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 A day-trip to Biloxi nets a rich catch of history, culture and delicious meals - seafood, of course! 
- story by Karen Fineran, photos Karen Fineran and courtesy Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Museum of Historical Photography

The museum, site of the former Mississippi Naval Coast Guard Base, was established in 1986, was completely reconstructed after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and was then reopened on its original site in 2014.
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The Maritime Museum documents the history of Biloxi’s seafood industry, through hundreds of one-of-a-kind exhibits and artifacts about shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, managing marine resources, marine blacksmithing, boat building, net-making, harvesting techniques and technology and seafood marketing - all the while telling the tale of over 300 years of Gulf Coast history, culture and heritage.

Sharing the spotlight is the history of recreational boating, the shipbuilders who still work the craft, and Katrina and other hurricanes that changed the landscape, but not the resolve of people to live near the water.
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Set next to the pristine park and festival ground of Point Cadet, the three-story museum creates an imposing first impression, with its triangular wall of glass windows facing the Bay.  We were surprised at the size of the museum.  An easy way to see the entire museum without missing anything is to start on the third floor and work your way down.  An added benefit is that the views of the Biloxi Bay Bridge through the glass windows are breathtaking.

There are indoor blue lights that shine upon the Nydia at night, and when you’re coming back to Biloxi from Ocean Springs, you can look over the bridge and see the ship through the glass walls.  It seems almost like she’s sailing in the evening light.

Displays and text commentary bring to life other aspects of the industry, including cleaning, packing and shipping the seafood, and the environmental impacts of weather and pollution upon the seafood industry.
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My friend and I particularly enjoyed exhibits that showed how hard labor (and rusty oyster buckets) eventually gave way to new technologies and machinery that make working in the industry easier.  For example, the shrimp-peeling machine, introduced in the 1970s, can peel about 1,000 pounds of shrimp in just one hour.  That replaced the work of about 150 workers.

​Another impressive item on display is the Ship Island Lighthouse lens. This Fresnel lens was made in the late 1800s in Paris, and was in the old museum when Katrina hit in 2005. The lens is made of several prisms, and the prisms scattered after the storm. Eventually, every prism was found and the lens was restored, keeping the scratches and chips that the hurricane left on the prisms as “battle scars.” 

The museum’s unrivaled collection of vintage photos tells the heritage of the seafood story from the time of the first Indian settlement through generations of immigrants whose journeys contributed to the Coast’s melting pot culture. 

Photographs, anecdotal stories, video clips, and  theater movies give insight into the seafood workers’ lives, their hard work and their inventiveness.  Their weary, sweat-drenched faces bring home just what a laborious occupation the seafood industry was and is. 

​Historically, the success of the seafood harvest was dependent on the entire family.  The male members of a household were boat owners or fishermen, while women and children of the family usually worked in the factories. Young children worked alongside adults, until a 1908 Mississippi law made it illegal to hire children under age 12 to work in factories. 

Like any place where hard work could yield fortune, Biloxi’s seafood industry attracted immigrant labor – first the Polish (by way of Baltimore), then the Croatians and Cajuns, and more recently, the Vietnamese, who were first brought here by local fishermen in the 1970s.  In time, these ethnic groups were able to buy their own boats and make their own business, cultural and culinary contributions to Biloxi. 

​A new exhibit dips deeply into the history of the Croatians, Yugoslovians, French, Vietnamese and other immigrants who came to work in the seafood industry.  Their more than 400 stories are told in a permanent exhibit on five computers set up in a dedicated room on the second floor of the museum. Icons on the computer screens display various categories of individuals and companies that have been inducted into the Maritime Hall of Fame which recognizes outstanding citizens and their contributions to the seafood industry.  Visitors can choose to view any story that piques their interest. 

Don’t miss the “hurricane gallery,” with its continuously running informational movie about the devastation of hurricanes on the Coast.  And take the time to walk around the outside grounds, where, among other things, you can take a walk around a World War II submarine and the beautiful Golden Fisherman statue.

The new seven-foot bronze Golden Fisherman statue was erected and dedicated just this spring on the lawn of the Maritime Museum, casting his famous net toward Biloxi Bay. 

​Crafted in Parma, Italy, before being shipped to Biloxi, the Golden Fisherman stands on a 6-foot granite base with plaques naming more than 800 seafood industry families. The base also includes the names of the kings and queens from the annual Biloxi Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet.

​The story of the original statue which it replaced is an interesting one.  Erected in 1977, that statue was much larger, at fifteen feet high, casting a twenty-foot net, and weighing in at a ton.  In 2002, the monument was moved from the Vieux Marche Mall to Point Cadet near the museum, where the statue cast his net toward Biloxi Bay. 

When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the storm surge broke the Fisherman's foot and he toppled, falling upside down.  (The museum, a couple of miles from the statue, washed away.)   Only a week after the city moved the Fisherman to the former museum location, someone stole the statue in June 2006. 

Rewards of up to $15,000 were offered. The headless statute was found days later in a creek in Mobile County, Alabama.  The fisherman's body had been dismembered, but the parts couldn't be sold as scrap because the statue was made of an alloy.  The thief was arrested, and the Fisherman's remains returned to Biloxi.

​Because the damage from the hurricane and the theft made it impossible to save the original statue, parts of it will be used for ornamental work that will be placed in a fountain to be built in the next phase of the Golden Fisherman project.

A visit to the Maritime Museum makes for a fairly full morning.  In fact, if they watched all the videos and read all the placards, a family could easily spend two to three hours here.  At $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military or AAA, and $6 for children, we thought this attraction was really worthwhile for visitors and locals alike! 
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The Maritime Museum, a testament to the strength and resilience of the people who have made the Gulf Coast what it is today, is open every day, Monday through Saturday from 9am to 4:30pm and Sunday from 12pm to 4:30pm.

Before Biloxi was known as a casino play-land, it proudly wore its crown of Seafood Capital of the World, a place of communities built on shrimp nets and oyster dredgers.  Gulf Coast residents have always enjoyed the bounty of the seafood harvest, but it took awhile to spread its wealth outside the Gulf Coast. 

In the nineteenth century, the Biloxi seafood industry supplied only local markets with its succulent shrimp and oysters. Seafood would spoil before it could be shipped far inland. All the same, with the burgeoning tourist trade from New Orleans, there was a ready market in wait.
 
The opening of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad line in 1870 connected the cities of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, and made it possible to ship seafood out and bring more tourists in.  And finally, artificially created ice had been invented in the mid-19th century, so that broader commercialization of Biloxi’s seafood industry could finally become possible.
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The first oyster packing enterprise in Biloxi was the Lopez, Elmer & Company seafood plant, which opened at the foot of Reynoir Street in 1881, on Back Bay Biloxi. It canned oysters and shrimp and offered raw oysters in bulk. 

Biloxi factory owners began turning their eyes toward Baltimore, Maryland, an already booming seafood processing area, to learn about its new and revolutionary oyster and shrimp canning methods.

  Upon visiting Baltimore, they discovered that the factories there used a seasonal labor pool, the “Bohemians” or Polish workers. Upon returning to Biloxi in the 1890s, the factory owners initiated many of the new techniques, and brought in many workers of the migrant Bohemians from Baltimore.

Rows of shotgun clapboard houses at Point Cadet, collectively referred to as camps, had been built by the factories’ owners to lodge the seasonal workers, christened by locals as “Hotel d’Bohemia.”

Biloxi’s population doubled with the workers who came to process the plentiful catches of shrimp and oysters at the factories. The workers’ wages were extremely low, since the cost of their transportation to Biloxi from their original homes was deducted from their wages.

The seafood industry continued to expand in Biloxi as fishermen heavily harvested the bounty of the gulf, bays and bayous. By 1902, Biloxi’s seafood catch numbers were skyrocketing, and by 1903, Biloxi, with a population of approximately 8,000, was referred to as “The Seafood Capital of the World.”

