Posted by Jody on December 24, 2017
Merry Christmas from The Pass!
This was the fabulous wintery scene on Pass Christian’s beach earlier this month. I have no clue what this sandy guy’s name is but he shows up each year to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from “The Pass.” We’re always delighted to see him!
We wish you a Merry Christmas too!
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: Christmas, Pass Christian Mississippi | 4 Comments »
Posted by Jody on December 19, 2017
Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival
“The sailor spends his Christmas in a harbour on the hook
Caye con les, no work today, let’s shell the ol’ log book
The waterfront is reveling, the season has begun
The sailor spends his Christmas in a harbour having fun.”
~A Sailor’s Christmas by Jimmy Buffet~
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: Christmas, Gulfport Mississippi, Mississippi Gulf Coast | 2 Comments »
Posted by Jody on December 18, 2017
Who doesn’t love a parade? On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we have a parade for any and every reason! Seriously. You barely come to the end of the Christmas holidays and here comes Mardi Gras complete with up to 26 parades scheduled across our coastal communities. St. Patrick’s Day, Crusin’ the Coast, Veterans Day? You name it, we line the floats up. Don’t even get me started on the throws! You wouldn’t believe the things we’ve caught. Shot glasses, beads, footballs, beads, carrots, beads, backpacks, beads. Oh, and did I mention the beads?
But in my opinion, best of all are the Christmas lighted boat parades. In Long Beach, during the Sea Santa Sail-A-Bration, festively decorated boats cruise along the streets on boat trailers in a waterless boat parade. Gulfport hosts their yearly glittering Christmas on the Bayou parade and Biloxi ushers in the holidays with Christmas on the Water, another annual event showcasing still more spectacularly lighted boats.
While most folks pack a blanket and watch from the beaches of Biloxi for Christmas on the Water (or line the waterside edges of the casino parking garages), this year, we were thrilled to sail onboard the 100′ Capt. Pete which usually serves to ferry summer day-trippers to and from Ship Island.
Come along with us as we sail into the calm waters of the Mississippi Sound with this shimmering fleet.
Welcome aboard!
And that, my friends, is how we celebrate Christmas on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!
Merry Christmas, y’all!
~~~~~~~
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: boats, Christmas, Christmas on the Water, Gulf Coast Christmas, lighted boat parade, Mississippi Gulf Coast | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Jody on November 23, 2017
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: beach, Happy Thanksgiving, Mississippi Gulf Coast | 6 Comments »
Posted by Jody on October 20, 2017
Our white sand beaches and coastal areas are teeming with beautiful Gulf fritillary butterflies these days! ~ Just in time for their brilliant autumn-like colors to mix and match with other seasonal Southern favorites like maxed out Halloween decorations, pumpkin patches, and sweet potato pies!
According to the University of Florida Entomology & Nematology Department:
“The Gulf fritillary occurs throughout the southern United States southward through Mexico, Central America and the West Indies to South America. In Florida, it can be found in all 67 counties. The butterfly undergoes distinct seasonal movements each year. Adults move northward in spring and form temporarily breeding colonies throughout the southeast. Individual vagrants may occasionally reach into the central U.S., but rarely into the Midwest. Starting in late summer and continuing through fall, huge numbers of adults migrate southward into peninsular Florida. Adults overwinter in frost-free portions of their range.”
Fall colors at their finest!
~~~~~~~~~
Have a great day, hopefully at the beach!
Butterflies and Moths of North America
Butterfly Plants and Mississippi Butterflies
Posted in Beach and Coastal Wildlife, Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: Agraulis vanillae, autumn colors, beach, Gulf fritillary, Mississippi Gulf Coast | 5 Comments »
Posted by Jody on October 8, 2017
Just a couple days ago, we were sitting out on Beach Boulevard watching lovingly restored Bel Airs, GTOs, and Deuce Coupes cruise by with Mississippi’s beguiling beachfront as their backdrop. Today, the Mississippi Department of Transportation is cruising the coast in clean-up mode.
Let me explain: In the olden days (We’re talking pre-Katrina here.), we understand the folks ’round here used to host hurricane parties. These days, we all hunker down and try to prepare as much as possible when the h-word is mentioned. So, although Crusin’ the Coast – billed as “America’s Largest Block Party” – took place this past week, vacationers packed up and left a bit early due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Nate. The party was over!
