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