00
Katrina Help Info
katrinahelp.info
08.26.2005/10:02
Look!
"We have set up this exhibit to highlight the spread of man as a plague species and to communicate the importance of man's place in the planet's ecosystem."
08.24.2005/21:00
Just do it
World Jump Day.
08.24.2005/20:51
Get me Kofi
Hu is the new leader of China.
08.24.2005/09:41
Stay inside
Great name for an astronomy site: cloudynights.com.
08.23.2005/21:24
Recipe
If you combined alphabet soup with gazpacho, would you have a Text-Mex dish?
08.22.2005/21:19
Click!
"Using lunar tables, topographic maps, weather records and astronomical software, backed by a scouting trip to Glacier Point itself, the researchers believe that Adams pressed the shutter on September 15, 1948 at 7:03 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time."
08.20.2005/11:48
Nebraska Sky
Moonrise near Kearney, NE.
08.20.2005/11:45
Putting it to Labor
S.P. Dinsmoor's Garden of Eden (and burial place) in Lucas, KS, is full of grassroots sculpture with turn-of-the-twentieth century political themes.
08.20.2005/11:43
The high road
Northern Kansas.
08.20.2005/11:40
Lebanon Has Souvenirs
At the geographic center of the continental U.S. near Lebanon, KS, things have been rather quiet since Hawaii showed up. There are souvenirs available in town, about a mile or two away, but we didn't stop.
08.20.2005/11:31
Object of Art
At the concupiscently sprawling yet somehow myopic Pioneer Village in Minden, NE, the tuxedo is included in a section where visitors are welcomed with this message:
"Man First: Fights for Food, Then for Rights, Then for Power.
When These Needs Are Fulfilled
He Then Seeks Culture and Art
If he tires of Realistic Art
He then Seeks the Surrealistic
THIS ROOM IS DEDICATED TO REALISTIC
TOOLS AND OBJECTS OF ART"
08.20.2005/11:24
Willa Cather’s bedroom
The jewel of the very well-presented Willa Cather State Historical Site in Red Cloud, NE, is the upstairs bedroom she fashioned for herself in the family's middle-class home.
08.20.2005/11:22
Nebraska Clouds
Northern Nebraska.
08.20.2005/11:18
Grain Elevator
Southern South Dakota.
08.20.2005/11:11
N29-G7
Northern Plains Cooperative Field Research site, South Dakota.
08.20.2005/11:08
Home of the Greyhounds
Hoven High School, Hoven, SD.
08.20.2005/11:06
Wunnerful
Guided tour of Welk Farmstead near Strasburg, ND, as cutout of famous family member Lawrence Welk looks over his childhood dining room.
08.20.2005/11:04
Bright faces
Sunflower field near Flaxton, ND.
08.20.2005/11:03
Waving grain
Saskatchewan, Canada.
08.19.2005/21:55
Asleep at the Wheel
"What reasonable person who has traveled our nation's roads and highways thinks that forcing tired truck drivers to stay behind the wheel even longer is good public policy?"
08.15.2005/22:15
Vegreville Pysanka
Vegreville, Alberta. This large, outdoor metal version of the traditional Ukrainian easter egg is not only an arresting piece of sculpture (note the size as compared to the caboose) but also, especially considering the mid-70s time at which it was constructed, quite an engineering marvel.
08.15.2005/22:10
Gentle Saskatchewan
Today we drove through west central Saskatchewan, which is plains and prairie, with gentle rolling terrain. Though we were at meridian lines equivalent to central Montana, there were no big pivot irrigation devices seen here, which are of course much in evidence due south in the U.S.
08.15.2005/22:08
Advertising Clock
Bing's Restaurant No. 1, Stony Plain, Alberta. This clock had two panels of advertising that changed by flipping every few seconds. I marvel at the thought of someone going around town selling this ad space.
08.14.2005/18:40
Railway Town
Tourism is the biggest industry today in Jasper, Alberta, but not too many years ago the biggest employer was the railroad, and the town is still an important rail center.
08.13.2005/22:53
Hybrid with a plug
Everybody should get one of these!
08.13.2005/22:51
Send me the bill
Everybody should get one of these!
08.13.2005/19:49
A Town With Wapiti
We have reached the peak, in three senses of the word (highest latitude, amongst peaks, and bestest!) of our vacation trip, here in Jasper, AB. Susan managed to find the lodging that is literally the last thing on the road that goes through town, and today we took a four-hour hike that started at the end of the parking lot and immediately took us deep into wilderness, forests and lakes. We briefly met a family group about a half-mile from the hotel and other than that, only one other couple hiking -- about which more below.
On our hike we saw wapiti (elk), loons, bald eagles, ravens, gray jays and some exceptionally beautiful damsel flies. And tons of beautiful views. Elsewhere, I have posted a photo of Upper Mina Lake, which was on our route today.
After we had been out for about an hour, we passed a spot where two trails met at a parking lot, and a hiking couple emerged to start out their own trip. He had a big backpack, obvious for overnight, and she had a smaller one (which, before long, was on his back along with his). She was also clutching, in her right hand, a roll of toilet paper. She still had it an hour later when we passed them fiddling with their map, and she had it still when she doubled back to collect the map which they had dropped on the trail and which we had picked up and carried forward with the thought that we might see them again stopped for adjustment-making, etc.; and at the least our retrieving it saved her some steps. They were headed for an overnight backcountry camp spot about six or seven miles out of town. Our thought was that she was not all that comfortable with things, but at least she had toilet paper. Hope all goes well, for if not, it might mean troubled times for that relationship!
The other significant news is that we found a place downtown that has the best coffee we have had in Canada. Ever.
