3/21

Home again, just in time to buy a new furnace and maybe a generator.  Also just in time to mourn the loss by my Villanova Wildcats.

3/13

Suit cases are packed and in the car.  Tomorrow we will relax and have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.  Then we hit the road Sun AM, heading to Greenville, then Ashevillie.

We had no internet connection for 4 days this week.  Harbor Communications stopped by this AM and installed a modem.  What a joke that company is, but the owner of our condo says that their "competition" is no better..

3/5

Our winter vacation will soon end.  We leave on 3/15 and head to Greenville SC on the way to the Biltmore, which has an exhibit on Downtown Abbey.  J is a big fan.  We stayed at the Biltmore a few years ago, and wanted to do so again - until we heard that 2 nights would cost us over $1,000.  No thanks.  After a tour of Ashville, we head to Nashville.

Yesterday and the day before were perfect days in paradise.  It stopped raining, the sun returned, and temp rose into the 70s.  One day I spent an hour or two on the balcony, reading and smoking what will probably be my last cigar before A2 thaws out so I can sit on the deck..  Yesterday we ate at Lulu's (Jimmy B's crazy sista), and I asked about a bushwacker, which every place down here has on the menu, but I have never tried.  The waitress sent us to Pirate's Cove, which  she said is a hangout for restaurant and bar workers.  It's in the middle of nowhere and you have to be really thirsty and/or want to hide.  But it is a beautiful setting on a body of water large enough for tugs pushing barges to traverse.  Sometimes I watch the Food channel program Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and yesterday I wondered why they have never visited this place.  Rustic?  Too kind.  Dump is more like it.  But people were friendly and the bushwacker (ice cream drink with rum and ???) was tasty.  One was enough.

2/24

J loves live theater and discovered a few years ago that senior citizens, aka snow birds, take over the local civic theater in Jan and Feb for a production,  and donate the profits to the locals. This year was Sunshine Boys, and they sold out.  This year J became involved in some behind-the-scenes activities and the group asked her to audition for a part in next year's production. She was nervous, but she got a part.  Rehearsals begin in Jan, and performances in Feb.  She will have a role in Take A Number, Darling.

2/17

Last parade of the season is due here around 2:30.  Temp in the 30s, with wind.  J is all bundled up and down by the street.  I will watch from the 5th floor.

2/13

You may have heard that J became a grandma on Wed.

Tonight was the first Orange Beach Mardi Gras parade of the season.  Nice little parade with all the usual bands, floats, horsemen, fire engines, and police cars - led by the Colors.  Temp was in the 40s, but no precip or wind.  I pulled a chair to the walk way outside our front door on the 5th floor.  Nice view.  Another parade tomorrow at 5:30 - same weather.  The last parade is Tuesday, with a 70% chance of rain.

2/8

Dropped J off at the "Pensacola Intergalactic Airport"  ( That's what the sign said.  I am not that clever).  On the way, we passed the local Catholic church with 2 police cars out front ready to direct traffic.  A few miles down the road was the FloraBama Bar, with a police car out front and a large sign inviting us to "Worship of the Water".  The parking lot was packed, but we declined the opportunity.

After breakfast, I picked up a cigar.  Temp ar noon was mid-60s.  Another perfect day in Paradise.

2/7

Last weekend some friends from A2 visited for a few days and we showed them around.  Watched the Super Bowl - probably the best I have seen.  On Mon we went to Fairhope  and followed that up with a drink at the Grand Hotel on Mobile Bay.

Last night we had dinner at a fund raiser for the Lions and the blind.  Very interesting.  We met one fo the members at a wine tasting and she invited us to sit at her table.  J knows braile and used to teach the blind.

I take J to the airport tomorrow and then enjoy 10 days of peace and quiet

1/29

We are finally back on line with a new hard drive.

Friday, Billie and Norm Fahrner stopped by and we had a nice visit.  Good people.

Saturday I took J on a home tour.  Six homes on Ono Island - a long, narrow, private strip of land with a guarded entrance and million dollar homes.  J has wanted to get on the island for several years, and finally succeeded.  One of the homes had a marble shower in the garage.  Must be nice.

Monday we explored Pensacola.  Nice city.  Lots of nice old homes that have been converted to office, and new buildings that were designed to look old.  J was disappointed that it was Monday - museums are closed, so we will return.

1/20

Great weather has returned to the Gulf - for the time being.  Sun, light breezes, temp in the 60s.  Sunday was the perfect day to spend the afternoon on the balcony with a cigar.  Thursday, the rains return and will be here when the Fahrners visit.  At least we don't have to shovel anything.  We want to go to Old Town Pensacola tomorrow while the weather is still good.

1/18

Well, the Gulf Coast has not run out of oysters yet.

We now refer to ourselves as Winter Residents.  While the locals love the money Snowbirds pump into the economy, they marvel at some of the strange antics of the damn yankees.  We have talked with employees of several restaurants, all of whom laugh about snowbirds stealing salt and pepper shakers.  I note that our unit is fully furnished with everything except salt and pepper shakers.

1/8

Yesterday we drove to the art museum in Mobile and toured their exhibit of Mardi Gras memorabilia and attire.  You may recall that Mobile is the home of the first celebration of Mardi Gras, even though New Orleans gets the press.  Worth the trip.

We returned to OBA in time for an early dinner.  One of our favorite restaurants has a series of regional menus during the winter, which is their slow time.  (One of the chefs told us that during the summer they serve in an hour as many as the serve all day during the winter.)  The current menu is Pan Pacific, with Spam as one of the choices.  It reminded me of the Spam sushi we had in Hawaii.  I like Spam once every few years, but I passed in favorite of the Steel Head Trout.  Good choice.

When we returned to the condo, the rant-a-cop told us the elevators were on the blitz.  The temp was already in the 40s (it dropped to the low 20s last night, with STRONG winds), and there was no way I was going to try to walk 5 flights.  So we went to another restaurant for a leisurely dessert  We got a call around 8 informing us that the elevators were operational.

Off to our first cooking class of the year today.  Wild mushroom and arugula tart.

1/2/15

How about those Spartans?  And the Ducks!  Now we won't have to listen to that stupid fsu war chant on the 12th.  Unfortunately, we will have to watch Ohio while we cheer for the Ducks.

Those damned snowbirds are back from up north.  More cars in the parking lot and on the roads and more sirens of emergency vehicles rushing to the scene of a snowbird accident.

New Year

Good bye 2014.  Hello 2015.  As usual, we were home before the sun went down.  No need to be out with the amateurs.  We had lobster tails for dinner.  Then our favorite handyman stopped by with a bottle of bourbon distilled by his buddy."Confederate Spirits".  We will try it tonight.  We watched the ball drop in NY (11PM central time), and J stayed up to watch the crab drop in Maryland,  the Shoe drop in Key West, the Pelican drop in Pensacola and of course, the Moon Pie in Mobile.  We are watching the Rose Bowl parade.  The agenda today is Sparty On, Roll Tide, and go Oregon.  I forgot to mention that Villanova beat Butler yesterday to remain undefeated.

We have trouble findng trigger fish this year,  But we have found 3 restaurants that feature snapper:  queen, hog, and red.  J doesn't like fish, and I keep telling her I did not drive down her to eat hamburgers.

Happy New Year to one and al.