What’s Cooking: I fondly remember my Gulf Shore vacations

My sister and most of her children have lived on the Gulf Coast for a number of years, so I have had the opportunity to visit the entire area where Hurricane Katrina slammed to shore a few days ago, leaving in its wake much death and destruction. I have stayed in motels across highway 90 which follows along side the whitest sand beaches I have seen.

My most recent visit to the area was a little over a month ago as my sister’s daughter from Arizona came in for her class reunion. I was told this was the first time that all my sister’s children were under the same roof in a while. She has seven, with all but three living on the Gulf Coast. One lives in Montgomery, Ala.; one is in Goodyear, Az. and one is here in Warren County This visit was very enjoyable and I didn’t have a thought of a hurricane being on the horizon.

I remember other visits to the area. Around 15 years ago, my sister came up here something like once a month to help with my dad and stepmother. On one of these occasions I went home with her for what was supposed to have been a two week stay, but turns out I was “stuck” on that Gulf Coast for a total of three weeks.

While down there, one of the things I thought was fascinating was that there was a ship setting across highway 90 from the Gulf of Mexico. The story of the ship is during Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969 the ship was blown across the beach and highway and deposited near the highway. It was never moved, att least until Katrina came alone. It was made into a souvenir shop, and was called the “USS CAMILLE.”

Another story to come from the Camille hurricane was when the hurricane was approaching several individuals gathered in a building to have a “hurricane party”. At least one of this group apparently thought things over and left the “party” and fled to safety. After the storm past, the only thing left of the structure was the cement slab on which the building had rested. According to reports, none of the attendees were found.

We have heard some pretty weird questions from the news media within the last few days. One of which was: “What can we do to keep a thing like this from happening again?” If I had posed such a question, people would probably think I had lost my mind. Folks were given fair warning. I heard two individuals say that even if some of the people had no other way to get out of harms way but to walk, they could probably get 75 miles in three days.

My niece and her family left New Orleans at noon on Sunday and intended to come to McMinnville, but stopped at my nephew’s in Montgomery. I have three nephews who live on the Mississippi gulf coast. One went to Piscagoula. One took his family to LaGrange, Ga. and the other one stayed in his mother’s house in Long Beach. Just five blocks from the gulf. My sister, who works at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Miss., stayed in the hospital for the duration of the storm. Although the windows were blown out and some water damage occurred, my sister’s house still stands.

The city of New Orleans was built below sea level, by so doing, it seems to me, one should expect a problem with a storm the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina. We may enjoy many blessings of life, but we should remember it takes but a very short time to lose it all.