From the quiet of rural Mississippi we traveled to New Orleans. The roads were bumpy and Otto got spooked by all the noises. In New Orleans we camped in St. Bernard State Park. St. Bernard’s Parish was one of areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. A tip of the cap (baseball season started for the Red Sox today) for the amazing work the community has done bouncing back.

While in New Orleans we traveled in Stargazer to downtown. We were lucky the streets were not very busy and we found a parking lot where RVs could park. Unfortunately a certain member of the Stargazer Team did not closely read the parking rules. When we returned we found that Stargazer had been booted and what we thought was $5 to park turned out to be $150!

That evening we met Melinda’s cousin Beth’s daughter, Laura, for dinner. Laura just moved last fall to New Orleans and picked out a great restaurant. The grits were very tasty! Getting caught up with Laura was good fun. She is a prime example of a remote worker who during the COVID pandemic traveled and successfully worked from airbnbs and hotel rooms.

After two nights at the St. Bernard State Park we headed to Texas. Route 10 from New Orleans is a tough drive with many trucks and lots of construction. On the way we stopped at St. Martin Lake, a part of the Louisiana swamps, and went on a swamp tour where we saw alligators, turtles and a host of amazing birds. Our guide was a true local with many memorable stories.

We arrived in Clear Lake Shores, Texas where Melinda’s cousin, Kevin, and his wife Beth live. The next morning I had a 5:50 am flight out of Houston Hobby back to RI to run my 50th Moses Brown Basketball Team Reunion. Melinda and Otto are exploring the Texas coast and catching up with Kevin and Lisa.