Recovery in Ocean Springs

Ocean Springs' popular nature and recreation site marked a milestone in its rebound from Hurricane Katrina with the official opening of the William Colmer Visitor Center.
The William M. Colmer Visitor Center, named for a veteran Mississippi congressman, is located at the end of Park Road.


Presentations covering all aspects of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi are available. An exhibit area that incorporates the art of local artist Walter Anderson explains the different ecosystems and features local plants and wildlife. An exhibition of work by other local artists changes on a quarterly basis. The twelve minute film " Tides, Winds, and Waves" is shown daily in the auditorium. Administrative Offices, restrooms, water fountains, and the Eastern National Bookstore are housed in the building. Park Rangers are available at the information desk to answer questions.

Inside the center, an open house Saturday gave visitors a chance to test out models of future educational displays on local plants and wildlife.

Amaze Design Inc., who designed the interior of the center, brought in another company to evaluate how people responded to the models, looking for ways to make the displays accessible and easy to use.

At a display about aquatic bottom-feeders, guests were asked whether it was easier to slide a handle or turn a knob to reveal a pic ture of a clam. Opinions were also gathered about the height of the displays, particularly for people who use wheelchairs.

The park used about $1 million to restore the building and decking, said Gail Bishop, chief of interpretation at Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Park officials were not able to make drastic changes, because the federal money was designed to pay for restoring what existed before Katrina, Bishop said. Park rangers had been working out of a trailer since Katrina.

Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural resources along barrier islands in Mississippi and Florida. The Davis Bayou area in Ocean Springs consists of more than 400 acres, according to the National Park Service.

The visitor center is open 8:30 to 4:30 daily.

I can't believe we survived this moron

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush is defending the government's record in responding to Hurricane Katrina, even while admitting once more that some things could have been done differently.

At his last formal news conference, Bush at one point said, "Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs" not long after the hurricane passed over the Gulf Coast.

He said it was "a devastating storm" and that hard work remains to bring New Orleans back to the kind of life people had before the hurricane that hit in the summer of 2005.

Bush said, "More people need to have their own home there, but the systems are in place to continue the reconstruction in New Orleans."•


Reactions from locals:

Spoke the cat

Schroeder

Cliff

Eli

Mark Folse at Humid City

Katrina Recovery

From the Clarion Ledger dot com:



After a hurricane, putting Humpty Dumpty back together again is no simple task.
But now that federal relief funds are beginning to flow, Hancock County has a long list of recovery projects already under way, in the application process, or on the drawing board.

It all stems from damages done by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

It has taken us a while to get to this point, county Supervisor Steve Seymour said. "But knowing how the wheels of government move, it's a slow process."
Most of the recovery projects are being paid with federal money. That means county officials have had to deal with multiple federal and state agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Mississippi Development Authority.

Then, supervisors have waded through requirements for each project, including environmental assessments and screening and hiring architects, engineers and construction firms.
Recently, supervisors reviewed an updated list of projects and their status. Some are in the funding application process, while others are awaiting environmental review. The projects range from the courthouse and jail to a new fire station, a county government complex, community centers and a series of hurricane shelters to be built above I-10.



One major project, a $4.8 million reconstruction and addition at the historic courthouse on Main Street in Bay St. Louis, is well under way and scheduled for completion in April. And a project to build a new county government building in Bay St. Louis is awaiting a wetlands delineation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Officials are hoping to break ground for the 28,548-square-foot complex early in the year.
Supervisors acknowledge it seems like forever since Katrina came and went, taking so much with her. But they think the county is turning a major corner now.

Having a bad day?

You ain't had a day as bad as this guy

Scene in Slidell

Click on image for larger version.

Crosby Aboretum

On a recent trip to the Crosby Aboretum in Picayune Mississippi, hubby and I snapped several hundred photos. Here's a small sampling
click on photos for larger versions


The entry pathway



The Savannah trail



Winter "blooms"



A pitcher plant, similar to a venus flytrap



The Pinecote Pavilion, which is the centerpiece for the "pond walk" AND is available to rent.


A plaque along a trail



A rest stop



Moss by the pond



the Pavilion across the pond.

The Old and the New

During our trip to the Crosby Arboretum we noticed acres of young pine trees growing amidst the skeletons of Katrina trees.

The trees killed by the storm are taking on hues that show the passage of time. They're turning gray. Yet they still stand to serve as tragic memorials to Katrina's violent winds and storm surge.



The young pine trees exude rebirth and give us hope.

