For those of you who don't know, this was past of the Hurricane Camille memorial giftshop. That boat washed ashore to that very spot after Camille on Hwy 90 and a Gulfport resident turned it into a giftshop. While driving along 90 today, I have to admit being amazed and thrilled to see that the boat survived the storm. Unfortunately, the gift shop that was attached to the aft of the boat did not. The difference between the things that survived and the things that didn't never ceases to amaze me.
This photo by Joshua Norman
posted by Josh Norman at 7:31 PM
4 Comments:
I was one year old when Camille came calling. This boat is a childhood landmark to me. Every trip to the coast involved, "Mom, are we to the boat yet?" "Have you passed the boat?" I didn't miss the boat did I?"
And of course - of all the boats on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - Mom always knew this is the one I wanted to see. And as all children do, I had to hear the story - each & every time - about the hurry-cane called Camille that was so strong she washed this HUGE boat all the way up here on the beach. The boat was so big and so heavy, they decided to leave her where she rested.
Now, I don't want to see the boat. Don't want to see the beach. Don't want to go home - as I am scheduled to for Thanksgiving.
Last time I left the Ms Gulf Coast, there were almost no stairs to nowhere. I remember those from when I was a kid too. Stairs to no where. Hurry-cane Camille did that too.
It hurts so deeply - reading about it hear. Seeing it on the news. Talking to my MS family.
And get this - my sister-in-law in Long Beach actually feels guilty because they still have a home. Most of their friends & co-workers have lost everthing & she has guilt. Can't even imagine.
I hurt & I ache for the loss. I mourn & I long for what is gone.
Thanks for writing.
Thanks for listening.
be well
In Waveland I met the Presbyterian pastor and his wife. We had stopped by the Assemblies of God church to check on the pastor. The Presbyterian pastor and the AG pastor are good friends. Both lost their homes.
Anyway, the AG church is standing but will have to be torn down....horrible mold. However, the Presbyterian church in Waveland is totally untouched. It is surrounded by rubble, but it is in lovely condition. The pastor's wife said she felt guilty that their church survived and their friend's did not. Not far from the AG church, which is surrounded by blocks and blocks of nothing, there is a lovely brick home. We stopped and stared in amazement. The home is fine, except for two missing shingles. The flowers are fine, the trees are fine, the red bark remains around the trees and shrubs! Such things seem bizarre.
Thanks for this wonderful blog. I hope that in days to come I'll be able to check in here and see that things are improving. We left part of our hearts on the Mississippi coast last week when we returned to Wisconsin.
Dear Josh,
thank you for keeping up the blog. That way we'll be able to see whats going on over there because the media will soon find something different to talk about. My thoughts are with you all.
Greetings from Germany sais Mone
I grew up in a house just to the left of the boat, on the street behind it, next to the apartments. I hear it's all gone now...but this boat is a strong memory for me. The people who own the boat and owned the gift shop were family friends, back 3 generations. I will miss the candy sticks they sold..especially the root beer ones.
When the tornado came through in the late 70's, the big one that demolished West Side Community Center and took the pressbox off of Milner Stadium, I lived in that little house behind the boat. I remember pulling shingles from the Pizza Hut and the IHOP out of the drainage ditch in my front yard.
Thank you for posting so many things so I can see what is really going on. Most of us don't care about politics and police chiefs, we just care about the homes and the people. Once you get that gritty sand between your toes, you are always a part of the land. I still get depressed thinking about all the devistation, and the only ties I have to the coast now are memories.
Thanks for keeping us informed in a "real" way rather than a press way.
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