Everyone, I hope you'll forgive this off-topic post, but I'm so proud of the irrepressible will and spirit of my hometown, in the face of such overwhelming hardships, that it proved too much to resist asking you to join me in celebrating today in New Orleans...where it's not just Tuesday, it's Mardi Gras! And where the people of the city, as well as the people of the MS and LA Gulf Coast, are surely blessed with their ancestors' fortitude and faith. It's, also, an opportunity to remind you to make copies of all of your genealogy work and keep them in a safe place, preferably with a third set going to a friend or relative's home. This area had over 300 years of rich history and no one can even imagine how much of it, in the form of genealogical work, was lost in the flooding. My new mantra is: make copies, make copies, make copies! But, for today, forget your cares (and your brick walls) and "come to the Mardi Gras, cher...and pass a good time." http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Mardi_Gras.html Nancy "Ask anyone picking through the mold and wreckage of their home: Why are you doing this? Why not just turn your back and walk away? 'I'm trying to save what I can,' they answer, as they search for their most precious treasures: the photo albums, g-grandmother's tea cups, mementoes that remind them of who they are. Like individual 'treasures,' Mardi Gras is a collective treasure worth saving. It is part of our past and what makes us who we are."