12/24

We have been experiencing a cold spell:  high in the low 50s and windy, which makes it seem colder.  I feel badly for the young families who use Christmas break to bring the kids to the beach.  But no ice, snow, or tornadoes.

Can find no Chinese restaurants open tomorrow, so we will get some take-out tonight and eat at home tomorrow.

Talked to a young lady at Harbour Communications about our troubles with wi-fi.  She said her name was Stormy.  Had to be a story there, but I was more interested in solving the problem than discussing why her parents named her Stormy.

One of our favorite restaurants here is owned by a dog lover who has decorated the place with pictures and paintings of dogs.  Also signs such as Dog is my Co-pilot, and Bark Off.  The signs on the rest rooms are Pointers and Setters.

12/21

Not much new or exciting here in Paradise (the police cars declare that they are Protecting Paradise, and who I to argue with them?)  Maybe that is why I am getting really good blood pressure readings.  As usual, the locals complain about how cold it is ("It went down to 37 last night!  What is the temp now?  68.  Yes, that is brutal!")

Santa's little elf is putting out Christmas doo daads in the condo, and insisting that we listen to Christmas music when we are in the car.  We both like Ertha Kitt (Santa Baby) and Louie Armstrong (Zat you Santa?)  And Scrooge here, will be glad when it is all over. Maybe that is why my staff gave me a lump of coal for Christmas every year!

I got a haircut yesterday from a young lady who looks to be about 16.  Her training was 2 weeks of watching the "Master Barber" who owns the shop, and she has been on the job for 2 months.  Even J thinks she did a good job.  And she is much better looking than Laky.  On the next visit, I may have her shave the edges of my beard.  That will be a little scary.  In my long lost youth, there were several women who would have liked to get that close to my throat with a sharp razor.

Discovered a citrus that is new to us - pummelo.  It looks like a grapefruit on steroids, and the lady at the produce market says it is a cross between grapefruit and orange.  Very tasty.

We are looking for a chinese restaurant that will be open on Christmas.  If you have ever seen "Christmas Story", you will know why.  Several years ago, J asked the owner of Middle Kingdom in A2 if he would be open on Christmas.  "Busiest day of the year.  Every Jew in town is here."

12/12

One of our friends called this area as "Redneck Riviera"  That's fine, except that many of the 'Locals" are transplant.  Waitresses from Toronto, Brooklyn NY, Atlanta, and Detroit.  And the vast majority of people we meet are snow birds from up north.

Went to Joe Patti's fish market in Pensacola today.  But before we left, J did her good deed for the day.  Yesterday she was out and about, and stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, where she pulled a Stan Rhodes, mistakenly leaving a 10% tip.  So we returned, she apologized, and left the other 10%.

Joe Patti's is gigantic.  I asked 2 employees, and both said no one ever asked before and they did not know the answer.  My best estimate is the display case is 30 yards long.  A plethora of fish, and I don't know the names of many of them.  Shrimp of all variety:  heads on, peeled,  multiple sizes.  I bought royal reds - which I had never heard of until last year.  As I understand it, they are deep water shrimp.  Scallops, clams, crab, lobster, oysters.  I think it comes under the heading of:  if they don't have it, you don't need it.  I also picked up some Taylor Pork Roll - a NJ delicacy sold on the boardwalk.  I spotted a block of souce, but passed on that.  Too vinegary for my taste.  So we left with the pork roll, cherry stones, royal reds, bay scallops, and packed shelled oysters for scalloped oysters.  Plus some dips for snacks.

12/8/13

Way to go, Spartans!  Not sure which was more fun:  watching MSU win, or Urban Meyer pout at the press conference.  Sparty on!!

Bought a tee shirt the other day, with a picture of an oyster on the half shell, and caption:  Southern Sushi.  J saw one in MS, with the caption:  Southern Viagra.

