Bayou Sauvage Marsh Fire

Apparently lightening started a fire in an island in the Bayou Sauvage NWLR this week and NOLA has been overwhelmed with the smoke from the fire. Here is a time lapse today provided by a local TV channel.

Raw Video: Time Lapse Of Smoke Filling CBD - Video - WDSU New Orleans

Former Governor Blanco

Kathleen Blanco has been diagnosed with a form of eye cancer. She has begun writing a journal to detail what she's going through. Here is a recent excerpt found at BayouBuzz.com:

Cancer Radiation

Written by Bayoubuzz StaffMonday, 29 August 2011 13:21

BlancoThe following is the most recent edition of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco’s Journal which she has started since discovering she was suffering from a rare eye cancer.

"My First Report Since Radiation

Dear Friends: Thank you, again, for you sustaining prayers. I have had little to report in the past few weeks as my eye slowly healed from the plaque radiation treatment done in Memphis. I was not bed-ridden, but I did spend the past weeks being extra kind to myself by following doctors orders: 1)not lifting heavy items (you suddenly realize bags of groceries are heavier than you should be lifting); 2) keeping my head above my heart (which is harder than you think when some incidental falls to the floor and the tendency is to bend down and swoop it up instead of sitting and carefully reaching for it); 3)and getting more rest including day-time naps (a luxury I had never experienced).

My eye no longer looks like a Raisinet. It looks like a normal eye. My vision in my treated eye is still not back to what it was before radiation, but it is good enough for me to resume driving without scaring myself. I am checked regularly by my local doctors to ward off unforseen problems and after waiting 8 weeks, I took another trip to Memphis so Dr. Wilson could check my progress.

The odds of radiation reducing these tumors are very high, but a small percent of patients do not respond well and have to have the cancerous eye removed, afterall. I was praying I not fall into that rare number, so with some last minute nervousness, Raymond, Karmen and Monique and I left for Memphis. After ultrasound and other eye tests I was relieved to learn that the tumor in my eye which first measured at 6mm high is now 4.5mm. Shrinking is a good thing and I pray this continues. Hallelujah! I still have swelling in the macula and Dr. Wilson gave me a shot (yep, in the eyeball!--OUCH! ) to help the swelling go away. Of course my next prayer mission is for the swelling to go down as this is what is affecting the clarity of my vision.

I will continue to see my local eye doctor for periodic exams and return to Memphis in December for comprehensive tests like CT scans, liver studies, etc., to detect the presence of matastasis if it exists (I PRAY NOT!) and to determine whether the tumor continues to shrink (I PRAY SO!)

i look quite normal, but still have a bit of fatigue to deal with. Keep me in your prayers along with all our friends who suffering debilitating or dangerous illnesses. Other than being somewhat tramatized by all of the above, my family is doing well. God bless all of you, and again, thanks for your hevenly petitions in my name. Love you all, Kathleen"

K plus 6

Hurricane hitting the East Coast

 Comment on the cnn.com article re: Hurricane hitting the East Coast

 

• MatiValhalla

Oh my God. What are these idiots doing, living along the Eastern seaboard, New York City, Boston, Norfolk, etc? What are they thinking? Don't they know they shouldn't build or live in the path of where Major Hurricanes come ashore!?   And I don't want my tax dollars paying out to these people or to ... more

Oh my God. What are these idiots doing, living along the Eastern seaboard, New York City, Boston, Norfolk, etc? What are they thinking? Don't they know they shouldn't build or live in the path of where Major Hurricanes come ashore!? 
  And I don't want my tax dollars paying out to these people or to FEMA in case they need help. Why can't they learn? And to think they even have Earthquakes in that region as well. Idiots! No help for them!

signed,
A Hurricane Katrina survivor. 
Aug/Sept 2005

The Truth Hurts, Doesn't It?
And doesn't it really sound ridiculous, heartless, demeaning, inhuman and sarcastic when the "shoe is on the other foot"?

