Exploring Dauphin Island

Yesterday promised to be a beautiful day, so we finally took to the Mobile Bay Ferry and spent the day on Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is a barrier island that sits at the junction of Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico.

The ferry runs between Fort Morgan which is just west of Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island which is south of Mobile. It is a 30 minute ride and it sure beat driving all the way around the bay to the island. If we drove from our campground to the Island, it would be a 65.5 mile drive, one way.

Upon arriving on the island, we tried to find the Visitors Center. We did find it, but unfortunately, it was closed. I couldn't believe it - it is only open Wednesday through Saturday. But, the island is small, so we figured we could find our way around easily. There were really only two things we wanted to see; the Estuarium and Fort Gaines.

Dauphin Island was first mapped by Spanish explorers in 1513, but the first French settlers gave it its name after the heir of Louis XIV. In 1718 the island was the capitol of the Louisiana Territory. Both the Spanish and the French manned forts that guarded the bay, but it was the Americans who captured it in 1813 and made the first attempt to construct a permanent fort here.

Fort Gaines was established in 1821, but construction wasn't completed until the beginning of the Civil War. It is the site of the Battle of Mobile Bay and was named in honor of General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. One of General Gaines' claims to fame is that he helped capture Aaron Burr in 1807. It was during the Battle of Mobile that the oft-quoted "Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead" was given by Admiral David Farragut. That battle resulted in the capture of the fort as well as two other forts and the Confederate Fleet by Union forces.

The site of the Estuarium is the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The Estuarium allows you to "walk through" the various water worlds of the Mobile Bay area. Mobile Bay is an estuary, which is a body of water where fresh and salt waters meet. We were able to see typical sea life such as fish, turtles, crabs, snakes, etc., as well as sea life you don't usually get to see - especially this side of a dinner plate! I got pictures of a shrimp, octopus (they are actually very small creatures, nothing like the cartoons at all!), moon fish, crawfish, starfish, and a green moray (very ugly). You can see all of their pictures at our Webshots site. It is amazing how many different creatures live in the waters around us. It was a very interesting exhibition.

All in all, a pretty good day. We ended it by having dinner at an all-you-can eat shrimp place! Yes, it was quite easy to eat shrimp after taking a picture of one.

This day also pretty much ends our time here in southern Alabama as we are leaving on Friday. It has been a wonderful winter here and we have made some very good friends. We are looking forward to the next leg of our trip. The next six weeks will find us in Atlanta, Fort Benning (YAY!!!!!), Savannah, Charleston, Williamsburg, Ocean City, MD, and finally, York, PA on June 1.

We hope to have more adventures to share over the next few weeks. Please keep in touch. Until the next time . . .

Our Last Week in Southern Alabama :(

Well, it seemed as though this time wouldn't come, but here we are; just six days shy of leaving Summerdale, AL. This has turned out to be a wonderful winter. We've made some lifelong friends, seen some neat things, and enjoyed being together. Even though this was not our plan for this winter, God had other ideas. As usual, He was right!

One of the places we wanted to do before leaving, but really needed a sunny day to do, was eat at LuLu's Restaurant in Gulf Shores. This restaurant is owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister, LuLu. It's very open and beachy. It even has its own "beach" where folks come on Saturday nights with their beach blankets and have a huge bonfire. We went there yesterday for a late lunch and the food was fantastic! For once the atmosphere and the food both were good. So often, that doesn't happen. We sat out on the deck; the restaurant sits on the Intracoastal Waterway the runs through Gulf Shores. Boats park at the restaurant's dock and come in to eat. Pretty cool.

We plan to explore Dauphin Island on Monday. It's just south of Mobile, but we're going to take the ferry across the bay from Fort Morgan. Hopefully, we'll get some good pics for you!

Until the next time . . .

Got my Reagan fix!

I got to go home for a week last week! Jason & Lindsay have moved into their new home (it's beautiful!) and I went back to be on "Reagan duty." Such a sacrifice. :) I got there the evening of March 27 and left them on April 3 to spend the night at Paula's so I could catch a morning flight on April 4 out of BWI.