According the Mississippi History Now website, “Seafood cannery owners sent out their boats, beautiful “white-winged” Biloxi schooners and others, to ply the waters for their bounties…  The seafood workers who packed the catches and the fishermen who caught the shrimp and tonged the oysters were usually not able to afford their own boats, therefore, factory owners owned and controlled the fleets and harvests."
 
You can read more about the history of Biloxi’s fishing industry here. 

​Although much has changed through the century, the seafood industry continues to play an important role in  Biloxi’s local economy. Worldwide demand for fresh and processed seafood, especially shrimp, continues to grow, and it is unlikely that, even given the influence of unexpected natural or manmade disasters like the 2010 BP oil spill, we will ever see the end of the shrimping industry here on the Gulf Coast.

After so much time on our feet, Amy and I were ready for a lunch break, and decided upon the nearby Wentzel’s Seafood, at 1906 Beach Boulevard.  I had heard that the executive chef had been mentored by Chef Bill Vrazel of Vrazel’s Restaurant in Gulfport, and that the French, Creole and Italian food at Wentzel’s –in particular the lunch specials – was worth checking out.

Our server Pam could not have been more friendly or attentive, as she brought us crusty French loaves with soft butter.  We each got a frosty pint of IPA and picked our entrees from Wentzel’s special lunch menu, with all of the entrees priced at between $10 and $14.  My friend stuck with our day’s shrimp theme, and her shrimp poboy arrived stacked high with crisp hand-battered shrimp, served with a Caesar salad. 

​I was drawn to the New Orleans styled “select entrees,” finally settling upon the Flounder La Crab – a paneed portion of flounder, generously topped with huge lumps of jumbo crabmeat, served with grilled broccolini, and all topped with a beurre blanc sauce.  It might have been a little bit rich for the middle of the day, but I wasn’t complaining.

What could be a better finale to a day dedicated to shrimp than to take the “Biloxi Shrimp Boat Tour” with the Biloxi Cruise Company, and its founder and owner Captain Mike Moore. 

You’ll find the Biloxi Shrimp Boat Tour at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor on Highway 90, east of the Commercial Docking Facility and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  The Harbor houses many other smaller commercial boats that engage in charters and tours, a boat ramp, public restroom and showers, plenty of parking and over 140 boat slips.

Reservations are recommended for the Shrimp Boat Tour, but if there is space, you will be warmly welcomed aboard by Captain Mike or Captain David, and the boat mascot, a friendly and peppy black Labrador named “T.J. the Boat Dog.” 

​T.J. greets all the guests, wanders up and down the stairs between the two boat levels, and, in cooler weather than this day’s, wears a little vest filled with water, sodas and beers.  T.J. is the bartender that sells beverages to the guests onboard, after they slide their money into his vest.

Captain Mike Moore bought the 1953-built tour boat in 2006 and, for the last 12 years, he has operated a continuously-running educational shrimping tour, that leaves three times a day for seven days a week.  Before buying the boat, Moore came from a commercial shrimping and seafood family and was a charter boat captain for fifteen years.
 
The 70-minute tour takes place inside the Mississippi Sound, so the boat never actually heads out into open water.  The water is protected by Deer Island and oyster reefs and the ride isn’t at all choppy.

​Being the end of July, the weather was more than a bit warm, but the crew slid open the windows below for cooling breezes, and invited passengers to climb to the upper level (sun hats are recommended). Seagulls swirl and dive behind the boat the entire way.

As the boat chugs out for about half an hour dragging a net (a “try trawl,” a smaller sized net stretched across a trawl board), the Captain and crew explained various facets of shrimping, including the types of shrimp, shrimp seasons, migratory patterns, and anatomy. 

For example, we learned that shrimp migrate about 400 miles in a circle.  We also learned that shrimp can smell with their antennas, can see 360 degrees with each of their eyes, and they only live about two years because of the amount of predators in the waters – but that’s okay, because they can lay up to a million eggs per shrimp.

We learned also that the cost of fuel generally accounts for about half of the costs to operate a shrimping vessel.
 
About 75 percent of Mississippi’s shrimp harvest is brown shrimp, which are usually most abundant from May to August.  They congregate in water between 15-120 feet deep and are caught mostly at night. 

​When the brown shrimp season comes to an end, the sweeter-tasting white shrimp move in and take over in the fall, from around September through the end of the year (or whenever it first freezes). Found in shallow water, usually no deeper than 90 feet, white shrimp are caught mostly during daylight hours. 

After Captain Mike pulled up the net, he sifted through and examined about two pounds of shrimp and various small sea creatures that the net had pulled up, describing and explaining the significance and features of each animal. 

This is the same method, Moore explained, that data analyst specialists from the state use to determine when shrimp season should open, except that they are required to go out much further and to pull up  a new “try trawl” every 15 minutes or so to examine its contents.

Our catch on this day was interesting and varied.  In addition to (surprise) some shrimp, we also pulled in a variety of small fish such as pinfish, flounder, a pufferfish, tang fish, surgeonfish, speckled trout, catfish, sheepshead, skipjack, kingfish, whitings, blue crabs, a hogchoker and even a squid. 

I got a kick out of learning about the hogchoker, which is a small brown “trash” flatfish traditionally used as hogfeed, but would unfortunately choke and suffocate the very pigs trying to eat their bony bodies.

After the net was emptied and sifted through, the creatures were put into an onboard aquarium for further view.  We were invited to get up close to peer inside the tank and view the animals, one by one, as they were pulled out of the tank and explained to us.

The Captain demonstrated how to squeeze the black ink out of a squid to pour over his hands and into the tank, before revealing the hard plastic-like quill that made up its innards.  Many of the kids enjoyed handling and touching some of the more non-harmful creatures. 

Once the small creatures are adequately perused by the passengers, they are all thrown back alive into their watery home.   Captain Mike explained that, because it is a tour boat, they are not permitted to keep any shrimp or fish that they catch (on a typical day, he may bring up 10-15 pounds per drag, and on some days, he has brought up to 100 pounds per drag).  

This is a very kid-friendly tour, and in fact, even pets are allowed (as long as they’ll get along with T.J.)  Being geared toward families with children, we felt the tour packed enough educational value about the shrimping industry that it was a good value at $16 per adult and $11 per child.   Tours leave at 10:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm every day of the week.  Reservations are recommended.
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Thinking back upon the day’s outing, it struck me that life on the Mississippi Coast comes with its advantages – and nobody can say that Gulf Coast shrimp ain’t one of them.

Crossing paths - and then following  - a snake hunting dinner in the woods sparks a contemplation on how humans can relate to other beings in our world. 
- by James Inabinet, PhD

The immovables joined in; scale insects covered moist, succulent stems: goldenrod, asters, Joe-Pye weed.  Spittlebugs ensconced below; basal leaves pushed back revealed frothy hide-outs.  Cocoons were packed snugly inside rolled-up leaves or dangled under them.  
 
A golden silk spider web blocked the way, a micrathena orb-web right behind it, a spiny-orb weaver web next - signs of late summer.  Contorting my body, I went under them.
 
I made my way down the bluff overlooking the creek.  Barefoot, I sloshed downstream on the sandy bottom; water just covered my ankles. The roar of cicadas drowned out the rippling water as I approached the confluence of bayou and creek through a tunnel of overhanging limbs and branches.
 
A clearing signaled my approach to the bayou ahead.  Movement along the bank next to the trunk of a smilax covered gallberry at the water’s edge revealed a slithering water moccasin.  The poisonous snake wended his way into the bayou, hugging the edge.  
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I followed – at a distance. Excited, I watched him slither, weaving back and forth, and then suddenly stop.  Motionless except for a wagging tail, he steadied himself, apparently watching something.  He remained this way for a long time, several minutes (!), and then struck blindingly fast. A frog jumped to safety, disappearing near the edge while the snake frantically searched.  
 
