All Our Dreams Can Come True

Outgoing postcard US-3869982 to Mexico shows a film frame from the 2009 Disney Movie "The Princess and the Frog."

Re-telling a classic tale with a modern twist, this animated movie sets stage in New Orleans, featuring a beautiful and hard-working waitress named Tiana, and Prince Naveen who is transformed into a frog by a voodoo magician and desperately wants to be human again. Sealed with a fateful kiss, they are on a hilarious journey to break the spell and pursue their dreams through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.

Just like Walt Disney once said: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

There Is Always a Table Especially for You

Outgoing postcard US-3891824 to France shows the Court of Two Sisters at 613 Royal Street and 614 Bourbon in the heart of the Historic Center of old  New Orleans. The name was gained from the fact that two sisters conducted a fancy and variety store here. The present structure was erected in 1832 on the site of the residence of Sieur Etienne de Perier, the second royal governor of the French Colonial Louisiana. Currently, it serves daily jazz brunches with a buffet of Creole classics as well as à la carte dinner.

Jimmie Cooper, the owner between 1940 and 1956, used this card to offer "greetings from as romantic a place as you ever ate in - drank in - wrote home about." It reads on the back of the card: It's been here a long time, since way back, and the "Two-Sisters" have long been gone - but the famous "Court" remains more charming and beautiful than ever. One of the nicest things about the place is - "There's always a table especially for you." Jimmie guided the Court to reach the great popularity among the servicemen and women from all over the world when New Orleans was a major shipbuilding and embarkation center.

The charm gates seen on the card were wrought in Spain especially for the Court of Two Sisters.

2013 Hurricane Season Starts with GOES 13 Satellite Failure

Hurricane Katrina

I bought this postcard in the gift shop at the CSN Planetarium Observatory, showing the huge Hurricane Katrina looming on the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. It devastated New Orleans and other coastal cities with the subsequent failure of the levee system. The image was derived from GEOS-12 satellite's visible wavelength data.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th every year. For 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projects 13 to 20 named storms with sustained winds of 39 mph or higher, 7 to 11 hurricanes (Category 1 and above) with sustained winds of at least 74 mph, and 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3 and above) with sustained winds of at least 111 mph. The most intense hurricanes (Category 5) have sustained winds at the speed at least 157 mph. Since there are only 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes in a regular season, the 2013 season appears to be more active than average.

Hurricane forecasts rely heavily on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system for data input. However, GOES-13, also known as GOES-East, failed on May 22, 2013. The geosynchronous satellite sits 22,300 miles above the equator at 75°W longitude. It has a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean so it's very valuable to spot early tropical storm activities.

A backup satellite GOES-14 was activated on May 23, 2013. Since it currently remains at its storage position at 105°W, it does not see as far as GOES-13 to the east. It may be moved eastward eventually.

GOES-15, also known as GOES-West, hovers at 135°W longitude. It is responsible for monitoring weather conditions in the western United States and the Pacific Ocean. It remains operational after NOAA briefly expanded its coverage area during the activation of the backup satellite GOES-14.

With severe weather grows more frequently while more people live in the harm's way, it's important to ensure the redundancy of those earth observing satellite systems. However, the next back up satellite is not scheduled to launch until February 2016, subject to further budget and technical delays. There will be real worries in case future satellite troubles cause the gaps for data coverage.

New Orleans Streetcar

Postcard US-1720411 shows a red streetcar on the Canal Street Line near downtown New Orleans, LA on September 6, 2010. There are currently three additional operating streetcar lines in New Orleans: The St. Charles Avenue Line, the Riverfront Line, and the Loyola Avenue Line. The St. Charles Avenue Line is the longest of the four and the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world since the first half of the 19th century in 1830s, only interrupted by Hurricane Katrina between August 2005 and December 2006.

French Quarter, New Orleans

Postcard US-1677731 to Finland shows a typical art gallery at French Quarter, New Orleans, LA. The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré ("Old Square" in French) and the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, was the center of the city when New Orleans was founded in 1718. Although it is called the "French" Quarter, most of the existing buildings were built under Spanish rule with Spanish colonial styles. The French Quarter is a National Historic Landmark that has numerous individual historic buildings.

The photo was from a stop at New Orleans two years ago on September 5, 2010 prior to my All-You-Can-Jet (AYCJ) trip by JetBlue. I flew in from Las Vegas one way on Southwest, and left for Portland, Maine via JFK next on a Jetblue AYCJ pass.