Either my kids weren't that active or I am getting old! I prefer to think it's the former rather than the latter! Reagan never stopped unless she was in bed. It was "C'mon, Nana!" any time I wasn't right behind her! And as you can imagine, she is just more beautiful each and every day! I would get into bed sore in every muscle (I do have those, they are just buried) and wonder how Lindsay does it every day.

I've posted some pictures of my precious girl so you can see how cute she is. And we had a great time. I gave Reagan some Mardi Gras "finery" to play with and she loved it. The kids are all moved in and loving the space they have in the new house. I'm grateful I was able to get back to help and see family. I was also able to meet Sara, Kevin's girlfriend, for the first time. She goes to college near Lindsay's new house, so I picked her up and brought her back one afternoon. She is a lovely young woman.

The only down side was that Randy wasn't with me. But, it was wonderful to see him pull up to the airport to pick me up! It's nice that after more than 20 years together my heart still leaps when I see him. I know, I know - too mushy, but that's tough! It's my blog and I can write whatever I want! hahaha

Enjoy the pictures. We have two more weeks here in southern AL and plan to do a couple of sightseeing adventures, so hopefully I'll have more to tell you soon.

Take care of each other. Until the next time . . .

Fairhope Arts Festival

Today's activities were organized around eating - what else? Actually, the Lutheran church in Fairhope was hosting a German Sausage Dinner, complete with sauerkraut and German potato salad. Randy saw the flier up at the clubhouse and that was it; we had to go. Fairhope's annual (55th, mind you!) Arts & Crafts Festival was also in full swing, so we took a look around after we ate.

Earlier this week while in Fairhope for dulcimer practice, Pat and I had seen some of the art that was going to be displayed around town. We were particularly drawn to the various pelicans that had been painted and mounted on what was supposed to be pier pylons. They were as varied as your imagination can wonder. I love pelicans! I fell in love with them when we were in Florida a couple of years ago. I just think they are the coolest. Anyway, that's where I was headed today - to find some of the pelicans.

You have to understand - this festival is a major deal in Fairhope. It's a juried event, so you have big deal artists, sculptors, crafters, etc., participating. And it takes up the entire downtown area. We're talking a two mile square of nothing but booths! So, we walked around a little, but after yesterday's hike, Dick & Pat weren't as into walking around town. Well, I just wanted to get pictures of a few pelicans and I would be happy. There were several more that I didn't get. So, that's what we did. Here are my two favorite pelicans. The other ones are on our Webshots site. Have fun!

Next week looks to be another quiet week. Not much planned. I'll be continuing with my dulcimer lesson and practices and I'm sure Randy will be at washing the rig, if the weather permits.

Take care of one another. Until the next time . . .

Mobile Historic Homes Tour

Okay, so you need a little money to live in one of these homes, what's the big deal??? :) Yesterday, with Dick & Pat, we toured 8 homes and 3 churches in one of the historic districts of Mobile. One of the neat things on the tour was that at each of the homes there were young women, seniors from local high schools, dressed in period costumes, to greet us.

Most of the homes were just gorgeous, decorated by interior designers and lived in by some "beautiful people." Actually, many of the owners were at home during our tour, and that was kinda cool to meet them. I was certainly impressed that they would agree to have so many strangers tromping through their home. I had not realized that these homes would be lived in; I guess I figured they were museums or something. Shows what I know. Anyway, here are the pictures of the houses and churches, with many more pictures of their interiors and gardens on our Webshots website. Enjoy!

Before we began the actual home tour, we went to the Oakleigh, home of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society. Oakleigh was founded in 1833 by James Roper with a Spanish land grant. Its name comes from the magnificent trees are the property. The home's style, decor, and gardens reflect the antebellum life in Mobile.

