Wet and Not-so-Wild

Out here on the far fringes of Hurricane Ike, we were awakened this morning by the sound of hard rain being blown against our 7th-floor window by tropical-storm-force winds, as Cheryl explains much more colorfully. 70% chance of thunderstorms today, says the forecast. And yet, we know we're getting off easy here and there doesn't seem to be any signs of concern among the locals. In a few minutes, we will brace ourselves for 40-50 mph wind gusts and head off to Brennan's for breakfast.

Marvelous Breakfast and More

It was very wet when we went downstairs to head for breakfast at Brennan's this morning, enough so that we decided to take a taxi, even though it's not a very long walk. I apologized to the cabbie for such a short fare (although with fuel surcharge and tip it was still $9), and he said, "Don't apologize; you're the first fare I've had today." Talking about the wind and rain, he told us that when New Orleans evacuated last week, he want to stay with his brother in Houston; now he's repaying the favor quickly as his brother and family have come here to get away from Ike.

Deposited at the front door of the famous Brennan's Restaurant, we were quickly escorted to our table. Business is slow and we hadn't really needed to make a reservation, but we didn't know that at the time. Besides, the staff were very attentive to us and we didn't feel the slightest bit crowded or hurried as we eased through our meal.

( Not your everyday breakfast )

After our day of leisure, it was nice to come back and take refuge out of the wind in our air-conditioned room. Besides, it looked like the rain was going to start up again. Cheryl fell asleep. I would have done so as well, but I wanted to check my e-mail and write about what we'd done today while the details were fresh in my head. And if I go take a nap now, it won't do any harm. Finding dinner late on a Friday night in New Orleans shouldn't be difficult.