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.

11/24

Yesterday was a good day, although it rained all day and through the night.  Villanova defeated NJIT, which humiliated UM in Ann Arbor when UM was highly ranked.  This on the heels of an OT victory over Syracuse.  The Wildcats are undefeated going into conference play.

Soon after we arrived in OBA, J heard that Alabama Public TV was organizing a trip to England, the highlight of which will be a visit to "Downton Abbey".  It was already sold out, but J put her name on a wait list. She received an early Christmas present yesterday - a phone call telling her she is in.  She will be going in Sept, and it will be party time on Cottonwood.

Women down here like long hair, but yesterday I saw one with hair down below her butt.  Not a good look.

12/21

We have had some much-needed rain, to the delight of the locals and dismay of visitors.  Weathermen have been calling it a drought.

Had breakfast the other day at Duck Diner.  In addition to the usual assortment of meats, they also offered fried bologna.  I lived on bologna and cheese sandwiches my last semester of law school (all I could afford),  and surprisingly I still like it, although my consumption is limited to a few times a year.

Big sporting news lately has been USA going to a bowl game.  Down here, USA is University of South Alabama.

12/13

Leaving the restaurant tonight, I stopped to watch the end of the Mich/Ariz game and chatted a little with an employee.  When I told him that I lived in Ann Arbor, he asked if I ever heard of Fraser's Pub.  I spilled a few beers there, and Sherman remembers the night I saw a woman go into the men's room.  So I went in after her.  Anyway,the employee claims that his grandfather and John Fraser started the pub.  World gets smaller every day..

12/8

Life has been quiet here in Paradise.  Lot's of football on Sat and then too much discussion on Sun.  Happy for Oregon and Alabama (J loves Sabin),  Can't stand Ohio and Fla.  But the good news was that my Wildcats won twice:  once on the hardwood against Philadelphia Big Five rival, St Joe, and then on the football field against Liberty to advance in the tournament, meeting Sam Houston next Sat.