High Muddy Water

Drove into New Orleans on Saturday afternoon to visit the Darling Daughter now that the semester's ended, but planning a side-trip to go look at the high water on the Mississippi first hand.  On the way in, at about 2:50 p.m. the Emergency Alert System broke in on the radio... and paused... and paused... and pause... and I was starting to get a little weirded out because the weather was really nice and so why else would the EAS system break into the regular programming and I'd just Netflixed in and watched Panic in Year Zero over several whiskies the night before... and paused... then finally, finally the announcement came: the Morganza Spillway would be opening in ten minutes.  *whew*
Anyway, the trip went fine.  Got the Darling Daughter's dresser delivered, made it to art supply store well before closing, then went to the Quarter to look over the river.  And damn, but was it high.  Not scary high, but within four feet of the top of the levee.  Lots of tourists and locals were there just staring numbly at the river, looking at the swirling water, muttering stuff like "never seen it that high, but close a couple of times," taking pictures, and just... staring.
Anyway, don't expect any Katrina-level drama.  The Times-Picayune reports that local mississippi river water levels [are] expected to hold steady.  But it was pretty cool to stare out over.