I actually hope everyone will be fine.
Including the Idiots that posted 'merde' about my State and the South inn the aftermath of Katrina.

 

Katrina Memorials

 St. Bernard Parish plans two events associated with the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

On Aug. 28, local officials and civic groups will gather at the Katrina Memorial Monument in Shell Beach for 7:30 a.m. ceremonies to remember the 163 St. Bernard residents killed when the storm struck on Aug. 29, 2005.

The parish School Board plans a breakfast Aug. 29 at Chalmette High School to mark the anniversary.

This website has some fantastic photos of the Memorial and other sections of St. Bernard Parish’s recovery http://hippics.smugmug.com/

 

 

 

 

A walk on an August Evening

We adopted a five month old lab puppy a month ago and have taken up the habit of evening walks through necessity: this puppy has a lot of energy in his 50 plus pound body!



Although it feels like walking through a steam bath, the walk is actually therapeutic when I bring my camera. It makes me look for things I normally wouldn't be looking for without it. So without further ado, here are the things I saw on my evening walk.

































It's just about sunset when we get home after our mile long trek, which means it's a little bit cooler. And this evening walk always does the trick to wear out our little Deuce for a while!



I can't wait for the November evening walks.

Temple Inland

Their website says "what it takes to be the best".

Well, it appears that something went horribly wrong in Bogalusa this week.


The DEQ claims that the "black liquor" spilled into the Pearl River is not toxic. Tell that to the thousands upon thousands of dead sea life.

Scuzzbucket of the week

53 year old Steven Gelder driver chased down the 74-year-old motorist who almost hit him, rammed his car off the road and beat him after a near wreck, according to police.

Investigators believe the older man was driving on North Boulevard when he almost struck Gelder's pickup truck. The close call apparently enraged Gelder, and he pursued the 74-year-old in his truck, police said.

The victim turned onto Robert Boulevard and Gelder began pounding the back of it with his truck, witnesses told officers. Gelder thenforced the car off the road at its intersection with Fountain Drive.

Several people witnessed saw Gelder hop out of his truck and rush to the victim's car, opening the door and repeatedly punched and elbowed the seated driver. Gelder then fled the scene

Police were notified, and they obtained the license plate of Gelder's truck. Officers soon discovered he lived in the 300 block of North Boulevard, and they arrested him there.

Gelder denied beating the Lexus' driver, but he refused to speak with investigators at length. Nonetheless, officers took him to Slidell's jail for detention because of the people who alleged that they indeed saw him attack the septuagenarian.

The most serious accusation lodged against Gelder is aggravated criminal property to damage, whose penalties include a maximum fine of $10,000 as well as between 12 months' and 15 years' imprisonment.

Simple battery of the infirm upon conviction carries a sentence of at least 30 days but no more than six months of prison time and possibly a fine of up to $500. Hit-and-run driving where there is no death or serious bodily injury allows for at most a $500 fine and six months in prison.

Friday's incident was not the first time Gelder had been in trouble with the law. St. Tammany Parish court records show he pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana in 2004 and got two years of probation.

Bad writing courtesy of nola.com

Looking for a Pet Sitter

Leave info in comments or email me at judyb54@charter.net.
Thanks.

Scuzzbucket of the week

I can't put my mind around this horrific crime

The following is from the Houma Comet:

The "devil" came to Thibodaux Sunday, Jesslyn Lirette said, and he did so in the form of the man she was with for 10 years. The devil, she said, took her "angel" away.
Here's a video of a press conference held Monday - August 15, 2011



Jeremiah Wright, 30, Lirette's live-in boyfriend and the father of their child, 7-year-old Jori Lirette, is accused of killing the boy and dumping his dismembered body outside the West Seventh Street home the three shared.

Jori loved his father more than anything, Lirette said.

"He still killed him," she said. "He killed my baby."

A passing motorist alerted police after spotting the boy's head at the curbside. His body was found in a white trash bag nearby.

