Perhaps it was the torrential rains that covered the Gulf Coast for days prior, but when AD and I set foot upon Main Street and felt the bay breeze, whiffed the briny air and watched the sun set upon the languid white caps, we paused and remembered the beauty and the storm. 

Inside, the people flowed with stories of heroism and despair, for they had lost everything to the waves.  To the wind and rain.  To the eternal grace of the bay. 

Everyone seemed to have lost everything--and like all bittersweet sagas, one must truly hear it from the storyteller to capture its full heartfelt effect. 

For those experiencing Katrina apathy, no, they're not over it, for healing has its own timeline, and personally, I think they deserve all the time in the world. 

But we also saw the renewal, and the perseverance of small business to rebound and thrive.  Bay Books celebrates its third year this month and was one of the busiest stores we have visited this summer.  Check out their books on Walter Anderson, the Mississippi artist who drew inspiration from Horn Island, and with any purchase, receive a free Indie Bound recyclable bag as their birthday gift to you.

After dark, we made our way downtown for the "Second Saturday Celebration" and I thought how as a young girl, I listened to my grandmother, Mary Alice, a native, reminisce about Betsy and Camille decades later, and never did it lose its grip on my senses. 

Now, decades later, I know never is it a waste of time to remember those experiences because we are all experiences in the making.  And theirs is one of victory.