Sometimes It Works … Sometimes It Doesn’t

Friday, 19 April
Shields RV Park — NCBC Gulfport, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 46F / Hi 76F (8C / 24C)

On 22 April, we left Mississippi for Alabama.  I have to catch up on our last few days in Gulfport before I start writing about our stay here in Gulf Shores; so pretend we are still in Mississippi.  Hopefully I will catch up in the next few days.  No promises, however; it’s just too nice to stay inside for long.

When it rains, it sure pours around here!

The storm that was projected to come through last night [tonight on the Weather Channel screenshot to the right] fizzled and we had just a little bit of thunder, but boy did it rain.  And it didn’t stop overnight.  It kept raining and raining all day today, stopping shortly before 5:00p … just in time for us to go out for our dinner date with a fellow blogger.  But more about that in a minute.

Thursday, 18 April

It’s been hot, humid, and hazy the past few days, making the beach a less-than-attractive destination.  So we decided to do some sightseeing instead.  You know how some days never turn out as expected?  How, no matter what you touch, it’s a bust?  Well, this was one of those days.

First, we drove to Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis’s home in Biloxi.  Davis was the Confederacy’s only president.  On the grounds of his home is also a presidential library.  We pulled into the parking area to find that not only were the grounds all torn up, with construction equipment all around, but that they were setting up for an antiques festival over the weekend.  I suppose we could have toured just the house and the library, but disappointed in the mess, we decided to skip this stop.  Bust #1.

So we headed to the Biloxi Lighthouse next.  I knew the lighthouse was no longer in operation, but somehow I didn’t expect that it was in the middle of a four-lane divided highway!  Bust #2.

Figuring the third time would be the charm, we returned to NCBC Gulfport to visit the SeaBee Museum for a bit of history.  As it turns out, the museum was closed for a workshop designed to prepare SeaBees leaving the military for job hunting in the civilian world.  Bust #3.

Oh well, you win some … you lose some.

Back to today … Friday, 19 April

As I mentioned above, it rained all day today.  So, we stayed home and just relaxed.  For a minute or two I was sorry we had wasted the previous days — hazy and overcast though they were — by staying at home.  Then I remembered that we’re retired, and don’t have to run around seeing the sights … and I felt much better ;-)

Soon after arriving in Gulfport, we had two opportunities to meet up with fellow bloggers — first Judy, and then with fellow-Tiffinites, Pam and Vic.  Those plans didn’t work out, but “third time’s the charm” worked for our final get-together opportunity — dinner with Diana (of Life on the Open Road) and Phil.  With the exception of her occasional “far-away vacations” from being on the road, and trips east to visit family, Diana tends to prefer the west for her fulltiming adventures.  So, her email that she and Phil were in Gulfport came as a surprise.  Being unfamiliar with the area, I could only suggest the Blow Fly Inn as a “tested” place for dinner.  I posted about this eatery a few days ago, so I won’t repeat the information (post here).

Two “quiet” women, and two “boisterous” men … you have one guess as to who kept the pace of the conversation lively ;-)  Here’s to meeting up again … perhaps when we make it west eventually!

We must have been having a good time as neither Diana nor I remembered to take photos of the food we ordered.  Just so I don’t forget what we ate … Mui ordered the same seafood Caesar salad he’d enjoyed our first time at the Blow Fly Inn; I created my own main course by ordering the appetizer-size fried green tomatoes topped with shrimp, and a small Caesar salad.  We topped off our meal with the banana pudding again … it was even better than the first time!

In addition to good company this evening, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset over Bayou Bernard.  A truly great way of wrapping up the evening.

From the upper deck ...

... to the lower deck ... the bayou is aglow with color.

The next two days promise lots of sunshine with comfortable temps and low humidity.  Custom ordered to go out and do some sightseeing.  After all, we only have two days left in Gulfport before we continue our trek east.