Biloxi Bay Bridge: Walking Over Water … and More

Sunday, 21 April
Shields RV Park — NCBC Gulfport, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 50F / Hi 71F (10C / 22C)

Another beautiful day of sunshine and comfy temps.  Giving us two such days in a row, Mother Nature repays us for the overcast, muggy days — not to mention soaking rains — we experienced during our first few days in Gulfport.

We had no real plans for the day, except that we knew we wanted to walk the Biloxi Bay Bridge (BBB), which carries US-90 over the water and connects Biloxi to Ocean Springs.  At 1.7 miles (2.7 km) each way, the BBB is shorter than the St. Louis Bay Bridge (SLBB), which we walked last Saturday (post here).  But there are some similarities.  Like the SLBB, this bridge was also severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina.  And like the SLBB, the renovated bridge has a pedestrian/bike path that is decorated with copper panels designed by local artists. The panels, I have since found out, are actually copper plates from the old bridge.

The new Biloxi Bay Bridge opened to service in late 2007, a little over
two years after the original bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Rather than park at the casino, which was teaming with gamblers despite the early hour, we drove across the bridge to start our walk from the Ocean Springs side.  Our reason for doing so was two fold: easy parking at the foot of the bridge; and a chance to photograph a beautiful mosaic mural while the light was right.  Plus, this direction put the sun behind us while it was still low on the horizon.

This shot captures three of the four panels that make up the mosaic mural.

The 120-foot (36.5 m) long, wave-shaped, multi-panel mural is simply beautiful.  The Gulf Coast magazine we picked up at the visitor center describes it as: “… Four large mosaic panel pieces, depicting the natural beauty of the Mississippi Gulf Coast make up this one-of-a-kind piece of art.  The mosaic is a combination of artwork by local artists Patt Odom, Chris Stebly, Susie Ranager and Ching Walters, with artist Elizabeth Veglia arranging the overall placement and installation.  The entire mosaic process took one year to  complete.”  Unfortunately I was unable to find a vantage point from which to photograph the entire “wave.”  But here are some details shots from each panel.

If you find yourselves near the BBB, I highly suggest making a detour to see the mural; you won’t regret it.

Two things that make this bridge different from the SLBB … the grade on the BBB is slightly steeper and longer.  Still easily doable, though — especially since there are conveniently placed benches along the way where walkers/bikers can take a load off.  The longer SLBB doesn’t have anywhere to sit en route.  Of course, you can also take a break by stopping and pretending to study the copper plaques installed every 1/10th of a mile.

The benches would make a great spot for sunrise, but we’re too late for that today.

A beautiful day; few vehicles; and even fewer walkers/bikers … makes for a great bridge walk.

It was 11:00a when we returned to the car.  A little early for lunch, so we decided to check out the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Primarily we wanted to look around the campground operated by the National Park Service (NPS).  We were told that this first-come, first-served campground had some big-rig friendly sites.  A couple of them looked like they might work for us and we might stay there on another pass through the area.  No photos of the campground … the place was packed and I didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy.  But to the left is a photo I took of an exhibit at the visitor center, where we stopped to chat with the ranger on duty.  Looks like they may have to eliminate some of those great ranger programs we all enjoy if they have to reduce the number of rangers on duty to just one person due to the sequestration.  What a shame!

The bonus for stopping in at the visitor center — a mosaic compass rose on the floor near the entrance!

Another beautiful Elizabeth Veglia mosaic; it stretches 8 feet (2.4 m) across.

On our way back out of the park, we stopped at a boardwalk bridge crossing over the bayou for a quick look-see.  We were rewarded not just by beautiful, peaceful scenery, but also some wildlife at Gator Pond.  There was a woman throwing rocks into the pond to wake a sleeping alligator, but she quickly skedaddled when she realized I had seen what she was doing.  You know, kids may do stupid things like this, but a full-grown adult?!?  Somehow I expect better of us big ‘uns.

You mean you can’t see the gator behind and to the left of the clump of
grass on the far side of the pond? …

… Yeah … it is well hidden, but here’s a glimpse of it.  And …

… sharing the pond are a couple of yellow-bellied sliders that provide us with
a “double the pleasure” photo-op.

We don’t have time to do the park justice this time, but we’ll plan a longer visit next time we come through the area.

On that note, we drove back across the BBB and made our way to McElroy’s Harbor House for lunch.  I’m sure there are other places with better ambiance (and better seafood) in Biloxi, or Ocean Springs, but we spied this place during our brief stop at the Town Green yesterday and thought its location at the small craft harbor across the channel from Deer Island would make a great place for lunch.  Despite arriving at the peak of lunch service, we were seated at one of the few tables on the balcony.  Sure it was on the cool side in the shade and with the breeze coming off the water, but that was easily solved with a light fleece jacket.

