The Segui-Kirby Smith House

If you are interested in American History, visit Saint Augustine Florida and you will find some interesting facts about the US. This house is the birthplace of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith. He is the last Confederate general to surrender. His mother, Frances Kirby Smith, lived in this house until she was exiled from the city for spying.When we tour the area and arrived in this place, it was already closed and it was getting dark so; all I did was take this picture. This house is now called, St. Augustine Historical Society research library which is open to the public for research. This library has the files and books on Florida history including those on the Civil War period and the Kirby Smith family. There are two bronze statues in the garden and a plaque inside commemorating its famous former residence.

Made of Steel

In today’s times, most of the modern houses and buildings you see are now made of steel. Steel are becoming very popular these days from large barns, sports facilities, churches, to small shops because it is not only versatile but also flexible. It provides strength to buildings and houses and will give you limited house repairs in the future.

Building a house that is made of steel is not anymore difficult. There are prefabricated steels available in the market today. With the use of these prefabricated steels, houses and Future Steel Buildings are easily erected compared to traditional house construction. This can be costly but steel gives you an assurance that your house will last longer and can stand in the midst of a natural disaster like an earthquake. Moreover, steel also adds artistic expression in a construction of a house or a building. It does not only add strength but it also gives beauty.

Future Steel Buildings and houses that are made of steel requires an expert. You can browse online and find a company that suit your construction needs. Some of these companies provide you with a variety of styles that you can choose from. Most of all, choose a company that will suit your construction budget and will offer you great benefits and discounts.

Along the Gulf Coast

We arrived home safe and sound from our week vacation along the Gulf Coast. There is no changes after two years. Fort Walton and Panama City always have tourists around the area because there are shopping malls nearby, restaurants and bars are open for business. In fact, most of the high rise hotels are fully booked. The pictures here are rental houses along the Gulf Coast. It was like a ghost town really but, these properties are facing the Gulf of Mexico with awesome view of the beach. Not so many tourists came here because the locations of these rental properties are located further from the shopping districts. On the other hand, if you want peace and quiet, this is truly the best place to unwind.
The house above is not a rental property. This house is really beautiful and huge but, it is located in a remote place but, along the beach highway.Most houses and rental properties here are made of stilts. If there are hurricanes, the water surge can reach this area.Here is another huge house along the beach. As I have said, this neighborhood is away from the shopping districts and all they have is a nice beach view and the beautiful yard full of trees.

House in a Remote Place

Last Monday, we arrived in our friend's house in Alabama. I was expecting a dirt road but, from the main street to their house, it was all paved with concrete. From their mailbox which is a couple hundred feet to their house, they paved it with concrete at their own expense. I would say, that's a lot of money. See the picture below? You can't even see the mailbox on the main road. I enjoyed being there a lot because it reminds me of the province of my granny's when I was young. Anyway, their place is far and so many streets to turn which our GPS can't even locate. We pass by a big warehouse for cotton and peanuts because in that area, long stretch of cotton farms are endless. So, we arrived here at five in the afternoon while our friend was feeding the animals. They got a nice house and it's really huge for two occupants. I started to take photos of the surroundings and when I was about to get finish, I saw this big snake on the pathway at the back of the house. I was really running away from it and it never moves. So, I slowly take the picture of the snake and return to the front porch of the house. Whewww!.
Our friend told me that he do not kill this snake because it helps him eradicate the rats in his property. He only kill rattle snakes and he got plenty in his property. After knowing that, I quit going out the yard alone. Dang! They look like sticks on the ground, right?

Houses By The Beach

I took these pictures while hubby and I had our short road trip down Biloxi towards Pass Christian. We were just in route to Highway 90, the scenic route in Mississippi where the long scenic view of the beach was all you could see. Front of the beach are these big ancestral houses very vulnerable to hurricanes and storms. Sometimes, we saw vacant lots where only the broken fence and flooring's were left behind, a damage from Katrina.These Oak Trees are more than hundred years old and some survived so many historic hurricanes such as Camille and Katrina. Some of the people does not want to leave this area because it is really beautiful. If you live in this house, the front view is the Gulf of Mexico at 180 degrees. The whole beach is theirs and it's FREE to swim 24/7 plus the sunshine and sunsets are truly awesome!
The area is peaceful, low-crime rate, 9 casinos are just 20 minutes away more or less plus normal traffic. If you hate the traffic in your city, this is the right place to live.
The people who lives here have a nice life because they work but has plenty of time to enjoy with family. They always go for family related activities. They are involved in school activities, the town always has community activities. Almost every month actually plus, they go for boating, fishing, crabbing and jet skiing. The picture above has a missing concrete fence at the front.This is the view down Highway 90 in Mississippi. Look at the distance of the beach and the houses on the right. Water surge during Katrina is as high as 27ft.
People here manage to re-build their lives after Katrina. But, when you travel from here towards New Orleans, you will still see the damage untouched.