The morning we were to leave for Mississippi we awoke to snow and a glaze of ice; so it sure was nice to be able to get into the car and head south toward warmer weather. The only downside was leaving Marvin here at home. There was simply too much to do here at Willis Creek Ranch for him to be able to accompany us this time. I hate traveling without Marvin!
Brianna was able to join us for the trip which made all of us (especially Jackson!) very happy. :) We took two cars and convoyed with Mama and Daddy. The first day out was especially long and tiring with 600 miles between home and our hotel in Winona, MS. We arrived after dark to see a huge cross all lit up standing next to our hotel. We were intrigued and inquired if that was owned by the hotel since it was right next to their property. Apparently the city of Winona erected it.
Thursday we were back on the road and started noticing green grass, blooming Bradford pear trees and definite sunshiny warmth! We stopped in Jackson, MS for gasoline and drove up to the capital to take a walk and stretch our legs. Ahhh… the air smelled so fresh and sweet and the sunshine was heavenly! The
Mississippi state capital is large and impressive looking, as is the church across the street.
Thursday mid-afternoon we arrived on the gulf coast and checked into our
hotel room. (Mama and Daddy stayed with Aunt Aleta and Uncle Charlie at their house.) We were thrilled to learn that we had a room facing the gulf. Great view! We did laugh, however, every time we rode the elevator. The voice announcing that we had reached the 'Ground Floor' had such a strong southern accent. Jonathan recorded it on his phone and we have chuckled several times just listening to it! :)
We all (along with cousins Shari and Jeff) met up for dinner at
Steve's Marina restaurant right on the beach. The food was incredible (I had gumbo followed by stuffed flounder in a chandelier sauce which included crab meat) and the view was spectacular! In fact, when they raised a large window shade right at sunset we all literally turned toward the view and audibly aaahhhhhed. :)
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| I love this photo Jackson took of the view from Steve's |
Near the entrance/exit of the restaurant there was a large picture of a rather
bedraggled looking pelican. I was intrigued by the picture, but Uncle Charlie filled in the rest of the story. This particular pelican is a pink back pelican from Africa. It turned up here on the coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is believed that it somehow got caught in the eye of Katrina and was forced to 'ride the hurricane' all the way from Africa to the gulf coast. I tried to get a photo of the accompanying plaque but there were too many people in the way and I couldn't get a clear shot.
Friday morning we headed out to cruise Highway 90 along the coast, taking in the sights of the white sand beaches and the lovely homes along the beach road. I was filled with memories, sadness, and a sense of hopefulness as I drove along that familiar route of Hwy. 90. So many grand old homes and businesses are no longer there (all gone after Hurricane Katrina) yet one can see the fierce determination of the coastal residents in the many newly constructed areas. Many don't realize that the Mississippi coast was hit much harder by the actual hurricane than New Orleans. In
Pass Christian, where my aunt and uncle lost their home, the storm surge was 27.8 feet; the U.S. record high. It is said that of 8,000 homes in Pass Christian, only 500 were left undamaged. (And that is just one small town along the coast.)
We first visited the
Biloxi lighthouse and
visitor's center. The museum and visitor's center is a beautiful building (new since Katrina but built to resemble the original) with many exhibits on not only the lighthouse, but the history of Biloxi as well. Of special interest to me were the sculptures carved out of pieces of live oaks that were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina - turning tragedy into works of art. The artist, Marlin Miller, lent his healing touch to the coast by carving various marine life sculptures into those dead trees for 40 miles along the entire coast. You can see more about this artist and his impressive sculptures by clicking
here and
here. He does have some works on display at the visitor's center.
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| Biloxi lighthouse and museum/visitor's center |
We then crossed the Hwy. to walk out on Lighthouse Pier over the gulf. It also allowed us to get a few photos of the lighthouse.
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| photo by Jackson |
Then we went to lunch at the
Hard Rock Casino buffet. There are many, many casinos in the area and they all have fantastic buffets. Uncle Charlie recommended this particular one and the buffet was extensive and tasty. Although, I don't think we will ever get used to being in a casino. There is certainly a feeling of sensory overload!!! :)
After lunch we took a brief siesta at the hotel then went across to the beach at Long Beach and into Pass Christian. That end of the coast is my favorite by far. The beaches are quieter and more pristine. And I love looking back at the
homes across from the beach in Pass Christian. Though many I remember from my childhood are gone, there is rebuilding taking place. Jackson requested that we stop near an old pier that was damaged (probably in Hurricane Isaac a couple years after Katrina - since no remnant would be left after Katrina) so that he could take some photos. The water was warm and we were the only ones on the beach in that area. It was lovely!
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| Brianna |
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| Jonathan |
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| Jackson and Jonathan |
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| Jackson |
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| one of Jackson's photos from the day |
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| Jonathan, Jackson and Brianna |
We ended Friday by having supper at Aunt Aleta and Uncle Charlie's house in Pass Christian. I had not been back since Katrina destroyed their home. They were able to rebuild the exact same floor plan so it was familiar while being a bit unfamiliar. It was so nice to see cousin Jeff again, and I was happily surprised to see that cousin Steve and Cindy (along with Cindy's wonderful 90 year old Granny!) had come all the way over from Pensacola! What a great evening with yummy food (Aleta made her homemade Shrimp Creole!!) and family.
