Photo Friday, No. 196

Current Photo Friday theme: The Coast

It’s hard to contemplate the impact of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico without remembering how, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused such terrible loss of life along with damage to property and the economy of the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. Even in 2008, my first visit back to the area broke my heart.

The story in this photo gives me hope. This smooth road along the coast, with equipment still on it, had been turned into a twisted mass of puzzle pieces by the winds and floods. Many of the gorgeous live oaks–some of them hundreds of years old–and pines that were destroyed in the hurricane have since been turned into sculptures like this dolphin, becoming the number one tourist attraction in the area. Then there’s the whimsy of the Santa hat on the dolphin’s head.

A little science, a little art, a little humor: We deal with catastrophe.