Of Lyrics and Leaves

Sunday, March 26…

Sang with the choir at First Baptist this morning and discovered that – like the Pentecostal service I attended in Austin, Baptists also have flutes, horns, and drums to accompany the congregational singing. And the congregation wasn’t singing traditional hymns. The songs were contemporary and upbeat, w/ vernacular lyrics (…wanna be just like Jesus) – again, very much like the Pentecostals (but w/o the spontaneous Thank-you-Jesuses). Now I’m curious… have all the mainstream churches gone “pop” in their worship? We’ll be in Cuba next Sunday (and I’m sure the Catholics don’t wanna be like Jesus). But when we get back I’ll check out a Methodist or Episcopal church.

Just before Sunset
(campground is surrounded by trees)

The rest of the day was spent preparing to move on. We’ve been here 9 days – twice as long as anywhere else. Long drives tomorrow and Tuesday, then some time w/ extended family on Wed and on the plane to Havana early Thursday morning. Campfire w/ the Ohioans. I excused myself after the s’mores so I could catch up the blog – Greg didn’t come back ‘til almost 11. 

Black oak (MD)

Live Oak (the South)

Campground

Ice and Wind

Saturday, March 25…

Our fridge is always watery inside and the ice-fur in the freezer is deepening exponentially, so we decided it's time to defrost. As we’re removing things, Greg’s complaining that if there were a proper drain hose we wouldn’t have this problem. Then he discovers there is a drain hose, but it's plugged. Now he has something to fix, which he promptly did, so hopefully we won’t have to defrost in another 3 months.

'Mater?

Around 10am we headed west to Gulfport (pop 70,000) with our new Ohio friends to visit a couple free museums. First was the Busted Wrench Garage (and gift shop, of course). A variety of project vehicles, some fully restored, others waiting to regain their glory. All kinda crammed together, but a few had colorful histories. On the way out I picked up a T-shirt for Chris, who’s in the process of replacing the engine in his ’96 Jeep. While the gal was processing my credit card, I noticed a dish of Busted Wrench Garage LIP BALM and handed her a couple $1’s – the idea of Garage Lip Balm struck me as highly humorous.

Love this guy!

On to lunch at the Shrimp Basket. Great onion rings! (None of the rest matters.) Then it was off to the Mississippi Coast Model RR Museum. Three birthday parties in progress (mostly outside), but plenty to look at inside. The Lionel table had 7 trains running on various tracks, but I didn’t see an engine that matched the train Santa brought me back in ’54 or ’55 (and is still occasionally used). Tons of Legos too. It was a very “busy” place.  

One small corner of the Lego Town

Lion-El is the club mascot. (Each car on the train running near the ceiling
carries the name of a club member. There's a 2^nd member train in the Lego Room.

Getting back into the car we noticed that the wind had picked up considerably. (A big storm had been predicted.) The entire drive home (maybe 30 minutes) is along the coast, ending with the 1.6-mile Biloxi Bay Bridge to Ocean Springs. As we’re driving toward that bridge, we can feel the wind playing with Greg’s M3. We have no serious concerns, but the gusts are definitely strong. (Sand was clumped at the curbs, and we could see it flying across the beach and hear it striking the car. But there were still a few folks in the gulf.) At the last light before the bridge, we’re behind 5 young guys on relatively light motorcycles. They’re very animated, and – sure enough – it’s all about who's first when the light changes. The eventual leader took off like the proverbial bat, and they were all well ahead of us as we crossed uneventfully. Approaching the campground we were pelted with rain, but not for long. After just a few minutes, the “big storm" was over.

BlogThoughts… Since we were passing through Biloxi anyway, we did seek out the crusty bread bakery. It was late afternoon by then (not prime time for bakery shopping), but we came home w/ a cranberry-walnut loaf (real bread, not cake-like) and 2 wonderfully flaky turnovers (sour-cream lemon & cherry), which we thoroughly enjoyed later.  

Gator Loaf

Cuba on the Horizon

Friday, March 24…

Habana Viejo

Laundry day. But I’m getting better – managed 4 loads for $10, finished in 2 hours, and wandered a couple miles through the neighborhood during the wash cycle. Woohoo! Beyond that, neither Greg nor I can remember what we did, and neither of us took any pics that would remind us. I’m thinking now that we were busy researching Cuba – lining up our priorities in Habana (their spelling) and trying to figure out what day trip, if any, we should take beyond Habana. Communication w/ our host has been difficult. We get emails, but we don’t think our replies are getting through. We also get pseudo-texts from the host thru Airbnb, but we haven’t figured out how to respond to those - it’s definitely not intuitive! Aaarrgh... we leave in 6 days!

BlogThoughts…  We’ve struck up a friendship with a couple from Ohio who are camped right across from us.  Joined them tonight for a campfire and s’mores. (You’d think I’d at least have a picture of that, but no.) She’s a chocoholic like me, so we split the leftover piece. And all of us agreed (w/o discussion) that it had been a good day in D.C.

Still Life

Pascagoula

Thursday, March 23…

Who needs bread when
there's cookies?

