Last year, we spent January and February in a place that had as many FEMA people and contractors as snowbirds. There were piles of trashed appliances and insulation and siding at frequent intervals on roadsides. There were swathes of pine trees snapped ten feet above the ground, extending 30 miles inland. On Cape San Blas, where we stay, blue tarps covered most roofs. Some property owners had jumped into their restoration projects. Some had to bulldoze their structures and start afresh. Others, knowing that insurance would cover lost revenue for the next season, were not in a hurry to do anything.

There was another force of nature named Michael in Mexico Beach. This one is Michael Scoggins, who along with his partner Kevin Crouse, owns Killer Seafood. What we didn’t see last year, amid the rubble, were the first sprouts of rebirth in Mexico Beach. Just a week after Michael the Hurricane hit, Killer Seafood’s next incarnation was as a tented kitchen called Camp Happy Tummies, feeding first responders, those involved in the clean-up and residents who had no other place to go.

When we came back this year, there are obvious signs of regeneration throughout the area. The snapped pines had been cut down. In some places, the forest has become savannah. In others, a new generation of pines are beginning. The roads are fixed up. The rubble is gone. The roof repairs continue, although the army of contractors is much reduced.

We made the drive to Mexico Beach, hoping to see progress but not expecting any. Amid the now-vacant lots, we saw a blue trailer… the next phase for Killer Seafood. No bar. No dollar bills taped to the walls. No SEC basketball on TV. But the familiar blue color in a temporary trailer with a few picnic tables in front. With the old sailor statue that stood watch on the famous dive has been recovered and returned. With plans to rebuild. And with jars of simmering sauce being sold again all along the coast.