Deconstructing the Dome

September 4, 2009

Since Hurricane Katrina, the Salvation Army’s temporary dome has stood in a prominent spot on Division Street between Nichols Elementary, Yankie Stadium, and St. John AME church, housing many of the organization’s relief and recovery operations. Over the past year, as the Salvation Army wound down these operations, the dome stood there guarded by a security guard but unoccupied. This week, biking to work, I saw workers finally deconstructing the dome. Another part of the legacy of the hurricane will soon be gone. In its place will be a new Joan and Ray Kroc Corps Community Center, which will feature …

Ultimate in Nola

August 17, 2009

To expand our small circle of Gulf Coast ultimate frisbee friends, Doug, Jesse, Alan, other Doug and I went to New Orleans on Saturday afternoon to play a couple games and spend a day in the city. We met up with a group of players from New Orleans and, despite the heat and brief rain, we had at least 14-15 people and played for about 2 hours on the Fly, a grassy area between Audobon Zoo and the levee with a great view of the Mississippi River. It was an excellent time. For anyone interested in playing with us, the …

Southern Live Oak: A tree, a journal

July 25, 2009

We conclude our series on the Southern live oak with a look at dead trees that have taken on new life.

Hurricane Katrina and the Southern live oak

July 24, 2009

Back to our series about the live oak, we’ll see how Hurricane Katrina affected the oaks of the Gulf Coast.

The live oak in Southern cities and culture

July 16, 2009

In this installment of our ongoing series, we visit some of the great Southern cities to understand the role of the Southern live oak in urban design and Southern culture.

A description of the Southern live oak

July 13, 2009

In this installment of our ongoing series, we’ll learn how to identify the Southern live oak and understand its place in coastal ecosystems.

Southern Live Oak

July 11, 2009

Astute readers will have noticed that several months ago, this site got a new name: “Southern Live Oak.” In this new series of posts, I’ll take a look at the significance of this species and its place in the southern landscape.

4th of July

July 6, 2009

Just like last year, the 4th of July was celebrated in Biloxi in proper American fashion: with beach games, grilling, beer, and limb-endangering pyrotechnics. Although rain kept us car-bound for part of the afternoon and quenched the Ocean Springs fireworks display, the arsenal supplied by Mr. Steve and everyone else on the beach was quite enough to keep things exciting. How did you celebrate America Day?

Last Lunch at Salvation Army

July 1, 2009

The Salvation Army Volunteer Village has been one of the fixtures of the volunteer hurricane relief effort here in Biloxi since shortly after Hurricane Katrina. Over the past year, they have been gradually closing down and refocusing their operations as the numbers of volunteers have fallen off. Yesterday, after nearly four years, they served their last lunch for volunteers. For those of us who have been here during the hurricane recovery process, it feels like the end of an era.

Knocked Over

June 16, 2009

Our house was broken into today. Someone threw a rock through a back window and climbed in. They only took a few things: my laptop and my roommate’s TV and camcorder were among them, so my posting may be even more infrequent than usual. Or not; we’ll see. Aside from that, life has mostly been free of major misfortunes. Yesterday, I helped Seth install some custom wood finishes inside Shirley’s house. Our good friends Fran and Eric have returned (this time, with an army of friends) and will be volunteering their labor over the next couple of weeks, so Shirley …

design, build, learn. repeat.