Lighted Boat Parade

Our 2 month stay in Foley AL is coming to an end.   We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and will again make it a winter destination in the future.   One of the last events we attended with a group from the resort was dinner at Tacky Jacks to watch the lighted Christmas boat parade.   The restaurant is  located on the inter-coastal waterway making it a great viewing location.   There were about 30 privately owned boats decked out in Christmas lights and other holiday themed decorations.   First, second and third place awards are given in three categories:   boats over 33 feet, boats under 33 and sailboats.   Entry is free and I think it is prestigious to be a winner.   

After 10 years of use our camera finally died.   We ordered another one which arrived the day before this event, so the pictures are not great.   We need to practice night shooting a little more.  Some of the boats trolled nice and easy and others thought they were in race, so some of the photo's I couldn't use here because they were blurred.   But you get the idea.   It was something different for us and we had fun.

Hope all is well!

2012 Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival

It began in 1984 as a "small end of the year party" for local artists and friends but, over the course of  time, has blossomed into an 11 day festival encompassing the entire Gulf Coast area and is dedicated to the real architects of the music industry - the songwriters.  The Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival  this year hosted over 200 songwriters from across the country and around the world.   Their venues are 30 various restaurant/bars, art studios and music halls as they move around from location to location along the gulf between Alabama and  Florida.  We chose to see the artist at LuLu's on Friday night and Flora-Bama on Sunday afternoon.  We chose these 2 places because they were restaurants we had identified as locations we wanted to have a meal.   LuLu's is owned by Jimmy Buffetts  sister  at what started out has a bait shop and an outdoor burger bar has grown into one of the most popular spots on the gulf.  And this Friday night was no exception...it was packed.   We didn't get a great seat to see or hear the band while we ate but moved closer to the stage after we finished our meal.  Ron got a just " okay" cheeseburger and I got one of the best shrimp quesadilla's I've ever had.   You'd think the sister of "Cheeseburger In Paradise" would serve up a decent burger even in this land of seafood.

Brian White and Karyn Williams

Our plans were to drive to Flora-Bama,, about 20 miles from Gulf Shores and of course on the Florida-Alabama state line right after 10:30 mass Sunday morning, spend a couple of hours, eat lunch then head home.   We arrived around noon and got home at 9:00 pm.   We were so entranced not only by the talent of the performers but the whole experience.    Although a program is published so you know who is playing where, it is a very casual atmosphere.   As one group is performing if they see another songwriter walk into the place they invite them up on stage.   Its like being at a jam session..    I did not expect the level of musical talent - I thought just because they can write a song doesn't mean they can sing or play a guitar.   But I was wrong.   We saw a tribute to Rusty McHugh, Danny Griego, Rusty Budde, Red Lane, Wayne Carson, Brice Long to name a few.   If your like me you've never heard of them, but they have played along side of or have written songs for Randy Travis, Joe Diffe,  John Michael Montgomery, Josh Turner, Tracy Byrd, Taylor Swift .....

Flora-Bama started out as a lounge and packaged liquor store in 1964  and after surviving a fire that consumed the building the day before it opened, Hurricane Ivan and a host of owners/co-owners over the years, it is a very popular hangout for visitors and locals alike.   Because the building has gone through several remodeling projects and expansions, it resembles a hodge podge of eating areas, sitting areas, an outside stage with picnic tables, 2 indoor stages and various cozy corners where friends gather to have a drink, munch on chicken wings and listen to music

The Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival is dedicated to and named after the late Frank Brown who was the night watchman at the Flora-Bama for 28 years, retiring at the age of 91.   He wore a pair of matched revolvers, slung low, but never had to use them.  The story is it was enough for him to say. "Now you boys don't have to be like that.  What would yo' mamma say?"  He is a respected and loved legend in this area.

 Flora-Bama

Various songwriters

They get a good turnout every year.

          We are talking about coming back to this area again next year to spend more time at the festival.

Hope all is well!

"Success is when a man gets what he wants.  

