Katrina lives

Although the detritis from Katrina has been removed from the areas where we drove, the evidence of the devastation remains. Most houses along the Gulf are built on pilings that are about ten feet high, and there is many a site with nothing but the pilings standing. And most of the inhabited sites were occupied by newly-built homes. We primarily drove through affluent areas, much beachfront, so of course ours was a pretty sanitized view of the devastation.

We chose to stay at a casino in Bay St Louis, MS last night that has a nice RV park. Most all of the 'regular' RV parks in this part of the country have become trailer parks and are home to displaced families who lost their homes. We didn't even hop on the shuttle to the casino, but it was a nice park with grassy sites and a great place to hunker down for the night.

We have been driving I-90 for the past hour which takes us right along the shoreline with several causeways and interesting views. Up ahead is the Northrop Grumman Pascagoula shipyard with a skyline of acres and acres of cranes.

...Later Sunday evening....

We settled in at the RV park on the Naval Air Station Pensacola, and took a drive around the base and into town for some reminiscing. Needless to say, there is not much that looks familiar. However, the Mustin Beach Officers Club still stands in all its glory right on the beach. It is a beautiful building, and is in fact still an officers club. We attended our first formal Navy dinner and dance at that club right after Ken was commissioned in July 1964.

We drove into town and drove the street where we lived while here but cannot remember the address and did not see anything that looked familiar. However in looking at the houses, I am sure the house where we lived is still there; nothing looks new or updated. I have called and left a message for Mike to see if he remembers since he drove with Keith and I when we moved here.

Tomorrow we will visit the Naval Air Museum that is only about a mile from where we are parked. We can leave the A/C running and leave Cooper long enough to go tour the museum. More to follow. Ciao