Hallowed Places: Gulf Shores

One of my favorite authors, Thomas Howard, opened his classic book from 1976, Splendor in the Ordinary (later renamed Hallowed Be This House) with this line:

The ancients used to hallow places. They set aside groves and grottoes and mountains, and built temples and shrines and enclaves. Places mattered to them…. Here was a holy well, and there was an oracle. Here was an altar, and there was a tabernacle. The landscape of antiquity is dotted with these things, and it is natural that it should be. If the gods are there, and if their influence touches our realm, then memorable things are going to happen, and we men do well to mark off the precincts.

As an Orthodox Christian, I get this, on several levels. The “religious” precincts we mark off concern our temple, our place of worship. And within our temple, the nave, the place where the people gather to pray, is marked off from the sanctuary, where the altar is, by the iconostasis, and the royal doors. Only those who serve at the altar step across the line between the nave and the sanctuary. It is a sacred place.

But outside the temple, there also places that become sacred, but in a much less “religious” way. The places where certain events in our lives happened become special to us, like where we were born. Where we went to school. Where we had our first kiss. Where we were married. Special vacations and pilgrimages. Where we were when we heard certain life-changing news, like the death of President Kennedy. Or the destruction of the World Trade Centers. Or Hurricane Katrina.

So, as I traveled from New Orleans to Gulf Shores, Alabama, this past Sunday, I remembered places, events and people along the way. I remembered my honeymoon, thirty-eight years ago next month, at the Broadwater Beach Hotel in Biloxi, which had survived Hurricane Camille, but wouldn’t survive Katrina in 2005. Actually, the President Casino had opened on a riverboat dock at the Broadwater Marina in 1992. But on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina tore the barge from its moorings and washed it ashore 1/2 mile west of the Broadwater Resort Marina. It’s been rebuilt, as the President Casino Broadwater Resort. I'm sad that it's a casino. The old Broadwater was so family-friendly and classy. It even had a lighted nine-hole par-three golf course you could play on at night.

Another memory: I was on the beach in Biloxi on August 28, 2005, the day before Katrina hit. I had taken my mom and my daughter to visit my son, Jason, who was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. We went to dinner at the The Chimneys, right on U.S. 90 (right)… an antebellum home turned restaurant where we ate out in this sun room (left) with a view of the ocean. The Chimneys was destroyed by Katrina and I don’t know if the owners plan to rebuild or not, but it was sad driving down 90 and seeing the devastation, almost 3 years later.

So we kept driving east to Gulf Shores, which brought back memories of our 5th anniversary trip to the Grand Hotel in Point Clear (in 1975!) … and also my childhood memories of summers at Daphne, Alabama, on the Mobile Bay (1959-1967.) But more recent memories are the ones I started writing this blog about… just six months ago, when I took off to the beach alone. Because I was angry and wanted to get away. I wrote about that trip in my blog post of November 2 . So this time, I stayed at the same condo, with my husband and daughter. Beth gave me this awesome journal for Mother’s Day… she wrote some sweet words on the first two pages, and included some photos, and then gave me a tiny, traveling watercolor set to go with it! So… I wrote these two pages at the beach… the same place I began to let go of my anger six months ago. And as I walked along the ocean’s edge, I remembered the feeling of letting go. It’s something you have to keep doing over and over, the way you have to keep loving and forgiving over and over.

Gulf Shores doesn’t have the beautiful beach houses along the water that you see in Seagrove, but it’s quiet. Our condo was right next to a wildlife-protected area, so there were no buildings east of us at all. We read books, (well, Beth and I did… hubby worked on his lap top) and napped and went for walks and got lots of sun.

One day Beth ran into an old friend of ours from Jackson (Mississippi) at the WalMart, Sharon Meadows, so she joined us for dinner at the Original Oyster House one night. It’s on a little bayou… beautiful just before sunset.



We tried to feed the fish … But we mainly enjoyed the atmosphere. And the food. Beth even tried her first raw oysters.

