Ocean Springs Pre-July 4th Getaway

Travis decided late June 30^th that we were going to spend a few days in Ocean Springs before the July 4^th holiday. The school offices are closed this year on Friday, Monday and Tuesday so it worked out for us to leave on Friday, July 1^st and return on the 3^rd. That kept us off the road on July 4^th and back home to hopefully eat some of Josh’s good cooking.

Fabulous Hosts

Jake’s mother and father-in-law live in Ocean Springs and offered to let us stay at their house. We were so grateful and they were the best hosts ever. Great conversations about our kiddos over coffee and tea made for fun times. Linda and Eric are the BEST!!

We arrived about 4:00 after a pretty easy drive. (Well, it was for me since Travis drove….) The sun and clouds were breathtaking with a little rainstorm here and there. After a short discussion, we all loaded up and headed into Biloxi to eat at the Saltgrass Steak House.

Saltgrass Steak House

We definitely did not leave hungry. Our waiter was so much fun. He reminded me of someone I knew overseas.

After eating we just headed back to the house to chill by the pool and talk before calling it an early night. Linda says they can swim most of the year in Ocean Springs. The water temp stays fairly warm in the pool and you can use solar “somethings” to help keep it warm by reflecting the sun back on to the water. Good to know for future visits…

Oh the FLIES

The next morning Travis and I got up and walked in the neighborhood a bit. Due to an injury on the back of my heel, I only took Birkenstock sandals to wear. They are fine to walk long distances but I had never had to run in them. We actually ended up running a bit on the way back due to getting swarmed by stinging flies. Swim all year/get eaten by flies… Hard decision but the flies were awful!!!

Pricey Golf Cart rental, especially when you have several at home…

Travis and I headed into Ocean Springs on Saturday a little before lunch. We rented a golf cart to ride around and check out the town. Saw lots of cool ideas for yards. Travis not as impressed as I was… with golf carts or yards.

TatoNut Shop

We actually just made the block and headed back to the TatoNut Shop. Travis got lemon creme and I got the patriotic donut holes. We shared a diet coke before going back to the car to stock up on water for our golf cart excursion.

Look out, HERE WE COME!

Next up were just random shots as we drove through town. Travis was so worried we would drive past the boundaries and be charged a fee. One boundary is the water….no worries. Another boundary is the railroad tracks…easy to see. Third boundary was Holcomb Street…not so easy to see.

Shearwater Pottery

While out riding we stopped in to see the local Shearwater Pottery. Pretty neat history about how it started in 1929. Definitely tucked away and hidden from the public.

Storm on the Horizon

After leaving Shearwood Pottery, we headed south down Holcomb to the water. We only stuck our feet into the water to be able to say we did then quickly got back in the cart to head downtown before that rain dumped on us. It was so loud on the rooftop with the plastic down and the rain pouring that we could barely hear each other talking.

Rooftop Taco Bar

We chose the Rooftop Taco Bar because it was the first restaurant we came to when it started raining. Took forever for our food to arrive but that was okay since we had nowhere to ride anytime soon. The chips were great and the taco outstanding. But, I was pretty hungry.

And here we go AGAIN

Sun came back out and my chauffeur picked me right back up. We decided to go back to the waterfront. We got to read up on some of the history of the area.

Shopping was not fun!

After returning our golf cart we headed to Dillards to buy some clothes for our upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. for Student Leadership University. It is our next rip with the youth group from church. I wasn’t feeling 100% and Travis thought he would document my joy!!!! He found some nice shirts and I bought one outfit. Winner winner chicken dinner.. Let’s go eat AGAIN.

Rack House

From Dillards we drove to the Rack House in Gulfport. This is where Jake and Emerald’s rehearsal dinner was held. We enjoyed it so decided to go back. The appetizer, Tuna And Crabmeat Snack, is THE BEST EVER!!!

Riding the Coast at Sunset

Travis remembered not enjoying the bread pudding at the Rack House soooooooo… We enjoyed the view along the coast and stopped at the fancy Ocean Springs DG for dessert. Maybe he was just being frugal… Nah, he likes ice cream so get what you like. The diet drink evens out the calories… NOT!

Celebration of Life Lunch for Granny

Linda cooked a fabulous lunch for the family on July 3rd. We were celebrating her dear sweet mama’s birthday. They had quite the celebration and then a lovely visit to her grave. Happy Birthday Granny!!!!

Headed Home… Almost?

We finished lunch around 12:00 and headed back home by way of Kohl’s. I heard they were having a great sale. Since I felt better today, I bought more stuff. Travis bought himself a new and QUIETER Keurig since they were half price. Ours works great but wakes up everyone in a one mile radius because it makes so much noise. He even rolled his shopping cart the whole time.

HEADED HOME…Now for real!

Ok, I admit I forgot to get the geese that Linda gave me from Granny’s house. We stopped at Smoothie King, returned to the Litke’s house for the geese, then headed home about 2:30. When we arrived home at 7:20, we saw that Jet had just about run out of patience for us to return. He doesn’t chew on shoes, he just moves them around. The book however did not fare so well.

Another adventure down and we look forward to heading back to Ocean Springs again soon. With the cold weather way up North where we live, we will definitely visit again when the weather cools!