I forgot how rainy late summer is in New Orleans, but the sky is helpfully reminding me. I just missed the rain on my ride to work, where I had lunch with B., and we talked about where we’ve been in the last six weeks and where we’re going. I spent the day in my office, making photocopies and planning for next term and meeting my new building mates. The rain poured down most of the day, but I was still in the mood for that perfect New Orleans summer treat, the snoball. So when S. called and asked me to meet her and N. at Queen of the Ball on Oak Street, I ducked out and outraced the rain to enjoy a blackberry snoball with condensed milk. A snoball is not the same as a snocone, though if you haven’t had one, that’s probably the closest association. Snoball ice is just much, much smoother. Well-shaved ice is the mark of a good snoball. Flavors are important too, and this shop has an impressive collection. The atmosphere is also homey and the owner, Norma, is friendly. She started the shop after losing her vintage clothing and collectibles store in Katrina. It takes some serious stuff to start over, a new business, from scratch. Her new business weathered the Oak Street reconstruction earlier this summer. I hope she makes a good go of it here, because this stop was the perfect waystation between rainy rides to and from work. I’ll be back. The snoball sure makes a good summer bike ride reward.