I received an email today from my friend Sandra (she and her hubby are enroute to Canada) advising me to be in no rush to head north. They are in Ohio and facing very cold temperatures combined with the threat of snow, not the kind of weather we are getting here. We may not be facing snow, though I have to tell you, we are getting threats of a different kind; yesterday there was a tornado watch issued for the area. Fortunately none materialized (that I am aware of) and today the temperatures really did drop to highs below 20°C (68°F) just like the forecasters predicted.

Yesterday we ventured into Pensacola and explored the beach area that we had been to back in February 2004 to see how it withstood the effects Hurricanes' Ivan in 2004 and Dennis in 2005. Almost two years later many of the beachfront properties were still in a state of disrepair so it is no wonder Biloxi’s damage still seems so “raw”. We also saw a lot of “new” growth; bright shiny buildings, new stores, transplanted palm trees and budding parks and we could envision Biloxi by this time next year (provided the area remains unscathed in the upcoming hurricane season).

On our way home we stopped at a local fish store advertising boiled crawfish, which are currently in season. The last time we enjoyed a crawfish feast was while we were in Abbeville, Louisiana in March of 2004 and we really loved them so we could hardly wait to get home with our big bag of goodies. Last time being “newbie” crawfish eaters, we only ordered three pounds, believing that was plenty, but this time we knew better and order six pounds (which had been recommended to us the first time). As we learned before, the shells and upper bodies (which we don’t eat), account for much of the weight so three pounds really does only feed one person satisfactorily. It was a yummy feast!