I will allow this to be an “update”, as some of you have expressed your concerns that I have dropped off the face of the earth. But I am still here and keeping extremely busy. I managed to get almost a month off from school, between terms, and I spent that time traveling.
Perhaps the most memorable days were spent in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The picture on the left is an aerial view, capturing a glimpse of the ISLE OF CAPRI BILOXI CASINO where we stayed. It looks different today. The harbor is gone, as is much of the green to the south of this view. The view from our suite over-looked the bay, the bridge (which was rebuilt), and the small stretch of tree-covered islands. But, I must say, the best part of our suite was the amazing bathroom. I’ve been in a lot of hotels and motels in my lifetime, and without doubt, the one in our Isle of Capri suite was the nicest. The walk-in shower was the best feature, but the huge room was loaded with extras, right down to the TV. That brought the total count of TVs in the suite to three, and I believe at one time all three TVs were on.
I had never been to Biloxy, and so, my experience of it came in the form of the Katrina aftermath. It has been four years since Katrina destroyed that portion of our country, and places like Biloxi are still trying to recover from the devastation.
There still remains deserted buildings with boarded windows or no windows at all, and concrete slabs that are cracked and broken where structures had once been. Dead trees remain as dark skeletons, reminding us of the anger that marred this land.
We arrived in Biloxi in the middle of August, and performing at the Isle of Capri was the band, “A Bag of Donuts”.
The PALACE CASINO RESORT , located across from the Isle of Capri, had just opened, after having had to rebuild. Of course we had to investigate and try out their games. And no, I did not strike it rich at the Palace … or at the Isle of Capri.
My favorite casino was HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO , with its amazing collection of memorabilia from the greatest performers of the music industry. I enjoyed the games there better than those at the other casinos we visited. The only disappointment was discovering that one of my favorite groups, Collective Soul, was scheduled to perform a few days after we were scheduled to leave.
Perhaps the most interesting discovery are the sculptures being created out of the dead trees along Beach Boulevard. The pictures below are sculptures by Marlin Miller and Dayton Scoggins.
So, I eventually made it back to Knoxville and back to school with my collection of casino membership cards, some of which have accumulated a good amount of bonus points. I don’t know that I’ll go back, but there is a rumor circulating that we may do it again at Christmas … just a rumor.
Kheri's Thoughts 