Welcome December! - #106

December already? We’ve been in Mississippi for just over a month now. It has been a leisurely month, doing what we want, when we want. No real commitments. 

The Pot Luck on the last day of November was a big success! Not only did we have delicious foods, but we met several new campers and chatted in between bites. My contribution was a big salad and some delicious fudgy , brownies! Other returning guests also mentioned how quiet it has been this year; we were glad to find we were not the only ones that felt that way. We reminisced about the friends from previous years who had not returned for various reasons.  Many actually gave up RVing but purchased homes down this way. 

We are excited to now have our first schedule of activities for Bay Hide Away for the month of December. There are some great campground community meals planned - stir fry, breakfasts-  including outings to restaurants. Mexican Train is now scheduled weekly on Fridays and craft projects. Our campground hosts, Lea and Randy, do a great job of arranging activities and cooking delicious meals for us!

Charlie and I also follow all the local library events page; we find something we can do everyday! 

Painting class in Diamondhead

Craft project in Pearlington 

Bingo in Pearlington 

I was asked - how do we make our daily plans? Do we just decide each day, plan in advance?? I actually look at various event’s calendars for the month and then plan a week at a time. I coordinate with the weather and almost all our activities are drop in - so there’s no real commitment if we change our minds. We try to plan some outing almost everyday but there are some days we want to stay home and just hang out. But if we do, there’s usually laundry or some small repairs and I might bake or cook. And I try everyday to get in my 10,000 steps!

We also happily and inexpensively solved our Wi-Fi problem. When we first arrived- the campground Wi-Fi seemed to work just fine. Then a few weeks in, weird things started happening. It would tell us our password was incorrect, service would go in and out and then eventually we just couldn’t get it at all. The biggest problem with this is that it affected our TV. So after discussing it, we decided to try a Wi-Fi extender. It was returnable so we had nothing to lose! I am happy to report- it work’s fantastic on all our electronics. Problem solved for under $25 bucks! 

Charlie joined in on the weekly men’s breakfast and me the ladies lunch last week. Definitely good having some separate time.  

We attended a special holiday prayer service lead by a young man - new to full time RVing with his wife and two teenage sons - at our campground. If you know me, you know I am not religious; I don’t pray or believe in god or the bible; however- I do appreciate other people’s points of view and their perspectives and I wanted to support this lovely family and their generosity of hosting this event. I do believe in kindness and support of those who give. 

Charlie and I checked out a big Flea Market we spotted when driving along route 10. It was a good size - several large structures and smaller ones; lots to look at but often a lot of junk.  We spent a sum total of $1.00  - for some decorations; I got some for free too! 

Twenty of us from Bay Hide Away got together for dinner out at a Mexican restaurant on this past Monday night; I am finally feeling like there is some regular participation and we’re really getting to know some of our fellow campers.  Then, Tuesday afternoon we met up with cousins Sally and Jerry at the Silver Slipper. They arrived from Kansas the week after Thanksgiving to their camping spot in Gulfport. We’ll meet up with them again in a couple of weeks, this time in Gulfport. On Saturday I am going with another gal from our park to the Hancock Farmers Market.  I feel like things are really settling in nicely now and we are getting to know our campers. 

We plan to spend Christmas Day at the Silver Slipper for dinner and gambling. They have some special events going on; maybe we can win big!!!

I want to wish everyone wonderful holidays- Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy New Year! Cheers!

 

A Day in the Life… of Minnie - #105

Minnie really loves the camping lifestyle! We have actually seen a change in her demeanor since we arrived in BSL and set up housekeeping. She is enjoying the warmer temperatures, sunshine, all the nooks and crannies inside the trailer as well as the closeness. 

Waiting for morning coffee

For those of us who are ascribed cat lovers, we already know cats spend most of their day sleeping in various locations. Minnie has her favorite spots, usually in the sun, or in front of the heater on the cooler nights. It’s amazing in such a small space, she has so many different “cat zones”.  Here are a bunch:

On the back of the couch by the big window in the sun - it’s heaven!

Snuggling with her love.❤️

Totally exhausted on the ottoman. 

Outside in the tent.

Helping unload groceries.

Getting something to eat. 

Listening to the squirrels on the roof.

Sharpening her claws. 

