Prisoner.

Friday afternoon I was excited, the weather was great, I had all night  I was equipped for anything, my excitement cooled quickly, heard that the lake path  reopened .
Shot down transcontinental to the lake where Al's house is no longer, through his parking lot and up the levee, must be 50 ft high , nice neighborhood, once atop the levee I'm astonished that laying before me was the longest wire fence since the "Great Escape", as  far as eyes could see east to west, it stood 6 feet with a barbed wire cap and with gall "no trespassing" signs.
The path was new, the original path "Old Hammond Highway" still lay near the waters edge 30 feet from this obstructing, ugly, insulting, barricade. I rode down to inspect further, I touched it, I stared at it, I felt like Patrick McGoonan in the Prisoner, I searched for a giant ball from Number 1 but none appeared.  Wondering if it's purpose was to keep me in or out, I rode to each end looking for that escape passage to "Sanctuary" (Logan's Run),  none exist, I was trapped, relegated to dry land forever, why , why ,why, won't keep out the 300 pound cement blocks of dunnage laid for a shoreline,won't keep out  a 40ft  tree trunk hurled by a 8 foot wave from a afternoon thunderstorm, why , why, why, but why won't be answered, its a bigger fish than is in the lake.   As a last resort I grabbed the fence links with knurled fingers, pressed my cheek against the demon, and with a torn dirty wet undershirt shed a tear and screamed "STEEELLLLLAA" as loud as I could,  she appeared in apparition in the same penoit she wore every day and gave me a look of "maybe I'll forgive you, maybe not" I didn't do anything, but Blanche was behind her shaking her finger . It was time to leave the fence. (Tennessee Williams hung in the quarter not the lake) . Scooted to the River, no fences, got some night time videos riding on the levee, the busy river never sleeps,  I approached the parish line, a train appeared on the Press street tracks.  It's moving to the park , I just noticed it,  If I didn't beat this train to Audubon Park I'd have to wait a long time for it's passage. I kicked it into over drive, shot a video of me behind the engine from the levee, I was hoping for a movie crossing where I jump the track  right before it crosses the street .  I furiously pedaled caught up to, passed  and had to wait at the crossing for the train to get there, disappointing.  I stood on the track and waited for slow poke to finally make that climatic moment.  Some of the videos look black to start but their actually just nighttime with some light coming in .  Audubon park is dark at night. The River is high and spring has just sprung, The Beluga carcasses are below the waterline presenting a navigation hazard. The quarter was hopping, walked around , took mental pictures, mostly of Mr. and Mrs Newton from Spring Creek , Iowa on vacation , don't understand what they expect  to experience here, is it the history, the architecture, the food,
or is it the fools spray painted  silver begging for money , or the high school student that took home his trumpet and plays his practice lesson on Royal street begging for money, or is it the dirty, trampy, vagabond playing a beat up guitar less than mediocre begging for money.
No, it musts be they're here to have their fortune told by a flip flop wearing, food in his mustache, haven't had a bath in a week, charlatan with a little round table nicely dressed with a exotic looking cloth, magic rocks, a 10 cent crystal and a miniature statue of  Marie Laveau.
Saturday I was bushed but rushed down to the quarter to get a piece of the worlds longest oyster po boy , I was late  ,all I got was a book of matches.    Tomorrow is the stella screaming contest, I swore I'd compete this year, been practicing all year, instead I walked 6 miles in Lafanierre Park to get ready for the Crescent City Classic.  Princess daughter and I are walking it,  there's about 30,000 people, we'll make fun of 29,998 of them .   Great weekend, 35 miles Friday night, 45 miles Saturday, and walked 6 Sunday. Soon we'll be making bigger loops,  Destrehan to Audubon and to the lake out to Seabrook then back home about 65 miles.
Play all the videos , click on the pictures to enlarge,  Hubigs Pies is in Marigny,  the Little Park with the  WWI Doughboy is a block from where I grew up , we don't know yet if its in the footprint of the new Hospitals,  most of the VA Hospital area is cleared. Mc Donough 11 is still a unkn.
Take a chance , get your blood flowing.
gary

Galvez to Rochoblave and Canal to Tulane - Blank

Corner of galvez and canal

WWi Doughboy at Billy Goat Park

WWI Soldier

Billy goat Park

The River has arisen

Fish are jumping and the river is high

How about a Hubig Pie

Dont' fence me in

Stalag 13

No touching the water

Only 6ft plus barbed wire

Oh! look ! there's a lake

Peering through the keyhole like a prisoner.

