We had been threatened with Hurricane Dennis in July, and all of the Coast practically bundled up and closed everything, expecting it to come ashore.(We had a similar experience the year before with Ivan, and it didn't really do much here in Gulfport, not even rain!) Before Dennis, we battoned down the hatches at work, tying up loose pipes and moving all kinds of vehicles under the garage area; my boss Mr Jimmy brought his boat and put it under the garage, everything was sealed up tight. This was for Dennis- possibly the next Camille.
For those of you not familiar with Coast living, Camille was the monster hurricane that came ashore Aug 17, 1969, in Biloxi, that totally flattened the area, and was a timeline for everyone who lived here. When we moved here in 1998, I had not really known that much about hurricanes, or what they could do. I was steeped from the moment I got here about them, however, for every summer like clockwork the tracking chart and updates and 'the cone of uncertainty' rears its worrisome head.
I knew it was just a matter of time before another Camille (which every hurricane warning was always, "this could be the next Camille!!") would hit, due to the fact we are right on the water and, geographically, we are right in the middle of the southern coast. I always dreaded hurricane season.
In 1998, in late September, we had Hurricane Georges, which I believe was a cat. 2 or 3, depending on who you ask. It did some damage. Being new to the area and all the media hype (everything could be destroyed!!) and living in a mobile home (that was later to become exclusively my studio) we high tailed it o Chatanooga, Tenn. That is beautiful country, and I managed to bring home a specimen of succulent that was growing in clusters on the mountaintop behind our motel. (See my Cacti and succulent page.)
For several year after hat, we were pretty well off, in retrospect, it seemed like the hurricanes were going everywhere else, if at all. In 2003, they really started in earnest, and we even had two big tropical storms, Isadore and Lilli, back to back within a week.
Ivan was coming (the next Camille) and we moved every piece of art, every book, every photograph, our computer and everything else that we didn't want blown away and took it to the sheetmetal shop where it would be safe. I stored my art (all 800+ pieces) in the womens bathroom (before I started working there, it was merely a closet!) and in my husbands office.
We have a goldfish, Lacey, and we wanted to take her (all mobile homes WILL be flattened!!) and her tank was too heavy to take, so we took her in a pitcher and transferred her to a bowl with her filter. (I later learned that goldfish can live very well without a filter, although I kep one on for her better health.) All of my cats went with me (at the time I had 3, Chew, Woody and my indoor cat, Beece.) and stayed on the back porch of my mother in laws' house.
We stayed there and she was out of town on vacaction. I have seriously thought about taking my vavations before or after hurricane season because I know it was miserable for her- she couldn't enjoy her vacation because of having to worry about her home!
I sat out on the back porch and watched the wind blow, hard. I was upset. This thing is coming and it is going to take everything from me. My mobile home, anyway. I had lived there for years, and it was just bumming me out. The prospect of being homeless was too much to bear. Where would I go? What would I do?
Anyway, the night was long, and you can only stay awake for so long before the worry and stinging tears put you to rest for a while. By morning, it was all blown over and I knew we had dodged a serious bullet. We went back to work immidately putting all the books, cats and fish, and everything else back. The art stayed at the shop. We were out of room, anyway, and it was okay with management. It would be safe there, anyway.
In late October, 2004, we moved into a delightful littel house right down the road from the trailer. It was in the same good neighborhoods and school district, and still close to my husbands mother. A new life was upon us, and now I had my own private studio- my previous home of 6 years was now full time painters studio.
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