A couple of Blue Moon beers to toast a beautiful day …
with Deer Island …  and Laughing gulls … as a backdrop.

The gulls were plentiful, but they didn’t bother us.  Can’t say the same for the empty tables where, as soon as the patrons left, the gulls did a parade fly-by in hopes of whisking away a tidbit or two.  The busboy was too fast for them, however, and only a few got away with stealing lunch!

Speaking of lunch … no photos of our meal ... I was having too much fun watching the gulls.  I will say that the broiled flounder fillet we both ordered was good, but nothing to rave about.

No sooner did the woman behind Mui vacate her table that the gulls showed up en masse.

The day was just too beautiful and we weren’t ready to go home after lunch was over.  We’d come prepared to spend time at the beach, so that’s where we headed next.  We had no problem snagging a beach-side parking spot, which made it easy for us to carry our paraphernalia to a patch of sand that we called our own for a couple of hours.

A well-deserved break after walking nearly 17,000 steps today — or 5¼ miles (8½ km).

So glad we bought this easy-to-set-up beach shelter; a few stakes in the
sand and it’s not going anywhere.

This is the life!
(No swimming today; the muddy waters of the Mississippi Sound is not to Mui’s liking!)

And thus we bid Mississippi farewell … for this year.

Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center … and the Murals of Ocean Springs

Saturday, 20 April (Part II)
Shields RV Park — NCBC Gulfport, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 42F / Hi 71F (5.5C / 22C)

I wrote about exploring Ocean Springs and ending the day at the Katrina Memorial in Biloxi (post here), but left most of our morning out of that post as it would have made an already long post even longer.  So back to Ocean Springs we go to wrap up.

This tile mural by Elizabeth Veglia is at the Civic Center near the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  She modeled it after a painting by James McConnell Anderson, brother of Walter Anderson, and an American painter, muralist, and pottery designer and decorator in his own right.

After parking the car at the L&N Depot we began a meandering stroll through the city, loosely following a walking map we had picked up at the visitor center.  Our first stop was at Camp Victor, a disaster relief organization formed by the Christus Victor Lutheran Church in the days following Hurricane Katrina.  At some point, they moved from their original location to a building on Government Street.

Note the people in the tree (left), and the parents trying to hold up the wall
against katrina’s storm surge as the kids find high ground on top of a table.

I had read that there was a mural on the façade of Camp Victor, but wasn’t expecting to see some on the walls flanking either side as well.  The vivid colors of the murals have faded from bearing the full brunt of the sun; perhaps they will be restored someday.

Best I can decipher, this mural was painted by Jody Corban in Aug 2006.

This mural was a June 2007 collaboration between Jody Corban and Vince Palmer.

Our primary reason for wandering up Government Street, which is off the beaten path of the shops and restaurants that cater to tourists, was to check out some Walter Anderson murals in the theater/auditorium of the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center.

The center, which provides an “environment for artistic activities including music, visual and performing arts and education,” is located in the former Ocean Springs Public School building that was built in 1927.  It was renamed in 1998 for Ms. O’Keefe, the first female school superintendent in Mississippi.

In the lobby, we were greeted by a woman named Joyce.  Having gone to school in the building, she had some interesting stories to tell about her personal memories.

When we asked her if we could wander around and take some pictures, she readily gave permission, and even invited us to enjoy the cookies that were set out on the counter for an ongoing retreat.

Joyce explained that the school auditorium had been renovated after falling into disrepair, and the murals we’d come to see were not the originals, but rather reproductions that had been commissioned as part of the restoration work.

In addition to inviting us to check out an exhibit entitled Paper Dolls Uncut, she encouraged us to take a look at the Taconi Murals adorning the walls.  I had to laugh when she said that the teachers had drawn the designs for the 5th grade students to paint.  Sort of like painting by numbers!  And finally, the pointed out the original auditorium chairs that had been painted and placed around the building as lobby seating.

No wonder we spent several hours at the center! 

High up on the walls of the renovated auditorium, the reproductions of the Walter Anderson
Murals are difficult to photograph, but definitely worth stopping in to see them.

My favorite of the canvas murals painted by the 5th graders of Taconi Elementary School.

Three of the many original auditorium chairs painted by local artists
and scattered around the lobby and hallway.

