My odyssey began with two other friends. The womenfolk had all evacuated, and we decided we'd stay and hold down the fort at a well situated home in Metairie.

Phone rings. A close friend of mine who already evacuated, having been assured that relatives in Baton Rouge would have made arrangements for their 83 year old aunt were, unfortunately, misinformed. This 83 year old lady calls me in hysterics about a flood and begs to be evacuated with her 57 year old niece. How could I ignore it? I considered just bringing them back to the house we were at; but she was simply beside herself with concern; so I loaded 'em up in my pickup and headed at the last minute in what I figured was the best route out that Sunday--east.

We drove through the Mississippi Gulf Coast looking at so many landmarks that would be no more next time we'd look to that area. We wound up in Panama City where we waited out the tempest. We had all hoped we'd be heading back the next day. Wrong!

Next day we heard about the levee breaches, and the flooding and new we were in for a long haul evacuee status, and I couldn't afford to stay at the Panama City resort we had been in. After three days, the lady was able to reach her rather wealthy sister in Baton Rouge, La. We were invited to try to find a way to get to her, so the odyssey continued. I had my dog with me (sort of a mix border-collie and terrier) and we drove north out of Florida, into Alabama, all the way to Birmingham before we could catch a highway open heading west...continue from there till we got on I-20 to Jackson where we were going to spend a night in the pickup; but while asking for directions at a hotel, a wonderful family from New Orleans staying there, snuck us into their room to spend the night there. Next morning, I jumped on I-55 south, but had to shift before reaching I-12, as everything south of there was in a shambles and still closed. Finally got into Baton Rouge. They weren't lying, this family owned a home that could have fit nicely in Beverly Hills; but the woman of the house didn't like dogs, so I was relegated to a garage apartment with a nice bed and shower in it; but very cluttered--still, it was better than no roof over my head at all.

The man of the house seemed a rather decent sort, and I'd be in the house betimes trying to keep up with what was going on back home. Turns out my apartment had been flooded, and was already being cleared out by the landlord. The old guy came up to me and asked me "How much you think you gonna be out after this?" I looked at him and said that I had no way to figure, but gave a conservative estimate (little did I know) of around 4-500 dollars. I continued to work on the computer to see what was up with my employer, (a school in Jefferson Parish), and then realized the man had peeled 4 $100.00 bills from his wallet, and left them on the bureau next to the computer. I resisted this kind offer, but he waved me off walking away.

.

I figured I could well use some funds, as I'd already ran up a $200 bill just on gas and hotel fees--maybe closer to $300, and I only had 1 change of clothes. (I was hand washing, and drying things out every night.) I got in the pickup and made a trip to an area Wal-Mart where I purchased a few pairs of pants, some shirts, and other items including shaving and dental toiletries. Upon my return to the house, the woman of this house greeted me with unbridled hostility, and shouted "why did you take $400.00 from my husband?"