Our first stop on the home tour was 159 Michigan Avenue, which was built in 1907. It is currently owned by a professional photographer and ballerina. Both were at home and very gracious. This house had been built in one location and moved to its present location in 1956.

Next, we went to the first church on our tour, St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church. It was built in 1925. However, the parish had been established in 1920, just a few months after the Catholic Church had declared Joan of Arc a saint. As with most older churches, the sanctuary was just beautiful, with many stained glass windows.

Our next home was one of the smaller ones on the tour, but no less impressive. It was built in 1915. We met one of the owners and she seemed so thrilled to have us all in her home. It was very inviting and warm. One of its neat characteristics was that its staircase went up one flight to a platform, then you could either turn to the left (if coming from the foyer) to go up stairs or go straight through and down to the back of the house. Kinda neat.

Just a block down from our third stop, was the next home which was built in 1905. This house was just gorgeous and its gardens were, too. It has a huge wraparound porch where you could just move around during the day to stay in the shade. Again, the owners were home and welcomed us as if we were old friends. How nice!

Our last stop for the morning was the second church on the tour. All Saints Episcopal Church was founded in 1909, having evolved from a union of 26 members from 3 different 19th century churches. Again, walking into the sanctuary was a retreat from the noise of the world outside. This church had a double pipe organ - at least that's what it looked like to me as there were pipes on either side of the altar area. More stained glass windows lined both sides of the sanctuary, depicting the life of Christ. Why is it we feel the presence of God so much inside a church? He's everywhere we are, right? Gotta work on that.

After walking all over Mobile - not really, but tell that to our knees - we stopped for a quick lunch and rest. Then, it was on to the afternoon part of the tour and 4 more homes and 1 more church.

The first home in the afternoon was a mansion - at least that's what its name inferred. It was the Tacon-Tissington-Barfield Mansion, built in 1901 and considered by many to be the best example of Victorian architecture in Mobile. The first thing you notice upon entering this home is the gorgeous staircase to the right. The woodwork in this home is just beautiful.

We went to the last church on the tour next. Government Street United Methodist Church, also known as "The Beehive," has a history dating back to 1819. But, the current building's construction began in 1906 and completed in 1917. It has two beyond-beautiful stained glass domed ceilings and the front of the building is ornate in its baroque details. Very impressive. Inside, it is a small sanctuary with yet another pipe organ! This church was nicknamed "The Beehive" because of its congregation's activity - swarming out into the community. Hey, I don't make this stuff up!!

Our next three stops were houses just a block away from one another - two of them across the street from each other. That was great news for our legs!

Augusta Street was built in 1872 and upon entering we were greeted by the one of owners of the house. She actually introduced herself to us, the first owner to do so, which was very nice. This house also has a beautiful front porch on, complete with a swing! When we went outside in the back of the house, we met her husband as well. This backyard, as we found in many of the homes, was so well done that it could easily have passed for part of the living space in the home.

We then went across the street to the smallest house on the tour, and my least favorite. It was built in 1869, so it was next to the oldest on the tour, and was actually a nice house, but the owner had filled it way past capacity, in my humble opinion. But, as most of you know, decorating is not my strongest suit! The cool thing at this house was that it had a koi pond in its gardens!

Lastly, we came to Twelve Oaks. Built in 1867-68, it is the oldest home on the tour and is currently undergoing a major renovation/restoration. At the moment, due to the construction, the owners are not living in it. The house as it stands today is not as large as it was originally built, having been moved to a new lot in the 1930s, so a large rear wing was removed and placed on a separate lot. Didn't see that part of the house.

That ends our tour. Hope you enjoyed it! Please be sure to take a look at the pictures on Webshots, http://community.webshots.com/user/guiler85/0. I have to say that, as gorgeous as all of these homes are, I have no desire to live in any of them. They are fun to tour, but I'll take my little trailer any day. Of course, that's easy to say since there's no way we could ever have afforded any of these homes!! But, I'm still happy as can be in our RV. Hey, that rhymes! Aren't I somethin'! :)

Take care. Going to Fairhope to the Arts Festival & the local Lutheran Church's annual German Sausage Dinner. Randy's pick, not mine! More pictures to come!

