12/31/12

NYC will drop the crystal ball at midnight.  Pensacola will drop the pelican.  And Mobile will drop the Moon Pie.  Different strokes for different folks.
Painted on  the side of an Orange Beach police vehicle: Protecting Paradise.  And a sign on a building:  Orange Beach - best kept secret in the US.
J had a big the other day, and I may have it today.

12/25

Very nice morning and most of the afternoon - nice enough to sit on the balcony and smoke a cigar.  Until we arrived a few weeks ago, I had forgotten how mesmerizing the ocean is.
All the local news is about the tornado that hit Mobile - the second in a week.  This one damaged a hospital.
J returns tomorrow.  The end of peace and quiet.

12/24

Drinking coffee while watching and listening to the waves crashing on the beach.  Will coffee ever again taste this good?  Wintzell's, like most restaurants here, closes at 4, so I will be there at 3 for oysters and trigger fish.  I have shrimp for tomorrow, and will bring gumbo from Wintzell's.

12/22

World was supposed to end yesterday, but not here.  Took J to Pensacola airport so she can spend Christmas with her daughter in Houston.  Returns the 26th.  I had a late breakfast at Tacky Jack's:  shrimp and cheese omelet.  Very good.  Temp was 42 at 9AM when we left, and weatherman says it dropped into the 20s last night.  At noon, it is sunny and mid-50s.  The other day, we awoke to heavy rains, and the local news was all about the tornado that went through Mobile

12/19

Weather yesterday was great:  temp in high 60's. sunny, with light breeze.  Smoked a cigar at Wintzell's and enjoyed 2 dozen oysters.  Life is good.  Temp today is low 70's.  According to a sign in Wintzell's, the record for their customers is 32.5 dozen in 1 hour.  I love oysters (you may not have noticed), but that is down right disgusting.  Gassed up the car at a Shell station the other day:  $2.95 reg unleaded, cash or credit.  Some of the discount stations are even less.  Many of the restaurants are closed or have limited hours in mid-Dec.  Traffic will probably pick up when more snowbirds arrive in Jan.

12/12/12

Monday was a nice day, so we went to Wintzell's for happy hour and sat outside, smoking a cigar and eating oysters.  Life is good.

Yesterday, temp at noon was 47.  And it was moving day.  The original condo was uncomfortable, and some of the furniture was broken.  So the leasing company found this unit for the same price.  Much nicer.  Today will be a quiet, restful day.

12/10

Yesterday we stumbled onto Radio Hanukkah (ch 62?).  They played some serious music and serious discussions about tradition etc.  But I almost drove off the road when Mickey Katz launched into Borscht Riders in the Sky.

Overcast with temps in the 70s.  Tornado watches and warnings west of here - Mobile etc.  Temps falling into the 50s tomorrow.

12/9

Yesterday evening was the Christmas boat parade.  We are in the central time zone, so it gets dark here around 5:15.  Dozens of pleasure craft, of all kind and description, are decorated with Christmas lights etc and ride in the canal from Gulf Shores to some place in Orange Beach.  It sounded as though the people on the boats were enjoying an extra egg nog or two.  We found a great spot on the shoulder of the road, along with hundreds of others, to watch the parade.  Parade was over by 6:30.  A good time was had by all.

I don't understand the people in this area.  If it is dark when we return from dinner, we pass people walking or riding a bike on the side of the road, with no lights or reflective gear.  Just dark clothing.  Stupid or suicidal?

12/7

Trigger fish.  We had never heard of it, but it is a local fish.  We tried it at Wintzell's last night, and it was superb.  We will definitely do it again.  Broiled with no seasoning (a little pepper and a squeeze of lemon at the table).  Firm flesh and delicate flavor.  The chef came out and said it didn't look right, but that's how we ordered it.  And we are glad we did.

Very overcast today.

12/2/12

Wintzell's Oyster House has a Happy Hour that includes a dozen oysters ("nude" as Mr Wintzell used to say) for $6.  That made me so happy that I ordered 2 dozen.  Our waitress said that in the summer, every restaurant has a 2-3 hour wait.  We "snow birds" just walk in, sit down, and order.

Sign in Tacky Jack's Bar and Grill:  "Master Bait and Tackle Shop".  Whoever hires the staff has great taste in women:  young, pretty, and shapely

11/30

We arrived in Orange Beach Tues, and moved into the condo (lease does not begin until 12/1) for a fee that was less than the cost of motel.  We are right on the beach, and can look out at the gulf and listen to the waves as we drink our coffee.  Very civilized.  The condo could not be any cleaner, and furniture is OK  Only complaint:  we have had trouble with the internet.  We have a temporary fix, and expect the provider to solve the problem next week.

Before we left MS, we explored Biloxi.  J visited an art museum and some shops, and we tried and liked McElroy's for lunch.  Will return in March.  Also stopped by Jefferson Davis' last home.  Too late for a tour, but picked up some very interesting literature.  Hopefully they will be finished with his presidential library (a victim of Katrina) when we return in March.

Sign in front of a church:  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Atheists: Good luck

11/25/12

Left Lafayette yesterday AM and stopped by Hammond for lunch - and J's 2-for-the-price-of-1 Bloody Mary.  We are in Long Beach MS, right on the gulf.  Will stay until Tues AM.  Dinner last night at White Caps - best oysters yet.  I am sitting in the sun-filled breakfast room, looking at the gulf.  Another beautiful day.  I could get used to this.

Fri 11/23

We stopped at the cafe up the street of a beignet (sp?) for breakfast.  Don's opened a new restaurant near the campus, so we ate there for lunch.  Oysters, of course.  Stopped by Don's Specialty Meats on the way back to motel.  Their parking lot was full at 10:30 AM and they were still busy at 2.  Specialty meats include sausage with pork and alligator, or pork and deer, or pork and rabbit.  And boudin.  They also have turduckins all made up, to be cooked at home.  One of the employees was wearing a tee shirt:  peace, love, and boudin.  Off to Feezo's for dinner.
J spent some time walking around downtown Lafayette.  The economy has not been good to this town.

Thanksgiving

I goofed.  The tee shirt was "Irish I had a beer."

Billboard on the outskirts of Baton Rouge:  Satan is Barack Obama.

Dinner at Don's Restaurant in Lafayette at 1PM.  Shrimp, okra, crab, crayfish, bread pudding, and pecan pie.  It don't get no better than dat!

Not leaving here until Sat.  Tomorrow:  oysters at Fezzo's, boudin at Don's Specialty meats, etc.

Tee shirt of the day

"Irish I wish I had a beer"

11/21/21

Dateline:  11/21/12 Brookhaven MS, on I-55 south of Jackson.

Mon we drove to Florence KY, after experiencing a mess on I-75 in Cinci.  Will not be returning  that way in March.  Nice dinner in a Chinese restaurant

Tues  Athens AL, with a gourmet dinner of cocktail franks - courtesy of the hotel.  Local magazine talks about the annual Athens Grease Festival, "celebrating Southern foods", including fried moon pies and chocolate bacon.  YUMMM!

I broke down today and let J listen to Christmas carols!  Temps in the 70s in AL and MS  Great weather every day, so far

We are less than 200 miles from Lafayette LA, where we will spend a few days.