Of Flora and Hurricanes

We are moving into the next stage in the rehearsal process for FH. As of today we will be in the hall (which happens to be the Civic Center, not far from the Larkins Center where we have worked until now). And as of today most of the working sessions will be in the evening. And they will be long. Actually, once the orchestra takes over my work is done. I will have a lot of free time.
I think I have already visited the most interesting places in the area. To the west are Pascagoula and Biloxi, both in Mississippi. The first is an industrial port city, the second is the home of many gambling casinos, something which holds zero interest for me. Besides, both cities were ravaged by Katrina and have not yet fully recovered. Further to the west, about two hours from here, is New Orleans. I have no interest in going there either. Since I have returned from Pensacola my hosts have showed me a book of photos commemorating the devastation to the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It moved up Mobile Bay with winds of 140 mph and was supposed to hit the city of Mobile directly. Instead, at the last moment, the storm veered to the east towards Pensacola. I was so impressed by how neat and fixed-up the that city looked. The reason for that would be that the city was nearly destroyed and has been rebuilt. The destruction was far-reaching and devastating. I saw photos of places I visited. Now there is hardly a trace of damage to be seen; at the time it looked like an atomic bomb had gone off. Even the beach road showed little sign of destruction. There were quite a few empty lots. Now I know why. The buildings that once stood there were swept away by the storm surge and the winds. Pensacola is to be applauded for having cleaned the place up so well and so fast. We remember that much of southern Louisiana is still abandoned. And that, I am told, illustrates the way things are done in Florida as opposed to other states on the Gulf Coast.
Today is a peach of a day, sunny and with temperatures in the mid 70's. The azaleas are coming out, along with the red-bud trees, forsythia and other species of flora unknown to me. The entire state of Alabama was once covered with pine forests. It is still the predominant tree as it thrives in the sandy soil. But there are other species of trees as well. Especially noteworthy are the magnificent oak trees which spread their branches out most luxuriously. They live for centuries. In the historic part of town Government Street boasts a long stretch of these mighty oaks on both sides of the street. The overhanging branches have created an arbor of shade like the gothic nave of a great cathedral.
Not everyone in the south speaks with a 'southern' drawl. As a matter of fact, few younger people do -- at least not in the city. Perhaps the local dialect is more prevalent in rural areas. Older, educated people are more likely to speak with that lovely, drawn out, molto lento cadence in their speech. It would be a pity if the local dialect died out. It is something distinctive and valuable. Our commercialized society is far too homogenized and Walmart-ized already.