I'm Jan. I just ate some great cooking! You shoulda been here!
Roderick (9 years old) says:
how are y'all doing?
My name is Lawrence. I'm 18 years old, and I had fun at the Gumbo Bash.
Well I'm Karyn and it has been a pleasure to be invited to such a shindig! If the people here at this small gathering of friends represent the great state of Texas then it's as awesome as I imagined it would be.
Orlando who is 17 years old "says I want to play in the NFL!"
My name is Angie I am grateful for the gumbo and jambalaya and the kindness of all the People in Austin Texas I really miss home but I am grateful that I am here with my family
Edwima says just be thankful and grateful.
Veronica (78) says, "I want to thank all of you people for being so nice, and it's so truly appreciated. I haven't laughed or smiled in a couple of weeks as I have here tonight. I had a wish for gumbo and it came true! It was delicious! And so was the jambalaya."
Troy says, "Like the tree in front of my house in New Orleans, I bent but I didn't break. And I'm being propped up by the people of Austin. And I will bear fruit again."
Ari says, "The city of Austin is so nice out here. I give my blessing to them for helping our people out when we didn't have anything. And I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I love them. And I'll always keep them in my prayers."
When the Saints Go Marching In has followed Louis Armstrong's rendition of Down By The Riverside on the Sound system - "Ain't Gonna Study War No More."
This is Refinish69(Steve). Tonight was one of the best nights I have spent in years. I brought in my collection of teddy bears and collector Barbie dolls and watched the women of all ages smile from ear to ear as they selected babies to take with them and keep as keep sakes. The food was fabulous and the friends I made tonight will be friends for years. It is a fabulous feeling to see the survivors expressing their feelings, laughing, talking and even expressing anger at the situation. I feel blessed to have met these wonderful people. Tonight I feel the healing may have begun for some of my new friends.
This is roses. Oh, what a night! Truly the best gumbo and jambalaya I've ever had. Hard to describe all the emotions I feel. I'm just glad that these wonderful people that I've met from New Orleans are here with us and safe.
Ruffin of New Orleans says Good Night, Sleep Tight.
Epilogue
These survivors are amazing. Karry even cleaned up and went with me to return the borrowed pots to Wink, where he discussed the finer points of roux with the Austin chef in a language I could barely follow.
Returning to the convention center with Veronica, Angie, Roderick, Corey, Orlando and Lawrence, and Veronica says, "It is the French Quarter."
Orlando gapes at the girls, and Lawrence says he is gonna be a player.
Roderick and Corey find the motorcycles simply awesome, and endure being corrected by Orlando when they misidentify an '04 Mustang as an '05 one.
Orlando holds the football the four youngsters tossed about while hanging outside during the Bash.
Everyone is laughing, remembering, and moving forward. Corey holds the school supplies he garnered at the gathering. Veronica talks of past Mardi Gras in which her children marched in the bands. She enjoys the sight of the Texas Capitol lit up for the night, and Orlando asks if the statue on top of the dome is a replica of the Staute of Liberty, whose torch somehow is calling to him in all of his seventeen years of wisdom tonight.
Escorting Veronica back into the convention center, grasping a hand-knitted sweater roses had brought for her to keep the chill of the center's air conditioning off of her, and turning her over to yet another volunteer to be tucked in - after she personally delivered a container of gumbo to her friend LaVerne, who had been unable to attend.
I return home and Ruffin insists I come to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and stay with him - and bring my son, who left the gathering for an Austin concert too early to post on the live blog.
Music, gumbo, and the rhythm of life.
Every now and then we have to turn off the computer and deal with the people.
Bumper Stickers & MORE
