Two New Jobs Available!

After one whole week in Biloxi, I feel Steve and I need to apply for a job!  I believe we are highly qualified for two positions:  Tourism Representative or Meteorologist!  I think we have done EVERYTHING there is to do in Biloxi and have all the facts to prove it!  I see lots of tour buses and I could man the intercom and lead the groups.  Steve has been glued to the computer maps of the Gulf, watched the radar, listened to TV news reports of the weather, etc.….so meteorologist has his name on it!  Us retired folks need a little supplemental income, right?  J

All kidding aside, we have had a wonderful visit here, BUT it’s time to move on.  We planned to leave this AM, but believe it or not, Biloxi set a record this morning for the COLDEST Nov. 28^th on record.  Yes, people, we were here to witness it!  So, the word on the street is that from today on it is going to warm up!  Tomorrow at 8 AM, we are headed toward Mobile Bay area.  Yeah.  I did break down and buy some gloves….now you know that will guarantee warm weather ahead.

By the way, it is THANKSGIVING and we will celebrate right here.  This, of course, will be our most memorable “turkey day” yet.  We returned our rental car yesterday, so we are on foot.  The closest (and best) place for turkey dinner is at the Beau Rivage Casino right next door to us.  It is a beautiful facility and all decked out for Christmas (Thanksgiving, too), but not quite the place I have ever eaten Thanksgiving turkey.  Christmas WILL find us with family in Indiana/Iowa!!!!

Home For the Holidays for Dinner

In Front of the Beau Rivage

Christmas at the Beau Rivage

 

One highlight of the past few days, was our visit at the new Visitor’s Center in Biloxi.  It is a state of the art facility and is gorgeous.  Katrina demolished the old building and this one opened two years ago.  Yesterday, Steve and I went up to pay our slip rental for one more night.  We sat down and started visiting with Henry, the head dock master.  He has lived all fifty years of his life here in Biloxi and is a wealth of knowledge on the area.  As we talked, the conversation turned to Hurricane Katrina and its devastation.  We were sitting at his desk on the second floor of his office.  He started to explain the water level at the height of the storm….right up to the top of his desk on the second floor.  From then on, the stories flowed about the city he saw as he came back to the marina (which is right on the Gulf).  He talked of rescues, the smell of gas everywhere, people with nothing to eat, drink or wear, working in soup kitchens and handing out water and the tons of people (USA citizens as well as international folks) who came to help.  His one story touched me so much.  They only had one truck, belonging to the marina, that made it through the storm. He and his crew used it to haul and move things and even stopped and helped lots of people change tires.  (He said if you were lucky enough to still have your car, there was so much wood, nails, glass etc. that everyone had flat tires)  He and their truck pulled up to a church’s soup kitchen to help feed the masses.  The church ladies mentioned that the truck didn’t seem to be running so well.  They explained it was the only one they had and, also, no spare tires.  The ladies quickly gathered everyone together and encircled the truck, held hands and prayed for them AND their truck.  He said for the next two weeks they didn’t have ANY problems!  At that point, Henry stopped the story and wiped away the tears.  He told us it is still so very emotional for him.  I just can’t imagine!

Biloxi's New Visitors Center



Jozzeppi's Restaurant - Biloxi

My next entry will find us at a new port and we will be glad to be moving eastward.  Happy Thanksgiving from the Janetts!

STUCK!!!!!

 



Biloxi Marina

 

As a 1^st grade teacher, one of my favorite books to read to my class was “Oh, No, Santa’s Stuck”.  That title keeps popping into my head only titled, “Oh, No, Nancy and Steve are Stuck!”  We are still in Biloxi and will be until Thanksgiving Day or the day after!  “Why?” you may ask…..weather conditions.  So, we are trying our best to make the best of this part of the trip. 

So, this will be an update on what you can do, living on a boat, stuck in a new environment!  First of all, we rented a car.  This enables us to drive and see Biloxi and the surrounding areas.  Why, we even found Wal Mart J.  My second favorite thing to find is new/good restaurants in the area.  Steve and I like to try to eat the local favorites, which means, here on the Gulf is anything that lives IN the Gulf!  A great restaurant we tried was The Oyster House!  GOOD STUFF!  Both of us are gumbo fans now and will be looking for recipes to recreate at home.  We’ve even found that we like oysters (prepared the correct way, that is!). 

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Beau Rivage Casino

 

 Biloxi is a military city with Keesler Air Force Base that located here.  Also, with its location on the Gulf, Naval ships and other vessels have a tie to the city.  There are lots of statues and memorials found throughout the area.

Cannon from Sunken French Ship



War Memorial - Tower from USS Biloxi



 

Our BIGGEST find was Beauvoir…..hmmmmm, what is that?  Well, being northerners most of our lives, we never knew that Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy) lived out his life in Biloxi after the Civil War. His home (Beauvoir) and the library are owned and operated by the Mississippi Division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans.  The home overlooks the Gulf and the bay and Beauvoir means “beautiful view” in French.  The home is beautifully decorated with period furnishings and many that were owned by the Davis family.  Sadly, Hurricane Katrina played havoc with this whole area.  So, in the eight years that have passed, many volunteers have brought it back to its former grandeur.  LOVELY!  It was here that Jefferson Davis wrote and finished his two-volume books entitled “Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government”.  I love history, so this tour was so informative.  Interestingly, the North may have a slightly different view on these southern military leaders and President Davis than their southern counterparts!

