Except from Chapter 3

“MacArthur Boulevard”

In the ’60s the West Bank was just becoming a neighborhood, with streets and stop signs. We lived just a mile or two from the actual Mississippi River levee and could see the steam boats and cargo barges at sea level passing along the river. There would always be a few fishermen setting hooks along some old, rickety piers. On most occasions, the river would be low, and you could walk down to the murky, sandy ground and actually put your feet in the water. I often felt like a female Tom Sawyer when I would climb up to the grassy levee and just stand there to watch the steady stream of ferry boats and cargo ships make the curve of the river. I guess that’s why they called it the Crescent City! At night, you could view the St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter lit up. Sometimes I would wave at the sailors on the cargo ships passing by. .Our house had three bedrooms and a study, a kitchen, a large living room, and a dining room. Little did we know then that the home would be the location for countless Sunday dinners, martini hour(s), and a fair amount of family dramas.