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. 28th
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!!!!
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| Home For the Holidays for Dinner |
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| In Front of the Beau Rivage |
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| 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!
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| Biloxi's New Visitors Center |
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| 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!
