Spring Beach Walk

Have you been to Front Beach in Ocean Springs lately?  I decided to walk the beautifully landscaped walkway from the Ocean Springs Yacht Club to the Ocean Springs Harbor and back and see what is going on there and who uses the beach right now....I parked at the Yacht Club and took a closer look at the mosaic art and walkway under the bridge to the new fishing pier

The mosaic designs were selected from a group of local artist's renderings and then constructed to enhance a visitor's experience to the beach.  Ok, time to start walking............

Ocean Springs Yacht Club is busy early this morning.

Weather is gloomy but still a great day to be at the beach!

The amenities along front beach have been established since Katrina.  We have a wonderful walkway that is lighted at night, has showers, picnic tables, green areas, portable restrooms, brick firepits. A great way to enjoy nature and it is Free!!!

I observed pelicans, sea gulls and herons all enjoying the peaceful morning...Would you like to bring a fishing pole and fish? Or how about crabbing?  There are several options.....

This site is near an old seafood plant

This pier features a fish cleaning station and is well lit at night

The Ocean Springs Harbor also features a pier and a boat launch.............

The Marine Mart run by Kenny Dinero, is a great place to get bait and maybe a cold beer or a cup of coffee.

(Be sure to bring your own cup!)  There are always a few guys that hang out there in the morning and are willing to give you a heads up on fishing conditions and bait availability.  Ok, so what can you do at the beach?...well.....How about giving man's best friend a little exercise?  I met this man walking his french poodle name "Jean Luc" after a character from Star Trek......

Jean Luc is smiling, he is soooo happy to be at the beach!

I saw walkers, runners, bikers (as in bicycles), families setting up picnics, sunbathers and a large group of students who were brought to the beach as a reward for good grades.............

There is a great pavilion at Fort Maurepas with restrooms, picnic tables and a children's play area.

So, just pile everybody in the car, load up the cooler, bring the beach chairs and umbrellas and have a mini vacay............just a few minutes from home!!!! 

Enjoy................If you have suggestions of other Ocean Springs places I need to blog about please comment at the end of the blog................

Friday Night Live!!!!........Outdoor Concert at Sekul's Art Gallery

Last Friday night, I stumbled out of Mediteraneo's after happy hour cocktails and heard music,saw lights, smelled barbeque........ and wandered across the parking lot to Sekul's Art Gallery.

 What luck, Grayson Capps was performing live to a very mellow crowd,
except for Chris Stebly,who was dancing like a "whirling dervish" to the sounds of  "Southern Rock-a-billy". Well.......naturally in my wine fueled state, I had to join him....sorry no pics of that, but I did learn that the event was a fundraiser for the Mississippi Maritime Heritage Foundation dedicated to preserving the art of wooden boat building and since the gallery was open it was a great opportunity to view and purchase the work of several local artists.

The laid back crowd enjoyed the music and the cool outdoor weather and of course, there were kids and dogs running around as well....

 Sekul's Art Gallery has been open since Thanksgiving and has a variety of artwork, including pottery, jewelry, paintings, and furniture.

Look!!!  A Cat Fish or Fish Cat?

I just can't stop staring at the hand............

Beautiful cabinetry!

Look Saints Fans!     Handmade purses!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop by sometime........... you know you have passed by and wanted to know,"I wonder what is in there?" well, now you do..........you can always ride your bike over and sit on the handcrafted bench outside

  and after making a purchase, walk next door to Mediteraneo's and get a drink!!!  Who knows, when you walk back outside there might be another concert going on.........

Sekul's Art Gallery is on Government Street a parking lot away from Mediteraneo and right next door to Crossfit Training.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!!!!!!

Yay! Ocean Springs holds the first Mardi Gras parade of the season and with nice weather, we arrived early (10 a.m.) and parked close to the parade route and soon were comfortably sitting at the Ocean Springs Yacht Club with a bloody mary to start the day.

The parade floats began lining up along front beach as we all watched the festivities from the deck.....There were many pre partiers at the yacht club including this lively costumed group from Arkansas

What you have to understand about Mardi Gras parades, is that it is not just about the parade, it is the BEFORE and AFTER festivities that make a parade a day long event, from early morning til late in the evening!!After a nice visit we decided to move towards the parade route to see what people were up to.........

What a view!!!

Gettin' Ready.........

Chair camp out!!!

Float Riders practicing the bead throwing

We soon found that the closer we got to downtown.....people had staked their parade watching space for themselves and their kids and created prime bead catching areas...........

Did you forget to buy your child a toy at Walmart to bring to the parade?, well there were plenty of traveling salesmen ready to accommodate your little one's desire for anything from hats to a blow up Shamu or monkey....please, daddy, please........

Daddy, I want the frog AND THE MONKEY!!!!

We found lots of watering holes to stop and people watch..............

Sweet's Lounge was rockin'

Porter Ave. Bistro Beer To Go.....

Lots of people choose to dress rather festively for Mardi Gras as you can see below....

My, those are some awesome beads!!

Mardi Gras Party Lizard with Owner in the background

Ok, so I am getting to the parade.  We decided that The Office on the corner of Washington and Government would be the perfect place to observe....First things first,the veggie infused vodka for a bloody mary looked tempting.......     

 However a beer and snack seemed the best choice.........ahhh.....now where do we stand for the parade?

Wait a minute...... there is no one in The Office except for maybe 3 other people, bartender Connie was able to provide us drinks quickly, hmmmm......bathroom, A/C....and gee look out the window....

I THINK WE FOUND THE PERFECT SPOT!!!!!  On to the parade.............

OFFICER RICKY KEEPIN IT UNDER CONTROL WHILE WE WAIT...

PARTY ROCK IS ON THE TOP OF THE OFFICE TOO!

Our Armed Forces Represent!!

Go Girl!!!

Getting her Parade on!!

Spinning on a float in the parade.......

A Floating Bar in the Parade.......I'm not kidding!

The Heaven Bound float following Lynchburg Landing float....hmmm....

Great way to campaign!!

Well, the parade finally ended.........and after a noisy, exciting, celebratory day we headed home in the aftermath........

Until the next Mardi Gras parade...............it is all over but the cleanup........

Throw me something, Mister!!!!!      See ya at the next parade, Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m.