After a minute or so the snake resumed his journey downstream.  It occurred to me that this must be the dance of a snake.  I followed him, wondering what it might be like to be a snake and slither in the water in this way.

Later, I thought about: “What is it Like to be a Bat?” an essay by the cognitive scientist Thomas Nagel who famously wondered about the consciousness of creatures like bats, forms of consciousness very different from that of humans.  

He surmised that there must be “something it is like” to be that organism.  In order to determine “what it’s like” to be another being, humans use human points of view by imagining the other to have experiences that are similar to their own. 
 
Bats experience the world through sonar, a mode of experience profoundly unlike anything in human experience. 

Nagel found no reason to believe that batness is like anything “we can experience or imagine.” Concluding his thought experiment, he declared that there is simply no way to know what it is like to be a bat. I presume that knowing what it’s like to be a snake to be no different.
 
Should I forget about the snake?  This question cuts to the core of my research of the past 25 years, which is to come to know a forest ecosystem and its inhabitants deeply, even mystically, like a forest monk.  The goal: to become a functioning human component within in an ecosystem, a functioning part of its wholeness - to fit in - like our snake or a bat or even a tree for that matter. ​

If Mr. Nagel remains distant from nature, sitting in his ivory tower armchair watching bats circle a streetlight through a window, he will never know batness and will conclude that no one else can.  He could never experience a forest in the way I am seeking.  
 
Because consciousness is subjective, all about me, the experience I have of another being, even a human one, remains difficult to describe.  How can someone get to know “what it’s like” for another being?  To know “what it’s like” there must be elements of experience where the one is like that of the other.  There must be elements of experience we both hold in common. 
 
This is what empathy is – feeling the experience of the other.  I tear up when you cry because I feel it.  Nagel seems to reduce experience to thinking; indeed, he seems to elevate thinking to the order of actual experience wherein what passes for knowledge arises from thinking alone. 
 
To look at experience this way is to impose a purely “mental” form of consciousness onto humanity, leaving only a shell of experience.  “Thinking” about bats becomes the only way to know about batness at all.  You don’t even have to go outside and watch them.
 
Of course, experience itself is always richer than thinking and speaking about it.  Thinking about my love, for example, is one thing, but getting a hug from her is so much better.  I propose that there are other valid, more experiential, ways of knowing than Nagel’s mental knowing.  
 
I propose that “body-knowing” is one of those ways.  We have all felt parts of our bodies tightening up or relaxing in the face of profound experience, like the feeling of dread in a place that feels “off.” With body-knowing we know something even though we cannot say what we know - and no amount of thinking can help us to tell.  
 
Another way of knowing that I propose is what I call “heart knowing.”  It’s a profoundly feeling-oriented, emotional, and empathetic way of knowing, not unlike feeling love for a partner.  I have found that you can actually look at and dwell-within another being - even a non-human being - in this manner.  
 
If there is any way for humans to experience snakeness, it would seem to require one or both of these other ways of knowing.  I am paraphrasing the philosopher Bruno Snell when I add that perhaps a human might never be able to experience a snake or a bat in a “human” way if she did not first experience herself - a human being[!] - in a “snake” or “bat” way.  
 
For experience to rise to that level requires more than just thinking about snakes or bats.  Following Snell’s ambitious challenge, I have become determined to try a more embodied path to the experience of snakeness and see where that may lead.  
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This combination antique store/tea room is one of the most unusual (and vast!) shops on the entire Gulf Coast, featuring 75 dealers, a huge variety of teas and made-from-scratch treats.  
- story and photographs by Lisa Monti

Customers on Ulman appreciate the shop’s dual appeal, whether they come in for high tea or an heirloom. They can take a break from shopping to enjoy a freshly made dessert, and or sip their favorite tea while browsing. And there’s plenty to take in, with quality merchandise from 75 sellers (plus Young).
 
The collection draws buyers from all over the United States and far reaching places such as China, Taiwan, England and Russia. When it’s snowy up North, the shop sees loads of Canadians and Midwesterners visitors.
 
It seems every bit of space in the former floral shop’s rambling layout is filled with vintage, nostalgia and antique pieces. There’s fine furniture of all sizes and functions, show-stopping chandeliers hanging overhead, tabletops showcasing china and glassware, beautiful jewelry, silver pieces and children’s toys. The adjacent Quonset hut houses large pieces of furniture and all sorts of furniture, lighting and other finds.

The tea service, managed by Missy Geisel, Sylvia’s assistant, serves desserts and drinks from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.  The menu for High Tea Windsor and a Children’s Tea Party includes finger sandwiches, quiches and chocolate covered strawberries. 
 
“We do celebrations and private parties including showers and family reunions,” said Sylvia. “We cook everything fresh and healthy from scratch.” You can get desserts and drinks to go, as well as the popular soups and potato salad.
 
The main dining room seats 35. The private dining room seats 20. Just outside is the Tea Garden and deck, which can accommodate 30-plus. The centerpiece of the welcoming garden is the registered Live Oak named Heavenly Tea Garden. ​

​Sylvia said a favorite tea choice is the Earl Grey Moonlight, a combination of sweet, creamy and citrusy. Unusual flavors like White Cucumber and Fox Trot (chamomile and pepperminty) are served alongside other favorites like Ginger Peach and Cranberry. Scones with fresh lemon curd also are available to enjoy with about a dozen kinds of teas.
 
Over four years, Antique Maison Ulman Tea Room has earned a reputation for its savvy pairing of quality antiques and tasty tea room. 
 
“Customers have told me this is the only store like it from Texas to Florida,” said Sylvia. 

Hours:
10am to 5 pm,  Monday - Saturday
Dining: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm
Private parties and events by reservation
High Tea reservations 2 days prior to event

Golf carts have escaped the boundaries of the greens and become a popular form of neighborhood transportation - and parade vehicle.  We've got the new Bay St. Louis & Waveland ordinances designed to keep you safe on the go.  
- story by Denise Jacobs, photos by Ellis Anderson 

According to the legislation, this definition is met by “any four-wheeled electric or gasoline-powered vehicle that has a top speed greater than 20 miles-per-hour but less than 25 miles-per-hour and is equipped with safety equipment as required under 49 CFR [Federal Code of Regulations} Section 571.500." 

This means the vehicle must be equipped with things like head and tail lights, brake lights, front and rear turn signals, mirrors, a windshield and a parking brake and more (read the complete list here).  

 Who can operate a golf cart?
Golf cart operators must possess a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. 
 
Where can you drive your golf cart? 
As a rule of thumb, golf carts are allowed on public roads and streets with a speed limit of 25 miles-per-hour or less. 
 
Can you cross higher speed limit roads?  For instance, what if you live in Bay St. Louis on the north side of Highway 90 and want to travel via golf cart to the Second Saturday Artwalk festivities in Old Town? 

According to Senate Bill 3055 and the Bay's new ordinance 627-06-2018, golf carts may not be operated on U.S. 40, Highway 90, or Highway 603. However, golf carts may cross U.S. Highway 90 at the following signalized intersections in Bay St. Louis:

• Highway 90 and Beach Boulevard 

• Highway 90 and Dunbar Avenue
• Highway 90 Main Street/Blue Meadow Road
• Highway 90 and Drinkwater Road 
• Highway 90 and Washington Street
• Highway 90 and Bouslog Street

According to Waveland City Council Ordinance NO. 374, passed on July 3, 2018, golf carts will be allowed only "within the residential areas above and below Highway 90" with the exclusion of: ​

• all of U.S. Highway 90; 
• all of Kiln-Waveland Cutoff; 
• all of Highway 603 from the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Waveland Avenue to Maple Street; and 
• from the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Nicholson Avenue to Jeff Davis Avenue

State legislation mandates that golf carts must be registered.  According to the Waveland ordinance, registration should be made through the City of Waveland Police Department and requires a $50.00 payment to the City of Waveland.

