Parading Around the French Quarter.

One of the many street performers in the French Quarter.

New Orleans, LA - The morning fog that greeted us broke into cloying humidity as we set out to see some of New Orleans this afternoon.

First off, Pastor Randy directed a tour past some of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. In St. Bernard's Parish, where we are staying, water levels had ranged from two feet to 28.5 feet. And it came in quickly, rising from a foot to nine feet in five minutes. Everywhere I go, I imagine – or rather, try to – 30 feet of water.

Now, empty lots rest as patchworks of dry greens and browns, framed by crippled fences bearing all-too-silent witness to a hurricane that completely destroyed the Parish. Five years later, broken windows still lean as though in a shattered mouth, doorways are shuttered and spray painted digits mark faded houses with a history that lingers still.

These derelict houses sit for sale, but unwanted: following the storm, the proud Parish's population dropped from 70-thousand people to 30.

Like the theatrical masks you so often see in boutique windows, however (grinning and sad alike), there are two sides to the city. Visiting the French Quarter, we were greeted by a vibrance and hospitality that belies the faded homes nearby.

Looking for the legendary Bourbon Street, half the team was suddenly swept into a parade. And, to paraphrase: "parades are awesome." Especially in the Big Easy. Carried away in a giddy sea of joy, we cheered, and were cheered, as the police car escorting the revelers blinked behind us.

Our fitting message from the City of New Orleans: seize the moment, because you never know what the next might entail.