 Happiness is when a man wants what he gets."

Frank Brown, former Flora Bama night watchman

    

A few sights around Foley, AL

The first hospital in Baldwin County is located in Foley Alabama.   The hospital operated from 1936 to 1958 and is now the location of the Holmes Medical Museum.   It is housed in the very building of the old hospital allowing visitors to step back in time and see what it was like to get treated and hospitalized almost a century ago.  It features a wide array of historical displays most of which are exactly the way they were during its operation ( no pun intended).   Displays include patient rooms, x ray equipment, an actual operating room, pharmacy  and a medical quackery devices display.   The hospital is located on the second floor of the building and never has had an elevator.   The story is if a patient couldn't navigate the steps, Dr. Holmes would go across the street to the local tavern,and recruit a couple of burly guys to carry the patient up the steps.  Other times he would bring his equipment downstairs and treat the patient outside of the hospital in whatever was their mode of transportation at the time.   We find these small, unique museums fascinating.   Although I for one would have rather let nature take it's course than to submit to the medical techniques of that time.

How dreary!

Operating Room

Laboratory.

Typical patient room

Prior to heating pads, this domed equipment used light bulbs to provide heat treatments.

Various instruments.

A show globe.   Symbol for a pharmacy much like the barber pole was for the barber.  From the early 1880's until the 1950's most pharmacies would display a show globe to identify their drugstore.

This one was used to alert the town's people to stay away from town if the show globe had red liquid in it.   Red if there was an epidemic and green if there was not.

They have a scrapbook featuring many of the birth certificates of babies born at this hospital.

This is a picture of the first and last babies born there.

After visiting the museum we spent some time walking the Antique Rose Trail.   The trail  is a public walking trail that winds 6 blocks through the heart of Foley following the path of the old railroad line.  Although this wasn't the best time of year there were still a few blooms, still very fragrant and a nice place to take a walk.

The trail features over 5,000 antique heritage roses.

Even found a geocache hidden in a palm tree among the rose buses.

A thorn among the flowers?????  Did I really say that.....he knows I love him!



Hope all is well

Not too exciting.

Not sure why I'm writing this post since we have pretty much only been hanging around the coach.  Ron hasn't felt well the last several days...trying to recuperate from we think just a cold.  I am getting some things done around the coach that we have been neglecting.     We have a few places we want to see and do but just can't get the energy or motivation to get up and go.   I think it is the atmosphere we are surrounded by ...it is a very laid back, quiet campground and it is making us very laid back and quiet.  

We got a good start on our Christmas shopping and should be done in the next week or so.   Then it's finding boxes, wrapping, packing and mailing.   I really enjoy wrapping gifts and Ron is a big help.    We are in a small town (15,000+/-) and their peak visitor season is not until January so I'm hoping the lines at the post office will be smaller.

We drove to the beaches of Gulf Shores, grabbed our chairs and walked down to the beach.  Spent a couple of hours just talking and watching the boats on the horizon and the people on the beach.

Our goal was to visit the Gulf Shores State Park Pier.   The new pier is the largest pier on the Gulf of Mexico at 1540 ft long and 41,800 sq. ft.  They charge to just walk out to the end and back.  Now grant you it's only $2.00, I am still having problems paying to just visit a state park. However, I do agree with the people who use state facilities are the ones who should pay instead of a general tax to all residents so I guess I can't have it both ways!  The old pier was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, making this pier only 5 years old, so I guess somebody has to pay for it.     But..............     We didn't pay and walk for a couple of reasons.   One is I want to visit the pier at sunset so I'll save my pennies for then and to the end and back is a little over 1/2 mile and Ron wanted to save his knees for our return trip.  

Here's a picture from the net from an angle I would not have been able to get.

Hopefully the next post will be more exciting!

Hope all is well!

Relaxing in Foley

We have been in Foley AL since the 20th of October.   We are staying at a RV resort that only allows class A motor coaches  over 32 feet in length and less than 15 years old.   It is a complex where the sites are privately owned and when not in use are rented to vagabonds like us.