Upon payment and registration, the City will provide applicants with a handy-dandy map of public roads on which golf carts can operate along with a registration decal that must be displayed on the left rear fender of the vehicle.  The registration is good as long as the registering owner owns the golf cart. 

Now, back to the parade - because we can never get too far from parades in the Bay:

Section 2 of Senate Bill 3055 stipulates that “Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, when operated by a person participating in a parade permitted by the city, low-speed vehicles and golf carts may be operated on the permitted route of the parade while participating in the parade.”  Go Mystic Krewe! 

Golf Cart Parade Checklist:

• Golf cart registered
• Registration decal is visible on the vehicle 
• Drivers license & registration in vehicle
• Headlights work
• Brake lights work
• Turn signals work
• Windshield is clean 
• Golf cart is bedecked & bedazzled according to season and theme

A-OK! Good to go! 

One of the country's favorite female syndicated columnists considers the rhythms of her recent retirement. 
- story by Rheta Grimsley Johnson, photography by Marc Lamkin 

Days would go by without people stopping by to look at the beautiful assortment of paintings, pottery and photography. I felt tempted to write “Art Doesn’t Bite” on the sign outside but somehow refrained.

Marc seems to be sincerely feeling my pain about the closing. Few do.

I mailed back his unsold photographs that combine humor, pathos and beauty in the strangest, most delightful way.  I felt like a fool. How had I failed to sell those?

And he wrote back that both of us are goal-driven, needing a project, something to work toward. “We don’t golf, sew, hunt or hike,” he said. So, he reasoned, we feel rudderless in retirement.

An architectural photographer by trade, Marc still shoots a couple of “official” jobs each year, but mostly now sits on his deck and lets the subject matter come to him. He shares a lot of pictures of sunsets, flowers, grandbabies and rainbows. They are beautiful. I find them infinitely more interesting than 99 percent of the art photos I’ve seen in coffee table books and museums.
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And yet Marc admits to missing real deadlines and relentless struggle to get a job done just right. But probably not enough to leave his comfortable perch and his big loving family and take to the road again. 

Therein lies the retirement conundrum. We miss the work but not enough to do anything about it. I loved the road for a long time but had rather take a beating now than drive more than 20 miles -- unless the road is in France.

I used to think nothing of writing four columns a week. Now I struggle to write one essay every other month.

My idea with the gallery was to exploit the artists and other creative folk I’d met in four decades of trolling for columns. I would have art receptions, book-signings, music events and cartoon exhibitions. I would do all of this in a town of 3,000 that has six auto part stores, 12 beauty salons, 22 churches and not much else.
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The work would be different, more social than sitting at a computer by myself for hours each day while attempting to turn a phrase. I was good at my job, but I was tired of it, too.

If anything, the gallery proved lonelier. But I still can’t admit it was a stupid idea. There was, I believe, potential. Good ideas don’t always net good results. If you build it, they don’t necessarily come.

The things I worried about seem silly now.  I worried about having enough inventory, and now  struggle to return much of it. I worried I didn’t know enough about art to start a gallery. Turns out, I knew far too little about business to start a gallery.

Right out of college I tried to birth a weekly newspaper. After 26 weeks, the adventure was over. I swore to myself then that I’d never been in business for myself again. Until two years ago, I remembered the lesson.
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Marc says I get points for trying. He charitably called me a “risk-taker,” which is a nice way of saying I threw a lot of money at a vision nobody could see but me.

Retirement makes some of us hobbyists, travelers or philosophical. Others of us still search for our retirement rhythm.

 We remember our old jobs – the hard work and daily deadlines, bad food, bad roads and lonely nights -- the way Marc remembers the dreaded humidity. At the core of our beings. 
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And, still, we miss it.

Rheta Grimsley Johnson was one of the longest-running female columnists in the country and beloved throughout the South. Her website contains a selection of past columns and more about her books.  

Waveland Alderman Jeremy Burke reports on the 2018 Waveland Business of the Year, Waveland Ave. sidewalks, Elwood Bourgeois Park, and garbage pick-up.  

The Waveland Avenue sidewalk project just got a lot closer to reality. Mississippi Department of Transportation has finally approved for Waveland to go out for bid for a contractor. This means Waveland will be advertising statewide for a contractor to construct sidewalks.  

​The proposed project will have 3 miles of 5’ sidewalks, ramps, and necessary drainage along the east and west sides of Waveland Avenue.  The project will paid from 80% federal funds and 20% local fund. If the project comes in above budget, Waveland will seek additional funds or will slightly scale back the project until additional funds become available.

The plan as of now is to select a contractor before the end of the year and have construction start soon after. The awarded project will be completed before the end of 2019.

Local engineering company and sponsor of the What’s Up, Waveland column, Chiniche Engineering, designed this project and will be overseeing the construction of the project.

​A restroom facility is currently being constructed at Elwood Bourgeois Park. The permanent cinder block facility will be completed by the end of the month. In addition to the restrooms, a small covered sitting area will be constructed near the splash pad.
 
Waveland had a majority of the materials needed to construct the restroom facility from previous projects and was able to do a lot of the work with city employees.  The cost to construct these two projects at Elwood Bourgeois Park is less than $15,000 and will allow Waveland to get rid of the weekly rental of the portable toilets.

 As the chairman of the Hancock County Solid Waste Authority, I am working closely with Waste Management to make sure all our garbage is being picked up as scheduled.  Please let me or Hancock County Solid Waste Authority administrator, Dawn Malley, know if your garbage is not picked up as scheduled.
 
Contact Information:
 
Jeremy Burke (HCSWA chairman) – 228.493.7399
 
Dawn Malley (HCSWA administrator) – 228.549.2052

During the Second Saturday Artwalk each month in Old Town Bay St. Louis, you'll find cool deals, fresh meals and lots of art and live music!  The good times roll year around with this family-friendly event celebrating life and art in the Bay. 
- stories by Grace Wilson

Be sure to check out "Hot Spots" Art, Collectibles and Antiques  (442 Main Street) and The Loft Yoga (111 Court Street).  You can read all about them below!

Loft Yoga will host an Open Studio on the evening of August 11 for Second Saturday. Patrons should enter at Bodega and the Parrot Head Bar and Grill and go upstairs to tour the studio.   For Second Saturday, August 11, everything in Art, Antiques and Collectibles will be 25-75% off with special $5 and $10 tables. ​

Bay St. Louis has long been known for antiques. If you are a collector coming into the heart of Old Town looking for treasures, you won’t want to miss Art, Antiques and Collectibles, the 4,200 square foot showroom at 442 Main Street.
 
Phillip La Grange and Herbie Pursley are at the helm of this breathtaking collection, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. 
 
La Grange and Pursley have been collecting and restoring fine antiques and art for over 30 years and are bringing a lifetime of acquisitions to the Bay and Pass Christian for one final sale, which they anticipate will take two years or more to liquidate.
 
“I came out of retirement to help and here I am,” La Grange said.
 
Many know La Grange from his former antique spots: he had one of the first antique shops in Old Town on Court Street, another called Magnolia Place at the corner of Main Street in the old Ramsey building and the Blue Rose in Pass Christian, which in its heyday was a restaurant where waiters donned tuxedos and patrons could browse antiques before and after a multi-course dinner.
 
“People would fly in from all over the country to see us - including Michael Jackson’s mother - and we’d ship worldwide,” said La Grange.
 
Both Pursley and La Grange have collections and talent that would be lauded in Los Angeles, New York and beyond, but the pair have proudly made their career in the Bay and Pass Christian.
 
“By popular request, we are reopening the Blue Rose this fall, which will be 10,000 square feet of select merchandise - rare, quality antiques and fine art.”
 
Being in the business for over three decades, La Grange said he’s seen the roller coaster of demands when it comes to collectors. With older generations downsizing and children often having no interest in their family’s heirlooms, the past years have been more about collecting than selling, but that is changing.
 
