The bottom line in the news seemed to be that the beaches, waters and wildlife are coming back much, much faster than was anticipated--though they're finding many dead baby dolphins and the oil is still present in the Louisiana marshes, among other issues.
Nonetheless, we pulled into Gulfport January 30 and the very next morning we were on the beach in shorts. It was glorious!
This is Maggie being happy--long before Mariah the cat came to share her world two weeks ago.
Here's a video clip of Maggie and Bud on the beach. (If you're getting this post via email and can't see the video, just click here to get to the blog itself)? How does the beach look to you? Other than a slight bit of mid-winter seaweed at the water's edge, it's pristine!
In the month we were there, we could see the progress made since Katrina. Houses are being rebuilt in classic Gulfcoast style and iconic historical sites like Jefferson Davis' home, Beauvoir (which had essentially been demolished by Katrina) are open for visitors.
Fishing piers have been rebuilt and this shot shows the creative approach to the trunks of the many live oaks that were killed by Katrina. Instead of being cut down and removed, the trunks and branches along Beach Boulevard were turned into sculpture depicting local wildlife. This is part of the Katrina Sculpture Garden in Biloxi.
A few feet inland, on the other side of Beach Boulvard, or Route 90, the oaks are making a comeback. To us northerners, this is classic, classic southern landscape.
We are already planning our return.
And by the way...if you haven't caught up with my column Travel Talk, for the Concord Monitor, here's a link to last Sunday's about gas prices and April 10th's about staying safe when a piece falls off your plane.