Our coach upon arrival.   We did our best to try to root our St. Louis Cardinals to victory, but their 12th world series in 2012 was not meant to be.

View out of the front of our coach.  A nice large concrete pad makes it a  great place to sit and read.

A visitor Ron has  named "Whitey" visits us early every morning.

The campground has a pool that is suppose to be heated but is still chilly, a really nice hot tub, exercise room, theater, library, clubhouse and several planned activities each week.

Infinity pool and hot tub. 

Our plans are to just lay back and relax.   We aren't planning on doing too much site-seeing.

We did drive into Pensacola,FL (about 35 miles) to attend a Romney rally.    We waiting in line 1.5 hours to hear him talk for 20 minutes, but we had never been to a political rally before so we thought we would see what it was like.   Unfortunately  Ron had to rest his knees for 2 days afterwards.

The lines wrapped around the convention center.

Have no idea who this guy is....but we thought his hat was interesting.

Based on the turn out at this rally we thought he would have had a better chance.

Hope all is well!!

We are alive and well.   Since our last post (August) we spent several weeks in St. Louis visiting family, friends and doctors.   The time just flew by and we know we missed making contact with a few people we had every intention of visiting.   We apologize and promise to be sure to organize our time better on our next visit.   It seems each year we visit doctors they add a visit, test or procedure which takes up more time than we initially plan.   Guess a testimonial for getting older.    But we had several dinners, card playing events  and visits in front of the TV rooting our Cardinals  with my sister and brother in law.  Celebrated a 50th birthday with my sister in law Margie at a party of 40+ people.  Also, made a great opportunity to see several members of the family and friends.   We made a couple of trips to the winery with Ron's side of the family. Spent time with Ron's mom (88 years young), had a luncheon with a few folks from the office we use to work in and  had cousins who had never seen the coach out for an afternoon chili lunch.   We also celebrated our 39th anniversary at our favorite (non-hill) Italian restaurant - John Mineo's.

We stayed at a city owned park in St. Peters, MO, a location close to most of the family.   Although we were there for several weeks, we never felt settled since we moved the coach 5 times.  We took the coach to a Tiffin dealer/service center 4 times.   A 70 mile round trip venture. The first visit was to get an estimate for replacing the passenger mirror that was attacked by a suicidal duck.  Why they wouldn't order the mirror without seeing the coach still baffles me.  The second time was to install the mirror and the third time to have a motor replaced on our slide.    While in STL we decided it was time to purchase another car, (which also took up time)  so the 4th trip consisted of them installing a new base plate on the new car and to be sure it was in line with the mechanism on the coach.   The 5th move was to Babler State Park for 3 days, while the campground hosted a festival.   They more than doubled their rates for that week-end and since we didn't really want to be in the middle of the chaos we chose to move.

All in all we had a great visit and it was time to leave before we knew it.    We then made a short trip to Lafayette IN to visit Ron's brother and sister in law.    We also got a short visit in with our nephew Steve, Karen and our great niece, Dahlia.  

We really enjoyed our colorful trip from STL to Indiana.

Dahlia, 21 months.   She wasn't feeling well, so this was the best "smile" I was able to capture.

Ron and his "older" brother.    By only 11 months but he keeps reminding Bob that he's younger.

I really like this picture of them.

As we were leaving the campground to meet Bob and Terri one evening I found this visitor on the front floor of the car.    We got rid of him and went along our merry way, until I heard a chirping and scratching coming from the back seat.     Oh no.....he had a sibling      I rode the rest of the way with my feet up on the dashboard and keep urging Ron to drive faster!!

When we got to Bob's house we shook the coach tire covers we hastily threw into the back seat of the car  and sure enough another baby mouse ran out.     Not sure where we picked them up, but they used our tires and covers to seek some warmth. 

We are now in Foley, Alabama and plan on being here until the middle of December.    Stay tuned for our next blog in the next couple of days.

Take care, feel free to leave a message and we hope all is well with you!