Month: February 2017

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS

I caught the ranger making his morning rounds; he said he had one family that might leave early. If so, we could take their spot. He said to check with him in 30 minutes. And, we got in! We are living a charmed life! Now Penny and I can do the ride the rain put off yesterday.

I noticed a school bus had moved in last night. As a veteran of the school bus crowd, I stopped in to say “hi”. Will and Nancy had a 56 passenger International Harvester diesel. They were heading from West Virginia to Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas. They came down to see Penny’s artwork and we shared some stories before they had to move on. He is going to be a river guide for the national park! They said they were going to visit the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi on their way west.

This inspired us to do the same thing; we pushed our bike ride back until late afternoon so that we could be sure to have time to enjoy the museum. We had seen it on our way east and meant to see it during this week. Having this extra day afforded the possibility so we wanted to take advantage of it.

The compound was designed in some crazy architecture by Frank O. Gehry; it was campus style with lots of brick buildings with metal roofing that ached over and became walls. The light was brought in through skylights or the glass entryways.

The featured exhibit was George Ohr, the self proclaimed “Mad Potter of Biloxi”. Some of his pottery was utilitarian, but much of it was individual artistic work. Unrecognized until long after his death, he never enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Now they are shown in this Smithsonian Affiliate.

Another exhibit displayed exquisite lathe turned wood art work by a few very talented turners. It appeared to be magically created, other worldly. We had never seen wood sculptures like these.

Another building exhibited information about Hurricane Katrina. In our two trips to the Gulf Shore, we were amazed by the extend of the damage and the difficulties rebuilding these beach communities. But, the photography in these displays helped us to see the big picture. One hundred miles on either side of New Orleans got flattened, just smashed to pieces. Unbelievable!

Once back to Davis Bayou, we did squeeze in a bike ride along the Beach Rd. We rode until the sun set over Biloxi. Having no lights, we turned back to camp arriving safely in the dusk!

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS

This day turned into an active one. I rode almost 10 miles on my own before lunch and hoped to get out with Penny in the early afternoon. But the skies grew dark and rain developed. Since we had just showered, bike riding in the wet would require a second shower, so we decided to drive to a trailhead on the sandhill crane refuge. Our raincoats and umbrella should due well in keeping us dry. We walked about an hour with occasional sprinkles, but no wildlife sightings. As we got back to the truck, the cloudburst hit.

By then it was late Friday afternoon; traffic was snarled on the main drag and we were headed across town. McElroy’s Restaurant was our destination; we had eaten two appetizers there last year and they were delicious. Once again, we ordered a dozen baked oysters covered in a New Orleans BBQ sauce, cheese and parsley for one dish and a seafood bread smothered in shrimp, cheese and sauce for the other. Oh, and two glasses of wine!

We decided to rent a movie so we found a Redbox to get Woody Allen’s Cafe Society. On the way, we were passing a homemade ice cream shop we had been meaning to try since we first saw it last year. We got two scoops of strawberry chocolate. It was rich and creamy and seriously silly to buy after all the seafood. But, I managed to eat it all by sharing some with Penny Jane.

The movie was classic Woody Allen filled with humor and pathos, as well as the typical New York Jewish stereotypes. It was good cheap entertainment; we should do that more often! It ended close to 10PM, our usual bedtime. It was a good day!

We don’t have a reservation for tomorrow night; we are hoping for a cancellation. Otherwise, we will be in someone’s parking lot. Weekends are booked.

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS

After contemplation time, we ate a nice omelette for breakfast and proceeded to ready the camper for moving to another site here at Davis Bayou. It was musical chairs; the folks in the site we had reserved were moving to another site which had not yet been vacated. Soon enough, we all got sites (before the music stopped). Now we are in a cul-de-sac where there is a fraction of the traffic and we have a 20 yard trail down to the bayou behind us. Hope the gators don’t come up!

After lunch, we rode our bikes to the visitor’s center where we watched a great video on the Gulf Islands National Seashore that included Walter Anderson’s fascination with Horn Island. The center had an abundance of information about barrier islands and the flora and fauna of these particular ones.

On the way home, we stopped to see our alligator friend; he just laid there sleeping. Then we stopped at the boat launch, but not much was happening there either. But, the wind was picking up off of the water making us feel cold. So, we headed home for warmer clothes and a nap. We decided to go back to the boat launch to watch a 6:07PM fly over of the ISS, then Penny would put together dinner while I got a fire started. This is only the second time we have had a fire on this year’s trip!

