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A Love Affair With Green --by Jodie Small "Sprawled golden hills with shadows like spilled wine"~~ This line of poetry by Elsie Robinson describes most of California, where I was born and raised. Except for a brief, pale green fling with spring, most of the state is various shades of gold and brown all year long. Even the green of the mountains is a dry green, with browns in it. So when I arrived in Biloxi, Mississipi to visit a sister the thing that immediately struck me was Green. Everywhere. So many shades of green that it almost hurt my eyes. I blinked, I smiled, I blinked some more. My sister grinned at me and laughed, understanding. "I told you so," she said. Biloxi is a small, but rapidly growing, town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, just an hour or so east of New Orleans. One of several towns set like gems in a necklace along the coast ( Waveland; Bay St. Louis; Pass Christian; Long Beach; Ocean Springs; Biloxi; Gulfport; Moss Point; Pascagoula...), the area used to be best known for being the place where Hurricane Camille came ashore many years ago, and because Jefferson Davis-- President of the Confederacy-- lived out his last days in a mansion here (Beauvoir-- take the tour). The word "Biloxi" is a Native American word that means "First People." Since its discovery by the French, Biloxi has served under eight flags -- French, English, Spanish, West Florida Republic, Mississippi Magnolia, Confederate States, Mississippi State, and the United States. There are plaques and historic markers and monuments all over the place (I saw them all and went on every tour). The beach here is very different from the beaches of California, with a texture and look that was foreign to me. I loved it. On a clear day, the Gulf of Mexico waters were as blue as the sky, and calm as a child's wading pool. Whole sections toward the western ends were roped off to protect the nesting places of an endangered tern-- and the people are serious about it, too. My sister took me everywhere, but my favorite day was spent wandering from antique store to art gallery to boutique gift stores in the town of Bay St. Louis (west of Biloxi) while our husbands went deep sea fishing. I highly recommend both activities, though I came home with a much greater haul than my husband did! For someone from the flat hard glare of light in the Western USA, the soft light and rich greens were a luxury to me. Along the bayfront (across from all the casinos that are built or being built along the beaches) are miles of beautiful old homes. Most of them are set back on large lots, with big old oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and all are immaculate. It all seems so permanent, so settled. In California most homes seem to have been built "just for the time being", in case their owners change their minds tomorrow and move somewhere else. Even the fences in California, so often split-rail or barbed wire, don't seem to have a sense of permanence. But here, you feel as though these homes were built for the long term, and that generations have loved them. We spent very little time in the casinos, though they are hard to avoid. The buffets, I was told, are much like those in Las Vegas: cheap and plentiful. We didn't eat at any of them, because my sister used my visit as an excuse not to cook for the whole week I was there. So I can tell you that some of the best food I have ever eaten was right there on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Here are some restaurants I recommend. Dock of the Bay Restaurant Bay St. Louis Live entertainment and really super food (I had a steak, and it was broiled exactly as I ordered it). This place is owned and operated by Jerry Fisher, former lead singer of Blood, Sweat and Tears. The Blue Rose Restaurant Pass Christian Everything is antique at this restaurant--except the food-- and you can buy any of the antiques you like. I had the Chicken Atchafalaya and it was super. Desserts to die for! The Fountain Restaurant Biloxi Located in downtown historic Biloxi, which is fun to wander through, I had Crabmeat Au gratin here and the (recommended) Homemade Bread Pudding. Chimney's Restaurant Long Beach Small Craft Harbor Enjoy a delicious meal overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Their ads say to try the Oysters Chimney or the Trout Bon Vivant, and I'll go along with that! Anthony's Under The Oaks Ocean Springs I think this place was my favorite. It's a quiet and very lovely setting surrounded by ancient live Oaks draped with Spanish moss. Catfish is the deal here-- all-you-can-eat-- along with southern fried Hush Puppies and Banana Pudding. I discovered I can eat a mess of catfish! But my very favorite thing in this whole area turned out to be a tree. Oh, not just ANY tree. This one is over 500 years old, and it's called the Friendship Oak. On the beachfront campus of the University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast (formerly Gulf Park), overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, this live oak is the setting for weddings, anniversaries, all kinds of special ocassions. Current measurements show a 50-foot height; diameter of trunk 5 feet 4 inches; circumference of the trunk is 17 feet, spread of foliage, 151 feet. The average length of the main lateral limbs is 60-66 feet from the trunk; average circumference of limbs at the trunk is 7 1/2 feet; the tree forms almost 16,000 square feet of shelter and lateral roots go out 150 feet. But these are just statistics, and can't begin to describe the feeling you have standing beneath its mighty branches. The motto on the tree's plaque reads: "I am called 'Friendship Oak.' Those who enter my shadow are supposed to remain friends through all their lifetime no matter where fate may take them in after years." It may be partially true, because I think I will remain friends with Biloxi for all my life. It's a delightful place, casinos and all. Prices are cheap, people are friendly (I heard, "Yes ma'am and No ma'am and please and thank you so much while I was there that I positively hated to go back to curt California!), the beaches and shopping are terrific. But the thing that will always bring me back is the feeling I got while standing under that oak. The feeling was green. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" For general info about the Gulf Coast, go to http://www.gulfcoast.org For online info about Biloxi, try http://www.biloxi.ms.us/ For the history and information of Jefferson Davis' last home, go to http://www.beauvoir.org/

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