Leaving New Orleans
Sep 24 '05
The Bottom Line This is something I had to write. I hope it can bring understanding.
I left New Orleans after just under 8 years there, where I had worked on the Space Shuttle program, and moved to Tucson at a new job at the end of February, 2005. When I started writing on this topic, my intent was to write a sort of resource guide to help amateur astronomers in different parts of the country understand how strongly the local environment affects the hobby. And then my previous home was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. The article stopped there, and I simply could not continue it.
My thoughts have been crowded by the stories of friends from work, the astronomy club, and neighbors on the street, all of whom lost everything. The house we still own saw 10.6 ft. of water. The 60-year-old kitchen we tore out and completely replaced- starting with the bare floor, replacement tarpaper, maple cabinets, all chosen to preserve the original 1937 style with its wood floors and glass doorknobs is gone along with our neighborhood.
And so, I am writing to relate a few memories which have returned in strength of a place and time lost. I could easily write a journal for myself, but I think, perhaps, it is more important for more people to understand what New Orleans really was.
Our house was on a street named Vermillion just a few blocks from the University of New Orleans, where my wife worked and was carrying out her graduate studies. The area was integrated with people of all sorts living together. Our neighbors and close friends across the street had come from Guatamala, our neighbors on either side were African Americans, and no one gave this much thought. At the end of our block was a Vietnamese Catholic church, with perfectly manicured grounds and a large brightly painted pagoda in back. I didn't see anything like it when I had lived in Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Monterey, or Minneapolis, and had concluded New Orleans had achieved something special and very American.
As anyone who has read my reviews over time knows, I spent a lot of time outside observing. I came into the habit of periodically setting up the telescope in the driveway just so the neighbors could get a look if they were interested. For example, I did this for a few lunar eclipses. People sometimes would see me and stop their car and hop out to get a look. In any given evening, I probably would only see about a dozen people.
On the close approach of Mars, in 2003, this came to another level when my wife and I went to an astronomy club sponsored event in Kenner at the new Planetarium. That story is told in my review of the NexStar 8 GPS. It was a wonderful experience as hundreds of people came to observe, from all walks of life.
The person who did the best job at this was down by Cafe du Monde by the French Quarter (BTW, if you have been there and are still wondering how to get your coffee to taste like that, start with a strong brew and use condensed milk as the creamer). He wore a beard and a beret and set out two large reflectors and had an easel to display what was in th field of view, such as, "Now Observing: SATURN."
The sky and weather there dictates what will be visible. Out here in Arizona, the desert air is dark and smooth at night, and so a huge amount more is visible, and very little work is needed to make observations. In the fall, after the terrifying Ivan evacuation, where it had taken 19 hours to reach Houston- which is usually under 6 hours, I first saw Tucson, AZ. And believe it or not, the ability to see all the way down to the horizon did come up as a side reason to make the move.
The gulf of Mexico's humid air fuels haze in the summer sky to obscure anything near the horizon. The night air is warm and heavy with water. Telescopes fog easily, and even bright stars can be dim, to the point where at the horizon, you can look directly at the setting sun. And yet, a corps of observers persists in determination.
Despite the reasons I had compiled, I had not been prepared for how hard it is to depart from friends and a place which was home and came with a relief when I returned from travels. I'm not sure homesickness would be the right term. It was simply like I had chosen to end one life and start another, somewhere else. We never expected to see something like Katrina hit four months after moving to Tucson. I now know what "Survivor's guilt" refers to. Our little daughter was born a week after the hurricane, and so I can't question the decision to leave after Ivan.
Here in Tucson we have met new people who have become friends, and it has shown itself to be a welcoming place. Just about everyone from our previous home has left on a modern day diaspora. They bring with them a culture of tolerance and respect for family which has been the very force of cohesion in their community for generations. I don't know how many will return or take up residence elsewhere. But this is a bigger issue than what is shown on TV news; it is a time for everyone to decide what they stand for and then act accordingly.
On Halloween, I had taken to putting the telescope outside and letting trick-or treaters get a view of a few objects. Something as simple as the moon through a 5" telescope is very impressive, beautiful, and an unexpected treat on Halloween for children and parents alike. True, I wasn't playing along with the mystique of what is supposed to be the most haunted city in the US, but even jaded teenagers a little too old to be trick-or-treating came around twice for another look. The response was so good, I had done it again whenever the seeing allowed. I have left that place, and now it is gone. But I carry part of my previous home within me, and on Halloween, weather permitting, I will be outside waiting to share the sky with trick-or-treaters.
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Epinions.com ID:
Pirich
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Member: Rich W.
Location: Tucson, AZ
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 39 members
About Me:
Dad, Engineer, Scientist, Astronomer, Traveler; order may vary.
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