Habitat For Humanity Summer project 

Last summer I had the pleasure of working with Habitat for Humanity building homes.  I actually photographed the process from start to finish.  This was a tremendous experience and I would highly recommend anyone to experience the joy of seeing a needy family, final  have a place of their own.

As some of you might recall, Austin experienced a hellish summer with high heat indexes and droughts the entire period.   I was pleasantly surprised to meet a couple in their 70's working side by side together  in temperatures in over 100 degrees!   I asked the gentleman how can he stand to work in so much heat like that.  He told me he grew up on a farm in the Texas panhandle in a time when where were no air conditioners. 

This house was built with love and the generosity of the volunteers with Habitat For Humanity.   I actually first heard about this organization many years ago on  soap opera (Days of Our Lives).  I had always wanted to volunteer.  I first volunteered for the New Orleans branch of Habitat For Humanity prior to Hurricane Katrina.

What gave me pride and joy was to see the The Geveremariyam family on the day of the grand opening of their home at the dedication ceremony. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinhabitat/sets/72157627186162974/with/5936572930/

Storyville, a Legendary Story of Two Famous Sites

 

Storyville 

Legendary Story of Two famous sites, 

Krauss Department Store and

Storyville –a previous legal Red Light district 

of New Orleans

If you asked any New Orleans born resident about a place called "Storyville,"  I would bet only a small select group could tell you about this notorious red light district.  Let me make one distinction before moving on.   The famous Krauss Department store is in no way connected to Storyville.  In fact, Krauss was a famous landmark in its own right.  

Krauss was the store my mother dragged me to, to get my first bra.  It was the only store I can recall where the sale people really took care of their customers  – the old fashion way.  These ladies were in their 40's through 60's – many of which had been working at Krauss department store for over 25 years.  It was the store on Canal Street where most of the African Americans kids I knew purchased their high school photographs.   It was the store your grandmother went to for a girdle,  and if you were "big boned" your mother probably wanted you to get  sized up as well.  No self respecting high schooler would think of wearing a girdle –  wiggles & jiggles or not.  

Unfortunately, in 1997 this iconic store closed its doors forever.  It was a sad day in New Orleans history.  Krauss was one of the last independent department stores in operations for nearly a century.    Gus Mayer was another iconic store founded in 1900 and located near Krauss on Canal Street.  

What we did not know about Krauss after all of these years was that it was actually located at the site of one of the most controversial districts in New Orleans – Storyville.  Storeville was a free prostitution zone ironically named after a political leader who fought tooth and nail against  prostitution in the city, but compromised by establishing a 38 block prostitution zone on the other side of Basin which is now the Ibverville public housing project. The old Krauss building is now an upscale hotel.

The city has done a good job of quietly tucking away this park of New Orleans history through out the years.  I asked a friend today if he knew anything about Storyville and he answered by saying, yes, its in City Park.  I went on to tell him about the history of this notorious red light district, with the famous madames and even famous jazz artist like Jelly Roll Morton to his amazement.   

Some of the most fabulous buildings were located in this section.  All were torn down in an effort to erase this time in history.

 

An amazing perspective angle, shot in the French Quarters (New Orleans)

French Quarters

This photo was shot at an amazing perspective angle in New Orleans (French Quarters).   I love the French Quarters not for the entertainment aspect, but for its unique historic presence.  Walking through the French Quarters reminds you of a time long past.  This  remarkable small piece of (previous) Spanish, French, Native American real estate  is like no other city in America.  Of course not all of its history is grand and there are surely some aspects of the French Quarters that some might call decadent and down right naughty by nature, but it is what it is–a peace of American history.