My hometown

Our home of six years in Gulfport, MS

After meeting with our Minnesota visitors yesterday morning, we decided to take a look around Gulfport ourselves. Dave and I had been once before when most of the roads were still closed. We were able to find our old house there on that trip and were stunned to find out that it mostly survived. How - I have no idea. We were told by a neighbor that it is one of the only houses for blocks that will be repaired rather than bulldozed.

It's always eerie to see it. All at once memories flood back in -- but then it seems so foreign now. I think I told someone as I was standing there looking at it that it was like I had travelled ahead in time about 100 years to see what had become of my old house and the old neighborhood.

Then there's the shudder that passes when I think how easily we could have still lived there. I know for certain we never would have ridden out a hurricane in the house sitting a little over 700 feet from the beach... But still it haunts me. Especially seeing what used to be George's window smashed and mangled... I can picture him sleeping right there in front of that window as a baby. And I recall his recurring nightmare as a toddler that kept us awake night after night for at least two years. He would wake up crying and say to me: "The water's coming, Mama."



I guess he knew what he was talking about. The rest of our old neighborhood is indescribable.
And pictures cannot show you what is not there....

The view south and slightly west from just in front of our old house.

This duplex sits on the street directly behind our old house. The plea spray-painted
by an optimistic owner reads: "DO NOT DAMAGE. WILL BE REPAIRED."

A relatively new luxury condominium complex a couple blocks west of our previous neighborhood.

St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach, MS. Our boys attended school in this parish
when we lived in Gulfport. The church faired better than the school.



I took rougly 30 pictures yesterday - but about 25 of them looked exactly the same. Pictures of nothing.