Shrimp Festival & First Fire of the Season

We finally made it to the Shrimp Festival!

Yesterday was daggone hot neither one of us wanted to be outside for any length of time, so we put it off again! The only thing I did yesterday was go to Curves. The rest of the day was spent inside.

We woke up a little before 7am and it was only 68 degrees outside!! Perfect. :) So, we were out the door before 8am so we could beat the heat. Our first stop was Hazel's, a great place to have breakfast. Their buffet is small, but very good and it includes made-to-order omelets if you want one. I am not an omelet person, but Randy really likes them. We thought we'd beat the crowd by getting there before 8:30, but no! We had to put our name on the list - and we were fourth in line! The place was a mob scene. Of course, it's a small place, under 20 tables, I'm sure. The wait wasn't very long, either. :)

Hazel's

We found out from our waitress that there was a shuttle running for the festival. Cost was just $1 per person each way. A good deal since parking cost $5 at the festival - if you could find it AND your vehicle would fit. One of the shuttle pick-ups was next door to Hazel's at WalMart. So, after we filled our bellies with a great breakfast, we drove over to wait for the shuttle. It was 9am.

After we got parked, we found out that the first shuttle wasn't due until 10am! Ugh. The other people left, but we just parked in a shady spot and waited. Randy people-watched and I read a book. That's why I always carry a book - you never know when you'll have to wait. :) The hour went rather quickly because the shuttle came a little early, so soon we were off to the festival.

Waiting for the shuttle - so shady you can't see Randy in the truck!

And we're off!

The festival was pretty much like most: lots of food and lots of arts, crafts, and people. We walked and looked at each of the vendor booths, but didn't see anything we couldn't live without. There were wood carvers, glass blowers, stained glass, jewelry, t-shirts, etc. The food vendors were plentiful. I had to take a picture of one 'cause the presentation was gorgeous. This is for all you chefs out there! :)

Welcome!Lots of folks
The beach at Gulf Shores
This is the food vendor I mentioned

We were done looking in about 45 minutes or so. Yeah, we're fun, aren't we? :) It was heating up, so, we grabbed the next shuttle and headed back to the truck. Spent the afternoon in our A/C. :)

This evening we made another trip to Best Buy to pick up Randy's computer again. Hopefully, it's back to normal.

While walking Blackie this evening, we ran into Ron (of Ron & Connie) and he said he was gonna have a fire tonight since it had cooled done some. So, Ron & Connie, Bob & Pam, Clyde & Sarita and Randy & I sat around the first official fire of the season. And it was a good one, too! :)

A nice way to end the day. Until the next time . . .