[large sized] [Weather Underground - Tropical Weather link] .
Our storm this week is Hurricane Gustave. We were in Baton Rouge for the LSU/Appalachian State Football game Saturday (8-30-08). We are LSU fans, Mrs. Jim is a [Geaux (LSU)] Tiger. GEAUX TIGERS!
We won 41 to 13. I wish LSU had run the score up but they are an honorable team and they don't do that. Instead they let practically the whole team play when they get comfortably ahead.
We had very good south end zone tickets, on the fifth row.
[LSU Football][large picture] [super size]
Mike The Tiger is the LSU Mascot. He is rather young and here is liking his nap. I like my naps too! And I don't even have a $1 Million home to nap in.
[Mike The Tiger $1M home] [large picture] [super size]
After a very nice Cajun meal and a nice goodbye to Mrs. Jim's Baton Rouge widow cousin, we joined the New Orleans evacuation team. It turned out that I-10 West out of Baton Rouge was not crowded at all, the N.O. people wanted to go north, not west.
Before Lake Charles, Louisiana, we departed and took the lesser-traveled back roads. This morning we found out it was taking twelve (12) hours to travel from Lake Charles on to Houston. Our travel time was a total of seven hours with about one hours worth of stops for gas and a snack at McDonald's.
[I-10 Evacuation Westbound] [large picture] [super size]
[large picture] [super sized] 
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My plate: half of Mrs. Jim's shrimp poboy (link) and half of my fried catfish dinner. Missing? Yes, Brew Baker's does not have hush puppies. And today they were out of oysters already. But it was still all good. Mrs. Jim's cousin took half her catfish home in a doggy box for another day's eating.
Yes, God was good to us on this trip. We escaped the storm, avoided most of the horrible evacuation traffic, and saw us home safely in the middle of the night.
I believe this whole trip was enriched by realizing how good our God is, even during the storms. Just like the Disciples in the storm on Lake Galilee, Jesus had provided. Each had a basket of leftover fishes and loaves there with them in the boat (Matthew 14:20) But when they called Jesus, he even stopped the storm for them. (Jesus Walks on the Water)
We are enlarged by the storms when we can realize how good God is to us, even when the storms of life seem insurmountable.
"Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:7-8 KJV (entire Psalm 4 link)
Man that looks good. Shore leave?
ReplyDeleteJim, glad you made it home without too much trouble.....Yes, we are very blessed and I wish Gustav would just turn around and go back. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the storm will stay to the "dry side" for us. Where ever it hits it will cause damage, Let's pray for those people.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a time to take a sabatical from your blog...Who gave you permission? How will I know what ADI is doing if you quit writing?....lol
Doug, my liberty would have been "shore leave" had I not evacuated with those others!
ReplyDelete[Doug's last word Friday was 'liberty.']
Lucy, Adi is with Karen and Billy this weekend.
Katrin is with Mitch and Carmen.
Thanks for the beagle and fawn pictures, I think the animals were posed.
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Jim, thanks for leaving that comment over at my blog. I'm OK, I just haven't posted a scripture for the past two weeks because it seems nobody cares anymore. I'll try to remember to do them again.
ReplyDeleteDear Jim,
ReplyDeleteWould you know, I started praying for you yesterday when I heard of the Gustav. Not knowing that you were down in Baton Rouge.
(My aunt has a nephew down there, his wife by the fist name Michelle, is a pro golf trainer. You wouldn't happen to have bumped into her. Into??
Good to have you home safe and sound. Hope that you are sheltered from mean Gustav where you're living now.
From Felisol
Hi Jim.
ReplyDeleteCalled in to say Hi and hope all is well.
Those shrimp sure looks mouth watering.
I'm glad you were able to escape the land of Ray (busboy) Nagin before the storm hit.
ReplyDeleteThat LSU stadium is supposed to be a hard place to play if you're a visitor.
The food pic looks great. We had a big fish fry at the CC last night. It was good but it didn't look that good.
Cheyenne, if you have a SiteMeter peek at it. A lot look at my Sunday post but not many comment unless I put Adi or New Orleans on it.
ReplyDeleteFelisol, thank you for those prayers. We pray for the evacutees and those few foolish people who stayed. One group, The Christian Brothers, stayed and they all moved into a 'high ground' apartment together so they could help those others who stayed if need be.
We have a '40% chance' of rain from Gustav tomorrow, unless it stalls things won't be very bad. We need the rain.
Gwen, every meal we ate in Baton Rouge was delicious! Thank you for commenting, I am glad you read my blog.
Cliff, that 'Ray (busboy) Nagin' was 'buttboy' this year, like get your 'butts' out! The La and N.O. people are proud of him now! Even FEMA is doing good.
BTW, they fired the FEMA croni guy appointed by GWB. He was a banker who knew nothing about emergencies.
GWB's appointees were all either his Dad's 'old' trusties or else high rolling contributors. I will be glad for the (hoped for) changes to come!
I parked the car while Mrs. Jim when into the stadium. I had trouble finding it (an ex-FEMA employee was giving directions) but the LSU cheering was so loud I couldn't even hear Mrs. Jim to give me good directions.
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BTW Mrs. Jim and I have attended all the games, bowl games included, that Nebraska and LSU have played in the last 37 years. We are still friends.
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I need to remember never to visit your blog on an empty stomach. The food always looks so good...I must make myself some lunch right after this.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching the storm now. The levees are holding and I hope damage is kept to a minimum.
How good you made it home safely! At least your team won and the food you had looks really yummy :-)
ReplyDeleteGod bless, tina
Dear Jim ~~ Glad you enjoyed the food and football and escaped all the evacuation traffic. I do hope Gustav passes without too much damage or flooding. How frightening for the folk who live there. Thanks for your comments and I am glad you liked the jokes. The Tech Support one was funny- a power failure. I am glad I followed Peter's comment instructions
ReplyDeleteas to how to lose the big spaces.
Take care, and stay well. Regards, Merle.