Monday, July 30, 2012
Sometimes the greatest risk is not taking one
Barb and I are preparing for a new adventure. In just two weeks we will be moving farther south from the metropolitan Memphis area to the Gulf Coast, where we will make our new home in Gautier, MS. I will start my new job in four weeks as public affairs specialist for the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Naval Sea Systems Command in Pascagoula, MS. It is at the same time scary and exciting. I'm not a risk-taker but, as Dan Miller said and it's one of my favorite quotes: "Sometimes the greatest risk is not taking one." And so we will pack our things and move to the Magnolia State -- just a couple hours east of the Big Easy and smack-dab into hurricane country -- just a mile or so from the Gulf of Mexico. In some ways it's a bigger leap than moving from South Dakota to Tennessee. When we moved the 875 miles south last November we had never set foot in the Volunteer State. It was like going on a blind date. The federal government offered me a job there for which I was considered qualified. We had little choice but to take it, and so we arrived in Millington, TN on November 11, not knowing a soul. That soon changed as I met the people I would work with and we made many good friends in our church. So much so that now we're feeling the ache of leaving our friends. But on August 15 we'll fire up the U-Haul and drive another 410 miles south, stopping just short of the water. Again we'll arrive knowing almost no one. However, we visited Pascagoula before accepting this job, and so in a couple days' time we grew somewhat familiar with the place and also met some of the nice folks I'll be working with at the Ingalls Shipyard. It seems ironic that a guy who doesn't swim and is scared of the water will be working A) for the Navy; and B) at a shipyard that is C) on the Gulf of Mexico. Add the irony of a 30-year Army man now switching teams and working for the Navy. Same military but different uniforms, different rank structure, different focus. There aren't many big ships being built in South Dakota. And as ignorant as it may be, that little voice in my head will probably always advise me to "Watch your step," because when we visited Pascagoula we saw a local newspaper with a front-page photo of an alligator captured in a local park. No matter how unusual that is, this is an environment unlike South Dakota. Already we've both tossed out winter clothes and boots that shouldn't be needed during the winter where the coldest month's low temperature averages 39 degrees and the average high is 60. As Barb would say, "I can live with that." The snow shovel that came with us to Tennessee has been given to friends here who have horses. So in a couple of weeks the adventure begins. We are looking forward to it. After a 15-year break I will be once again working in my chosen professional field -- journalism. It is the opportunity of a lifetime and Barb has signed along for the ride. There will be so many new experiences for us that I should have blog material for years to come. And to be able to share it with with my best friend makes it all the more exciting and fun. We will love it! We couldn't risk not taking this opportunity.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
First impressions of Mississippi
A week ago, Mississippi became the 36th state I've visited, and soon it will become Barb's and my new home. I have to say right out front that Tennessee and Mississippi are two of the last lower 48 states I would have ever expected to live in. I don't like heat and humidity, and so ironically we are heading from the Mid-South to the Deep South. And there are some notable differences between the Magnolia State and my home Mt. Rushmore state (sometimes call "The Sunshine State") of South Dakota.
We left for Mississippi after Barb got off work -- about 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 11. Leaving late at night allowed us to get through the Memphis metro area without fighting traffic tie-ups. We drove about two hours that night, stopping in Grenada, MS along Interstate 55 for the night. The only thing that impressed me about this leg of our trip was the continual line of airplanes flying into Memphis International Airport. From our view on the interstate it resembled O'Hare, with plane after plane queued up in a long line for the landing. I assumed this was due to the fact that Memphis is the hub and home base of Federal Express.
We left Thursday and drove through intermittent rain -- a pattern that would be followed for our return trip as well. Like Tennessee, Mississippi is covered in trees. When we moved to Tennessee in November we noted the absence of flat land and abundant grain fields. Trees grow up right up to the edge of the road. And in Mississippi, they grow right up to the edge of the interstate, giving one an almost claustrophobic feeling.
We arrived in Pascagoula early that afternoon and drove around town to become acquainted with what will be our new home. The city of approximately 25,000 has a gorgeous city park (appropriately named "Beach Park") that overlooks the Gulf Coast. We were amazed at how easily accessible and quiet this area was. The park sits across the street just a few feet away from the beach. The park is equipped with play equipment, fountains, picnic tables and the like. Then there are benches that overlook the beach area, where only 3 or 4 persons were sunning themselves or playing in the waves. We were surprised by the solitude. After sitting on a park bench and gazing out at the Gulf, we walked across the street to a pier that jutted about a quarter-mile out into the Gulf. It's a serene and settling feeling that was marred only by the smell of rotting garbage in the trash cans along the way, and the fish remains from someone's filleting efforts at the end of the pier. Some of the largest, most gorgeous houses I've ever seen are located along this drive with a breathtaking view of the Gulf Coast. Many are now built on supports to keep them above flood waters. Hurricane Katrina had lasting effects on this city, as 92% of the city experienced flooding in its aftermath. Along with the beautiful antebellum homes, we saw old oak trees draped with Spanish moss. Like other cities, Pascagoula has its not-so-pretty neighborhoods, but in general it is a stunningly beautiful area, rated as one of Outdoor Life's top 200 best towns in America. And this from the city's own Web site: "Pascagoula has a deep and rich history as a European settlement that goes back over 300 years. The name is taken from a band of peaceful Native Americans (Pascagoula means “bread eaters”) who inhabited the area in the 1500’s. Pascagoula was part of the French colonial empire for over half a century dating from 1699 when Pierre Lemoyne D’Iberville claimed her for the Sun King, Louis XIV, until the English occupation from 1763 to 1781. Through the centuries, Pascagoula has been a home, hideaway, respite, or inspiration to such interesting folks as the pirate Jean Lafitte; the infamous Copeland Gang; “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson who camped here prior to the Battle of New Orleans; Jefferson Davis and Ulysses S. Grant were both stationed here in 1848; General (later President) Zachary Taylor who was an early developer of the city and laid out several of her streets still in use today." Sounds like a great adventure for a couple of Midwestern natives, doesn't it? We thought so. More in my next blog.
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