Posts Tagged ‘Gulfport Mississippi’

Good Riddance to T.S. Gordon!

Posted by Jody on September 5, 2018

“Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.” That’s a rather common saying in Southern Mississippi. The traumas of Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina are seared into the memories of our long-term coastal residents. Those were the worst!

Yesterday, in Harrison County, we prepared for the worst. Last night we got the best. Tropical Storm Gordon came ashore much farther east than had been expected. We experienced moderate breezes, no rain, and (as far as we can tell) no measurable storm surge. The storm has already been downgraded to a tropical depression but the rains to come may mean flooding for some up north. Here, we will hope for the best for everyone in its path.

Greg and I headed out to the beach this morning as soon as curfew was lifted to see what we could see.

To the west, we saw the sunrise through the remaining rain bands:

Gordon’s Rain Bands

The rain bands had also wrapped around to our east.

Gooooood Morning, Gulfport!

Morning Clouds

There were a few more seashell fragments on shore than most mornings. Our seashells are generally oyster shells. Univalves found on our shores are almost always perfect homes to hermit crabs.

A few more seashell bits than usual.

Clearly, more happened over the water than on land in Gulfport, Mississippi. We found this navigational marker in the surf and reported it to the Harbor Master’s office.

Navigational Marker

After the storm in Gulfport, Mississippi

Many thanks to everyone for your kind thoughts and caring words.

We are safe and sound!

~~~

You know you’re in trouble when…

Posted by Jody on September 4, 2018

Hurricane Warning

Jim Cantore is back in town. Yes siree, his plane landed in Gulfport, Mississippi, last night and within minutes everyone on the coast seemed to know we had this famous visitor on our doorstep again. (Let’s just say that “sharing” appeared to be near an all time high.) All of us know exactly why he’s here. And it’s not for a fabulous beach vacation! Don’t get me wrong. We like Jim Cantore and the Weather Channel just fine in these parts. Southern hospitality aside, we simply don’t want to have Jim Cantore reporting from our front yard.

Today’s the day the fine folks of the Mississippi Gulf Coast prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Gordon. Gordon is expected to make landfall just down the street somewhere near eight o’clock this evening so Greg and I drove along the beach to the Gulfport Harbor and Marina to see post Labor Day weekend activity and just how the storm preparations were coming along.

Tropical Storm Gordon or Hurricane Gordon? One thing is certain: the winds had already picked up along the coast this morning.

Flying High at the Harbor Master’s Offices

The beachy pink trash cans were already being staged for pick up by the county. Standard operating procedure is that they are rounded up and removed for fear they’ll blow away and cause trouble.

Staged for Pickup

Trash Can Removal

The Gulfport Harbor and Marina had a mandatory evacuation order put in place yesterday in preparation for what was then expected to be Tropical Storm Gordon. Most boatowners had already obeyed the order by this morning. There were just a few sail boats left behind though.

Empty Marina at Gulfport Harbor

The trailer buildings like the bait shop and fuel dock office were being prepped for removal and transport to a safer place.

Moving Operations for the Bait Shop

I offhandedly asked Greg if he could imagine how much it must cost to move your trailer/store like that. He quickly pointed out,”Cheaper than a new trailer!”

I’m sure he had that right!

Moving the Bait Shop

This lovely Great Blue Heron was just hanging out on the beach watching the activity too!

Spectator

We thought he might be waiting to see the fuel dock building carted off next:

Watching the Activity

The water in the Mississippi Sound was already churning up a little darker:

Murky Waters

But, for this morning, we still have fabulous sunshiny skies ahead of Hurricane Gordon. It’s the calm before the storm that we’ve always heard about!

Calm Before the Storm

We’ll be sure to post an update after our unwanted visitor (Gordon, not Jim) heads out of town tomorrow.

Please take care and stay safe everyone!

Posted in Gulf of Mexico Beaches | Tagged: beach, Gulfport Mississippi, hurricane, Hurricane Gordon | 8 Comments »

December Nights and Harbor Lights

Posted by Jody on December 19, 2017

Gulfport Mississippi Harbor Lights Winter Festival

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 »

Cruisin’ The Coast

Posted by Greg on October 9, 2016

There is a celebration we didn’t know about when we moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast a couple months ago. It’s not something people usually think about when they say, “Lets go to the beach!”. Touted as “America’s Largest Block Party,” Cruisin’ The Coast is winding up its 20th anniversary year this weekend. According to the Cruisin’ The Coast web site, “Cruisin’ The Coast® has become the biggest special event in the state of Mississippi. As Cruisin’ The Coast® has grown, the honors and awards have followed suit.”

From the reports I’ve heard, this year there are between 6,000 and 7,000 registered classic cars and many more that are not registered. I haven’t seen final numbers yet, but last year there was a record 7,639 registered cruisers that participated in the event. Cruisers and spectators come from all over – packing hotels and setting up camp along Beach Boulevard. If you love classic and custom cars this is the week-long (8 days, really) event to attend. And even if you don’t love cars it’s still one heck of a party at the beach! Jody will freely tell you she doesn’t know a Edsel from a Studebaker and she thoroughly enjoyed the nightly parade of cruisers along Beach Boulevard, aka: Hwy. 90.

This is a collage of some of the photos we took as the sun set last night. Classics were represented from a wide range of years up to 1989 (the newest models the organization considers classic), with a huge number of 1950’s Chevys in the mix.

Ya’ll can start planning for next year’s event with a little help from the following sites:

Cruisin’ The Coast

Visit Mississippi: Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau