The most amazing sight hot air balloon pilot Gary Jones has seen lately wasn’t viewed from the air.

Instead, it was the view he got of the Mississippi Gulf Coast as he drove along the beach from the coast’s western towns all the way to Biloxi that blew his mind.

Flood waters didn’t make their way into the house where Jones and his wife, fellow balloon pilot Eileen, live with their two small children, a house situated on higher ground in the community of Diamondhead that only saw some roof and tree damage.

But even that far north, water made its way into some homes.

The coast native shook his head as he recalled, in a Saturday interview, the devastation he witnessed.

&8221;There were no structures half a mile in&8220; from the water, Jones said. &8221;Just Š gone.&8220;

And the ones affected weren’t just people on the news to the Joneses &045; they were their friends and co-workers.

Jones estimates about one-third of workers at the computer software company where he works are homeless; one-half of the workers at the U.S. Navy facility where Eileen works can make that claim.

The reality of coast life post-Katrina, he said, is one of the things that made the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race such a welcome respite.

&8221;If nothing else, it’s nice to get away to somewhere with leaves on the trees,&8220; Jones said a weary laugh.

Martin Boodah, who hail from Pearl River County, knows the feeling. Although his home somehow suffered relatively little damage, the eye of Katrina passed over his community, and he also saw the affect it had on the property and lives of his neighbors firsthand.

Events such as the balloon race &8221;help restore a sense of normalcy for us,&8220; Boodah said.

Flying in a balloon, high above the earth, &8221;it’s a different world,&8220; he added. &8221;It’s an escape.&8220;

Both men should know. Jones, who won the Natchez race last year, has been piloting balloons since 1994. Boodah, who met his now-wife while ballooning two years ago, has also piloted balloons for several years.

Back on the ground, Jones said there’s much people living inland can do for those still coming to grips with those still cleaning up Katrina’s damage and starting their lives over again.

That includes donating to national nonprofit disaster relief agencies as well as churches helping in the effort.

All types of groups have taken part in the recovery effort, he said. &8221;I saw a bus full of hippies and the Salvation Army was set up right beside them,&8220; with both groups feeding the evacuees and giving them supplies, Jones said.

That’s the world Jones, Boodah and their families return to today. But for just a moment, they were in another world. &8221;I enjoy it,&8220; Jones said of ballooning. &8221;I get peace when I fly.&8220;

City editor

Nita McCann

can be reached at (601) 445-3554 or

nita.mccann@natchezdemocrat.com

.