“There’s good news for sellers on the horizon,” La Grange said. “I’ve been talking to some of the most prestigious appraisers, and there is now beginning to be a tremendous resurgence in collectibility.”
 
In the aftermath of Katrina, from Florida to Texas, there was lots lost to the storms of that season. 
 
“In recent years there have been floods across the nation like the ones we saw near Houston, massive fires in California, and so on,” said La Grange. “As people are replacing these rarities the pieces are bringing in higher prices than ever.”
 
Even young people are starting to take a second look at these collectibles, if for nothing else than investment, explains La Grange.
 
Many antique shops are made up of many booths from different collectors, but as you walk through Art, Antiques and Collectibles on Main Street with La Grange, you realize quickly these are all his personal treasures, each with a story or unique feature that he’s passionate about sharing. ​

La Grange helps shoppers look deeper at each piece, noting the intricate details, pointing out the hours of craftsmanship - much of it a lost art.
 
“It’s more than just property to me,” La Grange said. “I feel as if I’m preserving the craftsmanship and the labors of love. Even today I look at these dining sets and am still in awe of the years of dedicated craftsmen and hand carving - that artistry is gone.”
 
La Grange’s interest in antiques happened a bit by accident. After college, he saw many of his friends were making a mint buying, renovating, and selling real estate.
 
His first property was a house on the Jourdan River bought in the 1970s for $3,500. 
 
“I got courageous and started buying in New Orleans - Uptown and the Garden District,” La Grange said. “Lots of times the houses would be filled with old furniture which was just thrown in with the sale.” 
 
He used the furniture to stage houses for selling and saw the interest in the antiques. 
 
“I was a complete novice at the time, but learned really quickly when I saw the value of antiques,” he said.
 
The Bay and his place on the Jourdan River was always a place for La Grange to de-stress from the hustle and bustle of the city.
 
“This was my refuge way back,” said La Grange. “It was laid back like it is today. There was great serenity of being on the water and getting away from the nightlife and partying in New Orleans.” 
 
La Grange is looking forward to retirement once more. 
 
His antiques and art - including one of the world’s largest collections of ancient blue and white Chinese porcelain - have been stored across the country, but will soon return to the Bay to be sold in an area that has been longing to replace treasures lost in the storms.

​“Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.” Jigar Gor
 
Christine Neese and Alyssa Dausman are on a journey to create a different kind of yoga studio in Bay St. Louis.
 
Loft Yoga, on 111 Court Street on the second floor of Bodega, is a power yoga studio, but that doesn’t mean they don’t offer the basics.
 
Dausman and Neese both discovered yoga as a way to release stress and strengthen, but both were skeptical about the ancient practice at first.
 
A scientist who came back home to work on the oil spill, Dausman began looking for an outlet from the high-stress job.
 
“I never went to yoga because I thought it was for crazy cuckoo vegans,” Dausman said. “Yet, when I tried it, I felt better. I kept going and started learning the science behind it.”
 
Yoga is a lot about breath work, but it’s not just hot air. There’s a reason for all the controlled breathing.
 
“Breathing is the only voluntary way we can control our nervous system,” Dausman explained. “It’s the most important thing you can do to calm your nerves.”
 
By day she was an oil spill restoration scientist and by night a yoga devotee who wanted to share her newfound knowledge and techniques with others. 
 
Today she teaches yoga during the week at Stennis where she’s a Naval Special Warfare yoga specialist, but her passion for yoga has bloomed into something more with Loft Yoga.
 
“Yoga is not just for thin people or people who have been physically fit their whole lives, it’s for everybody,” she said. “If you can’t do it - modify. It’s all about taking care of yourself.”

Neese is a massage therapist who practiced yoga for a year before telling anyone or entering a studio.
 
“I was in to running marathons and lifting weights,” Neese recalled. “I was looking at 40 and this was very hard on my body, but I thought if it didn’t hurt it wasn’t worth the workout. No pain, no gain.” 
 
She found herself teaching her massage clients about self care, stretching and stress management.
 
“I realized I was teaching them yoga, which I had no interest in and I was leading my clients in a direction where I truly needed to be,” Neese said. “I didn’t admit to anyone, but I was doing yoga in the morning - just five poses I found on the internet — I couldn’t believe the difference it made.”
 
Her mood was better. Soon, she couldn’t imagine starting the day without her five poses.
 
“Almost a year later I went into a studio and found it was so amazing sharing my yoga practice with others,” Neese said.
 
Dausman agrees, many people don’t come to a yoga studio because they are too afraid or intimidated. Perhaps the Loft Yoga studio is made more approachable because it's above one of Bay St. Louis' newest watering holes and restaurant: The Parrot Head Bar and Grill.
 
"Who says you can't have it all?" Dausman laughed. "My favorite food in the whole world is pork rinds. You don't have to be a health nut to love yoga. There are different levels of poses, so it’s all about stretching and how to preserve your lower back,” Dausman said. 
 
Loft Yoga has something for every level, from light stretching to handstand and inversion workshops. 
 
“Sunday morning is the most advanced class you could ever go to, and the most basic entry level is on Sunday evening,” said Dausman.
 
The pair are noticing that power yoga is where Loft Yoga stands out in the community.
 
“The type of people that come to us want something a little more rigorous and physically challenging,” Neese said. “We focus on more of the strengths part of it.”
 
Hot Yoga is also in the horizon at the Loft. 
 
That doesn’t mean that entry level students should shy away.
 
As the famous quote goes, yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about the journey getting there. When Dausman started, she couldn’t touch her toes, but now she can stand with her hands under her feet.
 
“You have to start somewhere,” said Dausman. “My motto is: ‘Power Yoga, we’ll get there together.’” 

In July, the Cedar Point area's contributions to Bay St. Louis were recognized by a state historical marker, while one of the neighborhood's beloved gathering spots is undergoing a renewal.
- story by Denise Jacobs 

Kersanac remembered those “coming to a new world” to work at Peerless Oyster Company from places as far away as France, Germany, Italy, and South America. They were, Ms. Kersanac noted, “starting from scratch,” and, she added poignantly, “We are the glad recipients of all their labor.” 
​
Markers of other types - indicators, perhaps - can be found in Cedar Point, as well. Larroux Park, at the corner of Dunbar Avenue and Julia Street, is one such community touchstone.  ​

Thanks to grant funding from Hancock County, the green space now boasts new swings and slides. The park is completely fenced and includes a basketball court and an old gazebo.  One very heavy picnic table rests in the shade of an old oak tree that is rooted in the yard next door, but is no respecter of fences. 

Additional Larroux Park projects in the works include park benches and trash-can container painting by Hancock Youth Leadership Academy (HYLA) teens. Josh Cothern and Charlie Luttrell, Cedar Point teens, planted a Bradford Pear tree at Larroux Park in late July as Charlie's HYLA project.  The duo and a handful of friends are committed to watering and caring for the tree in its early days. ​

The park is located near the site of a popular grocery store that no longer exists.  According to one Larroux family source, Ed Larroux first installed playground equipment in the early fifties, soon after he purchased what became the Mercadel  grocery store, so children could entertain themselves while their parents shopped.  In a 2016 Shoofly Magazine article, local historian Pat Murphy recalls that after owning the grocery only a few years, Ed Larroux converted the building into a warehouse, with a place in the front for neighborhood kids to play ping-pong and pool.

All this property later became Larroux Park as gifted by Ed Larroux via a 99-year-lease.

The merry-go-round is long gone, and the old (newly-replaced) swings had rusted with age, but the park remains.  On any given fall or winter day after school has ended, a group of high school boys of various shapes, sizes, and ethnicities can be found playing a game of pick-up basketball.

​It’s a happy sight, and one that reminds us of the resiliency of neighborly bonds and the strength of community.

​For this we are glad recipients.  
 ​

One of this country's most esteemed writers begins her first visit to Mississippi in Pass Christian, where she's met by many admirers of her work.  
- story by Scott Naugle, photos by Ellis Anderson

As we spoke, in the distance behind her was the Pass Christian harbor and beyond that the expansiveness of the Gulf of Mexico, flat calm on the surface, mirror-like, an endless sea of possibilities. The breeze was warming, persistent.

