Forever is composed of nows.

Emily Dickinson

And there have been lots of nows.

I’ve been busy.

Sunday was the closing of our show so I decided to attend. Seeing the show from the audience perspective and being a part of their reactions was enlightening. The audience often laughed where I wasn’t expecting it. You just never know how an audience will react. Isn’t that usually the way. After the show the theatre sponsored a cast and crew party in the theatre’s lobby. How sweet was that!

One thing that was a new experience for me was the director emailed us a YouTube link to the shows. They had recorded each of the three shows. Now I know why movie actors often say they don’t watch their own movies. Haha. Hard to watch myself and not be extremely critical.

March is a different month. Trying to do all those missed things on our list. Saying goodbye to various friends who are returning to their homes, as we will be at the end of the month. Who knows what next year will bring. We’re booked to return next winter although March isn’t available from our owner. We think it’s because more money can be made renting to March Spring Breakers instead of Snowbirds. We’re hearing a lot of places are even discontinuing renting to Snowbirds. More money to be made just renting out weekends. We’ll see what the future holds.

Monday saw us heading to the Orthopedist for a checkup on Richard’s sore knee. It’s improving but Richard is extremely careful with it. Then we had friends Joanne and Jeanne from Michigan, over for supper. (It was supposed to be Sunday but I switched it to attend the show and party.) Great meal and great company. Loved our weekly dinners. I was ecstatic with how the meal turned out. You just never know do you. Appetizers were hummus, veggies, grapes, rice crackers and two special jams we bought at Marshall’s. Richard did a fabulous job of the entree: Coronation Chicken on a bed of greens with sliced mango. Richard makes his own variation.

A bit of Coronation Chicken history.

Constance Spry, an English food writer and flower arranger, and Rosemary Hume, a chef, both principals of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, are credited with the invention of coronation chicken. Preparing the food for the banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, Spry proposed the recipe of cold chicken, curry cream sauce and dressing that would later become known as coronation chicken. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_chicken

My contribution to the entree was smashed potatoes. My daughter gave me the recipe she uses. Thanks Kathryn. You’re always such a great recipe resource. Dessert was a miss mash. We’re trying to use up what we have so they had choices: ice cream, carrot cake, Twix ice cream bars, and chocolates. It all worked. They loved the Coronation Chicken so much they wanted the recipe. Great compliment. Wonderful to get together but sad at the same time. Their time in Gulf Shores this year is at an end. On the plus side they’ll be renting closer to us next year.

Tuesday and Wednesday being beautiful sunny days were enjoyed (after yoga and gym) by relaxing on the deck reading and gazing at the calm water. Hard life.

Thursday was a rainy day but we had things to do as our friends, Caroline and Steve from Minnesota, were coming for supper. Monday’s supper went so well we decided to create basically the same meal. Minus dessert as they don’t eat dessert. What will power. We just served some chocolates. What a great evening. And again they loved the Coronation Chicken and wanted the recipe. Two in one week. Good feeling. We’re so blessed to have made such wonderful friends. But as per usual I forgot to take photos.

Friday was another gym and yoga day plus we planned on a new experience. The local brewery, Big Beach Brewing https://www.bigbeachbrewing.com/copy-of-home was having a special event. The Cordial Brothers Band, Future Astronaut Production Company, and Big Beach Brewing Company were teamed up to bring the biggest celebration of Pink Floyd‘s music that Gulf Shores had ever seen. The Dark Side of the Moon album was to be played in its entirety to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its release, as well as a couple more hours of material, exploring favorite Floyd albums. Sadly we didn’t attend. 🥲 This was an outdoor event. When you watch the following video you’ll understand why we didn’t go. Even the sand was blowing. Reminded me of a windy PEI day at the beach. We’d have been blown away at that outdoor concert. People out walking had to tightly hold onto their hats. Some with two hands. What a wind.

Saturday it was off to the Ballyhoo Festival, https://ballyhoofestival.org/ a fine arts festival and cultural exchange here in Gulf Shores. Ballyhoo is an event of the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance, whose mission is the development and promotion of the arts on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Richard was still on the hunt for some art. We had gone in previous years and enjoyed viewing the various booths. And did today too. Lots of prints, paintings, pottery, woodworking, and jewelry. Richard almost purchased a heron painting done on two old boards. Here’s just a few pics.

While writing this post the old song Windy came to mind. Who remembers it?