We listened to the Gonzaga Bulldogs win their 27th in a row and hunkered down for the night. Penny read and wrote for awhile, but she is sleeping now at 11:45PM. Time for me to get to sleep as well. I’ll go to bed thankful for being gifted with such a wonderful life with such a wonderful partner! Hallelujah!

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS

February 15, Wednesday, Day 132

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is a gem. Not many art museums are dedicated to one artist, but this is one of them. His brother, Mac, has a small but worthy presence, as well. Including Peter, the three brothers started Shearwater Pottery in the early 1930’s; they featured utilitarian dish ware through the depression. All three created exquisite art; Peter as the main potter. Walter was prolific, producing art in many media: sculpture, pencil, water color, oil, block printing, pottery, furniture, and others. Mac’s paintings were magically stylized.

He often rowed his boat 15 miles out to the remote Horn Island. There he could commune with nature and paint what he saw in the landscape and animal kingdom. He would spend weeks at a time on the island sketching on 8 1/2” x 11” notebook paper. He also had a room in his house which he kept locked. No one knew what was inside until after his death. The walls were colorfully painted to portray the passing of one day including animals such as deer and butterflies as well as the plant life of Horn Island. He was happy on the island and may have used that room as a surrogate while working at the Shearwater compound.

Please enjoy this  sampling of their work:

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you Lovers!

Random shots from my bike ride:

 

Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS, 45 mile jump

This was a much anticipated jump along the Beach Hwy from Ground Zero at Buccaneer SP to Ocean Springs, MS. Penny and I stayed at both of these parks last year and fondly remember the scenic drive. We departed about 10:45 AM and arrived about 2 PM; stopping along the way to photograph the wide, white, manicured sand beaches on one side of the road and the many huge live oak trees on the other. This scenery goes on for miles, interrupted by the occasional hotel/casino with the typical nearby Waffle House, Walgreens, and Souvenir Shop.

A few more of the vacant lots had houses under construction, but the vast majority have only FOR SALE signs a decade after Katrina. The new houses are much more utilitarian than the large ginger bread southern mansions they are replacing. It is certainly a high risk venture to build on a venue that was so thoroughly ravished by Mother Nature. Hopefully, the new building codes will be effective in mitigating the damage.

Stopping in Bay St. Louis, We noticed a dead live oak that had two angels carved into it. When Katrina hit, four people were being washed out of the historic hotel the Bay Town Inn as it collapsed and clung to this tree almost eight hours until the eye passed. Then they could get down and seek shelter; the tree was carved to show two angels, The Angel Tree.

Passing over the Bay St. Louis bridge, we traveled through the coastal towns of Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi under bright blue skies making the sand sparkle. Arriving at our destination, Ocean Springs, MS, we stopped for last minute supplies and headed for our campground. We love so much about this place from the alligator pond to the bike paths which make it so easy to access the attractions in town. Number one on that list is the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Anderson was a prolific painter. He had an interesting way of stylizing his subjects, usually landscapes and/or wildlife. His family also started Shearwater Pottery in the 1930s; that is a fun place to tour.

After setting up camp, we had BLTs for a late lunch, a quick power nap, and a bike ride to see our friend the alligator in the pond, the boat launch, and a quick jaunt into town to the beautiful white sand beaches. It’s so good to be here; 74F as we watched the sun going down!

Up late typing, Penny fell asleep long ago; I just “finished” this post. So, this is a post script.. Checking my list of things to do, I was reminded to check St. George Island again. It’s midnight, but I checked again. Sure and begorrah, five nights were open in site #33! Needing to run this by Penny, I roused her. She was in a deep sleep, so it took awhile to convince her I had the right park and the right days. She agreed; we booked it! We have accommodations through March 2, with the exception of this coming Sunday night.  We will find something that works; don’t worry!