Over her shoulder, several Sage bushes were in full bloom, flowering purple, deeply hued, and resilient to drought. To my eye, Oates was partially framed in purple, the color of magic and mystery. Virginia Woolf famously preferred to write with purple ink.

Oates speaks carefully, fully considering each word. She’s pleasant and gracious. Her eyebrows slightly arch and the corners of her mouth move upward almost imperceptibly in response to a humorous aside. Small and lithe, Oates’ agility belies her eighty plus years.

Her most recent collection of short fiction, “Beautiful Days: Stories,” was published in April to a chorus of positive reviews. In the second story in the collection, “Big Burnt,” two lovers are in peril, both physically and psychologically. After a day picnic on an uninhabited island, they are overcome in a ferocious thunderstorm while returning to the mainland in a small rented watercraft.

​“Directly overhead were flashes of lightning, vertical, terrifying, so close that the deafening thunder claps came almost instantaneously and she could not keep from whimpering aloud.”   ​

Pass Christian Books has a limited number of signed copies of Oates' new books, Beautiful Days and Night Gaunts.  

Much more than a story about a perilous boat trip, “Big Burnt” explores the mid-life desperation of a man and woman who have made compromises over the years and now question their choices.

If there is a recurring theme within “Beautiful Days: Stories,” it is the desperation of the human condition. When asked, Oates replied that the stories depict “psychological or domestic realism.” 

Through staging or setting in these stories, Oates reveals to the reader unvoiced nuances using physical details, step by step, creating interior spaces for the characters. As a story progresses, the carefully drawn details begin to suggest the psychological condition of a character. The details of the narrative, the pitch, the motions, all carry meaning within the story.

“Ever more desperately she was bailing water. Like a frenzied automaton, bailing water…If she gave up she would crouch beside the man with shut eyes, pressing her hands over her ears, catatonic in terror,” continues the drama in “Big Burnt.”

Earlier in the narrative, Oates described this character, Lisbeth Mueller,as, “Married too young, children at too young an age, two divorces, men who exploited her trusting nature, career missteps, misjudgments – how swiftly the years had gone.”

Later in the story, the desperation of bailing water in a slowly sinking boat underscores with physical detail the perceived futility that Lisbeth has reached in her personal life, a life that may submerge and pull her under, “catatonic in terror.” 
​
Oates, among many other strengths, is a master of the subtext, seeding the reader’s imagination through micro-detailing of the physical environs. ​

It’s Saturday evening and Oates is preparing to read at the bookstore and coffeehouse in Pass Christian. While the expectation was that she may read from one of her two books released within the past few months, “Beautiful Days: Stories” or “Night Gaunts,” she instead reached for my copy of “Blonde,” published in 1999, a fictionalized re-imagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Oates held the book delicately, carefully, as the work of art it is. Embarrassingly, my name was visibly on a blue sticker on the spine so as not to misplace the book among the hundred or more she signed that evening.      

With emotion and passion, she read, channeling Norma Jean Baker, the birth name of Monroe.
​
As Oates held the book, attendees had a glimpse of a younger Oates on the rear dust jacket. Her deep, dark, sagacious eyes were unaged from the time of the photo, still searching, bright. Time appears to have not sullied her at all, the chin still firm and determined. Behind her, the Pass Christian Harbor and the area near shore where an experienced fisherman had drown several months ago, carried under by currents he did not anticipate.

There were many questions from the attendees. Afterward, she would remark to me that “all of the questions were intelligent.” Oates appeared to enjoy the interplay and dialogue with the admirers. She leaned toward them when responding.

​ From my vantage point beside her, en masse, as an organic unified body, the standing audience responded by leaning in to her with affection, respect, and gratitude for the work Oates has gifted them over the years.

“I write from the heart, not the head,” Oates responded to a final question, unblinking, with the delicate lilt of a warming smile.      

Editor's note:  Fans of this column will note the absence of Carole McKellar, the avid reader and Bay resident who originated Bay Reads in the fall of 2014.   She's relocated to Jackson.  Although we miss Carole and husband/artist John McKellar greatly, we wish them well!  We also wish to congratulate Jackson for its extreme good fortune.  

However, we're proud to announce that Scott Naugle has taken the helm of the Bay Reads column.  Scott is owner of Pass Christian Books, which sponsors this column and hosts many noteworthy literary events on the coast.  He's also a seasoned writer, whose work has appeared in regional publications through the years.  We're most excited to have him take on a greater role in the Shoofly Magazine!  

For nearly a century, Gulf Coast yacht clubs have competed in a series of Labor Day sailboat races, with the previous year's winner hosting the event.  Find out why so many of the Lipton Races have taken place in Bay St. Louis.
- story by Lisa Monti

Schmitt said the change to the faster and lighter Viper 640 class opens a new era for the association and the Liptons. “The debut of the sportier and faster Viper 640 in this year’s challenge will generate a lot of interest.. Everyone is coming out to see the new boats in action.”
 ​

The BWYC was reorganized in 1921 as the Bay-Waveland Yacht and Athletic Club. The club was admitted to the Gulf Yachting Association in 1922, according to the club’s website. 

​Schmitt said eight Bay-Waveland members have served as commodore of the Gulf Yachting Association: John Rawlings (1904), Eaton Bowers (1909), J. Alvin Weinfurter (1957), Henry Chapman (1967), Harry Chapman (1982), Basil Kennedy (1992), Walter Chamberlain (2002) and Judy Reeves (2009).

Sir Thomas Lipton, considered a benefactor to the sport of yachting, created the challenge that bears his famous name and it is considered is one of the oldest and most prestigious champion series around. The Pensacola Yacht Club won the inaugural race in 1920. 
 
“The Bay-Waveland Yacht Club is steeped in history with the Lipton Cup,” Schmitt said. “We’ve won it 24 times in its 98-year history.”
 
The previous year’s winner generally hosts the regatta on their home waters every year.  Last year’s host Pass Christian Yacht Club tied with Bay-Waveland in total points at the end of the regatta, but Bay-Waveland lost the tie-breaker.  The Lipton rules prevent a club from hosting in consecutive years. “So we’re hosting it as runner-up,” Schmitt said.

 About 20 yacht clubs will compete for the 2018 Lipton trophy in four races. The event gets under way with a flag raising ceremony at noon on Saturday. The first of two back to back races is set to begin at 2 p.m. The first of two races on Sunday will begin at 10:30 a.m. The club will host a party on Saturday night. Spectators can watch the action from the front deck of the Yacht Club, Schmitt said. 
 
The winner gets the perpetual trophy to display in the club for a year. “Our hope is we will bring it over from the Pass to the Bay and place it right at the top of the stairs for the next year,” Schmitt said.

Dale Pohl thrives by sharing the joy of making art with children, both in and out of the classroom.
- story by Lisa Monti, photos courtesy Dale Pohl 

​When they were done, Pohl dutifully circled back to clean up the creations so neighbors wouldn’t be inconvenienced. They weren’t. Instead, she said, “People came running out and said ‘No, stop, don’t touch it.’ ” They had become instant fans of the ninja art.
 
During the camps, the students can come up with their own ideas for their creations and revise them again and again until they’re happy with them. “They can explore and I can let them,” Pohl said of the sessions. ​

Pohl’s sessions are designed for ages 5-8 and 9-12. “After that, they want to come back and help,” she said.
 
In the past, Pohl has offered special sessions like the one last Christmas for 7th to 9th graders where they made holiday cards, frames, ornaments and free style pieces. Ladies night out printmaking parties and kid’s birthday parties also are big hits, Pohl said.
 
She’s looking to do more adult workshops as time permits between her family (including the four Pohl children), her school schedule and her own art.
 
