Visiting the Beach

Our move to Gulf Shores State Park occurred on a Friday.  We saw a lot of traffic heading to the beach.  In fact, the lady assisting Beverly with reservations had to look around and manipulate the system a bit to get us a place to park for two weeks.  It seems this park is very popular with locals for weekend jaunts.  Typical to all government RV areas, the weekends are always reserved and therefore, it is hard to find one week without a weekend reservation already in place, not to mention two weeks.  But to her credit, the lady not only was able to work her magic, she helped us out on the rates by combining an end of month special, senior discounts and regular daily rates to get us the least expensive total cost.  People really do want to help and are nice, if you are nice to them.

There are signs scattered throughout the park that admonish folks to NOT feed or aggravate the alligators.  Those that know me really well, realize this is the most inappropriate warning for me.  It is almost like waving a red cape in front of a bull.  I have this very strong urge to hunt for an alligator just to aggravate since I am predisposed to aggravate anything that breathes.  It is not my fault, it is in the genes.  I do my best to keep it suppressed but usually with not much luck.  It also seems very odd to me the placement of one of these signs is adjacent to the kids’ park area.  Why do you think the sign is there?  Is it the alligators’ food source or the kids’ absolute enjoyment in aggravating?  I wonder….?  By the way, how do you aggravate an alligator?

Come here alligator, alligator, alligator... where are you?

This area is indeed Beverly’s ‘happy place.’  She has been doing her little ‘happy dance’ since we have been here.  My problem is this place is so relaxing, I only feel like sitting while she wants to ‘dance’ up and down the beach day in and day out.  So we compromise, I sit and watch her go up and down the beach.  Works good!  Everybody is happy, happy, happy!

Happy, Happy, Happy

We tried to watch the Blue Angels (US Navy’s flight demonstration squadron) practice session on the first Tuesday in the area.  Their website is very specific about times, etc.  When we arrived, we found the Air Force Thunderbirds were at the base too and interrupted the normal practice schedule, which had not been disclosed on the website.  The Blues had flown early that morning and the Thunderbirds were flying later.  We like a large number of other folks found ourselves waiting in line to go to the seating area about two hours before the Thunderbirds would start their practice.  Standing in the Florida heat for two hours is not my preferred activity so we decided we would visit again the following week and headed to Pensacola beach to stop at one of our favorite restaurants, Flounders.  Here is a picture of the partially eaten Key Lime Pie from Flounders. Mm..Mmm, good!

Yes, that is 3 Layers of pie!!!

Amazingly after we had finished the pie, we had this urge to go sit and veg on the beach.  The wind had come up and people were leaving because it had clouded up a bit and gotten pretty cool.  As we sat and pondered the surf and waves, I could hear in the distance jet engines.  Looking out into the Gulf, you could make out some airplanes and as I watched, it slowly dawned on me it was not only the Blues but the Thunderbirds.  They made a slow turn towards the beach and started flying right over the top of us at a very low altitude as they made their way back towards Pensacola.  As you can see in the pictures, we hurriedly snapped, all this was done in the Delta formation.  Oh by the way, the pictures makes them look further away than they really were.  They were very close.  My day was made!

Blues are right over my head!

Followed by the Thunderbirds.

On Saturday, we headed to a small town just east of Foley.  Our mission was to explore the German Festival held annually at Elberta.  One of the things on our bucket list is to soak up some of the local flavor by attending arts and crafts celebrations, festivals and fairs.  We knew this was going to be a small one but wanted to check it out anyway.  Sure enough it took us longer to drive to the event than it did to walk through the entire venue.  We did meet and visit with some interesting folks.  It never is a waste of time to check these events out.  The food did not look all that appetizing so we made a strategic decision to eat somewhere else.

Luckily just a few minutes back down the road in Foley is the restaurant, Lambert’s Café, home of ‘throwed rolls.’  Just about every time we are in the area of Branson, MO or Foley, AL we head to this restaurant.  The food is about as down home as you can get and the rolls are always hot.  You can check out our November 2016 post and pictures from Branson to see the type of fare available.  This place in Foley is no exception as it is patterned after the original.  It is owned and run by the same family who clearly likes the beach versus the mountains.  We like both equally.  Here are a few beach photos.

We like to visit churches as we travel around to meet new folks and experience local culture.  It is always exciting and encouraging to see like-minded folks around the country worshiping.  In today’s world, if you watch news programs, you think there are not very many believers left and we have turned totally to secularism.  It is not the case; in fact, I am very encouraged to see the number of young people in worship these days.  Mind you, the services do not look anything like they did when I was growing up but the message is still the same.

