Gulf Coast | Day Two

Day two dawned and my friends and I were up and out by 7:30 to continue our exploration. The haze and humidity of yesterday seemed to be gone, clearer skies in its place but the sun was out now and it was hot. Thankfully there was a breeze all day and it saved it from being unbearable. The plan today was to head East towards Pascaguola, MS, thinking to see what the beaches in that area looked like. I'm happy to report that they are much cleaner than here in Biloxi/Gulfport but it may have been due to the fact that clean up crews were out again in full force and seemed to have been there for hours before us. They walk in a straight line, side by side, down the beach, scanning for the oil as they go. Overall this beach felt more like a private beach area as the houses lining the street across from the beach are much bigger, nicer, with lots of land, big expansive porches and long driveways. Admittedly one thing I was finding hard to do was taking pictures of the cleanup crew in a more up close and personal way. It felt intrusive and my fellow photogs and I didn't know how they would react. We didn't have to worry in the end as they didn't seem to mind or are maybe being told not to react and ignore photographers.

After spending the morning here and finding again both the ugly of the cleanup along with the beauty of the beaches, we decided to explore inland and take in a tour of a bayou area in Louisiana. It was worth the trip, my friends and I enjoyed it immensely. The bayou and swamp are beautiful and didn't look at all like I pictured. But most importantly I'm happy to report I did see a gator, he was small and not too scary looking. My two friends and I and one other person were on a small flat bottom boat that the captain could zip us through fast or slow down and get in close to view the details of the trees, water lilies and wildlife. We saw Cranes of all kind, sliding turtles, and a host of other wildlife. Our guide was really good, a native of the area he showed us the signs that still linger of Hurricane Katrina like the shrimping boat that was on its side at the edge of the water. It had been flung there like a toy from 30 miles away during Katrina and it wasn't the only one. We saw at least four to five boats of various sizes that had come from other parts of Louisiana strewn around the area. Our captain told us it took them 2 years to clean up from Katrina in this area.

As day two came to a close, I was happy we took the bayou tour so we could see another part of the area that is so important to its survival. Fortunately the oil will not impact this section if it stays in the water, however, it will be a completely different story if a Hurricane makes it this way again. The wind from that type of storm could potentially bring the oil inland. 

After seeing the bayou, my sincere hope is this Hurricane season is quiet and that the cleanup efforts continue.

Final day tomorrow here in Mississippi and then home to New England by late Sunday night.

Gulf Coast | Day One

I'm in the deep South and I'm in Mississippi. Quite honestly it's not a place I thought I would ever visit for any length of time. I can't say why exactly, it's probably because I thought "too hot", "too humid". And after my first day, both are true. But to my surprise, I've learned that I like it here. Don't get me wrong, I like it enough to visit, but not to live. Right now a Boston Winter isn't looking so bad, trust me! However, there is a beauty here in the Mississippi and Louisiana that I've seen so far, a friendliness to the people that is genuine and an ease of getting around that is nice, especially compared to the hustle and flow of Boston and it's endless traffic.


So coming here under the guise of photographing what I could see of the oil spill was the main reason for the visit but today I saw more. For an area of the country still dealing with the after effects of Hurricane Katrina, feeling the pinch then maybe more deeply of this down economy and now the oil spill, I expected a deep sadness but see instead a community coming together to fix it how they can and an area with strong holiday visitor traffic, which while I'm sure is light overall is better than I expected it to be. I even saw individuals swimming in what is obviously impacted waters of the Gulf and while I personally would not feel comfortable swimming in such water, it's their choice and they made it. Maybe to enjoy this piece of their world and ride it through like they have so many other times, other disasters before. I can only guess.


So what did I see? I can feel the questions from afar. The pictures below highlight what I've initially seen. The tar balls as they call them, look honestly, just have to say it, like light brown dog poo or in some cases, as you'll see in one picture, light brown rocks. The water in one section of beach here in Gulfport has a brownish cast and if you look into it you see what appear to be rocks, but are actually the tar balls. 

As I rode with my two photo friends - Rebecca and Denise - we saw the volunteers, being paid by BP to help in the beach cleanup, up and down these beaches. They use rakes and shovels to clean the oil off the beach and bag it into trash bags. Buses dot the beach parking areas, they shuttle the volunteers back and forth from their temporary housing, paid for as part of their work here along with $18 dollars an hour. I can't imagine doing this job in the heat and humidity here, oppressive doesn't begin to describe it. I had the luxury of shooting my photos and then sitting in an air conditioned car to cool off. Working the beaches all day to clean them has to be exhausting.

Again though, as I moved through my day and drove a coastal road West towards New Orleans, I marveled at how much is still beautiful here and how rich in tradition and scenery it is. Stopping at a small town along the way - Bay St. Louis - we explored a small section of the town where wrought iron fences enclose quaint gardens, where a small cemetery sits next to a duplex and the local coffee shop.

For lunch we reached New Orleans, parked and walked part of the French Quarter until we found a place to eat. From there we wandered the streets a bit though I admit the heat got too much for us so we made our way back to the car, planning to return for drinks Saturday night. Along the way we did find street musicians who set the mood perfectly for New Orleans.


All in all, a good first day, we are all exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep to be ready for tomorrow and day two in the Gulf Coast. 


P.S. The final shot here is of a cemetery in New Orleans that we stopped to take quick pictures of through the gate as it was closed. Hoping to get more before we leave.