Mississippi

March 9

The day dawned foggy and warm. Because it looked like rain, I skipped my planned paddle in Davis’s Bayou and went for a walk on one of the trails around the area. Birds abounded – Saw piliated, redbreasted and redheaded woodpeckers all on one tree. Redheadeds are common, probably saw 25 in a 2 mile walk. Saw a small (4-5’) gator sunning himself in the bayou.

In the afternoon, I visited Kenny Flanagan in his office. Kenny is the man I worked with following Hurricane Katrina and has become a good friend. He brought me up to speed on what has been happening since I was here 3 ½ years ago. Much has changed, though some areas have not been rebuilt. I’ll go on a tour over the next few days to see for myself.

The driving around I have been doing has been surreal. With every turn, I come upon a scene familiar, yet changed. I’ve found my way around mostly by memory and intuition. Kenny invited me to appear on a radio talk show on Wednesday, the same show I did the day before my departure in 2005. Should be interesting. The hurricane affected people deeply and even today, you can’t sit in a eatery or pub without hearing someone say “Katrina” within a few minutes. Everything here is BK or AK.
Drove around the old part of Ocean Springs and was surprised how well they have recovered. Had dinner at the Café New Orleans – Wonderful would not begin to describe it. I had a Cajun Sampler Platter with: Red Beans & Rice, File’ Gumbo, Ettoufee and Jambalaya with a salad, coleslaw, spicy hushpuppies and two pints of the local brew, Pecan Magnolia beer all for $15.

Maybe we should re-name the blog “GeezersEatTheSouth”