Watch for more special art events on The Nest’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thenestbsl/

A newcomer to Bay St. Louis discovers a community of local businesses and neighbors who welcome her and her Doodle sidekick to the dog-friendly town. 
- story by Denise Jacobs

Linda especially enjoys eating on the porch at Lulu’s on Main (126 Main Street) with Mowgli, her mostly Finnish Spitz, at her feet.  I feel the same way about the Old Town merchants, who have always welcomed Biscuit, my mini Goldendoodle. ​

From the beginning of my move to BSL almost three years ago, the courtyard of the Mockingbird Café has been my go-to place for meeting others with dog on leash. It’s where I met Fahey DeBenedetto House, now a dear friend. Fahey and I began talking about Biscuit, and by the time I had downed an iced coffee, Fahey had invited me to join a loosely-formed cadre of women with dogs. Before I knew it, I was on the receiving end of a flurry of daily texts: Heading out in 15. Woof!  And just like that, my new life in Bay St. Louis began to take shape.
​
At first, I felt awkward as the newcomer. Because these women had established relationships with one another, I tried to stand back and give them space—not hard to do given Biscuit’s tennis-ball fixation. It was easy to throw one tennis ball after another and give my potential new friends space. 

I soon realized, however, that there was nothing cliquish about the group. We simply aligned per the configuration of the day, and the configurations varied.

Once, Fahey and Karen paired-off on some swings deep in conversation while Diana and I paired-off at the picnic table, also deep in conversation. At other times, Fahey and I might walk and talk about politics, or she might tell me about growing up in Bay St. Louis, a town I was just getting to know. Rebecca and I, both writers, talked about writing. I liked to talk to Karen about yoga—a perfect topic since she had recently completed her 200-hour yoga training at Kripalu. 

Between us, we had Goldendoodles (Haggis and Biscuit), Westies (Allie and Marley), and mutts (Willie and Skye). There were others—some pictured here—but I had yet to meet them. For two years now, our little pack has both expanded and diminished, and text messages come and go with varying degrees of frequency and complexity.  
​
Sadly, Willie’s companion, Skye, died. That was a blow to all of us, but none so much as Diana, who had rescued him in the first place, and Rebecca, his undercover sleeping companion. Haggis and Karen have since moved far across the country. Deirdre of Long Beach, on vacation when I first joined the group, reappeared with her two Westies and occasional fosters. You just never know, but if you show up, we draw a circle and take you in just as the group drew a circle and took me in.

Love me, love my dog is the rule of the day and more than a metaphor. We admire each other’s dogs. We let them lick our faces and climb on our backs. Biscuit places his drool-soaked tennis ball on a bench to the left of Diana. She picks it up, hands it to me (on her right), and I throw it to Biscuit. Repeat 500 times.

Biscuit, a loner, has become a little more social and now happily greets his human friends if not the dogs. When Haggis’s arthritis exacerbated, we all kept an eye on him, as he didn’t seem to know when to stop. Allie began catching tennis balls of her own. The question is, will she ever return one? ​

One day last year, Fahey texted me that Willie could not be found. Within minutes, without hesitation, I grabbed my coat, leashed Biscuit, and began walking down DeMontluzin looking for Willie. Fahey had already been to the beach; no Willie. She and Karen were walking down Necaise. At Second and State, I turned left onto Main.

“Willie cannot have gone far,” I thought.

I could see Rebecca walking around her house, the front door wide open. Diana was teaching a yoga class and had no idea Willie was gone. I knew we had to find him before Diana’s class ended in an hour. No one said it, but we all knew that Diana and Rebecca, having just lost Skye, could not take another loss. Willie had to be found before Diana’s yoga class ended. We had an hour.

Biscuit and I walked up to the white picket fence surrounding Diana and Rebecca’s house. As we stood there with a worried Rebecca, a very dirty Willie sauntered up from somewhere underneath the house. He may have been digging to China. I like to think that he knew Biscuit and I were there and came out from under to say hello, what’s up? Whatever Willie’s thinking, we were all relieved to see him.  
 
Later, Rebecca texted a thank you and wrote, “I feel like the troops came out to help . . . now, that’s community!”
​
It is community. Studies have shown that dogs can provide their owners with more than companionship; they also help create human-to-human friendships and social support. Between our dog adventures and good old-fashioned Southern hospitality, our lives here in the Bay intertwine in the very best of ways and our circle of friends ever widens.  ​

Whimsical Tramp Art pieces can be found throughout Old Town - and has inspired a number of local contemporary artists.  But what in the heck is it? 
- story and photos by Grace King

Hobo Art, or Tramp Art, is a term referring to art made of found objects - mainly wood, toothpicks, discarded cigar boxes, crates or pallets - and often whittled into layers featuring geometric shapes. 
 
This art form has been traced back to the 1870s and began to die out in the 1940s.
 
Magnolia Antiques often carries carved knives called Trench Art, a similar art form that refers to decorative items made by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians affected by wartime who were often literally stuck in the trenches and needed a project to take their mind off their conditions.  Of course, they had to work with the materials they had at hand - toothpicks, pieces of scrap wood, wire, popsicle sticks, etc.
 
I’d seen these rustic forms of art, especially in the Delta, but never knew about Tramp Art. ​

The South has a long history of self-taught artists, many using discarded materials. Museum sensations like Thornton Dial have made being an “outsider artist” more mainstream. 
 
His paintings and assemblages fashioned from scavenged materials hung proudly in the New Orleans Museum of Art during a popular exhibition in 2012 called “Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial.”
 
Patrons were so moved by his show that the museum now houses 10 pieces of art from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation in its permanent collection.  His extraordinary body of work continues to garner recognition. 
 
It’s easy to find primitive art and furniture in the antiques shops of Old Town once you know what to look for.
 
Antique Maison has some truly one-of-a-kind large-scale pieces. Right through the doorway, shoppers can see a tall form of early folk art — a cupboard with original paint, copper screens and square nail construction. It’s certainly a unique piece made from reclaimed materials long ago.
 

Further back in Antique Maison, John Walrod’s Steampunk Curiosities are sculptures and wallhangings made from found objects, transformed into fun little creatures, clocks and bits of home goods.  Walrod is a contemporary artist whose work brings to mind the intricate and often whimsical works of Tramp artists.  
 
Spencer Gray Jr. at Gallery 220 is also known for his fun, vibrant creations and yard art, also made from colorful brick-a-brack.  He creates smaller pieces and larger one-of-a-kind sculptures that are filled with animation and delight collectors. 

Artist Joe Derr divides time between Bay St. Louis and New Orleans, creating fanciful sculptures and watercolor paintings.  The Derr's paintings carried by Bay Life Gifts & Gallery in Century Hall (112 South Second Street), are "framed" in wooden trays or old cigar boxes.  

​Bay Life owner Janice Guido says several of her customers now collect Derr's work, vying for first shot at them when he brings in new pieces.   

Also at Century Hall, Susan Peterson proudly showed off a small chest of drawers that had all the hallmarks of Tramp Art. Hand carved embellishments, drawers made out of cigar boxes and beautiful bits of decorative wallpaper lined the inside. 

Hobo, Tramp and Trench may not be the most flattering names to label a world of art, but it turned out these pieces are some of the most desirable finds in Old Town. 
 
Find them and bring them home before they hit the road.

This specially themed Second Saturday artwalk in July - Frida Fest - celebrates the birthday of iconic artist Frida Kahlo with an extraordinary costume contest and a fiesta of other special happenings!  

Be sure to check out "Hot Spots" Bodega Spirits & Liquor (111 Court Street) and Manieri Real Estate (501 Main Street).

​- stories by Grace Wilson

On July 14, in honor of Second Saturday and Frida Fest, Bodega Spirits and Liquors will host their first free wine tasting experience at 111 Court Street. The tasting will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Parrot Head Bar, in the same building as the spirits ship and the rental store. 

