A drinking village with a fishing problem

I awoke about 1:30 the other morning and was taking a leak off my bow when I heard a noise like a little dog yapping and observed a sea otter swimming along the surface of the harbor barking like crazy, not far behind it was an eight foot gator. The sea otter swam between Waltzing Matilda and the neighboring boat on my port side, the gator on the starboard and both out of sight under the dock, I haven't seen the sea otter since but the gator is still hanging around stalking my little dog.
I am still in Ocean Springs MS, still waxing boats and ready to get back underway. The weather has not been co-operative at all, it's cold and nasty one day, sunny and the wind in the wrong direction the next day and cold again the following day. The locals all say this is an unusual winter, it's not supposed to b this cold all through February. There are daffodils sprouting, birds chirping and a nice westerly breeze today, but a nasty storm with gale force winds brewing for tomorrow.
I've made myself handy with the locals, from hanging out at the cheap PBR bar to ascending masts to fix rigging. Bicycling is quite easy since there are relatively few hills and lots of signs indicating that the rode is a bike route, the cars are very respectful, no honking, spitting upon nor flipping off the bike riders. It is a quaint little town with all the trappings of small southern town politics, the local folks are really great and compared to Biloxi this is paradise.

I went to Biloxi via a buddy's boat to see the Mardi Gras parade, I got all of two steps off the pier when two thuggish teenagers with guns and badges approached me and yelled “Sir, dogs are not allowed on the parade route”, I was two blocks away from the parade route but decided this was a sign of what to expect. I began walking away down the beach and the thugs followed me for a bit then lost interest, I toured the remains of neighborhoods, just daffodils in rows up to concrete steps leading to nowhere for blocks, we walked across the HWY 90 bridge back to Ocean Springs. The next day while comparing notes with others I found that the local law had a heyday busting heads and stomping on folks, all in the name of “Law and Order”, good thing I didn't go to the parade, even better that I didn't spend a dime in Biloxi.
I got some skating done, a local took me to a DIY mini ramp that was nice and mellow, 4' high with 10' tranny, 16' wide out in the woods with dogs and mud. All of the local skaters ride surf boards in the summer and wheels in the winter, I need to find a surfboard soon and start catching waves, I hope that Pensacola provides the surf board as I know it has the surf.
Rick and Cathy of the Valkyrie are ready to sail as well, we will be leaving together and traveling East in tandem, we have to anchor at Horn Island at least once, I am a bit apprehensive of returning to Horn Island but when you fall down you have to get up and drop in again or you'll forever be afraid of the ramp.


I've got a digital camera now and have shot a few images,there will be plenty more to follow. I have set up a photo hosting account with the google, check em out here Capt N8's photos

Post Script: I received this email from a former college roommate and got his permission to share it

So I had this dream last night that your spirit was like jumping around on book shelves. It was a completely rambunctious spirit, wild and untamed. You were jumping around and I was trying to talk to you about school. I was telling you that you were right to not go and that it is basically an institution to tame your mind. And not even the professors, even the cool one's are going to do anything but because the very nature of the fact that they are teaching means that they have been tamed in their way of thinking. It was this long explanation to this wild spirit jumping around on bookshelves above me. It wasn't so much you as it was your spirit. Its kind of hard to explain, but I totally woke up and made myself remember the dream. I know it was much more vivid than this description, but I did good remembering that much. It might have been the Mexican food and the margarita I had before bed, but I just thought that it was interesting...
Lee

end Post Script