GULF COAST 4/1/2011

We left our spot located off I-10 exit 24 on Menge Ave and headed south to Hwy 90 so we could drive along the coast.  Inland there were many beautiful homes.

 Then when we got to the beach we were amazed at the beautiful while sand beaches that were virtually empty.  We stopped at one pull off and in the 80+ degree weather we sat and had lunch and absorbed the beauty all around us.

 But, as we looked closer we saw the remnants of the last few hurricanes that left devastation and despair.

 Though there were hundreds of sites where the storms had left nothing but cement pads where homes had once stood overlooking the bay, there were also a few signs of new beginnings.

 Hope of a bright future of basking in the life of warm beach air and beautiful views.

 Where hundreds of beautiful, hundred-year-old, majestic oaks had stood, now there are a few beautifully sculpted designs.  There were new oaks being planted everywhere.

 As we cruised along Hwy 90 through Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, D'Iberville and Gulf Hills, Mississippi, we were astounded at the beauty of the beach on the south side of the road and the hundreds of remnants of once beautiful homes on the north side.  Below, the next few pictures show what was left of one once beautiful mansion, just across the road from the bay.

 The oak shaded brick circle driveway....

 ... the front porch on the left and the brick carport in the center....

 The back patio, yard, fountain and tennis court...

 ...the steps leading up to the huge tennis court....

As we walked across the cement and tile floors of the bottom story of what had once been an obviously lavish place, we were saddened by the lives that had been changed by nature's fury.  Out front, across the street was one lone palm tree. 

But, life goes on and we drove on too.  We headed up Hwy 609 to our next place to stop for a few days, Martin Lake Resort.  We will stay here until Monday 4/4, giving us the opportunity to watch all of General Conference at a local Stake Center about 2 miles from our park.

By the way, the people we have dealt with in several situations here in Mississippi have been overly friendly and there seems to be a less negative atmosphere.  We like it here.