Stopped at Publix the other day for lunch meat, and saw that they sold head cheese.  Man behind the counter said they sell a lot to snowbirds.  I haven't seen or tasted any in many years, so I bought some.  Good.  My Dad liked head cheese, souse, and tongue.  I always think of them as Depression food, and I think for him it went back to the days in the 30s when he was working his way through Drexel Univ, with no money.

12/5

Happy Hour at Cobalt Restaurant:  Oysters for 50 cents each (good quality) and house wine (which J likes) for $3  Made me happy last night.

Signs:  In front of a real estate office here in OBA - Peace, Joy, and Real Estate
           At White Cap in MS:  Abnormality is the Normality at this Locality.  Reminds me of my career.

The weather the other day was spectacular, so I sat on the balcony, listened to the ocean slap the beach, watch people walking and playing, while I enjoyed a cigar and martini.  Life is good here at OBA

12/4

We finally have internet access.  Checked into the condo Sun PM.  Not the same unit as last year, but same building, same lay-out, with nicer furnishings.  We rented a PO Box:  3994, Orange Beach AL 36561

Before we left MS, we returned to White Cap, where the shucker is the owner of the restaurant.  I like the way he counts.  A dozen is at least 13, and often 14.

Here in OBA, we are pleased to see our favorite waitresses and maintenance workers.

11/30

We arrived in Long Beach MS yesterday, checked into the motel, and immediately  went to White Cap in Gulfport, where we began our attack on the oyster population.  J had 2 dozen grilled (she can't eat the raw ones) and I had 3 dozen on the half shell.  Felt like home!

Yesterday and today were beautiful:  temp in the high 50s, not a cloud in the sky, and no wind.  We leave tomorrow for Orange Beach - about 2 hours away according to my gps.

J wanted to check out the little shops around Biloxi today.  She also wanted to eat at Mary Mahoney's French Restaurant.  She had soft shell crabs and I opted for prime rib.  Both were outstanding.  They were open for Thanksgiving, so we may skip Lafayette next year and come here.

Thanksgiving

We stayed 2 nights in Pearl.  The rain finally stopped and the sun came out, so we left on Wed.  Temp in the 30s, which reminds me that after dinner with Norm and Billie, the temp was a "balmy" 32 at 9:30.  Yesterday we had lunch in Hammond, home of the carry-out bloody Mary.   I knew we were in the south, when the waitress wrote on out check "Thanks, y'all!"

Today we are in Scott, just west of Lafayette.  We enjoyed a classic turkey dinner at Don's Original.  It was there or Cracker Barrel    She Who Must be Obeyed said NO to CB.  We head east tomorrow.

Monday Nov 25, 2013

Greetings from Pearl MS - a suburb of Jackson.

We left A2 on Wed, 11/20 and had a nice visit with J's Aunt and Uncle on Thurs in Murray KY - home of the Murray State University Racers.  Fri we checked into the Peabody in Memphis.  J loves the place, especially the High Tea, so it is a birthday present for her.  We left Sun and drove to Fulton MS and spent a nice visit with Stormn' Norman Farhner and his lovely bride Billie.  They live on a house boat - about 600 sq ft.  Very cozy, but not cramped.  It rained all day today, and the rain increased as we neared Jackson.  Some of the heaviest rain arrived as we checked in and unloaded the car.  Will stay here tomorrow and then head to LA.

3/16

We arrived home late Thurs - just in time for the snow Fri night.  Great trip, and we plan to do it again next year, but it is good to be home.

Low-lites on the way home:
1.  Just north of the Tenn/Bama line, a large bill board for "Booby Bungalow"  J said I could not stop.
2.  Late one afternoon, we pulled into a Comfort Inn.  I was suspicious when I counted 4 cars in the lot at 5PM, but J went in and came right back out.  Dark, dank, and smelly.  We left immediately
3.  Our last night on the road, we stopped at a local restaurant, and I asked the waitress how was the prime rib.  Her answer:  "Fresh"

J is scheduled to go to England in June with members of her father's bomb group.  The locals have fixed up the old base and welcome visitors.  She is looking forward to it, but first must get her shoulder fixed.  She sees her Dr on Monday.

