During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the tumbling of the levees, my overalls were essential! I did seem to live in them during those times.
The shot above was taken in Armstrong Park, shortly before Dali and Sammie Cat and I were going to be heading out to France. Wynton Marsalis was playing and a friend and I decided to take a break from working around our places and head down to hear him. Armstrong Park is always a fun focal point for events and music, even though it is a location that had a horrid history of slave sales and uprisings within.
I often had conversations with friends post Katrina about how we survived. We could point to the support of friends and family, neighbors, and that sometimes getting away from the devastation helped.
We often needed to know that there were other places in the world that were still "normal"...or at least the normal we used to know. I got tired of hearing about the "new normal," and even more tired trying to live it 24 hours of every day.
During a particularly bad spell for me, I went off for a weekend or so with my friends Keith Landry and David Zielinski. Keith had this fabulous place that I'd fallen in love with in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
Going there was always a treat.
After being wrapped in the nurturing arms of my friends in Cajun country, I'd return to Columbus Street in a better place to continue to attack problems or new crisises.
The aura didn't last long.
In no time, I was back and moving and trying to fight the good fight.
And, it was a fight.
Through life's celebrations and challenges, my overalls have been with me every step of the way.
Happy International Overalls Weekend.
Happy Sunday!