We attended the First Baptist Church of Gulf Shores our first Sunday in the area and thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.  The second Sunday, we received an invitation to join the campground Camper’s Devotion time at the activities building.  This particular Sunday a youth group from FBC Brinkley, AR led the worship time.  We really enjoyed them sharing singing, scripture reading and skits.  They had a lot of talent to be such a small group.  There were ten of them plus their leader.  It was as satisfying and encouraging as any service anywhere.

The bad storms that created tornadoes in TX, flooding in MO and AR finally reached us the following Sunday night which was our second Sunday in the park.  We were expecting them all day on Sunday but they did not actually show up until well after dark.  We went to the beach to see the big surf that was created due to the high winds as we waited for the storms to arrive.  When we got there, we saw not one but two red flags flying.  Of course, this means no one is allowed in the water due to the dangers of rip tides and high waves.  Sure enough as we walked along the beach a police ATV came driving by to make sure no one was ignoring the warnings.  They were patrolling the beach all day.

The bad storms hit overnight and we found ourselves doing a bit of rocking and rolling.  The next morning we surveyed the ‘damage’ to see what might need attention.  The grill had been blown from underneath the motorhome and filled with water.  A plant was blown over and had to be re-potted.  The satellite dish was blown over and had to be re-positioned.  The sidewinder sewer hose support was partially in place but fully extended and sticking out the other side of the RV.  Worst thing was the awning covering the long slide is going to need attention.  Some supports are broken and a small part of the fabric torn.  Wind and water combined in such force is pretty scary.

Speaking of scary, there is something I must share with you.  When you are mostly Irish, Scandinavian, Western European, white and fair-skinned then you must protect your skin with sun block whenever you go to the beach.  In the past I have used a strong SPF product to do just that but have always had some issues.  You see, when sweating, it tends to get into my eyes creating a burning, stinging sensation that is extremely uncomfortable.  This time I set out to find a solution to that irritation.  I found it in the local pharmacy.  A high SPF lotion for babies like the shampoo which does not burn or hurt the babies’ eyes.  Aha!  The answer to my anguish for many years supposedly was in this tube.  Our purchase made, we proceeded to the RV to ‘prep’ for the beach.  Now I must warn you in advance, what you are about to read and see in the attached pictures is indeed scary.  In fact, so scary I highly recommend the use of this product to keep unwanted intrusion at bay.  When this product is applied to the skin; it does not disappear like traditional sun block but remains firmly in place with a pinkish tint.  We did not have a single obnoxious (or sweet either for that matter) kid approach us to bother us when on the beach.  Similarly, there were adults who literally went out of their way to avoid us like the plague as we approached each other.  So in addition to repelling the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, this product also repels humans.  See for yourselves the scary results of one application in the pictures below.  WARNING: This is NOT for the faint of heart to see!!!

Yikes!

Comparison picture for effect.

That is enough scary stuff for now.  Until next time, be safe!

Adventuring to the Gulf Coast

We arrived in Theodore, AL (actually Mobile) on Good Friday for a stay at All About Relaxing RV Park.  Isn’t that a great name for a RV park?  It is a smaller park but super clean and well maintained.  There are even electric gates to get in and out of the park so the secure feeling is heightened as well.  I have been very impressed with the staff and the super fast wi-fi in the park that is included in the fee.  This is a place I will visit again.  What a great welcome sign!

Welcome Larry and Beverly

We attended the Easter sunrise service at Bellingrath Gardens just down the road a bit.  The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed worshiping with others this special day.  Afterwards, we ate at the café on the grounds and then toured the gardens and house.  A lot of the folks at the sunrise service were locals that left and went to their home church so there were times when we felt as if we were the only ones wandering the grounds.

Easter Sunrise Service Cross

Supposedly most visitors only take about 45 minutes to view the gardens.  We were so taken with the beauty and the moment that 3 hours later, we finally had seen enough and were tired enough to go back to relaxing at our aptly named RV Park.  From big to small, we saw it all.  See if you can spot the butterfly.

The next day, we enjoyed a meal at Dick Russell’s BBQ restaurant.  Even though the meal was good, the really fine time to eat here is at breakfast.  Yes, you heard right, breakfast.  The reason is some of the best Southern Breakfast dining in Mobile and they make homemade biscuits every 15 minutes.  Even at other meal times when offered garlic bread versus biscuits, choose the biscuits.  They alone are worth the stop, no matter what time!