3/10

We head north tomorrow, hoping to be home by the weekend.  We were driving toward Biloxi this PM and ran into a traffic jam.  Someone drove his pick up truck 20-30 yards into the gulf.  How drunk do you have to be??  Stopped at White Cap for dinner and had my last oysters until next winter.

3/10

3/9

We are in Long Beach Miss, just west of Gulfport and Biloxi.  Arrived Thurs, leave Mon.  We have been here before and like being back on the gulf.  Long Beach had their first annual St Patrick Day parade this afternoon.  Lasted about 10 minutes.  More beads!!  I asked a local why they were a week early.  Gulfport and Biloxi each have a large parade next weekend,  and the fear was that no one would come to Long Beach if their parade were also next weekend.  Nice turn out.

I am done coughing, and J has substantially reduced hers.  Her shoulder and arm have improved somewhat.  She will get second and third opinions when we get home.

3/6

J and Em had a nice visit on Tues, and she joined us for dinner that night.  We left Houston this AM and are now in Scot LA.  Nice dinner at Fezzo's with some great oysters.  Waitress was super religious, and J would not let me make comments.  Her given name was Bliss, which would have been just too easy.

I noticed again tonight, as I have many times on this trip, that the majority of men at dinner keep their baseball caps on during dinner.  Mom would have thrashed me for that.

Picked up a pamphlet at dinner tonight for the Boudin Festival April 5-7, topped off by the boudin eating contest and the Kickin Cajuns.  Too bad we won't be here.

3/4 part 2

The first night after we left OB, we stopped in eastern LA.  An hour of so before we stopped, we pulled into a McDonalds to drain a kidney and get a quick burger.  An hour after we checked into Residence Inn, I experienced some severe intestinal problems.  It will be a long time before I eat anything at McD again.

The next day we stayed in Scott, just west of Lafayette.  We have stayed there several times, and like Fezzo's restaurant.

Em and R joined us for dinner at the hotel Sat night.  Good meal, and good to see them again.  Since we spent most of Sun at urgent care, J and Em could not get together for Em's birthday.  She has Tues off, so the girls will play.

3/4

We have been in Houston since Sat, and plan to leave on Wed.  The week before we left Orange Beach, there was construction in another unit, 3 floors above us.  They were using a jack hammer type tool to break up the tile floor.  Two days of that was more than enough.  But then we started coughing (and so did our next door neighbor), and we could see construction dust on our furniture.  Obviously, they did not close the vents.  After 2 weeks of coughing, we went to urgent care down the street from the hotel  X-rays disclosed that we both had pneumonia.  So, more drugs.  We will still go to Biloxi to enjoy some more warm weather before we head north.  But we will not visit J's aunt and uncle in KY, and may skip Memphis.

One of J's friends suggests that next year, we plan a trip to Lourdes.

2/25

The days, they are a dwindling!  We leave Alabama on Thurs, 2/28, and head to Houston.  Em's birthday is 3/3, so we have to be there for that.  Before we leave, I will mount one final assault on the oyster.  We will miss the ocean, the fresh seafood, the balmy temps, and perhaps most of all - something we see very little of during Michigan winters - SUN.

J is healing, slowly.  Patience has never been one of her virtues.  She thinks she can take 2 pills and return to normal.  It doesn't work that way - especially at our age.  But every day she has a bit more mobility in the arm, although I still have to help her get dressed.  I am not used to that.  She blames me for not playing with dolls as a kid.  Got that right, Pancho!

2/19

Saturday J tripped and fell in a parking lot and she banged up her shoulder and elbow.  We went straight to an urgent care facility where they took some x-rays.  Nothing broken, but she is very sore and will be sore for some time.

Spring break starts the first week in March, and the locals all have stories about the rich, spoiled kids, who trash the rental units and drive drunk. The waitresses at Wintzel's  say they get "cussed out" at least once a day.  We leave Feb 27 and will miss it all.

