Happenings 3/31/08 - 4/06/08

It was a busy week for me, early on, as I was preparing for the conference that took up most of the week. I did a lot of work Monday and Tuesday, and then Tuesday evening we both tried to get everything ready for our trip. We arranged to have our babysitter, Sarah, watch Claire and Rachel while JJ and I went to New Orleans for this conference, so we had to make sure all was in place. We also had to arrange someone for Thursday to come over while Sarah went to class, and that worked out fine. (I was very nervous about leaving the both of them, but not enough not to go. I have wanted to go to New Orleans for a long time and I was ready for some relaxation time. The trip turned out to be everything I wanted.)

So Wednesday morning we said goodbye to the girls, and drove to Nashville about the time that Sarah took them to storytime at the library. We made it to Nashville with no problems, and stopped at a Bass Outdoor World and bought a tent on sale to use this summer when we head west. (Our plan is to camp out on our way out west and save some money on hotels - thanks mom and dad for the training growing up - my family camped out clear from Oregon to the east coast, even just outside NYC, and back when I was growing up) After eating lunch, we went to the airport and caught our Southwest plane to New Orleans. I had checked in for our flight on Tuesday online, so we were in the A group, so we had a nice choice of seats. I think as long as you check in early, Southwest is a good way to go, because they load fast and your place in line is assigned by a number, so you don’t have to line up early. When we returned on Saturday, we forgot to check in early, but then did just before we left for the airport, and still got good spots, mainly because it wasn’t very full.

When we arrived in NO (that's New Orleans for you people who aren't as hip as my dear husband here), it was raining, and our cab driver, who drove a suburban, took us downtown. Both JJ and I had the feeling we were back in Belize (Or some other unfamiliar foreign country), with the rainy, tropical feeling and unfamiliar surroundings. It was kind of weird. But once we got to the downtown area, it seemed more normal. The rain had stopped by then, and being my birthday, after we checked into the hotel, we went to have a nice dinner at one of Emeril’s restaurants, NOLA. We were waylaid at one street corner as there was a movie filming, so we waited until a burning streetcar came by and crashed into a car, and then they let us cross the street. We walked right into the restaurant and even though we didn’t have a reservation, they were able to seat us first — of course it helps that we got there right before they officially opened, were dressed fairly nice, and like to eat early. It became quite crowded later. The food was excellent, and the servers were very nice, calling us Mr. and Mrs. Walker the whole time, and giving us good recommendations. It was a fine birthday dinner. I had buttery redfish with gumbo as an appetizer, and JJ had a steak. (It was DEEEEELICIOUS!)After dessert we walked around the French Quarter a little, down Bourbon Street, which is much more sleazy than I expected — it is the only part of the French Quarter that is that way, everywhere else looks like Paris, I guess, and Hanoi, I know. (Bourbon Street was porn city and bars. I couldn't believe people were taking their kids down that street.) We went back to the hotel fairly early each night, because we are just not NO night-life people. (we aren't night life people anywhere - not just New Orleans) Even the music is not that appealing, so we just enjoyed the food and the sights mostly while we were there. (I enjoyed listening to the music and they were playing out in the street at all times of the day which I liked to hear while walking around. I just don't need to go to a bar to listen to it.)

Thursday morning, I went on a run by the river, and then I spent the day at the conference, going to several sessions and giving my presentation to a small crowd. It went well, but it was hard not to with so few people. That is the nature of this conference though, it is so big that people have the choice of 35 panels each session. (I spent the first few hours of the day in a way I have been fantasizing about for quite some time. I laid next to the pool and read a book with a diet coke. It was actually overcast and a little cool so I didn't go in the pool, but it was still wonderful!! I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and exploring the area and enjoying some chicken etouffe.) I went back to the hotel around 5:00, and we ate dinner at The Gumbo Shop, which was overpriced. My crawfish etouffe was good, but they didn’t give us very much, and so we walked around trying to find a café for some bread and dessert, but couldn’t find anything open and ended up buying a candy bar. (Such a disappointment.) It was great weather, though, and so our evening stroll around the Quarter was nice on its own. When we called home that night to talk with Claire, she was playing “Aristocats” and she would only meow on the phone. Julie, who was watching here while Sarah was in class, said that she had been doing that all day. Fun. (She even ate her dinner off bowls on the floor and told Julie that she was eating "creme de la creme".)

On Friday, we caught the street car that goes from downtown to the garden district in the morning, and got off in the garden district to walk around the houses there that are large with yards and wrought-iron fences surrounding them. That was fun. We took the trolley back and ate lunch, then I spent the afternoon working the Exhibit room where all the book publishers set up booths. I was able to speak to a few editors, and there was some interest in my book proposal, so that was encouraging. Not all of my targeted publishers were there, but it was good to speak with a few and hopefully at least one of them will be fully interested. (I spent the afternoon walking around some more and finding lots of neat little shops) That evening, after we had dinner at a taco shop, we went to the conference hotel where they were showing Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke,” which was shown on HBO awhile back. It was 4 hours long, but it was moving to watch the full story of the flooding after Hurricane Katrina. We were glad we watched it, but sad because of all the things that went wrong. (The most amazing thing of all is that I, J.J. Walker, stayed awake for the entire 4 hour movie!)

Saturday morning I went to one more session, and then ran into people from NAU that I knew, and then went back to the hotel and we went to visit a couple of museums. We went to the Voodoo museum (I don't think you can call it a museum. It was two little rooms and a narrow hallway with some crazy masks and little trinket things around. It really didn't explain voodoo much at all and wasn't even worth the $5 to get in. We did happen to walk upon an old house that they are in the process of turning into a national historical site type thing. It was an old house in the French Quarter that had original type architecture from before two fires destroyed the area. It was really cool to walk through. They are letting you walk through it now, it just doesn't have any furnishings in it. They have some informational signs telling about the house and a guide there to answer questions. It was really cool. Behind the house, there was a little garden area and another building that used to be the kitchen area. To top it off it was free. It was one of the best things we did. The rest of the afternoon was spent eating lunch at a cafe, and then resting a little in the hotel lobby before going to the airport to catch our plane home. We got to the airport in plenty of time only to find out our plane was 2 hours late. That made getting home even later - after flying to Nashville and then driving home, we got home about 1am or so and rescued Sarah. Sarah did a great job with the girls. They loved it and didn't even seem to miss us much, but I think they wore her out a bit. She said she definitely wasn't quite ready for kids yet.)

(Sunday we had our friends Shara and Trevor over for conference and breakfast between the sessions. It was really fun to have them over. With the two girls, I never catch much of conference and this time was no different. They are a pretty big distraction, but I did get to hear a few good tidbits.)

(Hope you all are doing well. I had to finish the letter - I dont know what happened to Paul, so he can't add any exciting comments.)