Reading these accounts you might get the impression that we do not do anything but go sightseeing.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We live every day just as if we are in a sticks and brick location and do the things one would ordinarily do in that situation.  These include, but are not limited to things such as cleaning the house, cooking meals, washing clothes and all the required maintenance on the home.  Occasionally, we even have to look for something, or in the case below, retrieve something that has fallen underneath the couch.  Of course, there is only one of us nimble and thin enough to make the trip fully up under the sofa and manage to back out again.

Besides the ordinary and mundane tasks associated with living, we do have the opportunity to work on projects and hobbies.  Here is proof that Beverly knows how to sand wood.  She is prepping some wooden crates prior to painting and assembly.  The finished project will be posted again later.  Its purpose is to organize and house some of the items she likes to keep beside her chair in the living room.

I have always wanted to visit Beauvoir in Biloxi, MS.  Since it is only a few miles away, we made a trip to tour the house and grounds one afternoon.  Why you ask?  Well let me tell you.  The house is the last residence of Jefferson F. Davis, the former President of the Confederate States of America.  As a matter-of-fact he is the only President of the CSA.  My great-grandfather, who was the first Quinn in my paternal ancestry line born in Texas, was named after him and both my father and myself were named after our grandfather and great grandfather.  We forgot our camera and did not use the cell phones, so no pictures of this stop.

I come from a long line of Southern ancestry and have always been interested in the Civil War time period in U.S. history.  Learning of the name connection increased my curiosity and interest in the story surrounding Davis’ life after the end of the war.  The home is situated right on the beach looking out at the Gulf of Mexico waters and has survived numerous hurricanes, even the most recent Katrina.  Most of the furnishings are original to the Davis family that occupied the house.  The house tour host was great and added a lot of back story to the house, history, construction, furnishings and daily family life so our trip was well worth the visit.

While in the Mobile area we were bemused to hear the many news stories surrounding the building and opening of the first Buc-ee's outside the State of Texas.  The first location in Louisiana fell through so the next location, which is around Mobile, is now the first.  It seems there is a lot of interest and curiosity about this 'convenience store' in the bay area.  Being Texans and familiar with Buc-ee's, we are definitely excited about this development too.  This could be like Cracker Barrel and become a well-known institution nationwide.

Our last stop in the Mobile area was Dauphin Island and Fort Gaines.  The fort is located on a spit of land (Dauphin Island) that was the base of operations for the French when exploring and maintaining a presence in the New World before Napoleon sold the holdings to the U. S. under President Thomas Jefferson.  The fort was built to protect America’s coastline prior to the Civil War and is the site of the naval battle for Mobile Bay where the Union Admiral David Farragut supposedly uttered the famous line, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

We saw this as we arrived on Dauphin Island.  We have labeled these the 'World's Skinniest Condos'.  They are indeed condos and are indeed 'skinny'.

We had a great time exploring and poking around the fort, imagining all kinds of things as we learned the history of the site and about the folks that worked and served at the fort.  Our next stop is the beach.  We are headed to Gulf Shores State Park on the beach in Gulf Shores, AL for the next two weeks.

Sign at entrance with famous quote

Entering main grounds inside the fort

Each circular platform is for cannon emplacement

Cannon ball dent inside the fort wall

Stay tuned for more Adventures in the Adventurer.  Be safe until next time.

Finishing up Branson

Our last week in Branson was actually quite busy.  We had a quiet weekend and celebrated our anniversary on Sunday by eating out and attending a show put on by Dailey and Vincent.  It was a great show by a great bluegrass group.  They recognized us during the show and sang a song (My Only Love) during the performance in our honor.  Afterwards they gave Beverly a T-shirt and CD (which contains the song) for being at the show and liking their Facebook page.  We had a great time and capped off our perfect day.

Dailey and Vincent show, snowing inside the theatre

We received several free show tickets from our campground hosts and decided to fill up our remaining time in Branson with shows and performances.  Monday we ate with the Chuckwagon gang out at Shepherd of the Hills.  They cook the old-time chuckwagon meal right on the premises and then provide entertainment ala cowboys around the campfire at Christmas.  They told stories, jokes and sang songs as would have happened in days gone by.  The food was good and the time passed fast.

Afterwards we headed over the Hughes Brothers’ Theatre to see the Hughes Brothers and their families in a Christmas show.  It was a variety type show, similar to the Andy Williams shows on TV in years past.  They featured their entire families which included 35 children varying in age from early 20s to just a few months old.  At the end, they had a story about the symbols and colors of Christmas and how they all point to Christ.  A very entertaining group, with a lot of mouths to feed, that put on a great feel good show.