Jefferson Davis



Front Porch of Beauvoir



Beauvoir - Beautiful View from the Front Porch Overlooking the Gulf





Civil War Veteran's Cemetery Behind Beauvior

 

The weather this AM is in the high forties….brrrr!  We are finding things to do INSIDE the boat this morning.  Who knows what “finds” await us this afternoon.  We’ll keep you posted and hope y’all have a good day. 

 

Good Morning from Biloxi, MS.! Nov. 22, 2013

All good things must come to an end (:  New Orleans was a wonderful marina and city to visit, but the weather and the winds were calling our names.  If we can get to Florida by mid-December, we must keep moving.  We headed down the Industrial Channel and backtracked a couple of miles to get into the Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW).  The bridge “gods” were with us and everything opened magically as we passed underneath!  A 25 mile “run” up the ICW to Rabbit Island was our goal for the day.  It turned out to be a sunny, cool day for a ride and we arrived early at the anchorage and threw out the anchor.  For you non-sailors, an anchorage such as this is usually rather secluded and off the main waterway for safety reason.  So, it was Steve, Nancy and the boat….in the distance was a railroad bridge, but that was it!  We did “rig up” our TV using our batteries, but you basically make your own entertainment.  I got my “Martha Stewart” apron on and made beer batter bread and a pasta dinner.  The beer bread package was a going away gift from some dear Yacht club members who were sailors.  Bev told us that a nice hot loaf of bread on a chilly night really hit the spot AND it did!

We had a great time in the French Quarters, but it's time to go

Ready to leave Pontchartrain Landing

Can you see them? There are three bridges we need to pass under, two have to be raised.

Dinner at Rabbit Island

We woke up to howling winds from down in our cabin!!!!  Decisions, decisions, decisions!  Do we make our planned trip to Biloxi, turn back and go into New Orleans again, OR stay put at Rabbit Island???????  Well, we decided to give it a whirl and head for Biloxi.  We entered the Gulf a few miles from our anchorage.  This part of the Gulf is north and is referred to as Mississippi Sound.  There are barrier islands that protect the coastline along LA., MS, and AL.  I am the girl who has trouble with rough seas and seasickness, so I stayed above board as much as possible for our eight hour trip.  We had seas of three to five foot waves….according to Steve not too bad after his past experiences in the Gulf!  The good news is, we made it and are tied up in a lovely marina right on the beach in Biloxi.

For those of you who do not remember the Katrina ordeal, Biloxi, MS was, also, hard hit by Katrina.  The main industry here is tourism and gambling.  Kessler Air Force base is in Biloxi, too.  The marinas, casinos and everything along the beaches were wiped out.  The dockmaster who helped us tie up, said they are on their last phase of reconstruction with a fuel dock/bait shop here in the marina.  So, everything is new and inviting (especially their showers…just like a hotel). We wandered over to the Hard Rock Casino last night for a bite to eat…our boat is right in its shadow.  Along the coast/beach are many other high rise casinos, too.  One problem, Steve and Nancy aren’t big gamblers, but, who knows?????? Today is “cleaning day” on the boat and then on to exploring our surroundings.  Stay tuned, I’m sure we will find an adventure or some interesting folks here in Mississippi.  In fact, last night our neighboring boat owners invited us for Thanksgiving dinner if the winds and weather don’t improve by that time.  Gotta love boaters…they’re the best!

Hard Rock Casino next to our Marina

Newly Rebuilt Marina Office and Showers

And We’re On Our Way…November 16, 2013

Saturday morning, Nov. 16^th, was a bright and sunny day to begin our long journey to Florida.  Steve had been in Grand Isle, LA for over a week and was ready to “start our engines”.  We would be traveling North to New Orleans in the Barataria channel, so the sails would not be necessary. As we left Pirate’s Cove and headed for the channel, we were surrounded by dolphins.  I believe they were having a party off of Grand Isle, because I have NEVER seen so many of these lovely creatures all together in any of our travels.  Traveling up a channel isn’t really too exciting….lots of water birds, shrimp boats, fishing boats (and these people LOVE to fish) and lots of bayou country!  Our destination the first night was Joe’s Landing in LaFitte, LA.  The pictures will tell you this was a fisherman’s marina…not too fancy, just a place to land your boat for the night.  As usual, the people who run these establishments are the friendliest kind of people.  In fact, Joe, the owner was sitting inside just greeting guests as we came inside to “settle up”.

