Collard Greens -- Live Plant.

Found this living plant on South Scott Street, February the 6th. Yes, I left it alone.

Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea)

Yellow and red (not visible) stems.

South Scott Street 2

January 21, 2015.

The concrete cinderblock foundation is finished. 

Iceberg House, again.

Another view of the iceberg house in the former vacant lot.

Photo taken right after dawn, Sunday, Feb. 1st.

Iceberg House.

This house has just been painted all-white and it looks like a big, giant iceberg. With a black roof on top, HAHAHA.

Corner S Cortex & Baudin. Used to be a vacant lot.

Two Deckers in New Orleans

In the 200 block of North Genois Street, Mid-City New Orleans, two new two-families are going up. They look too narrow to be proper two-story doubles; apparently they will be one flat on top of another, with the second floor entrance off to the side. A two-story two-family where each unit has one floor is a New England two-decker!

More development in New Orleans! And a quick house sale.

First, the development.

The houses in the formerly vacant lot across the way are almost complete.

One is for sale.

3700 Block of Baudin St.

A pile test assembly and some stray timber piles laying about.

300 Block of North Scott St.

 

 

And the quick house sale.

 

 

The real estate for sale sign was put up five weeks ago.

A sign the real estate market here is still in a bubble.

And a sign Mid-City is still gentrifying.

300 Block of South Scott St.



North Scott Street

This whole entire city block, viewed from North Scott Street at Bienville Avenue, sat vacant for the longest time, even from before Katrina. Black Raspberry bushes with the most luscious berries grew up astride the fence around the perimeter.

Now last summer a sign proclaiming a new rehabilitation hospital went up. This last week the developer started driving piles.

South Scott Street

There is a vacant lot at 434-436 South Scott Street. It used to contain two single shotgun houses. Both of them got flooded after Katrina. Being rentals, they did not qualify for federal grant aid under the Louisiana Road Home program, so they sat and rotted for years. The one (#436) started leaning against the other, so it came down. A couple of years later, the other came down. The lot sat vacant and neglected for several years.

This past summer city officials took photos of the lot. That spurred the owner(s) to action, clear the lot, trim the grass, and to sell the property (properties).

Now this past week a "gradall" appeared with several timber piles. A new house or two will be going up soon.

My Iphone Camera Lost the Moon!

Taken this morning at Palmyra and South Olympia Streets in Mid-City while on my way to Caire's. Just TRY to find the moon! I couldn't. Arrrrrrrgggh!!!

316 South Alexander Street, Blighted Property.

These photos were taken on October 24, 2013.

Here is the front of the house in 3/4s profile.

Here is the right side of the house.

(Right side looking towards street.)

Here is the front room of the downstairs.

It's an indescribable mess!

Here's the next room downstairs.

It, too, is a mess; and look at the flood-lines!

Same room. Disgusting!

Third room downstairs. Also a mess.

Same room.

And here is the lovely car port! :^D

Here is what's left of the downstairs kitchen (or is it bathroom? or both??)

Looking up the back stairs. Unsafe!

Looking up the front stairs. Most unsafe!

And here is the front garden, landscaped with a lovely shopping cart from Spend-A-Center.

And here is the left side of the house.

 

And now I have new photos, taken November 29, 2014. if anything, the house has gotten worse. So dangerous not even street homeless people will camp out here.

 

 

Here is the front of the house, looking up the stairs.

 

Here is the right side of the house.

 

Here is the front room of the house. Notice anything different?

Yes! More wallboard has fallen down.

 

Second room of the house.

Still a disgusting mess.

Same room. Looks like a column has fallen over.

Third room of the house. Still just as I had left it in 2013.

 

And the left side of the house.

 

 



House Under Renovation

This house on S Olympia Street in Mid-City New Orleans used to be a blighted property, or at the very least it acted the part. It was flooded during Katrina and apparently was unoccupied ever since. Now it's being renovated.

Great Job, fellows!

:^D

What's this Plant?

Photographed on N Olympia Street in New Orleans on 24 November, 2014 about 4:30 PM. Pretty white, magenta and red-violet accented floral stalks.

What is it?

Readership answers would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 



Progress on the Second House.

A lot has transpired in the second house in the lot across the way.

Taken 5 November, 2014, after sunset.

The roof rafters are up

Taken 21 November, 2014 during sunset.

The roof is done and the clapboards are being installed.

A New House in the Lot Across the Way.

Photo taken October 26, 2014, early evening.

 

Since I took a photo of the lot across the way last, the new house arising in it has been topped out and sheathed. It is of the Victorian-style camelback type. The finishes appear they are going to be the builder's "standard" variety -- single-hung windows that pretend to be double-hung, box eaves, asphalt-tab shingles and hardyplank siding (at least it isn't vinyl siding!).

 

The houses are going to front on S Cortez Street.

 

 

Lot Across the Way -- a House Frame Goes up.



 

Photos taken October 17, 2014. A house frame has gone up and is now being sheathed.

These clouds are on FIYAH!

See the clouds, just to the left of the telephone pole and just above the roofline of the houses. Because of the setting sun, they look like they are on fire. For more pics in a slideshow, click on the video below:

If it doesn't load, click here.

Bicycle Roundabout 4

Well the roundabout is now complete! All that's left to do is the landscaping inside and outside the circle.

Looking from Upriver (S.W.)

Looking in from the Lake (N.W.)

Looking from Downriver (N.W. = Bayou St John)

A New Fault Line?

On Conti Street New Orleans,

two blocks toward the lake from

Winn-Dixie.

Or is it just that somebody has stolen two letters off the sign?

;^)

Cloud Mountains

Last night the setting sun illuminated a series of cloud mountains off to the northeast...

And this morning a huge cloud mountain came and sat on my house!

Bicycle Roundabout 3

Still three-quarters finished.

But people can use it now.

Photo was taken on Saturday, September 13, 2014. Looking "upriver" from the Lafitte Street side of the block, and Bayou Saint John. Soon the last quadrant shall be built and the Lafitte Greenway Bikepath will be connecting into it.

But if you compare it with the progress of the construction in Bicycle Roundabout 2, you'll notice that the construction crew has taken a piece of the roundabout out for some reason. Otherwise it would be complete!