On Tuesday, we headed over to the Little Opry Theatre for a Sanders Family Christmas.  This is the sequel to Smoke on the Mountain.  The theatre is small and was not very full.  The audience was enthusiastic and would interact with the performers which made for a great evening of fun for all.  This particular cast was very entertaining to the point that we would actually go back to see them again.  Little June was a hoot.

The Sanders Family is a group of singers performing their annual Christmas presentation for the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church but poor Little June does not have a singing voice.  She instead ‘signs’ the songs for the audience, even though there are no deaf folks in the congregation.  Her signs are a combination of real sign language and her own interpretation of an appropriate sign to use.  She also has a ‘key’ role in a particular song using bells as you see from the picture below, she did not have enough hands to ring all the required notes so she improvised her own method of ringing the bells.

Lil' June displaying her bell ringing cleverness

We also enjoyed a dinner show at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.  You get a full meal to eat but no utensils to eat them with so a different experience for sure.  During the meal, the waitress tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted to 'participate' in the show.  I being the gullible, likable person I am shook my head yes between bites of chicken.  Little did I know it was a competition and I was representing my side of the arena in a battle of horseshoes.  Not just any kind of horseshoes but Ozark style horseshoes.  You may not be able to tell from the picture below but the 'horseshoes' we are throwing are toilet seats.  Yes, but never used for their intended purpose toilet seats.  Alas, like Casey at Bat, I too failed to deliver the win for our side of the arena.  Close but not close enough.  I think I was distracted.

Ozark horseshoes, mine are red!

Having finished our ‘Christmas’ trip to Branson we headed back to Texas to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.  We also attended to some doctor appointments.  One thing led to another and we did not get to head out of state as soon as originally planned.  So we spent some time in and around North and East Texas.

Goodbye little yellow tree that is no longer yellow

This allowed us to catch up with friends and make new friends.  We met a wonderful couple from Canada.  We called them our Canadian neighbors (they literally were parked next door as neighbors) and we really enjoyed visiting with them during their brief stay.  We also caught back up with a high school friend and his wife that introduced us to a volunteer group.  Having a bit of time on our hands before actually hitting the road once again, we decided to join in and see if we could enjoy this activity.

The group we volunteered with is Texas Baptist Men Camp Builders.  It is one of several ‘builder’ groups with the Texas Baptist Men volunteer organization.  The organization also has other areas of volunteering under their umbrella with one being the well-known Disaster Relief group that springs into action when needed during and after a disaster.

The builder project we helped with was in Lone Star, Texas at Lakeview Baptist Encampment.  Each year the Texas camps schedule jobs with TBM and for three weeks the volunteers show up and work on whatever building project is underway.  This year the project(s) at Lakeview included renovating a worship/meeting center and upgrading bathrooms in an older dormitory.  Our traveling friends David and Sophie also joined in as first-time volunteers.

I can say we had a very good time and will definitely do more volunteering in the future.  However, the first week I truly wondered what I had got myself into.  All of my muscles were so sore and my body was so tired.  We quickly realized that not working (i.e. retirement) had allowed our bodies to atrophy and become accustomed to the easy life.  It did not take long to get back in shape but man oh man the aches and pains during the process.

The ladies were involved too.  Beverly and Sophie found themselves at the center of attention at the first break with the ladies.  When it was discovered both of them had given up the sticks and bricks for a life of full-timing in the RV, the ladies in the group peppered them with twenty thousand questions.  It seems they mostly wanted to know the mental process of being able to give up a fixed location and ‘material things’ to move into and enjoy a rather nomadic way of life.  Some of them even commented there was not any way they could fathom that as a possibility.  It seems there is a definite difference between how one gender views full-time RV living versus how the gentler gender feels about the lifestyle.

While the men were involved in painting, laying carpet, cutting and installing woodwork trim, taping and bedding, installing cement board, etc. the ladies were busy helping get things ready to sell in the gift shop.  They had small crafts to put together as well as some sewing.  Additionally there was a lot of packaging and pricing of a myriad of items for the gift shop.  There was plenty of work for everyone and the time just seemed to fly by.  Before we knew it the end of the session was here and it was time to say ‘see you down the road’ as we left.  They never say goodbye, only see you later.  The Camp Builder motto is: “come when you can, do what you can, stay as long as you can and we’ll see you down the road.”   These are my kind of folks!!!

We have enjoyed several rousing games of '42', Phase 10 and miscellaneous others during our recent sojourn. After spending some of our time watching several volleyball, basketball and baseball games the grandchildren were involved in and finishing the doctor appointments we have ‘officially’ hit the road again.  Stay tuned for the next installment on our adventures.