Nestled in the heart of Old Town Bay St. Louis is a new liquor store. Don’t be fooled by the small footprint - this well-stocked store has over 200 labels of wine and 250 brands of liquor.
 
Located in the same building as Bodega Adventure Rentals and Sales and the Parrot Head Bar and Grill, Bodega Spirits & Liquor has brands you want and prices you’ll like at a convenient location.
 
“We picked out our own favorites,” said owner Kevin Jordan. “If you are a regular and you want something we’ll get it.”  
 
Jordan knows his spirits and wine. His family owns a vineyard in California that sells grapes to some of the most popular labels in the United States.
 ​

“We have a lot of great connections in the wine business and are looking forward to bringing in educators to host wine classes and tastings,”said Jordan.
 
Look for an upcoming schedule of classes and tastings.
 
Larry Main is often behind the counter at Bodega Spirits and Liquor to impart his knowledge of wines, liquors and - if needed - local fishing spots. 
 
Truly a one-stop-shop, everything a vacationer or local could need for an afternoon of fun and food is under one roof. Bodega Liquor Spirits is also pet-friendly and Main has a stock of doggy treats and also features local pet celebrities on Bodega’s social media channels.
 
There are discounts for purchases by the case, and Bodega Liquor and Spirits also has a wholesale license, so they can deliver wine and spirits to local businesses.

Manieri is one of the most familiar family names in Bay St. Louis, and in real estate, people want a name they can trust.
 
The family has been in business in Bay St. Louis, in one form or another, since the 1870s. Manieri’s Restaurant was once known as one of the oldest businesses in town.   
 
"Our roots are in the restaurant business, but at our core we are hospitality through and through," said Joey Manieri. 
 
As a native of this area, Manieri truly enjoys meeting newcomers and sharing his love of this special place with them, which is why real estate is a perfect fit for the family. 
 
Their team has been meeting real estate needs for over 25 years. From sales to vacation rentals and property management, Manieri Real Estate, LLC is a one-stop-shop in Bay St. Louis. 
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"Our Main Street location is like open house every day,” Manieri said. "We never know who’s going to pop in just to say hello. People enjoy the atmosphere we’ve created here as we strive to keep it light and easy." 
 
Many vacationers end up calling Bay St. Louis home, and the Manieris say the real estate market, especially in Old Town, has been heating up in the past couple of years.  But Manieri remembers a time before Katrina when there was barely an empty lot to build on.
 
“We are certainly coming back faster than after Camille. I was 16 years old and lived a block off the beach, as I do now,” said Manieri. “Believe it or not, there are still people out there who are waiting for the right time to come back.”
 
In the meantime, Manieri has seen lots of new people discovering the Bay. 
 
“We have a unique thing in Bay St. Louis that people don’t come across in other vacation spots,” he said. “We’ve got an easier lifestyle, It’s more laid back, and we don’t have the traffic the bigger beach cities have. People are beginning to find out more and more about that.”
 
Manieri takes pride that his agency - comprised of him, his wife and two other agents - works on a different philosophy than bigger franchises. 
 
“We are consultants, troubleshooters and problem solvers,” said Manieri. “Most people don’t realize what a good agent will do because much of it is behind the scenes.”
 
The agency runs dozens of vacation rentals and features about 30 long-term rentals, so whether someone is looking for a quick getaway to the Bay or a second home, Manieri Real Estate is a team - and a name - you can trust. ​

Conjuring up a fascinating backstory for this Cedar Point cottage creates a serene port o'call for owners and visitors alike. 
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson 

This invented narrative technique is a favorite of Eric Grieshaber’s.  The architect has worked with the noted Hopkins Company firm in New Orleans for 25 years and specializes in residential designs.  
 
Eric believes that starting out with a backstory – even when it’s been created - works well for both renovations and for new home designs.  This narrative becomes a theme of sorts, threading together architecture and interior design in an unexpected - and delightful - fashion. 
 
“I call it romance architecture,” Eric says. “I create a backstory for every project.  It helps the completed house have a richer feel in the end, whether the client wants an 1800s wood barn or a French chateau.”  
 
Eric and husband Scott Umberger have lots of practice using that technique.  They’ve purchased and renovated six different houses since 1994.  But the first house they bought in Bay St. Louis actually came complete with a great story.  In 2004, the couple purchased it from a retired sea captain who had traveled the world and brought back mementos from his exotic voyages.  Shortly after the renovation was complete, Hurricane Katrina swept in from the gulf and destroyed the house.  
 
Fast forward to 2014. Eric and Scott, whose primary residence is a Craftsman classic they restored in Uptown New Orleans, had been considering rebuilding in Bay St. Louis. They shifted gears when a diminutive cottage in the Cedar Point area came on the market.  Real estate agent and friend Jeanne Baxter alerted them about the new listing and before Eric and Scott finished their first tour of the unpainted wood house, their decision was made. 

​“[Buying a house] is a very emotional decision,” says Scott, an attorney with Iberia Bank in New Orleans. “I want it or I don’t.  I don’t want to second guess myself.” 
 
Built in 1906, their latest project on Leonhard Street is probably one of the oldest surviving structures on Cedar Point.  Many cottages in the neighborhood had been  built to house seafood factory workers.  At the turn of the 20th century, at least two oyster canning factories operated on Cedar Point (one was the Peerless Seafood Company, located where the Bay-Waveland Yacht club stands today).  The immigrant workers, mostly from Slavic countries, lived nearby in simple shacks.  

But while simple, the Leonhard Street cottage was a serious cut above the worker’s typical dwellings.  It was sturdily built, lined with old growth timber bead-board.  Even Katrina’s unprecedented surge couldn’t destroy it:  it simply tipped over in the storm, instead of coming apart.  On the other hand, the unpretentious house wasn’t large or elaborate enough to have been the home of a prosperous local businessman or another sea captain.  ​

So who had called 208 Leonhard home in 1906? 

​Eric and Scott spun a backstory about a boatswain.  Often called bosuns, a boatswain wasn’t a ship’s officer, but managed a ship’s deck department.  A bosun wouldn’t have been wealthy enough to have afforded a grand home, but would have wanted one comfortable and well-appointed in a lovely natural setting. The imaginary bosun of the Leonhard Street backstory  traveled the world many times over and having “an eye for nice things,” surrounded himself with fascinating objects from around the globe. 
 
So “Boatswain’s Cottage” was christened and work commenced.

Although Eric and Scott joke that their personalities are like “oil and water,” to an observer it appears that the team operates like a well-oiled machine.  The construction and space design is Eric’s purview, while the interior design falls to Scott.  
 
“I’m more concerned about how the space looks, and Eric’s more concerned about how the place feels,” says Scott.  
 
The men started by calling in a contractor they’d worked with on three previous renovations, Jim Boucher.  A “true craftsman, who doesn’t do something unless it reflects well on him,” Boucher, Eric and Scott began forensics on the house.  Their goal was to recreate the original floor plan.  
 
They realized that the side gallery had been closed in and reopened it.  A clumsily built fireplace that had been added at some point came off to allow for a large screened outdoor living space.  The dark living room became light-filled.  

A half-bath became a full one by expanding into an adjoining closet.  All doors and windows were replaced - the interior doors with salvaged cypress ones from New Orleans. Boucher, who collects special pieces of old wood, built a splendid cypress kitchen island with a pull through drawer. 

​“We never do anything half way,” says Eric, who points out that the island allows guests to visit the cook without being in his way. Large crank-out windows over the sink open to allow serving to the screened porch, where a table seats eight and the space easily accommodates thirty.  
 
While Eric handled the structural space, Scott began collecting furnishings and art with a bosun’s eye.  An experienced auction shopper, he sought out paintings of ships and interesting marine décor.  He snagged an ornate metal chandelier from Morocco to hang over the dining table. An iron gate and urn from a sugar plantation in Trinidad would eventually become garden centerpieces.  An ancient retractable chandelier from an abbey in France to grace the new porch.  ​