I’m lagged and exhausted, but I’m home. Instead of composing a long post about my trip to New Orleans, I’ve posted three new flickr sets. One of the French Quarter, one of my amazing dinner/signing at The Delachaise and one of my visit with PZB, birding in St Bernard’s Parish and my heartbreaking tour of the Lower Ninth Ward.

At PZBs place, hanging with leggy white kittens. Today was an amazing day, so amazing I can't possibly blog about it till I have more time. Highlights including birding at Shell Beach, stuffed peppers with red gravy at Rocky and Carlo's and lucious oysters at Casamentos. Also took a sobering tour of the Lower 9th ward. It's gonna take some time to process that. Tomorrow morning I leave for Houston. More soon.

I'm here in the French Quarter, posting from an internet cafe. It's been a great time so far. Turtle soup and etouffee with PZB last night at The Bon Ton Cafe and several entertaining encounters with the Divine Stupidity of New Orleans. More on that later.

Then I woke up this morning to torrential downpour and a tornado watch. I still managed to slog through the monsoon to buy an au lait from the unfazed Vietnamese ladies over at Cafe Du Monde. Lucky for me I had the forsight to bring a hunky chewtoy along on this trip so I have plenty to do while stuck in the hotel.

Tonight is my little shindig at The Delachaise, so come on over, get out of the rain, and laissez les bon temps Roulez!

I’m off, bound for NOLA on a redeye tonight and then on to Houston. I won’t be bringing the infernal machine on this trip but I may post a quickie from PZB’s or David and McKenna’s at some point if I’m not too busy chowing down. If I don’t blog at you during the trip, you’ll just have to wait till I get back next week. And I promise, this time I’ll try to be better about taking photos.