Joyce was right on target in describing the Paper Dolls Uncut exhibit as nothing like the paper dolls she grew up with!  A group show, there were some interesting pieces featured; it was worth a peek.

Left: “Mix-n-Match - Gulf Coast Girl” by Suzanne D. Findeisen.
Right: “The unkindest Cut” by Vicki Niolet.

Everything we saw at the Mary C. O’Keefe was a surprise, but the biggie was the mural I stumbled upon in one of the second floor classrooms.  Joyce had not mentioned it because she thought there was a class in the room.  Considering the room is dedicated to the Performing Arts, I found the theme of the mural to be spot on.

Too bad about the furniture in the way, but the vivid colors of the mural pop nonetheless.

On that note, we thanked Joyce for chatting with us and bid adieu to the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center.  After having lunch in the park on the grounds, we began a meandering stroll back to the L&N Depot to pick up the car.

En route, we stumbled on another unexpected mural at the corner of Washington and Bowen avenues.  Faded from the sun, but beautiful nonetheless, the series of panels entitled Ocean Springs: Past, Present and Future was painted by Christopher Inglis Stebly, grandson of Walter Anderson.  The 80-foot (24 m) long mural is described as “an illustrative image of Ocean Springs spanning over three hundred years, bridging the passage of time.”

I’m going to share just one panel in this blog post … unfortunately, there was no way to photograph the entire mural without an ultra-wide lens.  I’ll do an entire post in my Viewfinder blog for the Mural Monday meme one of these days.

“Education” links the past with the future!

As regular readers already know, I enjoy searching out and photographing murals of all types.  Sometimes I have a specific mural in mind, but I come upon some of the best ones purely by happenstance.  That was certainly the case with many of the murals I photographed in Ocean Springs.  It was a great day in more ways than one.

(If you would like to see more photos from Ocean Springs, or would like to view the full size images used in the collages featured in this post, click here to go to my online gallery.

Exploring Ocean Springs … the City of Discovery

Saturday, 20 April (Part I)
Shields RV Park — NCBC Gulfport, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 42F / Hi 71F (5.5C / 22C)

After a soggy Friday, having the forecast hold true for sunshine and comfy temperatures on the first day of the weekend was a boon.

We initially considered taking the once-daily (this time of year) boat trip out to Ship Island, which is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.  With the temp at only 50F (10C) when we set out, it was just a bit too cold to be on the water, however, so we jiggled our “jello plans” and settled on exploring nearby Ocean Springs instead.  Located on the east side of Biloxi Bay, the City of Discovery is about a 25-minute drive from Gulfport.  The GPS routed us there via I-10 … probably because it was faster, but I would suggest the scenic Beach Boulevard/US-90 route if you’re coming from the west.  That way, you’ll be welcomed to Ocean Springs by the little red caboose, and Crooked Feather.

Crooked Feather is a 30-foot (9m) sculpture depicting Ocean Springs’ origins as a colony of the American Indian.  carved by Thomas King in 1999, the  sculpture replaces the original one created in the 1940's by Peter Toth; it survived Hurricane Katrina.

Coming in from I-10, however, worked to our advantage as a minor mis-direction led us to the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is off the beaten path of the walking tour we had planned for ourselves.

Also on the grounds of the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial (on the right) is
a UH-1H "HUEY” Helicopter, the base for which was constructed by the Navy SeaBees.
Sharing space here is also the mast from the USS Mississippi CGN-40 (on the left).

The Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in 1996 as a tribute to the men and women who served in that long and horrific war.  Two black granite walls face each other.  Engraved on the walls are the names of the 668 Mississippians killed in the war.  The photographic images of many of the GI’s listed are laser-etched into the granite as well.  Limestone and concrete walls surround the memorial.

The flags of the allied nations (Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and South Vietnam)
who fought in the Vietnam War alongside American troops are flown at the memorial.

While all 50 states have memorials to the Vietnam War, the one in Mississippi is
unique in that engraved photographs from those memorialized are also displayed.

As we strolled around the grounds, we came upon the Tullibee Memorial, installed in recognition of the sacrifices of the nation’s submarine veterans.  The Tullibee was lost after leaving Midway on 26 March 1944.  The sole survivor and witness reported that the boat sank as a result of “a circular run by one of Tullibee’s torpedoes.”  (If you’d like to read the story of the Tullibee, click here for the words etched in the center panel of the memorial.)

79 submariners lost their lives when the USS Tullibee went down in 1944.

Detail from elements of the Tullibee Memorial.

Left: The main mast from the retired Nuclear Cruiser USS Mississippi (CGN-40) honors Navy veterans.