Jeremiah Wright, booked on a charge of first-degree murder, is accused of decapitating his son in the kitchen sink with a meat cleaver.

Wright is in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of a $5 million bond. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.

Police said Sunday they could not determine a motive for the killing, but family and friends said tension had been rising between Wright and Jesslyn Lirette for years. Jesslyn Lirette said she had an argument with Wright Saturday night, and those close to her said they had encouraged her to leave him.

"They had been on this rocky road," said Jesslyn's friend Samantha Scioneaux. "I told her ‘You have to end this before he kills you.' "

And while Wright acted as one of the boy's caretakers, Jesslyn said she had planned on ending the relationship for some time.

"I didn't get out fast enough," Jesslyn said.

Read more at the link provided at the beginning of this post. I'm disgusted.

Bayou Lacombe Centre

For the first time in over a month hubby and I had a Saturday where we could do some hiking and picture taking. It was a wonderful release.

A place that's been on our"gotta visit" list is the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Lacombe, just 15 minutes from our house.

Upon entering the site, you're drawn to the landscaping. The attention to detail is apparent and it reaches back over 200 years.






This site is rich in history and beauty. The August heat appeared to be too much to handle, but it really wasn't at this site because of the abundance of trees. We arrived at 10 AM and were done by noon.

Here is a brief rundown of the history of this paradise in Lacombe, taken from one of the info boards:

Likely a portion of French or Spanish Land Grant during the Colonial Era, the earliest known owner was Louis Reggio prior to 1820. The property changed hands a number of times later that century, with the Cousin and Ducre names common today in the Lacombe area among the owners during this period into the 20th century.

The land was acquired in 1935 by Judge Wayne Borah (the youngest Federal Judge in the country at the time), who built a residence.










This structure is a Chimney Swift Tower






He and his family did extensive landscaping, laying out the foundation which is known today as the "Bayou Gardens" of Lacombe.



In 1946 the home and gardens were acquired by former (crooked) Louisiana Governor Richard Leche, who settled into the lush surroundings with his family and continued the cultivation of the Bayou Gardens.









In 1956 the land was acquired by the Redemptorist religious order and in 1960 the Holy Redeemer Seminary opened. The seminary closed in 1980, but members of the order continued to live at the site, holding religious retreats. And apparently, a cemetery was established for the priests that stayed until the end of their lives.







The rear of the residence gives way to a great lawn that faces Bayou Lacombe











This site is loaded with walking trails, as shown in the map below



There are walking trails off to each side of the great lawn that are easy to maneuver and full of small surprises if you look for them









A trail that begins at the parking lot of the Refuge leads down to a grotto



which leads to a rudimentary brick staircase:





Made with local bricks

This same trail will also bring you to a lovely little area to sit and ponder the beauty of Bayou Lacombe



If you walk it a little while longer, it brings you to another pensive sight overlooking a pond.






The visitor center is huge and loaded with information and displays.




This little girl was killed by a car in Bayou Teche and her remains were saved and brought to the headquarters





The Headquarters represents the eight of Southeast Louisiana (SELA) Refuges:

Atchafalaya (prounounced A-Cha-FaH-lie-ya)

Bayou Sauvage (through which I traverse on my daily commute)

Bayou Teche (prounounced Tesh)

Big Branch Marsh (in our backyard)

Bogue Chitto (prounounced Boog gah Chitta)

Breton - close to my heart because it's a bird refuge

Delta National Wildlife Refuge

Mandalay - only accessible by boat, near Houma, Louisiana.



A visit to the Bayou Lacombe Center is a win-win situation any time of the year. Besides all of the hiking trails, the kids would love the Visitors Center for the displays (lots of interactive stuff there too). The best part is that admission is FREE!! You can get to the Bayou Lacombe Center by taking exit 74 on I-12. Staffed by volunteers, the visitor center is open Thursdays-Saturdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Volunteers are needed to help run the visitor center. Please contact the volunteer coordinator at 985-882-2024.