[Update 8.14.2006: It rained pretty steadily overnight, no doubt soaking any uncovered toilet paper into unusability and of course turning any reluctantly agreed-to introductory camping trip into a disaster. So far, I am slightly relieved to report, no murder headlines from the campground; and we haven't been scouted as witnesses by homicide detectives asking if we have seen the man or woman in these photos, which would likely have happened if, say, she had stabbed him to death in retribution for the rain, or perhaps even choked him to death by forcing a partially-used roll of toilet paper down his throat. But we'll check the morning papers tomorrow.]
08.13.2005/19:38
Upper Mina Lake
Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.
08.12.2005/11:02
The Raven
Banff National Park, Alberta, CA.
08.12.2005/11:01
Icefields Parkway
The Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper in Alberta, CA.
08.12.2005/11:00
Lake Louise Photo Op
A large number of visitors to Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies have their companions take a photo of them with the lake in the background.
08.12.2005/09:07
Falls promise
"Not surprisingly, however, there are some who would prefer the falls remain a secret."
08.11.2005/08:58
You cad!
Snit!
08.10.2005/19:20
Political Excursion Train
Canada's provincial premiers meet periodically in some spot or other; the current conference is in Banff, and the pols arrived today on a special excursion train led by a steam locomotive.
08.10.2005/19:19
Vermilion Lakes
It was rainy today, which turned out to be nice weather for a walk on a trail along the Vermilion Lakes just outside of Banfff.
08.10.2005/19:16
Lightly Attended Performance
Banff, AB.
08.10.2005/12:50
Relaxxxxxxxxx
We are really, really on vacation now. Susan is as napping as I wind up about an hour and a half of catch-up work (I travel with my laptop, not just to post to Poor Clio, but to extend my ability to vacation by making my time away transparent to my clients). Next we go out for lunch.
We are in Banff, in the Canadian Rockies. Banff Town, as it is called, is a little section of the National Park that contains (in many meanings of the word) the commercial interests of the resort area; there are a few other pockets along the string of parks along the Rockies, the most famous of which is Lake Louise.
We'll see Lake Louise tomorrow, as we are on our way up for a few days in Jasper National Park. Meanwhile, we are really kicking back and enjoying the temps in the 40s and 50s. We will no doubt be doing some hiking, etc. before the next few days are over; but for the moment, we are in a spacious room with a great view from the balcony, and it's easy to imagine whiling the rest of the day away just gazing from the arm chairs... or even snoozing in the cool mountain air.
08.10.2005/11:23
View from our balcony
From our hotel room in Banff.
08.10.2005/10:10
Fruit
Sites That Are What Their URLs Say They Are Dept.:
thefruitpages.com
08.10.2005/10:09
Huh?
That's real nice, honey.
08.10.2005/10:05
Wind farm
Wind turbines near the truly delightful town of Pincher Creek, in Alberta.
08.10.2005/10:04
Wheat
Montana.
08.8.2005/16:51
Sugar Beets
Bridger, MT.
08.8.2005/16:51
Sunflower
Near Lovell, WY.
08.7.2005/10:10
Dinosaur track
Red Gulch Dinosaur Trascksite near Shell, WY. My ink pen is for scale.
08.7.2005/10:08
Poison Spider Road
Casper, WY.
08.6.2005/10:04
Carhenge
Alliance, NE.
08.6.2005/10:03
Nebraska Irrigation
Irrigation near Trenton, NE.
08.6.2005/10:01
Post parade
Along a mile or so stretch of U.S. 26 in Nebraska, near Ash Hollow State Historical Park, boots of various kinds are stuck atop the right-of-way boundary fence.
08.6.2005/10:00
Clouds over Kansas
U.S. Highway 83.
08.6.2005/09:59
McGuyver
Susan and I visit with a motel cat, McGuyver, at a hidden garden of the Best Western in Colby, KS.
08.6.2005/09:58
Jackalope
An effigy of the cryptozoologic Jackalope is the civic pride of Douglas, WY.
08.6.2005/09:56
Sir Barton
Before there was a Triple Crown, there was a Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, now buried in Douglas, WY.
08.4.2005/19:43
Bird's eye view
"The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg, it's so very thin."
08.4.2005/17:54
Keyhole
Monument Rocks, west central Kansas.
08.4.2005/17:53
Monument Rocks
Monument Rocks, west central Kansas.
08.4.2005/17:50
Bare field
Western Kansas.
08.4.2005/17:48
Pivot Irrigaion
Western Kansas.
08.4.2005/17:47
Texas vultures
Some sort of vulture, Susan says. In the northeast Texas panhandle.
08.4.2005/07:20
No old taxes
"Stores that still collect a repealed 4-cent state sales tax on food could lose their liquor permits if they continue to do so, state officials announced Wednesday."
08.3.2005/20:45
Lose the remote
Susan and I are driving through the Great Basin, an earnest part of America, on our way to Canada, and I am reminded that over the course of my lifetime, the remote has been replaced by the abandoned.
08.3.2005/20:44
81 and 82
Intersection of U.S. Highways 81 and 82, in north Texas.
08.3.2005/20:44
Not For Rent
Near Parks, LA.
08.2.2005/10:59
It's Alive!
"Recordings of the ivory-billed woodpecker's distinctive double-rap sounds have convinced doubting researchers that the large bird once thought extinct is still living in an east Arkansas swamp."
08.2.2005/08:12
Return of the good
Oh, boy! They're back!
08.2.2005/08:09
Naked or nude?
"Whether the angel is clothed, he said, will be left to divine inspiration."
08.2.2005/07:30
Perseid time!
Time to get ready for the next big meteor shower.
08.1.2005/21:39
Rare beetle
"Some insects, such as the hemlock wooly adelgid, emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle, can wreak havoc on wildlife habitat. However, most ambrosia beetles feed on fungi in dead or dying trees, not healthy ones."
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