A day trip to the Gulf Coast

Hubby and I took a ride the other day to test out the GPS unit he got for Christmas. It was quite interesting and the little device got us where we wanted to......eventually.

We started out at the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune. A beautifully serene place, this park has many different trails that offer so many beautiful scenes to enjoy and photograph. More on that later.

Upon leaving Crosby, we decided that we'd like to take the back roads from Picayune to Bay St. Louis, where we wanted to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Rickeys.

Using the directions from the GPS, we headed down the service road that the Arboretum is located. Not too far down the road, we noticed this sign, which
speaks volumes about "aggressive sports" in this area.
click on pictures for a larger version




We continued down the road, obeying the instructions given by the GPS. Here are the results







Just a little past this part of the road, we came upon a man driving a big old earth moving vehicle. He looked at us kind of strange as I waved. We continued on.
Until we came to this




Sooo, hubby had to turn around and we backtracked.

When we passed the earth-moving-farmer-guy, we stopped and hubby apologized for us trespassing on his land and blamed it on the GPS. The farmer had an extremely strong Mississippi accent and did not smile. I'm just glad he wasn't pointing a shotgun at us. The farmer explained to us that he had owned the land we were driving through for 20 plus years and had just purchased 40 more acres and was clearing it out. He gave us directions to Bay St. Louis (follow the dirt road till you get to the NASA highway) and we retraced our steps all the way back to where we started.

The NASA highway is apparently a combination of Highway 607/3 Notch Road/Texas Flat Road which runs adjacent to the Stennis Space Center. Newly paved, it's smooth as a baby's butt and there is NOTHING - no houses, no businesses - along this road.

We finally made it to Rickey's, despite the GPS and found it closed! So we ventured down to historic downtown Bay St. Louis and ended up at




The Buttercup Restaurant on Second Street. Home of one fantastic flame broiled burger!




The restaurant looks like it was built using the Katrina Cottage structure and is very light and airy. Great waitstaff and food. We will return.

After eating a half pound of beef each, hubby and I decided that we needed to walk for an hour or so. In an antique shop down the street from the Buttercup we enjoyed browsing around while listening to the music of Coco Robicheaux. Very nice.

It seems like a lot of folks that own businesses in downtown Bay St. Louis are from New Orleans. The quality of their shops, the quality of their service and just the fantastic New Orleans outlook made it an excellent trek.



As we were leaving, I noticed some new construction on Main Street:






Three years post Katrina Bay St. Louis and its neighbors continue to work tirelessly to rebuild with the help of thousands of volunteers. Although this courthouse looks completed, the roads around it are still torn up in the midst of reconstruction.

I wanted some more info on Hancock County so we could be sure that we knew the dates of upcoming festivals. So we backtracked through about a mile of roads-in-work to find the Visitors Center located in the new train depot.

We found it, but it was closed for the holiday weekend. The building is charming, with a middle east feeling










And it was worth the drive because we discovered a "restaurant district" right next to the depot that we will have to check out in the future.



The GPS is a great tool, but beware those back roads!

Happy 2009

I've been laying low the past two weeks, spending my time catching up on things I should have been doing all along last year. Now that those menial chores are done and I've almost de-Christmased the house I can chill a little.

I haven't read too much online for the past 10 days and have only glimpsed at the news on nola dot com and time dot com. Too many bad things going on out there to dwell on.

I did read today the the good old Catholic church is unrelentless in their effort to close two small churches in New Orleans. This is one of the many reasons I am no longer a practicing Catholic.



I've eaten my share of chocolate and rich foods. It was awesome! My culinary arts student daughter and her culinary arts student fiance have fed hubby and I all week with some innovative and delicious meals. They have left for Lafayette and I just noticed that there is still chocolate mousse in the fridge.
sigh.
I really can't waste it, so I'll make the supreme sacrifice and eat it tonite.

Here I sit at the start of a brand new year, one that promises to bring hard work and possibly a new career after 27 years in my present one. This year is full of opportunities and I look forward to facing them head on. Hope your 2009 is full of hope and good things.

Santa was good

Santa was very, very good to me this year





Plenty of reading material, cooking material, AND a new camera. Watch for a plethora of pictures!!

Olde Towne Arts Center

Recently opened in Slidell at the site of the former Slidell Cleaners is the Olde Towne Arts Center, or OTAC. Conceived Post Katrina OTAC is home to a growing network of artists that includes art classes in various media, visual arts workshops, poetry workshops, and numerous other artistic endeavors.