Rediscovering NOLA - by Steve Cannon

Memories and bliss.

Music like smells is one of the driving forces of life.

When I think of New Orleans, especially the Garden district, the French quarter, the 7th ward, and Gentilly I always think of the music and the aromas of the city.

And when hurricane season rolls around, like the thunderstorm that proceeds them I remember the smells, the wetness on the leaves of the trees and the freshness of the grass, the flowers and so on.

And again I can hear the music.

New Orleans is in a bowl, you can hear distant voices, white noise and music coming from far off but sounding as if it was right next to you -- train, whistles and steel guitars.

But when that lightning strikes and that thunder roared it sounds like bombs. It is like the earth and the sky is crackling wide open. And those torrential rains, it seems they gonna never end.

But it is great to go out there and play in the downpour, bare foot and get soak and wet -- drenched.

But back in the house, with gumbo steaming on a kitchen stove, you can sense in your body it is not long before the hurricane start rolling in.

And when they do, you better brace yourself because you know you are in for a mighty storm.

With roaring winds and the sky opening up and raining cats and dogs, the storm blows over and through the city like a nuclear bomb and it is then that you know that you better hold on to your seat belt because when it's all over you might not be here nor there -- but gone with the wind.

And so it was and still is but the last hurricane that hit left the people in the city with memories without bliss

Now all is gone and so are most of the people. Who knows what will replace that which was? But the spirit is still there like the joke and the yoke, with red beans and rice and the smell of fried fish everywhere.

Now is the time -- to Second Line!

Steve Cannon, Founder of A Gathering of the Tribes.