This year’s event featured over 8,000 registered classic cars and other vehicles. Next year’s party (September 30 – October 7th, 2018) promises to be even bigger!
Thankfully, our beautiful beaches remain intact this morning. Here, mid-coast, we only suffered minor tree damage and overblown dunes.
So long, Nate!
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches | Tagged: America's Largest Block Party, beach, classic cars, Crusin' The Coast, Hurricane Nate, Mississippi Gulf Coast | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Jody on July 4, 2017
“You have to love a nation that celebrates its Independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
~Erma Bombeck
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: 4th of July, beach, Erma Bombeck, Independence Day, picnic at the beach | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Jody on June 22, 2017
Tropical Storm Cindy sure left a mess behind on our coastal beaches! Today, in South Mississippi, we still have lines of thunderstorms passing through, flash flood warnings posted, and a tornado watch in effect. Parts of the beachside highway are blocked due to sand coverage and many parking areas along the seawall fenced off by the county. Luckily, we were able to find a place to pull over and hop out for a quick look at one of the beaches in Biloxi this afternoon.
The aftermath of Tropical Storm Cindy on the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi..
Row of rental chairs buried in the sand.
I’m guessing we can negotiate a discount on these!
We’re going to need a bigger shovel!
Here’s one!
MDOT Sand Clean-up Crew
We didn’t expect to see this little guy:
Is anyone missing their pet turtle?
Cindy had a peculiar sense of humor.
She left this behind:
Seriously?? “The CYCLONE!”
It’s with a great big sigh of relief that we say, “So long, TS Cindy!”
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, Biloxi Mississippi, Tropical Storm Cindy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Jody on June 18, 2017
“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!”
~Albert Einstein
Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Holiday | Tagged: beach, Father's Day, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas Gulf Coast beach | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Jody on May 14, 2017
I’ve never considered myself a “birder” before. Don’t get me wrong – I certainly know a Road Runner from a Robin. And I can identify a male Cardinal by it’s brilliant red color and conspicuous crest. In the past, I’ve been known to enjoy watching the Harris’s Hawks nesting in our front yard tree in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and get downright excited spying an Osprey triumphantly returning to it’s nest with a freshly caught dinner in Nokomis, Florida. But, how many eggs were likely to be found in the Harris’s Hawks’ nest, and how long did the Ospreys’ eggs take to hatch? I hadn’t a clue.
The thing is, since moving to our little beach house on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I’m starting to understand a little more about how someone gets hooked on bird watching. I’m not talking just a little hooked – I’m talking really hooked!
Not too long ago, on a morning walk along our beach, we ran across a few scattered orange marker flags indicating nests of what we assumed were Least Terns. The little coastal critters are pretty well known in these parts. We’ve spotted the permanently marked nesting areas on the beach near Biloxi, and we have noticed the sign on Highway 90 designating a section of the roadway “Judith Toups Least Tern Highway.” In fact, we encountered a very active Least Tern nesting colony complete with helpful Audubon Society volunteers in Sarasota County (FL) last summer. So it was pretty clear what was happening on our beach! We had an actual Least Tern nesting colony forming right there, not more than a couple blocks from our beachy hideaway.
To date this particular colony has had its ups and downs. According to the American Bird Conservancy website: “The Least Tern has two big problems. It prefers sandy beaches for nesting—the same kinds of places that people love to visit. And, because it nests on the ground, it’s vulnerable to attacks by cats, dogs, and other predators, which can destroy a significant portion of a colony’s eggs and chicks.” We have had a couple big rain storms resulting in nests being covered by windswept sand. Yet we remain hopeful that the little colony on our beach survives and flourishes in the weeks and months to come.
The area is now roped off and signage has been placed. Hubby and I are planning on joining the Audubon Mississippi Coastal Bird Stewardship effort by becoming active volunteers. I may be a real live birder when next we meet. I’ll keep you posted!
Please Tern Around
Posted in Beach and Coastal Wildlife, Beach Birding, Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: Audubon Society, beach, Bird Watching beaches, birding, Gulfport Mississippi beach, Least Terns, Mississippi Gulf Coast, shore birds | 5 Comments »
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