Hello from Sue and Rose in Louisiana. We flew into New Orleans yesterday afternoon, rented a car, shopped at Whole Foods, then drove across Lake Ponchatrain (sp?) to Shirley's sister and brother-in-law's home here in Covington. Rose and I came here to Barnes and Noble Bookseller this morning to sign on to the internet and do a brief update.

We haven't seen a lot of Katrina damage yet, but we haven't yet visited any areas that were devastated. Last night we drove to Slidell, about 30 minutes from here, to visit Shirley's niece and her new baby. The child, Savanna, is beautiful! In Slidell we could see a whole lot of debris still along side the streets, but it was too dark to see more.

More about our trip later. We return to St. Louis on Tuesday.

Shirley saw her orthopedic specialist on Tuesday and is scheduled to see another specialist (this about her ankle) and to have an MRI of her shoulder next week. It is too soon to know the extent of injuries or the required fix. She is still in a lot of pain and favors her right shoulder by wearing a sling.

Chris and Shelly are having a big garage sale on May 6. Rose, Shirley, and I have been gathering stuff for the event. Mark Goldman, one of my favorite sons, has been helping with the loading and ferrying to the Spreitlers' house.

We had a great chat with Brother Joe on-line Monday evening. He sounded just great, but his typing is still slow. Poor guy, he had a hard time responding to our lightning fast old-secretarial skill. Joe has to see his doctor before he will be allowed to drive. The new car fever was unaffected by his hospital stay. He is thinking of buying a Chevrolet Uplander--whatever that is. Rose and I have been looking for one on the road. They must be rare.

Brayden just called his Granny to say thank you for his and Jalen's Easter Cards with money enclosed. I think his father twisted his arm to get him to talk because he sounded like he was doing the obligatory thing.

Brayden is into his bathroom-humor state. Just now he said something about 'poo poo' and laughed loudly, then repeated himself several times. God knows what he was telling me.

Dear Readers, if you think we are going on and on here, it is because we had to pay for two hours of internet access, and we are determined to get our money's worth--especially since we don't have Pete's credit card. And Pete has put a lien on Joe's.

We are awaiting word from all folk who plan to attend the family reunion JUNE 3-4 in St. Louis. Also, we need stories to help put together an informative evening. Mark Goldman has offered to gather any material into book form for us.