It goes on forever

And no trespassing

The sun set on an enormous levee

Must be 50ft tall in this neighborhood



Firehouse on St Mary St.



Food Festival on Bourbon

This was where the block long po boy was

I was too late.

Mardi Gras , CCC , Tour de Lis.

As winter winds down my hormones wind up,  it's time for long bike riding,  getting high, taking pictures, going where most men dare not go, explore new places, watch new people.

I''ve had my leg fixed, bikes in good shape, I'm in good shape, camera is clear, and I'm up to 780 songs on my MP3 player, if I could only get my sanity in shape . Walking the 10k Crescent City Classic with Princess Daughter, then riding the Tour de Lis just to start the season then we get to serious training.  Right now I'm only at about 70 miles a week, by July it'll be 120 a week, and by September 150 a week.  The Ms Tour is first weekend of October, the weekend before I do 130 that Sat and Sun.  Special diet , eat anything and everything.  Mental training, Valium, self hypnosis , and  mescaline.  20 sit ups after each ride ensures the impression its all good for me. 

This year will be interesting, after all if I top Godzilla, Big Foot, Chubacabras, and all the Lewis Carrol characters it's got to be interesting.  I'll have to search for blackberries in the bature and be attacked by something, I'll fight with someone in the quarter, take pictures of weird asses,  beautiful architecture , scenic views, history, and describe some scenes from my mind that may not be comprendable by the sane.  just picked up a new song off I-tunes by Monster Magnet called See You In Hell, that'll conjure up some evil when mixed with Valium and a few minutes of Self Hypno,  I may have to wear a straight jacket while I'm riding,  no my names not  McMurphy, and no I didn't take any classes from Leary,  and no the Maharishi didn't tell me the secret of the afterlife karma and  reincarnation, figure it out. Playing Holding Back the Years  by Simply Red a lot lately, great song and appropriate. I've made an enormous amount of new memories, none as powerful as the memories of youth, adolescence, up to maturity which may happen in the next few years.  Joe Campbell "birth, adolescence, maturity, propagation , and death."  I only have one thing left to experience, hope I can experience it, not just die. Maybe the Chubacabra will win this time, maybe I'll fall into the Mississippi and be eaten by a 3 headed Peruvian Medusa catfish, or maybe a 1500 pound  Kodiak Grizzly bear will escape the zoo, and after a bloody fight where I break his hind leg he manages to eat me anyway, or maybe I'll be attacked by a bus and even though I break the windshield and knock out the driver I get run over anyway.

It all falls in line with a dream I had a few years back, I'm the lead horse in the Kentucky Derby,

in the stretch the announcers about to hail me the winner when I break my right front leg, I loose the race, the vet appears to put me out of my misery ,its futile, he removes a shiny  revolver from his black  medicine bag places the barrel end between my eyes and pulls the trigger, all I hear is click, then click , then click again, then click again, then click again, then click again, he returns the weapon to his bag and walks off, I lay there waiting to be reincarnated into a butterfly, or a pig, or a baboon, or hopefully a chubacraba that attacks bicyclist.

Live out the box, , you have time left. FEAR NOT.   Its all catch 22.

gary

2 videos, click on the pics to enlarge, some are repeats.

Listen to the Simply Red song watch the video. click on Simply Red at the end.

What do you feel. Where  did life go?

Wonder if this one will sink.



The River is lowest I've ever seen.



Quarter musicians looking for a spot

Fortune Tellers parked in front of St Louis Cathedral.

Reminds me of Cougat

preparing for Mardi Gras.

How'd that boat get up there.

Cars  parked on Napoleon for the Parade on St Charles

more cars on Napoleon

St Charles and Calliope under I10

This is what a flat tire looks like,I hung a while.

Simply Red.

Attacked by Vicious Beast.

