Page 149 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2019

are the seagulls that fly overhead, begging for food. If you are patient they will eat from your hand.
One of my favorites is the egret. The adults are as white as snow. They walk in the shallows catching food from the marsh. One walks my pier and eats my fish bait from my bucket, all the while alert for danger.
Over the years I have spotted a few blue heron. They are a blackish blue and just beautiful to see.
I do not need an alarm clock – I
have one just outside my window.
A redheaded woodpecker has made holes all around my popcorn tree. He is usually up before dawn and makes sure I do not miss a sunrise. Once I am up, he tires out and leaves the tree.
The dolphins are a treat. They tumble
OPPOSITE PAGE AND BELOW: MAVIS NEWELL. ABOVE: A FEW PAINTINGS that Mavis Newell has painted over the years.
in the water as if playing leap frog. If you are in a boat, they will follow along for miles, waiting for a treat.
Fishing is abundant. Wade fishing, fishing from the many piers along the beach or from the rivers, streams or bayous, you can catch the fish. Hiring a charter boat
is exciting. Crabbing is a must. Whether you use a drop net or just tie a chicken neck to a string, it is nothing but fun.
The big blue crabs are plentiful,
and nothing compares with the taste. Sitting around a picnic table with friends picking crabs that are seasoned with crab boil, you just gotta have that mason jar full of iced tea to kill the heat. Now this is Mississippi living.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net December 2019 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 149
Editor’s Note:
Meeting Mrs. Mavis was a breath of fresh “Gulf salt air.” At 78 years young, she has so much passion for the Coast – a passion that she shares through her art.
The mother of three, grandmother of nine and great grandmother of an additional nine children, she spends her days enjoying the peace that she has found in Pass Christian with her family. She fondly remembers her late husband, Billy, who was
her very best friend, and cherishes the memories she created with him, such as listening to the tranquil sounds of Pass Christian Harbor at night.
That harbor is the same one that she wrote about in her story, “Once You Smell It,” and where she still visits to fish with her grandchildren.