Taking Flight

The sunlight made these street lights appear to be readying for take-off.

Mine! No, Mine!

Seagulls fighting over a cracker.



Click on picture to enlarge.

Regrowth

What do you do with Southern live oaks that died to the winds and waves of Hurricane Katrina? Most of the dead trees were bulldozed. But a group that used to stand in US 90's median in Biloxi have seen a regrowth. The trunks and branches were carved to reflect the wildlife that abounds along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Seagulls abound along the Mississippi Coast.


Deep-sea fishing is a favorite activity of locals and tourists. The most exciting fish to hook is the marlin. The other side is a dolphin.



Brown pelicans and great blue herons are also numerous along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They are my favorite birds to photograph. The brown pelican is ungainly on land but has quiet majesty when flying. Great blue herons are very wary.



I think whoever did the carvings did a fantastic job. It is nice to see regrowth. And the Southern live oaks that survived are making a wonderful comeback.

Buddies

Smokin Part II!

This rescue helicopter had to go investigate something in the harbor. When it whipped around the corner of the pier I was on, the blades dumped water on me and everyone else within 50 feet of the ned of the pier!



The hardest time I encountered is when the boats were grouped together. It was difficult because some of the boats were going so much faster than the others.

Smokin Part I!

Smokin the Sound returned to Biloxi this weekend. It was canceled last year because of all the debris in the water from Hurricane Katrina. One of the boats, the Fountain, obtained speeds of 175mph! Smokin!!
The start of the race looked like something out of Apocalypse Now. Each boat had a helicopter.


At times, it looked like the boats were racing the helicopters instead of other boats.



They went by so fast, it was very difficult at times to get a good shot. The next two give an idea of the speed the boats were doing.




The Fountain was in the lead throughout the race.

Red Eye

Skimmer

Hurricane Hunters

The Hurricane Hunters are at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi Mississippi. They are the ones who get the data that NOAA uses to predict if a tropical disturbance is developing into a tropical storm or hurricane. The also gather data so that forecasters can predict whether a hurricane is gaining strength or weakening. I was able to take these pictures of one of the Hurricane Hunters while at the beach today.

Sun Glow

Dandelions

Home Going

Pillars

Yellow & Blue

Repairs are zooming along on the Hard Rock Cafe Casino's barge/

Skiff

On oyster skiff docked behind the slab of McElroy's Restaurant.

Kite Boarding

This looked like fun!

Sunset Walk

Cover Up

The parking garage for the Hard Rock Cafe Casino is being repaired. The casino is set to open sometime in July. It was supposed to open the day Hurricane Katrina hit. Let's hope this grand opening goes much, much, much better!

Floats

Floats from a shrimp net. Shrimpers often leave their work on the sides of the piers. From December to April is downtime and is when the shrimpers repair their nets, boats, paint, and do other maintenance.

Cooler

Metal Works

Awash

Sea-Wash

The sea-wash never ends.
The sea-wash repeats, repeats.
Only old songs? Is that all the sea knows?
Only the old strong songs?
Is that all?
The sea-wash repeats, repeats.

Carl Sandburg

Copper Roofs

The repairs to Moses Pier are almost complete!

Rebar

Clouds

Algae Bloom

Walkway

About ten years ago, the city of Gulfport built a unique nature walk. The James Hill Walk has piers so that Bayou Bernard can be explored. There is a wealth of wildlife. I've been keeping my eye for the alligators that live there. I see their tracks but haven't seen any them since before Hurricane Katrina.

7-9

Remains of the Day

Wednesday when I went to Small Craft Harbor in Gulfport, the remains of the White Cap Restaurant were being demolished. Nothing but the slab was left after Hurricane Katrina. It was sad to see a place that has such fond memories for me gone. The sun had just set and the lights from across the harbor give hope that what will be built in its place will be better and stronger in the future. Just like my community has become stronger and better because we are working together in Mississippi.