Pascagoula. I love the sound of it. And, probably 40 years ago, Greg spent some time at Ingalls Shipbuilding (just across the river) when he worked for Ederer Cranes. So today we headed east along the coast to check both out. Shortly after we turned off 90 (and still in search of crusty bread – no trip back to Biloxi yet), Greg pulled in to Anderson’s Bakery. No crusty bread, but he picked up a dozen cookies (mix of choc chip, oatmeal raisin & crumbly coconut-pecan shortbread rounds). No argument with that.

I know you can't read this, but Ingalls is a top producer,
esp of naval vessels,(The Wikipedia article is relatively
short, but the list of ships goes on forever.)

Trying to find Pascagoula’s downtown, we landed in a park that faced the shipyard, so I got a little history and a couple pics there. Cruised the oceanfront street (where we found the usual huge and beautiful homes), then turned north and continued to search for the boutiques and cozy restaurants in 18th century buildings that capture a bygone era. And what we learned was that Pascagoula is just an ordinary town where folks live and work and don’t worry much about tourists. Kind of refreshing. (We did find a decent soup/salad/sandwich place across from the police station.)

Ingalls, south of the Pascagoula River
(this is not the whole facility)

Our lunch spot...
Greg says the wings were good too.

BlogThoughts… First, there’s a Walmart in every southern town w/ a population over 100 (not really, but 20,000 is realistic). This is actually good for campers, but that’s beside the point of today’s thought. On our way home, we pulled into a WM for 2 items – motorhome TP and yogurt. Greg thinks he’s a better shopper than me, so I told him I’d just get some steps in while he shopped. I walked about three 3-aisle loops (staying reasonably close so I could see the car most of the time). Then, figuring he’d be out any minutes, I cut to half-loops. Four of them… 5… 6… 7… lots! It’s hot & humid here, so I slipped into the store for a minute to cool off. Peeked at the self-checkout lines, but didn’t see him. Headed out again and did 3 more half loops before he appeared. Needless to say, he had lots more than 2 items and – to be fair – some of them were definitely good choices. And I got enough steps to reach my 10K goal with just a couple strolls (ha, I never stroll) through the campground. 

"He's Alive!"

Nature's camo works.

Wednesday, March 22…

Disclaimer: Today’s title does not mean that anyone’s life is/was in danger. 😊

Worked on taxes this morning – realized I was missing a W-2 for subbing. Fortunately, a quick call to LWSD got a 2nd copy in the mail. Later Greg & I biked down to the boat dock. Sighted a gator on the opposite shore. Greg got a picture, but the more interesting story was a younger guy on the dock to our right who was apparently biding his time waiting for the perfect shot. He was pretty much directly in front of the gator already, but when he finally took a few steps forward to frame his picture, the gator immediately shifted its position just enough to create what looked like a stare down. Neither of them appeared to move a muscle until the photographer left. 

Feeling a strong need for ice cream in the afternoon, we headed into the “historic (i.e. tourist) district” of Ocean Springs. I was all set to try Velvet ice cream at Lovelace Rexall, but – despite the lighted sign – the building was boarded up (actually, cardboarded up on the inside of the windows). Greg was looking for a bakery with good crusty bread. We ended up at French Kiss Pastries, where we enjoyed some gelato, purchased a personal cheesecake to share later, and got contact info for a “great bread baker” in Biloxi. All’s well that ends well.

French Kiss Pastries
(cute, could be in Edmonds)

Looked like a great 50s spot.

The rest of the day took an interesting turn. I really miss my music. Throughout the trip I’ve been tossing around the idea of dropping in for some church’s weeknight choir rehearsal. Yesterday I did it. We’d passed the First Baptist Church in town a couple times. It’s large so I figured it would have a functional choir. Checked their website… rehearsal at 6:15. Brushed my teeth and drove into town. Introduced myself to the first person I met in the parking lot, was welcomed in, and spent the next 90 minutes sight reading music quite different from my usual LDS fare. We worked primarily on 2 songs, “He’s Alive!” (😊) and “Call to Jesus” – both highly syncopated and accompanied (on CD) by keyboard & percussion.   The director was excellent, and complimentary of Mack Wilberg’s work. (W conducts the MoTab Choir and is an internationally respected composer and arranger.) I had a great time and will sing with the group in their church on Sunday. Monday we have a long drive to Bristol. FL, en route to the Tampa area where we’ll leave the MH for repair while we fly to Cuba. Adventures of all kinds.

Gator Pond, Greg Monet (2017)

Biloxi

Tuesday, March 21…

Approaching the city
(gorgeous bridge, smudge is on our windshield)

Drove into Biloxi to check out the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum. The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but the exhibits were very well done - tons of info on the history of both shrimping and oystering, films detailing the impact of Hurricanes Camille (1969) and Katrina (2005), lots of ship models (model building seems to be big in the south), a handful of actual boats, and an art gallery. At the turn of the 20^th century, Biloxi was known as the seafood capital of the world. Today (well, as of 2003), seafood is its 2^nd largest revenue producer (casinos/tourism being the largest). 