The next night we went to Lulu’s (owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister) and enjoyed the atmosphere as much or more than the food. The band was a local group, Big Muddy. The lead singer had a great voice and played a mean harmonica.

And these over-sized chairs were comfy….
The view of the bridge over the intercoastal canal was really pretty after dark.

We caught Beth coming out of the gift shop and made her pose with me for this butt-shot!

The Dizzy Bean Coffee Shop provided us with lattes and wifi... and great atmosphere.

The weather was perfect and we’re thankful for this time to be together in such a beautiful setting. Yes, I think we hallowed it. We sure made some new memories. Our last night we went walking on the beach with flashlights and watched some little kids catching crabs with nets. There was this gorgeous moon, but it just didn't show up well in photos. But here are a few my daughter took with her camera, including the one that explains why I always wear a hat at the beach! Yikes!

Okay, here's the moon behind us ... again, really bad hair!

But these little girls catching crabs really reminded me of crabbing on the Mobile Bay when I was a little girl....

I'll close with a few more "day shots." They pretty much speak for themselves.

My Artist Date in New Orleans

Julia Cameron (The Artists's Way) says we (creative people) need to schedule an "artist's date" once a week. That's when we take ourself out and do something creative... visit an art gallery, watch a sunset on water, or relax in a book store or coffee shop without a deadline. So Saturday, my fifth day in New Orleans, I went on an artist's date. First I went to Cafe Du Monde for beignets. okay kind of gluttonous rather than artsy, but, waiting in line I met Hack Bartholonew, playing his horn (with a friend on banjo )and singing his heart out for Jesus... they let me join them for one song, and of course I bought their CD to help them rebuild their church, destroyed by Katrina. And ate all three beignets that came with my cafe au lait. yum.

After three days of thunderstorms, the weather Saturday was beautiful, so more artists and musicians were out around Jackson Square, and I enjoyed watching them and snapped a few pictures. This little man was my favorite (right). And this guy played a pretty good horn (left). But then I found the tattoo artist. Well, they weren't real tattoos, but they last about a week. So I asked for a peacock, because they're one of my favorites... and here we are, in process... and the finished result, which looks so real, but is supposed to wear off in about a week. I had fun "surprising" my husband with it this afternoon... of course he's glad it isn't real!

My next stop was Faulkner House Books on Pirates Alley. (That's is, at right, and the historic marker, left.) William Faulkner actually lived here for about six months in 1925 while writing his first novel, Soldier Pay, and now it's a lovely book store with lots of first editions and signed books. The manager, Joanna, was delightful. I enjoyed meeting her and browsing for a while before purchasing several books, including:

Many Things Have Happened Since He Died and Break the Heart of Me, both by Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn. These are novels, but according to Joanna (at Faulkner Books) they are very autobiographical, so they read more like memoirs. They just might be my "beach reads" for Gulf Shores this week!

Next I took the trolley to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, where I especially enjoyed the photography of Elliott Erwitt, and Roger Brown's "Southern Exposure" exhibit of "imagist" works, which are a blend of folk art, surrealism, comic strip, advertisements and flea market "finds." Walking down the street in frontof the museum I ran into this bride and her maids, in town for their bachelorette party.

At the end of the day, we planned a casual dinner at Jacques-Imo's, an eclectic uptown restaurant recommended by my "tattoo" artist. Located near Tulane, they're popular with the college crowd, and we didn't realize that Tulane's graduation was actually today. (the photo I posted of the grads earlier in the week were from Loyola, not Tulane). Anyway, I'd heard the food was good, and they even had a pickup truck out front with their "VIP" table for two inside! This lucky couple, from London and Boston, got to eat in the truck. While we were waiting for our name to be called, we saw some familiar faces going into the restaurant...

the Klimkowsky family (from Memphis and St. John Church)! Dalia had graduated from Tulane (both undergrad and grad school on the same day!) and the family was there to celerate. They had a reservation for 5, and were able to make room for 2 more, so we joined them for a wonderful time and delicious food. Here's Dalia with her mother and younger brother, Myron. AND it was Dalia's 23rd birthday, so we got samples of creme brulee, cheesecake and bread pudding on the house. Older brother, Sergio, also graduated from Tulane a few years ago, and younger brother, Myron, is a junior at Vanderbilt. Alex and Ola are dear friends, and we were so blessed to be part of their family's special evening in New Orleans last night! One of the waiters recognized Dalia and congratulated her (right). And we all enjoyed this keyboard player (in another pickup truck) outside the restaurant after dinner. Talent seems to ooze through the cracks in the sidewalks.