Right: Memorial dedicated to the submariner’s wife.  On the back are etched the words:
”This Memorial is dedicated to our wives and the hardships they went through
as they served with us.”

Our next stop took us to the L&N Depot.  Formerly a passenger train station built in 1907, the building now houses the Chamber of Commerce.  Our stop here was two-fold: to browse the weekly “Fresh Market” and also get tips on not-to-miss places on the walking tour.  Turns out the market didn’t hold much of interest for us, but we did get to park at the Depot for free while we went on our self-guided walk around town.

“rusty art” is always good for a shutter click!

The handy-dandy walking tour map of Ocean Springs focuses on the many shops and restaurants that line the streets.  There’s something to cater to every taste.  But we weren’t there to eat … or to shop.  We were there so Mui could get his “people-fix” and I was there to search out and photograph murals.

We must be “dope’s” since we didn’t buy any of the soaps sold at Queen’s Bath!

This post will go on forever if I don’t split it into two segments, so I am going to skip the murals — at least most of them — and the cultural center where we ended up spending far more time than we thought we would, and continue on with our post-lunch touring.

A quiet spot on the grounds of the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center makes a
great spot to rest and enjoy our packed-from-home lunch.

In researching things to see in Ocean Springs, I had come across mention of the not-to-be-missed murals at the Community Center.  These are no ordinary murals, mind you.  Painted by Walter Anderson, they cover an entire room.  The one-page brochure describes them as “…completed in 1951 and valued at more than $30 million, cover nearly 3000 square feet [278 m²].  The images depict the discovery of Ocean Springs and the beauty of the coast’s flora and fauna.”  These I had to see!

Turns out that we almost didn’t get to see them.  The Community Center, and the adjacent Walter Anderson Art Museum, were being set up for a fundraiser and no visitors were being allowed in.  Luckily, we were given a chance to take a peek and a couple of quick snapshots.  All I can say is WOW!  What a place!

Sorry about the bar running through the bottom half of the photos.  There was a protective barrier in front of the murals.  Bad for photography, but I can understand why it’s there.

Too bad the restroom door wasn’t incorporated into the mural.

After leaving these priceless murals behind, we returned to the L&N Depot, picked up the car, and drove over to the Biloxi Bay Bridge.  But before we crossed over the bay, we detoured to Front Beach Road for a look see.  The locals had come out to enjoy the sunshine and warm afternoon on the beach.  Deciding to take a page out of their book, we parked the car near Fort Maurepaus Park and strolled towards the pier at the far end of the road.  A wide pedestrian/bike path made for a leisurely 30-minute walk.  Our reward — a couple of fearless great blue herons that were perched on the railings hoping one of the fishermen would drop them a little snack!

Of course, I could have stayed on the pier for the rest of the afternoon, never tiring of the photographer-friendly GBH.  But Mui convinced me that I had enough photos already.  When we drove away this time, we did go over the bridge and across the bay to Biloxi.

The plan was to drive straight home … but that was before I spied a tree sculpture on the Biloxi Town Green.  Of course I had to stop and photograph it.  We’ve seen quite a few tree sculptures on the US-90 median between Gulfport and Biloxi, but I have to say that these varnished/painted sculptures carved from trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina did not have the same impact on me as the Katrina Angels did (post here).

Tree sculpture carved in July 2009 by Marlin Miller; painted by his wife.
The turtle's shell carving utilizes concrete that was poured into the
trunk years ago to minimize water damage to the tree.

As I wandered around, looking for the best angle to photograph the tree sculpture, my eye was caught by a mosaic mural and a black granite wall.  Curious, I walked over to check it out and scored another bonus for the day by stumbling on the Biloxi Katrina Memorial.  It was built in partnership with Roy Anderson Corp and the ABC reality TV show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

The Katrina Memorial consists of a mosaic wave, a granite wall, and a sculpture
encased in glass.  The granite wall is 12 feet (3.5 m) high, about the height of
the water during Hurricane Katrina's storm surge at the Town Green.

The names of the Katrina victims are etched on the wall.
The glass-encased sculpture consists of personal keepsakes donated by Katrina Victims.

When we got in the car this time, we really did head home ... arriving just in time to gobble down a sandwich and head to a free screening of Zero Dark Thirty in the temporary theater set up in the SeaBees Museum.  The movie is the story of events leading to the capture of Osama Bin Laden.  Probably not everyone's cup of tea — and I could have done without the four letter words bandied about — but we found the movie interesting.  And to boot, we finally got to see the one-room museum that we'd tried to visit earlier during our stay!