The flood line is emblazoned onto every New Orleanian’s retinae. It doesn’t wash off easily, no matter how many blinks. Even today, more than three years after The Flood, I will catch sight of one on an unclaimed or even an inhabited property. My breath will unwittingly catch itself. It doesn’t cover easily, even under coats and coats of paint and time. Imagine my surprise when I caught these yet remaining lines from the June 2008 flood while traveling through Rock Springs, Wisconsin this September. The familiarity was stunning.
