Photograph Taken a Few Days After Hurricane Katrina at Mom's House in Madisonville, Louisiana

Maggie and Greig, Madisonville, Louisiana circa August 2005

On August 29th, twelve years have passed since Hurricane Katrina stormed the Gulf Coast in 2005. Here is a blog post to commemorate that event.

You can make out the outline of Mom's house in the upper left-hand corner of this photograph. A fallen power line is draped over a felled tree. You can see that the massive oak still stands. Everything else is scattered, twisted, and torn. On August 29th, twelve years have passed since Hurricane Katrina stormed the Gulf Coast. Katrina was a monster wind storm - and this photograph attests to that fact.

"Welcome" in Nine Languages

Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash

Inspired by the welcome sign in the Museum of Modern Art's lobby, it behooves me to share the text of "Welcome" in nine languages.

Who doesn't like "Welcome" signs in multiple languages? I noticed the entrance sign to MoMA's film lobby - It read welcome in several languages and cheery invitation as well: "this way to art." I'm thinking of copying it and posting a similar sign on my classroom door.

So here is the text from the MoMA sign with translations (in machine-friendly rendering):

Willkommen - German

ようこそ - Japanese

Bienvenue - French

Benvenuto - Italian

And in English - Welcome, this way to art 

欢迎 - Chinese (Simplified), Shanghainese

Spanish - Bienvenido

Cantonese - 歡迎

Bem-vindo - Portuguese

환영합니다 - Korean

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Me and My Cat - Circa 1980s Roselli Family Photo

Greig and Toby, LaPlace, Louisiana circa 1987

I like the photograph above for two reasons.
First, Tobey looks glorious and we are definitely bonding - although my toothy grin is a bit unsettling (probably because the image is cropped and half my face is missing).
Second, the sofa we're lounging on sticks in my memory - I loved its satin-like feel - a bit of luxury that I can recall from my Southern Louisiana upbringing in the mid-1980s.

Travel Diary: Crossing the Delaware

Crossing the Delaware River over the Delaware Memorial Bridge

Traveling from D.C. to New York on a Summer day in 2017, I took a photograph of the Delaware Memorial Bridge - and wrote this illuminating post.

I'm wishing everyone peace and solace on this Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Summer in Perdido Key: Belly Beach Parade

A beachgoer in Perdido Key, Florida Summer 2017

I'm addicted to this filter I used to take the above photograph. On my mobile phone - via the Facebook app - I upload random photos to "my story." My friends over at Snapchat were made famous with this kind of ephemera-generating technology - so I guess Facebook has jumped on the bandwagon to compete. And I think Instagram has a similar feature.

Throwback Thursday: Pet Hamsters Were All the Rage (and My Pet Hamster Hails from Another Dimension)

As a child, my little brother (pictured above) and

I believed that our pet hamster Hammie controlled

an interdimensional portal between Earth and wherever

Hammie lived (we never asked). 

Here you go — a throwback post of a memory from childhood of our pet hamster, Hammie.
I swear to God - Hammie the Hamster lived for a good six or seven years. But it felt like she was always around. She lived from like 1989 to God knows when - how many times did we release her into the yard to nibble - and store! - clover?

You see - Hammie was a magical creature.

My younger brother and I created our own made-up mythology - partly based on Noozles - an animated series that ran on the children's cable television network Nickelodeon - the show featured hidden portals and an interdimensional wizard koala that ends up in our world. Instead of koalas, my brother and I made Hammie the star!

Hence the longevity. And the adoration.

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Amtrak's Scenic Journey: Speeding Along Lake Pontchartrain to Slidell

Experience the captivating speed of Amtrak's Crescent along Lake Pontchartrain to Slidell in a fast-action video journey.

As the morning sun casts its golden hues over Lake Pontchartrain, the Amtrak Crescent (Train #20) embarks on a mesmerizing journey. The scene unfolds in a captivating fast-action video, where the train, a silver streak, hugs the lake's edge on its route to Slidell, Louisiana.

The video is a vibrant dance of motion and stillness. Lake Pontchartrain lies serene, a vast expanse of tranquility, contrasting with the train's brisk pace. Through the lens of an iPhone's fast-action feature, viewers are transported into a world where time seems to bend — the train speeds along, yet the lake's gentle ripples move languidly, untouched by the rush.

This juxtaposition offers a unique perspective on travel and nature's calm. It's a reminder of the fleeting moments we often overlook in our fast-paced lives. As educators, we can use this video to inspire discussions about the beauty of nature, the marvels of modern transportation, and the importance of mindfulness in appreciating our surroundings.

This journey along Lake Pontchartrain, a natural treasure of Louisiana, becomes more than just a route; it transforms into a visual poem, celebrating the harmony between man-made wonders and the grace of the natural world.

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