Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi

Saturday March 1, 2008

We moved the next day from Mobile, Alabama to Mississippi. Bay Saint Louis is just past Biloxi and Waveland and Gulfport on the coast of MS. These areas were some of the hardest hit by Hurricane Katina. The devastation is still quite evident as are the rebuilding efforts still be carried out by many organizations and volunteers.

One evening on the beach in Waveland (where the sign at the beach reminds us, "debris from the storm remains in the water, do not enter") as I was standing in the sand watching Jasper play around, I started a conversation with some folks who I easily recognized as Mennonite. I asked them if they had a local community here in town. They told me that they did not and that what they were doing here was rebuilding homes for those affected by the storm and that could not afford to do it themselves. The actual crew leader, Jason, was a young man from Indiana, here with his wife and young child. They had been assigned here for three years by their church. They were also considered house parents of four other single Mennonite young men who had been stationed with them, they rotate in and out of their positions, and back to their home communities.

They had another family visiting them from Arkansas. This was a young family with two young children. This was a farming family who farmed 1500 acres of alternating crops of corn and soy on a farm where they had bought the house but leased the property until such time when they could purchase the land as well. They were very interesting to speak to and very dedicated minded young people. I was glad to know that they had such a strong and long term commitment to continue to assist the folks in these areas regain their housing. (Even if I still believe, personally, that it is a little silly to rebuild in such susceptible areas. The ways of methods of building are changing somewhat and the height of the buildings seem to be able to accommodate the rising waters. (which is scary enough in its own right)

Our first reason for coming to this area, as we continue to move west along the southern coast of the US, was to visit the Stennis Space Center. This is a place that I did not even know existed until this trip and my continuing research for educational areas and places to visit along the way. Stennis is the NASA laboratory and science center where all engines for all space craft are tested before they are installed on the actual space craft for travel. It is also the scientific place where many new development of materials take place for NASA. They do a very nice and thoroughly pleasant job of allowing us to tour the test facility and the attached museum. The test facility is coll to see but the museum is chock full of all kinds of really interesting info from the local area and also about all kinds of different things that revolve around the space program. It was simply a great place to visit and to experience, in particular, the shuttle program. We actually got to sit in and operate a shuttle landing simulator and try our hand at landing the thing. (I did it great the first time and crashed it the next two)

The next day we traveled into New Orleans, Louisiana, which is only 40 miles to the southwest. After having completed Mark Twain's biography, while in Florida, I felt it compelling to experience a ride on a steam driven river boat. (Rear Paddle) Just like the ones that Clemens became pilot of in his own lifetime. I booked us for a lunch time cruise on the Steam Boat Natchez out of the working New Orleans Harbor and we cruised around on the Mighty Mississippi for a couple of hours and enjoyed a somewhat, banquet style, Cajun lunch.

This was a great day and a great little tour filled with an informative and somewhat political narrative from the ships pilot house.

We completed the day walking around the French Quarter, as we have done several times before, sipping latte and thoroughly enjoying biegnets at Cafe Du Monde, listening to street performers, viewing the work of great local artists and strolling thru the sidewalk market before heading back to camp via the old RT. 90 along the coast yet again. It is still disheartening to see the houses missing but the world moves on and people learn how to deal.

A good Lesson!