Saturday, Feb 2 - We finally got rid of January, and hope that February is kinder to all. It's been awhile since our last posting, but we've been on the go in New Orleans, so no time or energy left by the end of the day. And I have a heavy head-cold, so not too sharp in the brain department at the moment. But that's pretty normal anyway, I hear you saying.

Last post, I indicated I'd put up some pics that show how the communities from Port St Joe's to Panama City, especially Mexico Beach, are still affected by the impact of Hurricane Michael. So here are a few below.

These photos show some of the damage, which workers are now trying to clear up. Demolition is the only alternative for a lot of the buildings, and one wonders if Mexico Beach will ever be a town again. However, one business was open, with a sign posted saying "Still in Business", so the spirit of the people is evident in some areas. Businesses were destroyed and have not recovered, and no doubt many people are living elsewhere, as their homes are totally unrecoverable. 

All of this is several months after the storm. There's lots of work for tradesmen, who are advertising their services in various ways, posting phone numbers on hydro poles. Refuse piles are all along the highway, and tree remains are piled up, the trunks no doubt carted off to be used in some way.

A sad thing to witness, and a reminder to us of how powerful a storm can be. We're very lucky that where we live this kind of thing doesn't happen. We get snow and ice instead that screws up our day-to-day life, but then life soon returns to normal. Not here!!

New Orleans in another missive. Stay tuned. More later.