'54 Plymouth in Mississippi

[vanbuskirk]

Live! from Port Gibson, It's Bob and Wanda. We are going to the Louisiana Delta in search of alligators. Also, we will try to visit New Orleans. Are things as bad as the news reports? The Plymouth is a 'friendly' magnet: it makes people wave and say nice things. We have not seen any other cars on the road older than 1975. More later. Bob

[Don Coatney]

It's Bob and Wanda. We are going to the Louisiana Delta in search of alligators. Bob

Bob and Wanda;

Exactly how many aligators do you plan on stuffing into your wagon?

[BobT-47P15]

Don, I wonder how many of those pesky critters it takes to make a pair of shoes and purse for her, and a hat for him.

[T.Tom Meshingear]

Bob,

Since I live in New Orleans I can report that for 2/3 of the homeowners life is hell trying to get their flooded houses back to anything what they were like before Katrina/Rita.

The parts of the city that everyone normally comes to visit are functioning fairly well. If you want specifics PM or e-mail me and I can elaborate.

From the alligator hunter files...

A young blonde was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana. She wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes in the worst way, but was very reluctant to pay the high prices the local vendors were asking.

After becoming very frustrated, the blonde shouted, "Maybe I'll just go out and catch my own alligator so I can get a pair of shoes at a reasonable price!"

The shopkeeper said, "By all means, be my guest. Maybe you'll catch yourself a big one!"

Determined, the blonde turned and headed for the swamps, set on catching herself an alligator.

Later in the day, the shopkeeper was driving home when he spotted the young woman standing waist deep in the water, shotgun in hand. Just then, he saw a huge 9 foot alligator swimming quickly toward her. She took aim, killed the creature and with a great deal of effort hauled it on to the swamp bank. Laying nearby were several more of the dead creatures.

The shopkeeper watched in amazement. Just then the blonde flipped the alligator on its back and, frustrated, shouts out, "Damn it, this one isn't wearing any shoes either!"

Tom

[Olddaddy]

You may have heard that Gatorland, one of Florida's pre-eminent attractions suffered a disastrous fire on last Monday morning. I work for a small General Contractor that specializes in Themed Construction, based on Disney property in Orlando. Within hours of the news flash we were on the scene and with a bit of luck will land the contract to rebuild the park. This is important to me as I've lived here all my life with brief periods away from Florida. Gatorland is part of the old, "real" Florida, pre-Disney, pre-tourist really, and pre-decline as in quality of life for those of us here more than five years. I was blessed to be part of the rebuilding and expansion of Cypress Gardens, Florida's first attraction, and now with luck Gatorland, Florida's second attraction. It's a treat to be part of something old, special, and unique, sort of like my Plymouth! Long live reptiles!

[vanbuskirk]

There are supposed to be 5 FEMA trailer parks here in Baker. Just saw one with maybe 500 trailers. We will see another before we leave town. Saw the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, yesterday (so named because it is on lower ground). Though a lot has been demolished and cleared, there is still a lot to see and think about there. Some people are starting to work on their homes, by demolishing and removing the flood damaged interiors, but in the part near the levee wall, where the damage was greatest and most houses have been demolished, progress is slow. The power company is starting to replace the utility poles. Water streams from broken hydrants, and broken house water lines. The hope is that utilities can be restored and that FEMA trailers can be located on the old home sites, so that the return and rebuilding can begin. We saw 3 alligators while driving along the Gulf backroads, all road-kill. Some people use their cars as weapons. Bob