2/15

One of the local TV stations is based in Mobile, so we saw and heard lots about the cruise ship, Carnival Triumph, although I suspect that the passengers have less polite names for the company and ship.  Carnival had 100 buses to take passengers to New Orleans.  I heard this AM that one of the buses broke down on the way.  Some people can't catch a break.

2/12/13 aka Mardi Gras

Saw 2 parades.  The first at 10AM in Gulf Shores.  We parked at Meyer R/E, where they had a pre-parade   band and coffee.  Staff said that people started to arrive at 7.  There were a few sprinkles, but nothing serious.  The most interesting float was the "Jesus" float, with "Jesus" holding a cross while rap "music" blared.  I was disappointed that "Jesus" was not tossing beads or moon pies.

As soon as the parade ended, we beat feet to Wintzel's, where we had lunch.  Then we went out onto the deck.  Because the weatherman was predicting storms, the parade started at 1:30 rather than the scheduled 2  I watched from the deck (maybe 15 yards from the road), and J got up close and personal.  A lot of the same floats (including "Jesus"), but we did not care.  Just as the last floats passed us, the heavens opened up and it poured.  J was soaking wet, but smiling and carrying lots of beads.  She also got a package of rolls from the Lamberts Restaurant float _ "home of the THROWED rolls."  Our kitchen counter is covered with beads, which she will take home and donate to a nursing home.  (People in Mom's nursing home loved beads.)  J learned not to stand next to kids or pretty young women, because they get all the beads from the floats.

2/9 Part 2

The parade Fri night was 30-40 minutes long.  Cheering spectators lined the route.  There were a dozen floats, 2 marching bands with twirling flag girls, beauty queens and politicians, and of course - police and fire vehicles.  Small town America:  it don't get no better!

Another parade along the same route tonight.  Can hardly wait.

2/9 Part 1

We have been enjoying our main meal of the day in early to mid afternoon, and Friday was no exception.  At Cobalt, I had a crawfish pot pie, with a salad topped with pickled okra and bourbon pecans.  I will miss the food here.

Friday night there was a MG parade that passed right out front.  I watched from the walk in front of our unit on the 6th floor, and J went down to try and get some beads.  She kept missing them, and the man next to her said "You'really not very good at this!"  She finally got beads when they hit her in the face.

2/7

Met a the other day who could be Norm Farhner's twin.  Same hair.  Same beard.  Same build.  And his wife says that he is every bit as feisty as Storm'n Ninorman.  Scary!!

Mardi Gras is a really big deal in this area.  And instead of those terrible jelly doughnuts we get in Mich, they have Moon Pies, which really are not much better.  One of the locals told us that if someone on a float throws a Moon Pie in your direction, duck and let it hit the person behind you.

The vast majority of businesses will be closed on Tues, as well as the schools.  There are over a dozen parades in the area, and I love some of the names of the Krewes.  Order of Mystic Magnolias, Knights of Revelry, Comic Cowboys, Maids of Mirth, Order of Butterfly Maidens, and my favorite:  The Mystic Strippers.

2/1

A local merchant told J that the largest contingent of snowbirds is from Michigan.  Don't know if that is true, but we see many Mich plates, and have met folks from Alma and from Elk Rapids.  World gets smaller.

1/30

The bulldozers and workers are gone, so I can once again enjoy the ocean with my coffee.

Monday we visited the Naval Air Museum, on the base at Pensacola.  It is huge and very impressive.  Planes of all sizes and ages.  Could easily spend 2 days there.

1/26 part 2

They are moving tons of sand on our beach.  A ship brings sand from the gulf, and about 100 yards from the beach, hooks up to flexible tubing that is mostly submerged.  Then the ship pumps and sand gushes out of the other end of the tubing on the beach.  Birds go into a feeding frenzy.  When the ship detaches and goes back into the gulf, the bulldozers go to work.  The operation goes on around the clock.  Hope they finish soon, so that we can listen to the ocean rather than the dozers.

