Blogs from Biloxi, Mississippi, United States, North America - page 2

I am planning a trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, as I have never been there before. I have heard many stories about the city. I have heard how it is much like Las Vegas with it's casinos and different types of shows. However, it is a totally different atmostphere because it is number one in the South and number two on the Gulf. I will need to fly in to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, and I am having trouble finding a great rate (notice I didn't say good rate) for that location. That is one of the few reasons that I haven't been to the area, but I have faith that I am going to find a great deal within the next year. That is one reason that I wrote this article How to Travel to Biloxi, ... read more

Biloxi Blowout (Really) Biloxi Blowout (Really) POW! It is an unbelievably loud sound; a blowout on the left front tire of the vehicle. The tire blew in Biloxi, on Route 10, right before we entered the bridge going over the Biloxi River. Thank goodness we were not already on the bridge. Paul wisely took his foot off the gas steadied the RV, braked gently, steered onto a wide shoulder and came to a complete stop. He insists that he learned that while taking the on-line comedy school for traffic violators after two many speeding tickets in 2005. I probably would have jammed on the brakes, gone over the rail and floated down the Biloxi River. No one hurt. just shaking hands and spiked blood pressures! We sat there for a few minutes before moving. We called ... read more

What a bittersweet day--the last day of the build. Even though I'm blogging this on Saturday at the Biloxi airport, I want to share our experiences on the job site on Friday and our last evening in Biloxi. It truly was a bittersweet day as we worked hard to achieve all we could. And that was a lot. We almost completed the nailing of the sheeting to the house--only about 20 nails left on one wall and about a quarter of the back wall. That was a lot of nails--especially on the last day when we ran out of the "good" nails--ones that we thought were better--to aluminum nails that caused many of us to pound three nails for every one that actually went into the wall. We learned the art of patience as we hammered. ... read more

Wow--what a day! I can't even begin to describe how it felt to watch the walls literally go up around us. OK--we were responsible for those walls going up, but it really is incredible what 16 people--our 12 teammates, three Habitat folks and one soon-to-be homeowner--can accomplish in a single day. We started our day by finished nailing down the floor to the floor joists, which took a couple of hours at best. It was kinda cool because there literally were a few instances when it seemed the hammers were all moving in unison--hitting the nail at the exact same moment. It couldn't have been planned to work that way. While blisters threatened to slow some down, a few of our teammates devised a way to get through that, too--one started the nail and the other ... read more

It's been a long day of travel, but also a very smooth day. No glitches with flights, luggage or people! That is--we've all arrived safely at Yankie Stadium and have settled in for the week! The travelers from Minneapolis (and Sioux Falls) met up with the Appleton crew at the Memphis airport to travel the last leg of the journey together. One more team member from Michigan met up with us in Biloxi. As we drove from the airport to Yankie Stadium, we couldn't help but be moved by what we saw. While it's certainly nowhere near the devastation of three years ago, it was still sobering to see homes and businesses still boarded up, and foundations with no homes sitting on them. And this is only the beginning of what we will see, hear and ... read more