Friday night, colder than I'd have liked it for a night ride but, I was compulsed to ride.  Donned my expensive black cold weather riding jacket, my cute leotards, finger tipped gloves, and my beanie on my beanhead, I was ready for the cold , the wind , the elements.  I made my way to the River Levee at Williams Blvd and topping the levee I was slapped in the face by that infamous north wind, It woke me to a new level of consciousness,  the crescent moon was snuggling behind a haze, patches of fog dotted the river area, for about 2 minutes I was in 50 's horror film, looking around for Dracula's Carriage to roar by, seeing none I called on that Valium from earlier to fuzz up reality and got on with my ride.  My forearms were cold, my ankles were cold, everything else was ok.  I gathered momentum ,my core body temperature rose accordingly , had some new music on my MP3 , picked up a little tail wind , cruising about 18 mph.
My powerful headlight watched for joggers, other bikes, old ladies and their dogs on 50 ft leases, the cigar smoking man, and general buttheads hanging out on the levee smoking crack.   No one was out , it was too cold.  I let her rip , didn't matter how much my left knee hurt it was cold and I wanted off that levee, Audubon Park's Oak trees protect me  from the wind, elements and Vampires, St Charles Ave is warm just from the traffic .  I'm concentrating on the blacktop , scanning for debris, bodies, animals ,  potholes. anything that could rip my handlebars to one side and crash me onto the side of the levee where I wouldn't be found till morning, maybe. No crickets, frogs, gators, cicadas, except for an owl or two it was silent winter.
Made it through Harahan, River Ridge , approached the Huey P Long, decided I had to P, shortly .
200 yards past the Huey P is a path that runs down to the river, it's dry , mostly briar's, blackberries, brush, and water loving trees,, hidden from view of the levee a place I use often for personal relief.
Never in the night , I'm carrying headlight, courage, if I don't smile concealment. Turned off the levee blacktop, coasted down the path to a area out of sight , dismounted , left the light on but moved out of its beam to not attract attention.  During relieving I hear a faint panting , then some approaching snarling,
instantly my body went into adrenalin overdrive,  shallow breath, dilated pupils, tense muscles, nerves at the ready to react. As the sounds grew louder and closer, it took seconds to think escaped Lion, Cougar, Panther, Chupacabra,  suddenly what felt like a 200 pound steel plate slapped my left side and flattened me to the ground..  First instinct was fetal position, sharp pointed teeth sank in my left forearm,I twisted and shook , whatever it was had me. I sat up best I could to draw some strength from support , it knocked me down again and went for my neck, wrapped my hands around my neck ,I knew if he got those fangs around my neck I was done. Still couldn't see what was about to eat me, thought about the light on the bike , can't leave my neck to get to it. The beast grabbed my head and ripped open my scalp, I was helpless  I had to keep my neck protected. I felt the hot blood running down my face blinding me more.  Clutching my neck thwarted any chance to fight back or feel for what was ripping at me with precision and intention.
In my struggle my left foot felt what I believed to be a tree limb , instinctively I hurriedly let my neck go , he grabbed my neck and began to put a death bite on me. I was free handed to grab the stick and began to wail with all my might on the beast.  My fear accentuated my strength , heard the beast squeal with every blow I administered,  he let go of my neck, I could only see an outline , we faced each other, I put that tree branch to work , the beast sucummed , laying  at my feet panting as my blood dripped onto his body.
Pulled a small rag from  my riding jersey , wiped my eyes clear of blood , flipped my scalp back to its original place, struggled exhausted to my bike, removed the headlamp , pointed it toward the creature,
DAMN CHIHUAHUA

Have a REAL CHRISTMAS

Have a Real Christmas and a Fortunate New Year.

Ducked into Pirates alley to get out the 45 degrees



Picked out my spot when I become homeless, good wall, cover, columns , 2 blocks from Ozanam Inn, on Camp off Poydras, now looking for refrigerator box.







Nice view of Camp including St ????? church.





Camp st Whitney Clock - If you don't have a watch because your living in a refrigerator box.  




The Bike lane , the one cars use 

Like I said the one cars use even if I'm in it.



Never seen the River this low.



Christmas Tree ar Washington Artillary site.



Overlooking Jackson Square.





Someone put a post in my way.



Someine put me in the way.






From Canal St and Galvez you can see Tulane Ave.

The Old Dixie Brewery looks like its about to fall over.



Still a few holdouts.




Warren Easton from the side view now that Montelepre is no longer.




Its hard to picture the front of Easton.




Trees.





Silver Birdge on Bayou St John Near Cabrini , where us poor kids swam.




Snuck up on the bird and got him...




Washington Artillary Monument  Tree at night.




Jackson Square at night.



Explain this one to your children.



St Louis Catheral




St Louis Catheral

St Louis Catheral at night



Shops along the Square.




Washington Artilary tree Again



Real Christmas and Fortunate New Year.

A Real Christmas is when you remenber who the celebration is about. gary