1/26 part 1

Wed we visited Fairhope, about 35 miles west of here.  Nice town with lots of shop that J visited.  Then we went to the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, right on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.  Had a nice lunch, walked around, and learned some history.  Hotel dates back to 1847.  At 4, they staged a short parade out to the cannon, said some nice things about Vets, and fired the cannon.  Then back to the lobby for a cup of tea and a cookie.

1/23

Mardi Gras is a big deal down here.  Mobile claims to have staged the first MG parade, and now there are dozens  in the area.  At least 2 have already taken place - and MG is Feb 12.  On the 12th there will be parades in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.  We will try to view them both.

Yesterday we attended the 3rd weekly cooking demo at Cobalt.  For $20, you get a small meal and a glass of wine.  My only complaint is that yesterday I looked around and saw a room full of old people.  We on the other hand are young.

1/22

Nothing much new here in Paradise.  Sat there was an "Art Walk" at the Wharf (a local shopping center), and of course J wanted to stimulate the local economy.  I went to the Cigar Bar, bought a good cigar and took it and some Gentleman Jack to the bench out front, where I engaged in one of my favorite passtimes:  people watching.  It was easy to differentiate the snow birds from the locals.  Snow birds were wearing tee shirts.  Locals were wearing jackets or sweatshirts.

1/15

I did a little research last night and found that Feb 11 was the first day of the strike by Memphis sanitation workers.  Who knew?

1/14

Yesterday we tried the Sunday brunch at Cobalt.  Good food at a reasonable price.  And the dolphins staged a parade.

Today we drove to Joe Patti's Fish Market in Pensacola, which was recommended by a couple from Illinois that we met at a cooking class.  Very large, with nice selection.

Last Friday we went to Mobile.  I dropped J off at the museum while I took the car to the dealership for normal service.  Their news letter states that Feb 11 is Martin Luther King day.  Really??

Sunday was another cigar day.

1/8

Yesterday was a perfect day in paradise.  Sunny and warm enough to sit on the balcony in tee shirt and shorts and smoke a cigar.  Recently we have had several days of damp, chilly, overcast weather.  When I start to complain, I think about Mich weather.

Ever since J watched the Moon Pie drop in Mobile on NewYear's eve, she has been on a quest to buy one. Apparently they are seasonal, but Publix got a supply yesterday.  They are OK, but don't need to buy more. Must be an acquired taste.

1/7

The other night, we returned to Cobalt for dinner:  a 4 oz steak for J and pan-roasted speckled trout for me. Both meals were great, but the best part was the entertainment.  J counted 25-30 sightings of dolphins in the bay.  I doubt that each sighting was a different dolphin, but several times we saw 4 at once.  Very cool.  Thanks for the show, Flipper.

Yesterday we followed 180 to its end in Fort Morgan, where there is a dock for a ferry to Dauphin Island.  We did not take it, but will do some research about the Island before we spend $30 for a round trip.  And there really is the remains of an old fort (Civil War?) nearby.  More research.

1/5

According to the TV news, workers were "rebuilding" the beach after the damage done by hurricanes.  To the tune of $12 Mil.

Yesterday, we stopped for a mid-afternoon snack (oysters, of course - $9 for a dozen) at Cobalt restaurant.  J spotted a small dolphin playing in the harbor.  Jumping out of the water.  Locals told us this was not the first time they had seen dolphins in the harbor.  Very nice.

1/2

Blue Angels did a fly-by this AM, in tight formation.  I have heard them before, and J has seen them, but this was a first for me.

J saw some "black stuff" on the beach yesterday, and today we saw several commercial ships trolling or skimming close to shore.  And a large front-end loader was removing something from the beach.

1/1/13

J had a bug, rather than a big.

She stayed up last night and watched the Pelican drop and the Moon Pie drop.  She loved the Moon Pie.  It descended from a 33 story building.

The other day we discovered Cafe Beignet across the street.  She made a run this AM and brought back some chickory coffee and beignets.  Every bit as good as New Orleans.