New Iberia

I've spent the past week in and about New Iberia, Louisiana.  It's a nice little town, passionate about itself and very protective of it's own.

Here's a few shots I've taken over the week.

Shotgun row houses in New Iberia

As I stood on the banks of a pond near Jefferson Island, I thought how lucky the birds were to have me taking their pictures with a camera.  Had I been John James Audubon, I'd have simply blown them out of the sky with a shotgun and then proceeded to record their image on canvas and paper.

Jefferson Island Roseate Spoonbill

Jefferson Island White Ibis

Jefferson Island Cattle Egret

A stern warning

Life goes on

For the past couple of weeks, I have been plagued with laptop problems.  Twice, I've taken it to some supposed geek of sorts complaining it would not turn on.  Once, I laid it up on the counter while telling my woes, then pushed the off/on button as we watched it come on immediately.  Another geek let me leave it at his place only to call me back in an hour telling me nothing was wrong with it.  He was not shy about billing me $25 for his diagnosis.  It has gotten progressively worse.

Being the suspicious anti-geek that I am, managed to back up the old laptop on an external drive before it got on another fit of non performance and turned belly up. It appears dead for sure.

Laptops (from my experience) have an age like dogs.  Some say that dogs have 1/7 the lifetime of a human so if that is correct, the average lifespan of a Dell laptop should be relatively 25 to one.  That made my machine the human equivalent to 82 years.

I realize I am not a computer guru and really don't understand the gut works of the laptop but I'm not a complete idiot either, so I went online and bought another Dell at what I thought was a bargain price.  Once I opened it I realized how many settings and programs I had accumulated and went about customizing the new one.  I was so indulged in getting the new computer up and running that even my wife made snarky remarks about my passion.

Now, it appears I need to find a fitting and proper burial place for the Dell Inspiron 1545 before the Geek Squad comes and have me charged with computer abuse.  The SPCA would have you arrested if you failed to take care of your horse and seek medical assistance if it developed a tumor.  It's not a far stretch to think there must be a violation somewhere out there in geekdom.

Honestly, I de-fragged it a couple of times and had some decent (free) virus protection.  I promise.

Summer's Here Already

Summer seems to have arrived already and it's not happy!   At least in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where I've been working for the past week and will be through June 10.

I"m naturally drawn to water and moving water in particular but the south has been in near drought conditions for the past few months and many streams that normally are flowing, now are reduced to a trickle.

This morning, I trekked up a hilly trail at Lake Catherine State Park just south of  Hot Springs where the heat had already gotten to the low nineties by 9:00 AM.  By the time I found the falls (or what's left of them) the combination of the hills, temperature and my way out of shape condition had me huffing, puffing and sweating.

Wading in the pool below the falls was a refreshment I shared with a some adults, a dozen kids and a Golden Labrador Retriever who had taken the short and not so rugged trail.

It was a good to get out, clear the cobwebs from my mind and get in some much needed exercise. 

After my Mom's family reunion, hopefully I will be able to get home a few days and exercise Old Boudreaux as well.

Still dry so far.

The east side of the Mississippi River in Louisiana is still dry at this point.  Not being at home, I'm constantly thinking about Louisiana every time I turn on the TV in the hotel room.  My wife says there are sand boils on or near the levee on River Road just south of LSU but she's confident that they will not rupture.  My heart goes out to the folks north of us and on the west side near the Atchafalaya.

Here's a link to compelling photos of the flood from up in Mississippi down into Louisiana. (click here)