Or maybe it's the "seasoning" of the city. As Roy Blount, Jr. says (in his essay, "An Epilogue: Spice of Life," in My New Orleans:

Everything in New Orleans, not just the food, is highly seasoned.... People in New Orleans are seasoned, as in spicy and as in veteran. Here is one definition of "season":

"To render competent through trial and experience."Not weather-beaten. That goes beyond seasoning. New Orleans has neve been beaten by weather yet.

I'm posting this early on Sunday morning, and we're leaving for the beach today, so I might not post again for a few days. I hope you've enjoyed my brief account of our wonderful time in New Orleans! The people have definitely made an impression on me, as has the city... I won't wait another 25 years to visit again!

This Isn't The Last Dance

Rick Bragg wrote a great post-Katrina essay called "This Isn't the Last Dance" (published in My New Orleans) in September of 2005. I read an excerpt in our hotel room before heading out on a three-hour bus tour of the now almost three-year post Katrina city, especially the lower Ninth Ward. A short excerpt:

I cannot stand the idea that it is broken, unfixable. I watched the men using axes to hack their way into hundred-year-old houses to save people trapped there by the suffocating water... Just a few weeks ago, I spent a week there, walking along Magazine, walking into the Quarter, not minding the heat because that is what the devil sends, heat and water, to make you appreciate the smell of crushed cherries and on the balcony at the Columns Hotel.... How long before that city reforms? Some people say it never will. But I have seen these people dance, laughing, to the edge of a grave. I believe that, now, they will dance back from it.

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I share what I learned on the tour, let me back up to yesterday afternoon. After the tornadoes had cleared the parishes just north of the city, I ventured down Saint Charles on the street car, then walked part of the same route back to the hotel, taking in the amaing ambiance and architecture. I'm highlighting a few of my favorite houses, like these... Our trolley stopped just as these kids were celebrating their graduation from Tulane, so eveyone on the trolley cheered for them and they waved at us. (I didn't expect them to wave, so I didn't get a picture.) I wondered how many of them had their college experience interrupted by Katrina... but also how many of them knew what incredible beauty surrounded their college here on Saint Charles. I snapped a couple of pix of early signs of beautiful flowers...

and also this quirky bike rack, in front of an optometry shop.

Thurday night was the Faculty Dinner for ASH (American Society of Hypertension) and we were on top of the World Trade Center of New Orleans, with a great view down Canal Street one way, and of the river on other sides. It was the annual ASH meeting. It was great to meet Keith Ferdinand (pictured here wih me and my husband) a cardiologist who lost his practice in the Ninth Ward when Katrina hit. Insurance wouldn't pay for him to build back, so he moved his family to Atlanta. Keith was involved in the ASH initiative to provide free hypertension tests and treatment to some of the folks here in New Orleans last Saturday at the free health check fair in the French Market. Keith's daughter, Rashida, was featured on This Old House, renovating her shotgun home at 505 Lizardi in the Ninth Ward. You can watch the video here.

So, I boarded the bus in the rain this morning to tour the areas hardest hit by Katrina. Our guide, Pat Dupuy, sustained considerable damage to her home in Jefferson Parish, but was able to move back in on November 8, 2005. She was one of the lucky ones. 80% of the city was flooded. The population of New Orleans was about 468,000 before Katrina; about 2/3 of the residents are there now. I won't share all the details here, but she recommended the book, Lost in Katrina, which I plan to check out soon. A few significant items of interest that I learned today:

In Gentilly, 80% of the Vietnamese community are back... because they worked together to re-build. Community.
In St. Bernard Parish, home to the Lower Ninth Ward, only 5 houses were livable after Katrina. 5. Houses. It was a densely populated, mostly lower-economic area.

