Wedding redo- March 22-29, 2022
We left on Tuesday and took a different route, over to I 81 and then to Chattanooga for the first part. I don't like I 81 because of passing the trucks on the uphills and then having them pass me on the down hills.
The next day we pushed on to NOLA, but outside of Eutaw AL we ran into a lengthy stoppage on the interstate caused by an accident somewhere up ahead. We never saw it because the road was closed. We traveled about 3.5 miles in 3.5 hours. Smooth sailing after that. I was supposed to be on a conference call which started right as we got out of the jam. The detour took us way out into a catfish farming area with no reception.
For dinner Wednesday night we went to the classic NOLA po' boy place, Frankie and Johnny's.
On Friday morning we picked up Cliff and Diane and went to Whitney Plantation, about an hour out of NOLA on the other side of the river. Whitney is one of the few plantations oriented to telling the story of plantation life from the slave's point of view. We had heard about it from a previous trip to NOLA and then read about it in How the Word is Passed. The most recent former owner, a trial lawyer from NO, put $10mm into it. Hurricane Ida ripped right through and did terrible damage to the museum but it is coming back. The research on the former slaves' genealogy is amazing.
The photo is of a reproduction of the Gate of No Return on Goree Island in Senegal where slaves are supposed to have been processed before boarding the ships for the deadly passage over to the Caribbean or the US. Further research written about in How the Word is Passed questions the role of Goree but not the processing and the passage.
That evening was the rehearsal dinner crawfish boil which was great. The toasts were a little strange. One of the best was Yogi's low light toast, behind sunglasses too, telling tales about Michael and also about why Jay wasn't there. Hint- raccoon.
Saturday was the wedding redo itself and the party afterwards at the Marigny Opera House.
Ali and Big Maida as ring bearers:
The loving couple, plus baby Maida and us:
On the next day there was a low key brunch in City Park (where I saw white ibises and a gator) with a rare Michael and Beth together photo:
We also visited M and J's house in the afternoon:
My 2002 Acura is still there but not running and attracting "we buy junk cars" placards.
The next two days were for driving home via the old way through Atlanta and Charlotte, without problems.
