Gustav Evacuation

Here is a photo of my new hurricane-friend Mal Bahlinger, the nephew of Sr. Kathleen's. Mal (Malachy) maintained the farm where we stayed during Hurricane Gustav. The farm is about 40 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. We lost electric power on the night of the storm, and it stayed out the rest of the time. Mal is a great chef, however, and knew how to use those large cast iron Cajun pots and pans, so he fixed some really great Cajun dishes despite the lack of electricity. These photos of the rustic looking buildings are of a very antique barn and a "corncrib." The corncrib was a place to hold corn as feed for farm animals in olden days. The barn once held agricultural supplies and room for a mule (nowadays a tractor). The house we stayed in is a beautiful home made in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the nearby town lost electric power too, and the power is expected to be off for many weeks. Many large trees also fell down in the whole area. The temperature was not bad compared to the city heat, but the humidity from the storm was very strong. On the day we left for New Orleans, the sun was finally shining.

-- Adrian