Stormy Day … Good Time for a Recap

Thursday, 11 April
Buccaneer State Park — Waveland, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 50F / Hi 80F (10C / 27C)

Tomorrow is actually “Today, 11 April.”  I grabbed the screenshot from The Weather Channel website yesterday.

Had there been a birthday cake today with the requisite number of candles on it, I would have had more than enough help blowing out all of them ;-)

We had plenty of warning about the storm that was heading our way, but considering its size, and the fact that it was cutting a wide swath as it moved from west to east, there wasn’t much we could do to get out of its way.  One way or another, we were going to feel its effects.

So we made sure our weather radio was programmed; backed up our computers; verified the contents of our go-bag; brought out the waterproof pants and jackets in case we needed to sprint across the road to the safety of the bathhouse; took down our screen shelter and put away the outside furniture; and hunkered down here in our tiny corner of southern Mississippi to ride out the storm.

We didn’t lose the “half lime” (as christened by our friend, MBZ) to the storm.
I took the photo yesterday after we removed the upright poles.
It was easy enough to deflate and pack after we removed the roof poles.

(Photos in this post are from our beach walks these past days.)

After a 1½-mile (2.4 km) walk on the beach, we returned home mid-morning.  Going about projects around the condo on wheels, we tuned the TV to a local channel and began our storm vigil.  About an hour later, a tornado watch was posted until 3:00p.  Severe thunderstorm warning banners started to run across the screen shortly after noon.  At the same time, the winds picked up, but nothing strong enough to rock us.

The remnants of the casino barge that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina stand in
testament to the strong storms that wreak havoc in this area.  It was in the wake of Katrina
that the gaming laws in the state were changed to allow land-based casinos in Mississippi.

Even though we’re on the coast in Hancock County, when a tornado warning was posted for the northwestern portion of the county, our personal antennae went into high alert.  Luckily the warning was short-lived and nothing came of it.  A knock on the door at 1:30p had our hearts racing, but it was only the campground manager making his rounds to ensure everyone was keeping an eye on the weather … whew!

The Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier (aka the Waveland Pier), damaged during
Hurricane Isaac in 2012, is closed to visitors until repairs can be completed.

The downpour started around 2:00p.  The pitter-patter of raindrops quickly turned into a deluge.  The winds gusted a bit, but still nothing strong enough to rock the coach … certainly nothing like the wake-effect winds that followed last week’s storm and caught everyone unawares.  By 3:30p, the storm was east of us, the only rocking of the coach coming from the spin cycle of the washing machine ;-)  Rumblings of thunder in the distance were a reminder not to let our guard down, but for all intents and purposes, we were out of the woods except for ongoing rains.  From what we’ve seen on news reports, the worst of the storms passed to our far north; and for that we are grateful.  Our thoughts are with those who bore the brunt of them.

West of the Waveland Pier is this Veteran’s Memorial (left) and a stretch of beach,
which is where we’ve been enjoying quiet walks in the mornings.

The storm is today’s news, but what have we been up to in the days leading up to the storm … in the days since I last posted about our battle with the gnats.

First off, we spoke to the people who manage Buccaneer about the gnats.  Apparently these pesky pests live in the sand.  They come out when the temps are between 70-80F (21-25C).  During that time, the only thing that seems to keep them at bay is air movement.

Now you see it … the young gull’s breakfast, that is …

… now you don’t … at least not much more than the tail of the fish!

Well, we refused to be held hostage to the little buggers.  From Walmart, we bought a couple of inexpensive box fans and set them up in the screen shelter to create our own cross-breeze to keep the pesky so-and-so’s at bay.  That has worked out quite well and we’ve managed to spend many hours enjoying our great outdoors living space.

Brown pelicans in breeding plumage on a concrete piling in the water channel
that runs behind the Silver Slipper Casino.

Laughing Gull debating a dip in the Mississippi Sound.

A pair of royal terns, one of which surprised me by flapping its wings as I clicked the shutter.
Hence the clipped wing … sorry!

As luck would have it, our “Battle of the Gnats” also got some help from Mother Nature.  We had beautiful blue-sky days until Wednesday, with a light breeze coming off the ocean … which helped to keep the gnat population down.  Thus, we were able to enjoy morning walks on the area beaches and around the campground loops each and everyday.

This Google Maps satellite image of the area shows the location of our campground
in relation to the beaches along the Mississippi Sound; what tiny bit of beach remains
near Buccaneer SP is circled on the map.   The dotted red line on the bottom left is
the area around the Silver Slipper Casino; the dotted line past the campground icon
is the beach east and west of the Waveland Pier.

Snowy Egret at the small wedge of beach just outside Buccaneer State Park.

We’ve managed to put in about 10,000 steps (approx. 3 miles [4.8 km] with my stride) each day to keep our exercise regimen going.  On the days we went out with the trikes, the step equivalency gave us at least another 7,000 to 14,000 steps (2-4 miles [3-6.5 km]).  Not bad at all!

I’m charmed by this Laughing Gull.  For some reason it reminds me of a young woman,
her lips painted red, a sly smile on her face.  Don’t ask me why!

This shot-into-the sun photograph of gulls perched on the remnants of
a pier just begged for a B&W processing.

Yesterday, we decided to check out the Pirate’s Alley Nature Trail here at Buccaneer.  We didn’t get far — there was too much brush and whatnot blocking the path.  We got the sense that it has been a while since any maintenance was done on the trail.  Meant to ask the campground manager about it, but it’s a moot point now.  After today’s rains, it will be a while before the ground dries out.  We’ll be gone by then.

Willets at breakfast!

We’ve also been enjoying — from a distance — the birds that are flying and chirping all around the campground.  We’ve seen kildeer, mockingbirds, cardinals, blue jays, and red bellied woodpeckers to name a few.  One male cardinal has been doing its best to shoo-away a would-be rival by flying head-first into our bedroom slide.  What he doesn’t seem to comprehend is that the rival is his own reflection!!!  Unfortunately, my best efforts to photograph the birds that are flitting about have been for naught; they are wary of the slightest movement or sound, and fly off to hide in the brush that our site backs onto.

Left: Wisteria on one of the back roads near Buccaneer.

Right: This kildeer makes a daily pilgrimage through our site.
It finally stood still long enough for me to click the shutter.

With today’s storm behind us — really, ahead of us and heading further east — the forecast for the next couple of days looks good.  We plan to make the most of them, although setting up our screen shelter and enjoying our outdoors space is out of the question since the ground is much too wet.  Oh well; we’ll find other things to do.