Ship Island!

Last weekend we went to Ship Island! It's about 11 miles south of Gulfport, Mississippi and is a part of the islands that stand between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Sound. On Ship Island is Fort Massachusetts, a strategic military post built around the time of the Civil War to protect the Mississippi ports.

The ferry ride took about an hour each way. It was amazing! There were these dark grey/black dolphins everywhere. We saw them on the way there, at various times while on the island, and on the way back. When we got there, we immediately took a tour of Ft Massachusetts. Here are some pics!

View of Fort Massachusetts from the ferry.

Me and Ben at the giant cannon.

View of the island from the top of Fort Massachusetts. So pretty!

New Orleans!

Yesterday we went to New Orleans! We spent the afternoon wandering around on Bourbon and Royal Streets. We window shopped and then found a fabulous restaurant called Desire. Ben got red beans and rice and gumbo. I got fried catfish. It was all so tasty! Here are some pics:

It was kinda rainy, but Bourbon Street was so much fun!

Best Day Ever!

Since we're in Biloxi, Mississippi for about 10 weeks (for Ben's tech school at Keesler AFB), we decided to spend the weekends sight-seeing. Today we saw a couple places Ben remembered from when he lived here.

First, we went to Gator Ranch. Ben has ALWAYS wanted to go there.

The "baby" alligators live in an enclosure until they're about 6 feet long. Then they are released into the wild. Yikes!

Our crazy guide jumped into gator territory and started pulling their tails. This one didn't like it much... he was hissing and ran into the water.

They were so close to the fenced-in boardwalk!

The guide fed them raw chicken while we were there.

Say cheese!

Later this afternoon, we went to Pascagoula beach. It was kind of cloudy, but warm and beautiful.

Isn't he handsome?

I just love this picture!

Life at the Super 8... again.

We made it to Biloxi, Mississippi - safe and sound. Ben made reservations for the lodge on base about 2 months ago, so when we checked in there, we thought 'no big deal, right?' But according to them, reservations mean nothing and we're supposed to stay in a Super 8 off base for at least 42 nights. Its nice enough: king bed, cable, free wi-fi, mini-fridge and tiny microwave. Not bad, if it were only a few nights. But for 2 1/2 months, we may go crazy here. Besides, with only one car here, one of us will be stranded all the time. So I sent Ben on a mission - find a way to get us on base, where we'd have a kitchenette at least. And where Ben could walk to school. :) We'll see what he could do on his first day...