Bay St. Louis, MS

Bay St. Louis isn’t incredibly unique. More than likely, it’s very similar to a handful of other small, quaint waterside towns around the US. But for Brandi and I, it became our small quaint waterside town.

Bay St. Louis is located on the coast of Mississippi, a few hours drive for us from Lafayette. Short enough that in high school Brandi and a few friends would make the spontaneous decision to drive there over night and come home the next day, all just to see the water and shop the main strip. This city, and its neighbor Pass Christian, serve as getaways for much of the surrounding area. The downtown, the historic district, the beaches - all great amenities for the standing population of tourists and vacationers looking for a quick retreat.

My chiropractor in college and (and distant family member), Ms. Suzie, has a house there that she too used as a getaway. Over a weekend in late winter, she offered it to my parents as an anniversary gift, and Brandi and I got to reap the benefits. The four of us took a long weekend. The weather was awesome, the food was great, and the Christmas lights around the city really made for a pretty special time.

Going to the beach during the winter has always been something I’ve loved. It’s a completely different experience - it may as well be a completely different place. There’s really hardly anything that is the same, and yet, I love it just as much. Hot and dry traded for cold wet. The bright sun lost to an overcast sky. The summer horizon, carefree and thoughtless, the winter, begging questions And the main attraction, the water, turned from refreshing and inviting to frigid and dangerous.