Ever been to a Flatulence Fest????

Well, we participated in our first Flatulence Fest! Actually, it was a bean recipe cook-off. Lots of us in the part cooked our favorite bean dish and then folks in the park walked around tasting all of the dishes, finally voting for their favorite one. I brought bean dip and chips. And I got 7 votes!! Granted that was half of the votes the winners got, but still . . . I was very happy about that. Many people came over to get a taste because others had told them how good it was. I know, I know, it's not a gourmet recipe, but heck, people liked it so what else matters!! It was a fun night with Red Dog JAM ending the evening with a short concert.

Here are a couple of pictures you might get a kick out of. In the chefs picture, I'm on the front row, sitting down at the far end of the row. The rest are self-explanatory, I hope.

Gulf Shores Zoo & Saying Good-Bye

What fun we had yesterday at the Gulf Shores Zoo. This is a very small zoo, easily walked in an hour or so. It had all the animals I like to see without having to slog through many that I don't want to see. When you first walk into the zoo, through the gift shop of course, the first thing you see is the Ring Tail Lemur Island. These are the cutest animals! And one of them had just given birth the day before to twins! I have a picture of her at our Webshots site. You can just barely see the baby sticking his head out around her belly. The mother carries the babies around as they cling to her stomach. The site address is: http://community.webshots.com/user/guiler85/0.

We were treated to a short show during which we were taught a little about the Maccaw parrot, Bearded Dragon Lizard, Albino King Snake, Albino Ferret, and a Chinchilla. We were allowed to pet or touch each of these. I was amazed at how soft the king snake was!! I would love to have skin that soft. He was very pretty, too. And, if any of you are looking for a great pet for one of your grandkids, kids or yourself, apparently the Bearded Dragon Lizard is a good one. Doesn't eat much, grow too big or bite. Just thought I'd share.

One of the Black Leopards housed at this zoo was donated by Jack Hanna, the animal guy we all know from TV. Her name is Katrina.

One of the best scenes was in the Black Mane Lion area. There was a female and a male and they were very frisky; playing with one another, batting each other. Totally reminded me of a couple of kittens at play. So cool.

Just as we were leaving, a couple of ducks came up to a fence near the lions' cage where we were standing. All of a sudden, the duck poked his beak through the fence posts and began pecking and trying to bite Randy's leg! The duck was squawking and going after Randy's foot, leg, anything he could get close to. It was very funny. All in all, a very nice day at the zoo.

We had to say good-bye to Darrell & Judy today. They are leaving for Florida in the morning. They are going to Dade City to join in a Habitat for Humanity build. It's their first time at a build and they are pretty excited. Darrell & Judy were our next door neighbors. We have really enjoyed getting to know them and look forward to catching up with them via e-mail and on the road in the future. Darrell keeps a website of their travels. Take a look at it sometime. The site address is: http://www.wanderingamerica.com. I think you'll enjoy it.

That's about it for now. Tomorrow is going to be another fun day! We've got church in the morning, then I've got dulcimer practice in the afternoon. Tomorrow evening the park is hosting a "Flatulence Festival" at which many of us will share our various bean dishes. Everyone will pay $3/person for the privilege of tasting any and all dishes. The proceeds will go to the local volunteer fire department. Do we know how to have fun, or what!?!?!?!!

Take care of each other. Until the next time . . .

Learning the Dulcimer!

One of the big things in this park is playing the dulcimer. This instrument is the only one that originated in America - specifically in the Appalachian region. Many of the women in the park play and have corralled me into doing so as well! I must say, it is very enjoyable even though my fingers don't always do what I want them to.

Today we had a workshop led by Red Dog Jam, a couple named Jack and Mary (hence JAM) who are very skilled in this genre of music and instruments. They play festivals, hold workshops and just love playing for the pure enjoyment of it. Of course, I was totally overwhelmed by it, this being only the third time I've played with others. I've practiced a bit, but am still far from being able to keep up with a group. I am going to take a few lessons this month and join in a group once a week. Should be fun!

