For many along the Gulf Coast, the holiday season brought a welcome chance to see family. But it didn't stop efforts to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Donald and Colleen Bordelon celebrated Christmas at their daughter Sheri's home in Baton Rouge, where they ate chicken and dumplings, corn bread and dirty rice.
For New Year's Eve, the St. Bernard Parish residents stood along a levee and watched fireworks over the Mississippi River.
But in between those events, the couple has been stripping out and cleaning up their two-story home, which was deluged by the massive hurricane last September.
The Bordelons say their neighborhood, left relatively intact by the flooding and high winds that destroyed many buildings elsewhere, is showing signs of renewed life. And they intend to rebuild the house where it stands.
The past month has brought other good news, as well: The Bordelons' daughter has plans to get married.
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