Nydia, 30' sloop built in 1898)
(poor pic of a beautiful boat)

Lord, bless & save our Gulf Coast.
(lovely prayer

One alcove had 6 of these
floor-to-ceiling panels.

After a couple hours in the museum we drove to the other side of the city for lunch at Slap Ya Momma’s. Great BBQ. Parked along the beach afterwards and strolled the pier. Air temp around 80° (with humidity at least that high) and considerable breeze, so the water was choppy. Not many in the surf, and the dad w/ a couple of his kids on a water trike (similar to pic – I’d never seen one before) was struggling to make any headway.

This sign was above Greg's head at lunch.(Why you "slap ya momma" when you're happy
is anyone's guess.)

Dad & a couple kids on
one of these...

...in this water (it is shallow 😃).

Hard Rock Cafe - one of 8 casino resorts

BlogThoughts... I think I've mentioned before how much I dislike casinos. I have to note, however, that they do make significant economic & charitable contributions to their home cities. Another one of Bilox's 8, Beau Rivage, takes up more than a city block. Over 1700 rooms. Has won every available local, state & regional award for community service.

Beau Rivage (Beautiful Shore)

Parting thought... This  ice cream truck's jingle was a loop of Beethoven's "Für Elise," a piano piece familiar to every 3rd year student.

Ice cream w/ a classical twist.

Sunset Beach

Froghead Grill

Monday, March 20…

Do-nothing sort of day, but fun evening. We drove toward town (Ocean Springs, MS) for dinner at Froghead Grill, a favorite with the locals. Food was good, but my favorite memory of the meal is the list of $2 sides that included cole slaw, chips w/ cheesy salsa…  bread pudding. Huh??? Our server’s answer made perfect sense: “It’s a small portion, and folks like to save it ‘til the end. They don’t really have room for dessert, but they want to finish with something sweet.”  Smart idea!

After dinner we drove down to the beach. Not big, but very fine white sand, and a great view of Biloxi Bay Bridge and the city skyline. Also, as always, some lovely homes along the waterfront.

Beach, birds, bridge, and Biloxi

(a pelican on almost every piling)

Entrance to "Many Oaks" (1918)

Many Oaks from the beach.

Sunset Beach

Slow Sunday

Local frozen custard... not the
DQ kind. This scoops like ice
cream. Yummy!

Sunday, March 19…

Attended the Biloxi Ward this morning and stayed for choir practice afterwards. Great to be singing again! The rest of the day was just a lazy Sunday – perusing the local paper (Greg loves his Sunday comics) and chatting with fellow campers, including a younger couple from Washington. Not a whole lot of walking cuz there are too many tiny bugs with big teeth (or pointy tongues 😊). Also realized we’re just a month away from tax time, so I reviewed what I’d compiled before we left and printed a couple more statements. Since we’re here for several more days, this is our best opportunity to do the annual Turbo Tax Tango.

Lots of pedestrian walkways within the park...

Also a few private homes.

View from pedestrian walkway. Looks serene, but these waters teem with life.

One Foot in the Bayou

Saturday, March 18…

Quiet morning – Greg & I both finishing up books. I’m reading A Man Called Ove and highly recommend it. It may be a little confusing – and perhaps even off-putting – at first, but it’s so worth it. You’ll laugh often (farther in), and it’s very heartwarming. Also very well written. Greg’s reading it now; when he’s done we’ll catch the movie.

Anyway… in the afternoon we took a boat tour of the bayou. Newest explanation of bayou (from our guide): “It’s not a marsh like most people think; it’s an ecosystem governed by the interaction of grasses and brackish water.” (Not his exact words, but that was the idea.) Later in the tour, however, he used marsh several times to refer to the area. I believe there are lots of operative defs of bayou, but one of the key attributes is that the water must be moving. Here, it’s tidal. I walked back to the campground, taking a couple loops through the woods to get more views. I did manage one alligator shot, but it just looks like a log. We’re here a week –  lots more opportunities. 😊

BAYOU: moving water & grasses
(There are 5 barrier islands about
10 miles out from the bayou.
Similar to NC's Outer Banks or
Padre Island in southern Texas.)

Over 4000 acres in Davis Bayou

Lots of algae, but that's not an alligator
creeping up the bank.

So, that short "log" toward the
top is actually a gator.

Add caption

BlogThoughts... At one point during that walk back to camp, I was standing on the remains of the recreation hall used by the CCC developing the park during the Depression. Hoover Dam was built in part by CCC workers. I got curious about just how much we owe to those men. Here’s an overview:

·         Approximately 125,000 miles  of roads built

·         46,854 bridges constructed

·         More than 3,000 lookout fire towers built

·         318,076 check dams built for erosion control

·         More than 8 million hours of fighting fires

·         33,087 miles  of terracing implemented

·         Upwards of 3 billion trees planted

·         About 89,000 miles  of telephone wire strung

(Sometimes I can only sigh and accept the fact that I cannot force the page to look the way I want.)