New Orleans

Last week my wife and I vacationed in New Orleans. Well, I got to vacation more than she did, because she went to Eric Jensen's Brain Expo Conference, while I played and toured and shopped and ate and... well, you get the idea.

I absolutely LOVE this city! The French Quarter is just amazing! I think I learned more American history in a 90 minute guided tour than I ever did from a textbook (I think this is called location based learning???).

But how is this for serendipity: while on the tour, I noticed some 5th or 6th grade aged students snapping pictures with digital cameras. And then one student approached one of the others on the tour and proceeded to interview her while recording their conversation on a digital voice recorder. For the next 5 minutes, I didn't hear anything our excellent tour guide, Jim, a NPS Ranger, said. I spotted one of the adults chaperoning the students, and immediately began asking questions. Luckily for me, I also connected with the Science & Technology Coordinator in charge of the technology camp and we traded business cards. I don't have all of the details yet, and my memory is a little fuzzy (no, not from a Hurricane), but the gist of the project they are working on involves creating a downloadable audio tour (with pictures) of the historic buildings in the French Quarter. How cool is that?

I'm thinking we could do something similar in historic Monroe County, especially with the prospect of having our River Raisin battlefield designated as a National Park. And the War of 1812 gives us an opportunity to collaborate with my new found friends in Louisiana-- ever heard of the Battle of New Orleans?

My mind is buzzing with the anticipation of the possibilities based on this incredible little coincidence.