After the Storm. . .

Although the bright shiny lights of the Biloxi casinos keep you distracted, it's impossible not to notice the lingering damage from Hurricane Katrina. Driving along the coast, we passed one bare foundation after another, the only remnants of Gulf view mansions. Huge structures, half collapsed into a mess of twisting metal and concrete, surrounded by ancient, faded yellow caution tape. The old downtown was quaint, with old wooden cafes and antique shops. The shop owners, and the women at the fresh vegetable stand, and the local handyman working on the windows all had the same response when we told them that Biloxi was a pleasant place to be. . . "Sure, it's taken a while, but things are really starting to shape up here again." Six years after the storm, it still weighs heavy over everything. The town, and the people, seemed somewhat tired from the efforts of resilience.