Heading to her “office” under the couch for some “alone” time. 

Minnie turned 15 this year. We are three senior amigos- traveling together. She has added a another whole dimension of enjoyment to our lives. Looking forward to many more to follow. 🐱 

Spending The Holidays - #104

Being away for almost all the major holidays is the toughest part of wintering away from home. Starting from just before Halloween; we miss seeing the littles dressed up in their costumes and the excitement of trick or treating. Then it’s my favorite holiday of Thanksgiving. We have lots of options where to have our traditional turkey dinner in the Bay; I usually opt for preparing it myself, but it’s just the the two of us. It’s not so bad; it’s cozy and relaxed.

This time of year, every town boasts a ton of holiday craft fairs, parades, parties.  We’ve been to a couple of fairs and that’s probably enough; the vendors become repetitive and at this point-  really nothing we want or need- except the foods. We like buying a baked good or two or some homemade preserves and trying different foods offered from food trucks. There is one very special art fair I do like to attend; it is sponsored by an artist colony and the crafts offered are unique and really beautiful by talented artisans. That one is coming up shortly. 

                    Loaded seafood nachos 

I do like to decorate for the holidays and the past couple of winters away, I hung a “ tree” I made from lashing branches together and using lights to illuminate the shape.  This year though, because I have no easy place to hang this setup, I am trying something new. Charlie actually gave me this idea by showing me a video of things other people do when lacking space.  I am excited to try one of the ideas! 

              Previous Years Decorations 

The Plan ( photos forthcoming)

I already hung lights inside the trailer and those will be up permanently throughout our stay; they just add the perfect ambiance for the evening when we are in watching tv.  

I’m not sure what Bay Hide Away has in store for celebrating the various holidays.  As I previously mentioned, it has been very quiet here. However, we are looking forward to getting together for a post-Thanksgiving pot luck this Saturday; this will give us a better chance to become acquainted with our fellow long term campers. Hoping that after Thanksgiving we will have more events. I will be hosting rock painting the Wednesday after Thanksgiving; I’m trying to get things going. 

My biggest surprise when surfing online through the calendar of events in our area was discovering The Matzoh Ball!! Imagine- celebrating Chanukah in Bay St Louis! I’m undecided about attending this event  mainly due to the cost and for the price, it doesn’t seem to include very much, but I am very curious and am still considering! 

For New Year’s Eve, Bay St Louis has their Oyster Drop, but we probably won’t be attending that event; honestly, I can’t remember the last time I stayed up to ring in the new year! However, it is a funny and appropriate idea for this area!!

And so that wraps up 2024.  

Right now, I’m preparing our Thanksgiving feast as I finish writing this blog. This morning, I completed our tree decoration - it came out pretty good! 

Happy Holidays, Y’all!

Mississippi Raining - #103

 When it rains on the Gulf Coast - it really rains! The forecast projects rain for the next couple of days; this is probably the part of Raphael we are getting. It is a change at least from the relentless humidity of the last 10 days; my rubber duckies are ready! 

Besides floating my duckies, I got out my swifter and sponge and cleaned the outside of the trailer when the weather was just a little misty. A dab of Dawn helped to remove the grime and bugs from the road; then a nice torrential downpour giving the trailer a final rinse! I think I’ll do the truck next! 

Today is Monday, beginning of a new week. We’ve decided to take a drive to Biloxi and check out the Golden Nugget.  We have a “rewards” coupon for food and betting. It is a nice bonus having those betting coupons; would have been even nicer if we won something but -  oh well. We spent our lunch credit at Bubba Gumps and took home half our meals for dinner that night. It was a good day for a drive and the weather held out for us. 

Tuesday our campground host, Lea, organized a “Ladies Lunch” at one of the local restaurants. A handful of us signed up. We dined at the Beachside Bistro which was very good. It rained this entire day so it was really great to have someplace to go. Charlie spent his time checking out a local pawn shop.

On Wednesday, I attended my first incredible exercise class at the library! What a workout! I had to take a break in the middle just so I didn’t overdo. It was a good sized class - very friendly leader and fun bunch of ladies ( and one charming man, Sammy). Charlie came for the ride and hung out in the library with his laptop. 