We're going to the Gulf Shores Zoo tomorrow with a group from the park. I believe I've told you about this zoo before - it's the one that has the distinction of being the only zoo in the nation to have had to evacuate their animals twice due to hurricanes. And they didn't lose one animal! Animal Planet did a series on the zoo a couple of years ago and called it, "The Little Zoo That Could."

We've been enjoying the beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather this past week. It's going to be a little cooler over the next few days, only in the 60s! Poor us, I know! :) It's great to be able to get and do some things.

Take care. Please keep in touch. Until the next time . . .

Saying Good-bye to Mardi Gras 2007

Well, we lived through Mardi Gras! We were busier this past week than we've been in the past month combined!! It was a lot of fun, though. We went to more parades in the last week than I've ever been to in my life, I think. And we've met lots of nice folks, some who may go on to become good friends. That's the best part. Here are some pictures from the campground parade and the final Grand Ball. Enjoy!

Here we are with Dick & Pat at the Grand Ball last night. We do a lot with them. They great folks from Oklahoma. The next picture is Dick, Pat & their little girl, "Sassi." This is the "King & Queen" in a vintage Jaguar. The guys loved this car! And finally, a picture of The Chenilles. I'm not sure if I've told you about this group of women. They perform (if you can call it that!) at different functions in the park, singing popular songs whose lyrics have been rewritten to fit the occasion. I had the luck to join them during the Mardi Gras events. Here we are singing a geriatric version of "My Favorite Things." You can't really see me, but if you look closely, you can see my bow behind the woman in the crazy wig. I had a lot of fun with this group!

Next week is sure to be less eventful than this past one. We are going to the Gulf Shores Zoo and that should be fun. This zoo has the dubious distinction of having to evacuate its animals twice in just two years due to hurricanes, but never lost an animal. They were even featured in a series on the cable channel, Animal Planet. Will share more after the trip.

Well, take care of one another. Keep in touch. Hugs to all. Until the next time . . .

More Mardi Gras Fun

And the fun continues! On Friday Randy & Dick (one of our neighbors) went into Mobile to tour the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a Navy guided-missile frigate. It is 453 feet long and has a crew of 210. Since it is an active ship, the tour was confined to a general tour - no inside scoop and no pictures other than the outside. But, they had fun anyway!

Friday night was the first of the campground's Mardi Gras events. This was the crowning of the King & Queen of Mardi Gras. I was involved in the planning of this event and had a great time. The theme of our Mardi Gras events is Broadway Musicals. We did our best to wreak havoc on several musicals! After we had dinner and our King & Queen were crowned, I had the privilege (?) of starting the program by singing the chorus of "There's No Business Like Show Business" and believe me, Ethel Merman has nothing to worry about!! :) We continued with songs from West Side Story and Oklahoma as well as a short run-on of The Pirates of Penzance. Two of the highlights for me were the men dressed up as women and singing "I Feel Pretty" and The Chenilles. The Chenilles is a group of women (and I was included!) who are dressed in robes, shower caps, towels on their heads, and slippers and "sing." They sing songs that have been reworded to fit the moment. This time the song was "Alabama" sung to the tune of "Oklahoma." That was great. I think the evening was a success.

Yesterday we went to the Foley parade. It was a smaller parade than the one last weekend in Fairhope, but just as fun. Lots of beads and moon pies were thrown and caught. And the weather was very cooperative; a little cool, but very sunny. After the parade, we had a nice lunch at the local Mexican restaurant with Dick & Pat and Darrell & Judy.

As always, more pictures can be found at our Webshots site: http://community.webshots.com/user/guiler85/0.

Today will be a quiet day, church this morning and the weekly ice cream social tonight. We gear up again tomorrow with the campground parade and lunch, then on Tuesday evening we finish up with the Grand Ball. Looking forward to that!

