My younger brothers Nico and Philip came down this weekend to visit before I leave Biloxi, so we did a two-day whirlwind tour that also allowed me to cross a few things off my Gulf Coast bucket list. If you’re ever on the Gulf Coast for just two days, this wouldn’t be a bad way to spend it. We spend Friday in New Orleans, where we visited a few restaurants that had been highly recommended, including Elizabeth’s for lunch (try the praline bacon) and Crescent Pie and Sausage Company for dinner (excellent pizza). We saw the Lower Ninth Ward’s Pittzravaganza …

With one month to go in Biloxi, it’s time to make a list of things to do before I leave. Consider this a best-of-the-Gulf-Coast bucket list. Another weekend bike trip from Biloxi to New Orleans and back. Bike the Tammany Trace on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain and stop by Abita Springs for another brewery tour. Bike part of the Natchez Trace, which through Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Go fishing… somewhere away from all the oil. Eat at The Shed. Best barbecue on the coast. Have another avocado-almond bubble tea and curry chicken po-boy at Le Bakery. Visit Lazy …

Last weekend, I went with Jon, Jody, Sam, and Molly up to a shooting range in Brooklyn, MS to test out Jody’s Ruger and Jon’s Colt. Jon came prepared for an afternoon of shooting guns with a t-shirt bearing this quote: Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. –George Washington, Farewell Address, Sept. 19, 1796 We were alone at the range for an hour or two until two other gentlemen arrived. One had with him a small arsenal, including at least one machine gun capable of fully automatic fire, and – lo and …