Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the Gulf yesterday.  It was never on a route to hit New Orleans, but we all still watched, carefully.  Weather doesn’t necessarily follow the plan all the time.  I decided to take advantage of the slightly cooler and windy air and take a ride to the Mississippi to see what I could see as the system rolled past.  By the time I got to this spot in Woldenberg Park the skies were rapidly darkening and the wind was picking up.

This section of the river has seen a lot of action lately; that oil spill still isn’t cleaned up.  The river looked particularly dirty today, with were giant barges moving slowly, aided by awkward tugboats while a ship belched thick, black smoke.  The Mississippi River remains a major industrial transport route, and this fact makes my chilling by the riverside feel a bit unhealthy.  But the sky was beautiful as the clouds rolled in and I watched the mist develop into rain that pushed me off this bench and under a tent with a group of tourists preparing to board the Natchez for a cruise on that very river.  These are only a few of the many relationships people, plants, animals, and corporations have with the Mississippi.  Today, I found it quite beautiful.