Here's Fat's Domino's house. (right, with yellow trim on the fence) He didn't leave the Ninth Ward, so he ended up in the Superdome, then in Baton Rouge. But he wants to come home. His house, like so many, is surrounded by blight. Some people come back and renovate while others don't. It's like a ghost town.

This house used to be on Caffin Street, but Katrina picked it up and moved it to another street!

There's so much more to say. But I'll let the pictures do the talking. We did take a break half way through, stopping at the Botanic Gardens for snacks. I snapped this gorgeous flower as a reminder of the beauty that can be recovered. Over 800 volunteers have helped replant at the Gardens. But it will take years. And lots more volunteers, to replant the homes needed to rebuild the communities that have been lost. One of the places you can read about this is http://www.makeitright.org/. They're doing some "green" building here now. And we drove past these colorful homes in "Musicians' Village," re-built by Habitat with help form Harrick Connick, Jr. and others. Okay, it's time to download photos. And sit quietly, trying to take it all in. Lord have mercy.

Celebrations and The Big Easy Days 1 and 2

Tuesday we stopped in Jackson to take my mom to lunch (belated Mother's Day)... and happily, my two nieces (my brother, Mike's daughters) were able to join us. We went to AJ's Seafood... really good food, by the way. Here's Aubrey and Chelsea. Aubrey just graduated from law school on Saturday, and Chelsea (who just finished her freshman year at Mississippi State) celebrated her 19th birthday on Monday. So we had a big time altogether... three generation of Johnson women.

Our first night in New Orleans (for me, the first in 25 years!) was lovely... we had a great time and delicious food at Commander's Palace with some nice folks .The chef is an ex-military guy. And this "birthday girl" at the next table, is showing off her Fleur De Lis creme brulee! (Her boyfriend is one of the cooks.) Anyway, it was a great evening. In the taxi on the way back to our hotel, the driver pointed out the home of Anne Rice. You can read her notes about Hurricane Katrina here. I'm planning on going on a tour of the Ninth Ward Friday.

This morning I headed out for Magazine Street... riding the bus for about 3 miles, and then walking a few more... finding wonderful little boutiques and great atmosphere everywhere I went. Here are a few shops and houses and interesting people along Magazine Street. The smell of the honeysuckle on these vines stopped me in my tracks as I strolled along in the 85 degree, high-humidity weather. (turned cloudy and breezy in the afternoon)

This man in front of a Poetry place (?) was interesting... after shopping (yes, I did buy a couple of things) I walked up a side street, through the Garden District, to St. Charles Avenue. This was my favorite house in the Garden District. (the blue one) And this one, along St. Charles, was awesome (left). I rode the trolley back to Canal Street, and then walked to Jackson Square. I was disappointed that there were only a few "artists" around the square... but I did find some interesting people...like this man, who made hats from some sort of plant leaves... and I bought a new cowboy hat (forgot to take mine) to block out the sun. That "rose" on my hat is made from palm leaves... which I bought from another arisan near the square. I walked past Cafe Du Mond, but decided to wait until a morning visit for their beignets, which really would go with my 20-ounce frozen margarita! Instead, I relaxed down by the River for a while... listening to the water lap the steps and feeling the breeze on my face and watching the steam boats and barges go by. I thought about how I could get on a boat and ride it straight up the river to Memphis... I don't know where "The Natchez" goes... but she was sure pretty to watch. Ooops... it's almost 8 pm... i'm in the Conceierge Lounge on the 21st floor of the New Orleans Marriott (free internet) watching severe thunderstorms building outside the window... I'm heading to our room to watch "American Idol" and see who gets cut. I think it will be Syesha Mercado ... leaving the two Davids as the final two. What do you guys think? I'm pulling for David Cook, the rocker (far right)because, well, he rocks. MORE TOMORROW OR FRIDAY! (P.S. It's Thurs morning and I just posted the link to the results from American Idol... a sad goodbye and best wishes to Syesha!