Joe's Landing

Cleaning Fish

Lots of Boats... This one is for you Melissa



Cemetery Along the Intracoastal Waterway




One of many Shrimp Boats on the Barataria Channel



 

Sunday was the day we needed to get through the city of New Orleans via the waterways.  For a sailboat, this includes having a series of bridges “ lifted” for our mast to fit, as well as to go through  two locks.  We may think we are “special” but the barges get “more special” treatment.  SO, you WAIT and WAIT and WAIT.  One lock took us an hour and a half.  At another, we were locked in with a large barge and had to tie up to it so we didn’t get bounced around….yikers, this is not what I signed up for!  As you can tell, we made it through all of these adventures and got to Pontchartrain Landing Marina/RV Park by late afternoon.  This is a beautiful facility that was built since Katrina. 



Cruise Ships in Downtown New Orleans



St. Louis Cathedral from the Mississippi

 

The park has a shuttle that takes you downtown to the French Quarters, so that is where we spent yesterday afternoon and evening.  Also, the people we met in Grand Isle, Sue and Andy, were in the city for business and were able to join us.  It really helps to have people who know the area to show you around. We walked, shopped, ate, listened to music and had a driving tour of the city.  I fell in love with the homes in the Garden District….so beautiful and massive.  It’s hard to believe what this city went through eight years ago with Katrina.  In fact, the demolished 9^th ward, that was televised so much on the news, is quite close to us in the marina and Lake Pontchartrain.  Unbelievable!



Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square

Café Du Monde

Christmas in the French Quarters



Nancy, Steve, Sue, and Andy

 

We are getting ready to set sail tomorrow for Biloxi, Mississippi. The cold fronts that have brought storms and winds to the Midwest are playing a bit of havoc with the temperatures and winds in this part of the country, too.  We’ll stay in touch once we are back in a comfy marina all tied up at the docks.  Good-bye from Nola J

Prologue - Heading for the Keys

When I last finished the blog, we had just arrived at our new home on North Padre Island after finishing our trip down the rivers and through the Gulf of Mexico.  Since that time, we have done major remodeling to our townhome, met many new friends and acquaintances and just really settled into south Texas living. We are proud and happy to report that Texans are a friendly bunch and we love our new home.  Now I must admit, we DO miss our children/grandchildren up north and have made a number of trips up there to stay attached.

Steve has had one (perhaps more than one) bucket list item that he has just WANTED to accomplish…..a sail across the Gulf.  Mind you, this is NOT on my list, so we compromised and he found someone that thought that sounded like a great plan, too.  So, all summer he was very busy getting our boat ready for this trip.  We now have a new air-conditioner/heating unit, a solar panel, new radar system and the list goes on and on.  The target date to begin this adventure was the end of October.  (My plan was to fly up north to see the kids and then fly to Key West to meet him!) Steve even enlisted the help of a weatherman to help him with winds and weather conditions.  I left on Oct. 26th for Indiana and the boats (another friend, his wife and a crew member left at the same time on their boat) left on Nov. 1st (for a 7 – 8 day cruise).  To make a LONG story short, from the get go, they encountered 40 + mph winds, rough seas AND the other boat had its sail ripped and had to head to South Padre.  FINALLY, the weatherman highly suggested that after 350 + miles and strong winds forming over Florida, Steve and crew member Hank, either head for Mexico or Grand Isle on the Mississippi Delta.  The later was the closest, so after two and a half days they landed on Grand Isle.  Just a couple of comments from Steve kind of gave me an idea of how the trip was on the Gulf.  The first was when he told Hank (his crew member) after his four hour watch one night, “I’m so glad it is dark and I can’t really see anything or else I would probably be scared!!!!”  The other was a comment he made to me about the boat after they were on land again…”the inside of the boat looks like someone picked it up and shook it all around!”  The good news was, they made it to land and they have lots of memories and tales!

Out on the Gulf.  The Calm Before the Wind

Hank Enjoying the Ride in Big Waves

More Bigger Waves

And Even Bigger Waves  Yehaa!!!!!!

When life gives you lemons, hopefully you can make lemonade, right?  Well, after Steve and Hank landed they were aided by a wonderful gentleman named Andy and his wife, Sue.  They helped move the boat to a great marina, invited him to dinner and to watch football at their home and were the ambassadors for Grand Isle.  I arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and Steve picked me up at the closest airport which was New Orleans.  While I was on Grand Isle, they included both of us with invites to dinner at delicious restaurants and informed us about southern Louisiana life.  Crawfish season has just started, so one evening Andy, Sue and Steve each ordered five pounds of those “guys” and feasted away.  I’m more of a shrimp boil kind of girl and that was wonderful, too.  So, today Steve and I have headed out on our journey to south Florida, but we will be going through Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay and all points east on the western coast of Florida down to perhaps the Keys.  When you are sailors, you just have to wait for the right weather and wind conditions.  So, folks, stay tuned and I will continue to blog our adventures again just like last year!

Nancy, Steve with Sue, and Andy - Best Host/Hostess on Grand Isle

Getting Ready to Leave Grand Isle

Kathryn at Grand Isle

Pirates Cove at Grand Isle