Hope all are doing well and staying warm there in the north. We think of you often and pray for you regularly. Please drop us a note sometime. Take care of each other. Until the next time . . .

A Taste of Mardi Gras

We went to our first Mardi Gras parades yesterday. Now before you start clucking your tongues - Mardi Gras in Alabama is family friendly. At least the events we have seen so far. We were joined by Dick & Pat and Darrell & Judy, new full-timing RV friends we've met here at the park.

The town of Fairhope hosted two parades yesterday; in the afternoon, it was the Mystic Mutts. Folks paid $20 to dress up themselves and their dogs to walk in this parade, with the money going to a local animal shelter. It was a cute idea and people really got into it. The weather was very accommodating, too.

Last night it was the Knights of Ecor Rouge. We braved the cold 'cause once the sun went down, it was chilly. I couldn't believe that I sat out for two hours waiting for a parade! Retirement must have mellowed me or I was that bored! :) Now don't expect a long dissertation on who the Knights of Ecor Rouge (KOER) are, because I'm not sure who they are or what the heck they do. I just know it's one of the mystic societies of Mardi Gras and was founded around 1985. You'd have to read the history of Mardi Gras to know more.

Anyway, I took lots of pictures and although they are dark, you get an idea of the parade. Lots of moon pies and beads were thrown out as well as peanuts, small footballs, cups, and coins. It was fun. We came home loaded with beads and didn't have to flash once! :)

Fairhope, the town where we went saw the parades, is a beautiful small town with a quaint downtown area. It is located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. There are gorgeous flowers everywhere. We had visited Fairhope last year when we drove through it with Dan & Debbie Domer. It was freezing cold and we stopped at their park. There are pictures of that on our Webshots site. We want to go back this year when the weather is good and walk around the town. Hopefully, we have some history to share with you then.

Enjoy the pictures. There are more on Webshots. We'll have more Mardi Gras events to share with you over the next week as the campground has a lot scheduled. Plus there are more area activities we want to go to.

Take care of one another. Please keep in touch - don't forget about us! Until the next time . . .

A Little Sightseeing - Finally!

With a wonderful turn in the weather, we had to get out and do something! Since we had to go into Pensacola, FL to go to the bank (yes, that IS the closest branch of our bank!) I googled Pensacola to see what there was to do in that area. Not a whole lot, I must say. But, I did find a scenic highway drive that goes along Escambia Bay and so that's what we thought we'd do.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the drive. Of course, as I told Randy, after driving Route 1 along the Maine Coast, it's gonna be hard to top that! It was okay and we were able to stop a take a little walk along a boardwalk the town provided, but it was all treed and you couldn't access the beach from it due to RR tracks that run along the beach. I was only able to get one halfway decent picture. Otherwise the view really consisted of the many big homes that sit along that stretch of highway. Some of them were gorgeous, others not so much. It does amaze me what people will build and where, but of course I don't have the most cultured of tastes, to say the least! The best part of the drive was just being out in the beautiful weather - 70 degrees and sunny. It was wonderful!!!!

We have been keeping busy. Mardi Gras is HUGE in this area - did you know that Mardi Gras did not originate in New Orleans, but in Mobile, AL???? Well, neither did I. But it did, around 1704 and didn't get to New Orleans until around 60 years later. There have already been a few parades in the area and we're going to one tomorrow in Fairhope. It's a dog parade! People dress up their dogs and parade them. That should be interesting. The campground does several events surrounding Mardi Gras, the first of which is the Crowning of the King & Queen of Mardi Gras. That's next Friday night and we are involved in that evening. There'll be a dinner and a comedy program. "Comedy" being used very loosely, but it should be fun. A parade and grand ball are also on the schedule.

Hopefully, our bad weather is behind us and we'll be able to start doing some more sightseeing. The blog has not been very exciting of late - sorry 'bout that! Hope that will change soon. Take care of each other. Until the next time . . .