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

Suri, my phone personality, got me lost trying to find the new church we discovered near Kent and Sue’s, so I was late. Then, I thought I’d get fueled up today for our jump to Davis Bayou tomorrow. In doing so, I called Penny to let her know what I was doing. But, I spied an auto parts store so I popped in to buy some fuses for the truck. Two customers had the two salesmen in some complex problem solving, so I stood there for ten minutes before I got out of there. I was late for brunch now and blew past a squad car at ten over the 25MPH limit; luckily he must have been preoccupied, he didn’t come after me! After brunch, we went to a seafood store nearby “open 7 days a week”; they were closed. One of those days when things don’t go according to plan.

Spaghetti on the menu. And a campfire!

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

 

Calm winds got us out on the bikes before breakfast. We rode together for 3 miles locating some large live oak specimens just a block off of the beach. The neighborhood was completely destroyed by Katrina, but new homes built on stilts were more prevalent than last year. They give a good frame of reference to gauge the size of the trees. Then, I rode alone for six miles, rendezvousing with Penny for another two at the end.

After brunch, we got busy with grocery shopping, truck and trailer maintenance, a nap and winding down to happy hour and a tasty dinner of shrimp boudin grilled on the BBQ with steamed fresh veggies.

I have only seen the Gonzaga Bulldogs play basketball on TV once this season; the radio has been my only connection. Tonight’s rival is their conference nemesis, St. Mary’s, ranking #20 in the NCAA; the Zags are ranked #1, so a good game was on hand. In this area there are not a lot of sports bars, and the sports fans here probably want to watch their local favorites. So, I put on my Bulldog regalia and had my phone lead me to the closest establishment. Despite all of my preconceived negativity, I found a mostly empty joint with the game on ESPN. I got a seat at the bar right in front of the TV and watched the Zags win 74-64 while enjoying two beers. I was only 1.5 miles from our campsite, how cool is that?

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

It is easy to feel like a foreigner as a Yankee in the south. On her drive around the neighborhood, Penny found Kent and Sue’s Quick Stop nearby and hurried home to tell me of the deli coolers full of southern delicacies. She wanted us to go to lunch there; I agreed we needed some down home cooking to get the full flavor of the area. Boy, did we!

Not a typical convenience store; it did sell gas, smokes, chewing tobacco, beer, pop, and all the standard fare. But, it also had a large kitchen in back with many deli cases, as well as booths, tables and chairs for customers to dine indoors. By the time we got there, about 12:40, the deli cases were virtually empty!

We did get alligator boudin sausage (very good), southern homemade Mac and Cheese (yum), Thai spiced chicken nuggets (ate too many), and chicken tenders (brought two home). We asked if we could have a beer; the gentlemen said, “We like beer!” and showed me he was enjoying a cold one. He said, “Y’all just go over there to the beer cooler and get a couple or a case”. So, we got a six pack of Fat Tire; we each had one with our lunch while eavesdropping on the help. The lunch crowd was gone. One of the gals was smoking a cigarette while recounting the details of the rowdy party she and the other gal attended last weekend. Interesting!

The store had at least two crucifixes on full display; one on a sign warning potential robbers that the staff was armed and that they “would not hesitate to kill” a robber. While I understand the effort to scare off thieves, I thought it strangely placed under the dying Jesus! Then again, it’s proximity might put the robber in an existential moment; a brilliant psychological move.

It was definitely nap time after gorging myself on tasty food; we also cancelled bike rides. But, we did enjoy the full moon; it was not eclipsed down here. And, clouds rolled in obscuring the green comet that was supposed to be visible in the early morning hours.

Buccaneer SP, Waveband, MS

Penny painted all day long and about 4PM said, “I’m done!” and “I am putting my paint and tools away.” The mural looks incredible; a woman who has been admiring it each day on her walk, said “I’m so glad to see the finished version”. Penny was heartened to know that another recognized it as done. I am so proud of her; when she started almost a year ago, I described the process as “childbirth”. I have watched her struggle and persevere, cry and smile as she produced this masterpiece! Her efforts were sporadic, dependent on weather, orientation of the trailer, and mood. But, ultimately, she was tired of it not being done, gritted her teeth, pushed herself to the limit and got it finished.

We had time for a 8.5 mile bike ride together, this time exploring the bayous and neighborhoods around the park. We were reminded how much water is around here; it’s so flat the rain pools and the sea encroaches on the land. We came upon about two dozen egrets perching in the trees 100 yards on the other side of a bayou. At one point, they got spooked by something and took off in unison, swirled around for a short bit and landed back in the same trees. It is magical down here on the bayou!