So, how was it?

I've been asked about 50 times today, "Was if fun?", "So, how was it?", "Will you do it again?". The answers? "Absolutely!", "Unbelievable!", "Positively!"

This was, of course, an unusual year. Due to the circumstances, Zulu didn't do all of it's normal route, though it did start on Jackson, rather than Napoleon like all the other parades. Zulu ran down Jackson to St. Charles, then picked up the same route as all the other parades, ending downtown, rather than at the Home on Broad Street, as it usually does. That was more than compensated, though, by the second line we did from Loyola & Poydras, down Basin Street to Orleans, Broad, and to the Zulu Home around the corner.

What an experience! The Power of the Coconut can not be overstated -- and as you can see from the delighted swagger with which I taunted the crowd on Jackson Avenue, it took me no time at all to let it go to my head.

It was a wonderful tonic. Seeing the crowds -- and there were huge crowds -- and the enthusiasm, and the FEMA costumes -- blue roofs and high water lines were everywhere -- reassured me that our sense of humor is still alive. With all the challanges, with all the frustrations, with all the dissapointments, New Orleans is still the place I want to be.