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| Aunt Aleta |
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| sisters! |
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| Aleta, Jackson (standing on tippy toes!!), Mama, Jonathan and Brianna |
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| cousin Jeff and Uncle Charlie |
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| Shrimp Creole!!! |
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| Granny, Cindy, Daddy and Charlie |
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| Mama, Granny, Laura, Daddy, Aleta |
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| Brianna, Jonathan, and Jackson |
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| Brianna sang for us. :) |
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| Granny, Steve, Jackson, Daddy, Cindy, Charlie |
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| Brianna, Jackson, Aleta, Jonathan, Mama, Laura |
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| Brianna, Jackson, Aleta, Jonathan, Mama, Daddy |
Saturday morning Jackson got up early to go take a sunrise photo but was quickly back at the hotel because of too much cloud cover. :(
The day turned out to be rainy, so outside activities were not going to be possible. As we were trying to decide what we wanted to do, poor Brianna began feeling sick. There is nothing worse than getting sick away from home and I just felt so sorry for her. She had a bit of a fever and nausea, so she and the boys decided to stay and be quiet at the hotel. I went ahead and joined Mama, Daddy, Charlie and Aleta for lunch at
Bull's Restaurant in Long Beach, then went back to their house with them for an afternoon visit. On the way home from the restaurant we took a driving tour over to Bay St. Louis to see the rebuilt bridge over the bay. It is about 3 miles long and replaced
the bridge that was destroyed during Katrina. As we drove along, Mama, Daddy, Aleta and Charlie were remembering when they had to use the ferry to cross the area following Katrina. Again, so much has had to be rebuilt and reclaimed all along the coast.
Uncle Charlie is a woodworking artisan! He creates beautiful pieces out of cypress, pecan, teak, and all sorts of wood. I just love looking at his creations and was honored that he gave me a pecan-wood bowl to bring home. I will cherish it!
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| Uncle Charlie with the bowl he gave me. :) |
That evening we were hoping that all would be able to head to Shari's house for dinner and to see her business. But, Brianna was still not feeling well so she and Jackson had to stay home. :( I was so excited to see Shari's business,
Creature's Comfort Pet Lodge, and was not disappointed! My cousin is a brilliant woman with an artists eye and a deep love of animals. She has created a 'pet hotel' that is the toast of the coast!! She offers various sizes of kennels for various sizes of animals. Some of the suites even include ceiling fans and personal TV's. (you would be surprised how many people will pay for those amenities for their animals!!) She designed the kennel with extra wide hallways which keep the animals calmer, throw rugs for sound insulation, ambient lighting for nighttime, lovely lattice work and plants for atmosphere, and external doggie doors to the outside runs for the kennels. I was amazed at the beauty and calmness of the place! I couldn't believe that the kennel was completely full and yet it smelled like a grand hotel. :) Shari and Johnny worked so hard to plan, design and build this facility and I am thrilled that it has become such a success.
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| Creature's Comfort Pet Lodge |
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Kitty condos! The top and bottom right side (sleep and litter areas)
are connected by portholes through to the larger left compartment. |
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| wide halls, plants at each kennel... |
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| happy guests |
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this fella is in a suite with TV on back upper wall & ceiling fan -
can also see the doggy door to outside run |
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| individual outside runs connected to inside kennels |
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| fenced in backyard for supervised walks and playtime |
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| Jonathan, Mama, Daddy, Aleta and Shari |
Their home is right next door and is another model of their meticulous planning and design. The house is burn proof - meaning there is nothing in the construction that can catch on fire. It is built with concrete floors (that are stunningly finished!), all commercial grade steel construction, and without a speck of wasted space. (I am still dreaming about Shari's closet and bathroom!!) :) It is decorated with many of Uncle Charlie's wood working pieces of art and is so warm and inviting. For dinner, Shari filled us all up with 4 kinds of delicious BBQ, baked beans, dirty rice, and marinated vegetable salad. Wow!
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| Shari and Johnny's house |
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| Jonathan, Aleta, Charlie, Mama, Daddy, Shari and Johnny |
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| Jonathan, Daddy, Mama, Aleta |
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| Charlie, Shari and Johnny |
Sunday we had to load up and head for home - another very long day of driving. I was so worried that Brianna would have a terrible trip home, but she seemed to be feeling better (although not well). As we were getting ready to load the car at the hotel we received a weather alert for a severe thunderstorm warning. We quickly got the car loaded (just before the downpour began) and then had a leisurely breakfast. When the rain died down a bit we headed out on Hwy. 90 toward Aleta and Charlie's house. It was an interesting drive with Hwy. 90 mostly flooded! A couple of times I truly thought we weren't going to make it through without flooding the car at the very least. It was a bit of a white knuckle drive until I could get up onto Beach Road. By the time we got to Aleta and Charlie's house the rain had subsided a bit and we said our quick goodbyes. It was a wonderful trip and we were so glad to get to spend time with family.
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| a rainy mess out there! |
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| Brianna, Jackson, Jonathan, Aleta, Mama and Charlie |
You can see an entire album of photos by
clicking here.
Posting a few extra links to other tourist attractions below… for future reference on a return trip. :)
Infinity Science Center (A NASA Visitor Center)
Ship Island
Friendship Oak (500 year old live oak tree)
Beauvoir - the Jefferson Davis home