Afterwards, we walked over, just as it started to rain again, to the Ground Zero Hurricane Museum; it will be 20 years in 2025 since Katrina devastated this coastline. The museum runs a great movie covering the storm and experiences of locals along with artifacts and personal stories. One also can not leave the museum without getting a coffee, pastry or sandwich at Sugar Pop Bakery - the little restaurant inside the museum. This place is an absolute gem and I loved coming here whenever I was at the library in Waveland our previous winter. We were hungry but didn’t want to overdo and decided to split a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. Each half sandwich was so huge, we only ate half of the half! And it was the best we ever had! We took our halves home, along with a Napoleon to split later also. I guess that’s dinner!  This turned out to be a great way to spend some time while heavy rain and thunder echoed outside the building. 

Upon returning home, the rain stopped for a bit and Charlie and I took a walk over to the fitness room. I was proud of him for using the treadmill while I pedaled a bicycle. We both need to get stronger and do better for ourselves. We made it back to the trailer just before it started to pour again! Then we cozied up to finish our cheesesteak and happily watched our TV.  

Thursday was an absolutely gorgeous morning and I was determined to attend a stretch class at the library. This was a very small group and much more intense than I realized. I literally limped out of class after the hour and collapsed on the couch for several hours afterwards! A couple of doses of ibuprofen, I started to feel better but still felt sore the next day. 

So what was on our agenda for Friday? Found out about a Farmers Market in Diamondhead (a couple of towns over where our CVS happens to be too) and bought some nice veggies, peach preserves and olive oil- eucalyptus soap. We also planned a stop - at a new to us coffee shop - Coffee Culture back in Waveland, which I heard some good things about. We hadn’t had breakfast so we each had a breakfast sandwich plus Charlie couldn’t resist this cinnamon bun. I tried a piece - it was heaven! Then we headed over to the Silver Slipper to try our luck. 

Hard to believe on Sunday it will be a month since we left Massachusetts! The time just goes by so quickly! 

Time in Bay St Louis - #102

We have gradually been setting up our home. I still have a list of things to do but our trailer feels comfortable, accessible and organized. Today we plan that trip to Walmart we’ve put off and plan to get items to enhance our outdoor space like outdoor rugs, plants. I also need to do food shopping.  

Our time so far has been relaxed and we’ve been spending a lot of time together. The campground is actually very quiet and still waiting for the influx of snowbirds; we’ve met the few that are here for the winter. It has been really warm and humid; we enjoyed swimming in the pool to cool off, hung out at the Silver Slipper Casino a couple of times including getting food at our favorite- their Palm Court Cafe. We enjoyed the free coffee and beignets they offer on Thursday mornings. (It’s great to be able to take advantage of the specials we learned about on our previous time in the Bay.) We took a walk together the other night; it had rained earlier and took the humidity with it; it was a wonderful, cool walk. And we have definitely been enjoying that new TV in the evenings. 

We started revisiting many of the places we enjoyed our last winter here including antique shops; we really enjoy browsing not necessarily buying. We’ve been eating out more but eating less due to the heat; we are just not as hungry.  We retried a local southern restaurant - Dat Kitchen Too; on our previous visit, they were surprisingly out of grits; this time I had my blackened shrimp and grits. It was good but nothing to write home about; I’ve definitely had better and the service was not the best. So, we won’t be going back again. Yesterday we planned an outing to the Mermaids Arts and Crafts show, held over by the BSL train depot only to discover it had been cancelled. I still don’t understand why (apparently it was a last minute decision). So we decided to head over to the Hollywood Casino- the other local casino on our side of the bridge. On the way, we discovered another antique store to browse and the location of the Hancock Arts Center where they hold a lot of classes and events; I’ll keep them on my radar. 

Hollywood Casino had a Corvette Car Show in one of their parking areas so we walked through and checked out those beauties. Our favorites are definitely the older models- late 50’s and 60’s. Then we ventured to the casino and finally won a little and had some fun play.

On our home days, we take it easy. I keep the trailer clean and organized, go for walks and have used the fitness room a few times. ( I also have my own equipment with me) Charlie spends time on his radio, computer and keyboard. Today is Sunday 11/10 and we plan to hang out at home.  

We are still adjusting to the time change, still getting up early so the days seem really long. We look forward to the campground activities forthcoming.