A Year Ago

Looking back, this time last year I got my very first view of the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis, MS. Of course we are all, by now, well aware of the state the coast is in now. In light of that, I wanted to share some pics from my time down there. It hurts to look at them now, but at the same time, I'm glad I got the chance to go and have the memory to carry with me always.

There we all were at my BIL's mom's house on that very first afternoon. Her house, like many of the houses right on the water, was built on concrete stilts. I'm the one sitting on the stairs. As much as it pained me to run up and down those stairs all weekend, I'd give anything to have 'em back.

That's my niece...the little stinker. When we all first got there, her Ma-Maw took her out to the water while the rest of us unpacked. Emmy jumped right in...clothes and all! Sis1 was, of course, pissed but Emmy had a blast as you can see.

This is one of the many piers that used to dot the landscape up and down the coast. It was one very similar to this one that Sis1, BIL and I all went to that Friday night. We had gone to Ray's Shrimp Shack and pigged out on shrimp while Ma-maw babysat. I remember how magical it all seemed and how much fun we had goofing off and laughing and talking out there with the stars above us and the water lapping below us. It all seems like a misty-eyed dream now.

To the right is the view from the front porch. See the ocean sparkling between the trees? Perhaps my favorite thing to do while I was there was to get up just after dawn and take a cup of coffee with me to sit on the front porch and gaze out over the lush green lawns and clear to the water. It was always so quiet down there. The neighbors never made any noise. There weren't any dogs barking to disturb the peace and quiet. It was just me, the early morning sun and a rocking chair. Well, when Sis1 wasn't out there chattering like a magpie. ;-)

And this is it...that famed front porch. See how long and high it was? Surrounded by trees with a clear view of the ocean, dotted with several white rocking chairs. If you'll notice, the front windows, save for the French doors on the far end, were already boarded up in preparation for Ivan who at that point was dancing along the Florida coast teasing the Gulf with the prospect of a visit. The coast was spared a visit from Ivan last year though. It's terribly sad that we weren't so blessed this year.

To avoid leaving ya'll on sad note, how about a happy view of me on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville a few days prior to my serene time on the coast? Yeah, that's me...the big goofy chick with the guitar. I'm a ham...in more ways than one. hehehehehe