Windy – The Association

And today you get a bonus song because every time I see Ballyhoo my mind immediately thinks Bali Ha’i. And even though I realize what I’m doing I can’t stop myself. Just always see it as Bali Ha’i. And when I do say Ballyhoo, in my head I’m singing Bali Ha’i. Yup. That’s me. There’s usually a song happening up there. Richard will often ask if I heard something on the radio or the TV and I’ll have been oblivious. Not listening. Singing in my head. And my daughter teases me that I always sing what I say. 😊 But how lucky was I to see a performance of this musical in Toronto 12 or 13 years ago during one of my many fabulous visits with my daughter and son-in-law. Loved visiting them.

Bali Ha’i – South Pacific

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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The energy of live theatre is indescribable. You are just in the moment for an hour and a half.

Adrianne Palacki

And just like that my hour and a half is over.

What a great night. We had a full house. The director was pleased as this was the first time in their five year history.

Being new to this theatre I had no idea how they did things. It hadn’t been discussed. Makeup? Costumes? Do they get ready at the theatre? Do they do opening night cards or gifts? I had no idea. Since there were so many various members cast for different performances I opted not to do the cards/gifts. Good decision. No one did. My costume was at the theatre so that was easy. (Although I noticed that many of the cast members arrived at the theatre in costume.) Makeup? I decided to apply mine at home. That gave me the option to experiment as I had to make due with the limited products I brought with me. (Again most arrived in makeup.)

This is something I never do but Richard convinced me to allow him to take photos of me in my stage makeup. Remember I’m no makeup expert.

One last time going over the lines with Richard’s help. But I did stand in front of the bathroom window a few times rehearsing the last soliloquy. One thing I detest about aging is how much harder it is to memorize. Never was an issue previously. It came so quickly. Not now. I got it but it wasn’t easy. The sad part is that it wasn’t even that long. Ugh!

Packed my bag: water, lozenges, script, shoes, jewelry, and makeup. Then off to the theatre.

The call time was 6:30 for a 7:30 show. But I love to walk the silent stage before everyone arrives. It grounds me. Relaxes me. Gives me a sense of peace and oneness with everything. So I went early. I enjoy that moment of solitude. Even when directing a show I followed that ritual.

Show went well. I was happy. I’m just a lowly amateur but I try my best. One blip as I mistakenly turned two pages at one time and walked to the music stand at the wrong time. Oops. But quickly averted. Whew. And several times another character stood at my stand leaving me to go to the third one. Not a huge deal except he was now between the character I had most of my interaction with and me. That left us constantly looking around him plus making some on the spot blocking changes. Awkward but not the end of the world. Been in worse situations.

Show over. Now in any show I’ve been involved with it was always a given that you did not go out to see people in your costume. You changed and then went out to see your friends and family. Not here. I went to the dressing room but no one else was there. Apparently the cast had a meet and greet in the lobby. Oh well. Just a little lack of communication. They were used to this ritual and never thought to relay that to the newbie. Just as well. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing that in my costume.

One giant plus from tonight was a lot more cast members spoke to me. Maybe they got used to seeing me. Maybe it was the excitement of opening night. Maybe I was more comfortable with instigating conversations. Whatever the reason it felt better tonight. Some of the onus is on me. When I’m in a new place, not knowing anyone, I’m very quiet. I realize that can come off as standoffish. But it’s not. It’s just my introverted self. Eventually I open up.

I especially send a big thank you to one of the actors who’s also the costume mistress. Tatyana, you are wonderful person. You were so helpful and so generous in trying to make me feel comfortable. I sincerely thank you.

Richard and a couple we know from Minnesota attended the show. And how sweet was that. They invited us back to their condo and had drinks and appetizers for us. Numerous appetizers. Caroline had spent the day preparing as she said it was my special day and wanted to do this for me. Super sweet and I really appreciated it. This was a perfect way to wind down. It’s hard to just go home after a show. At least it is for me.

I always find myself at loose ends after a show closes. I spend so much time preparing and then it’s over. Takes a bit of time to re-adjust. (And how awful am I for thinking maybe I’d get a last minute call that they needed me to stand in for one of the other Norma’s? I know. Really awful aren’t I.)

So…

Today at around 11:00 am we headed off to the Seafood Festival & Car Show at The Wharf in Orange Beach. https://www.orangebeachal.gov/428/Seafood-Fest

We weren’t interested in the car show or the seafood but were interested in exploring the arts and crafts vendors. We’d been in previous years and throughly enjoyed ourselves. We really hadn’t done many days out together lately so this would be nice. Richard was hoping to find art work for his bathroom. And you never know what other delights you’ll find. And as I had been forgoing any treats the past few weeks I looked forward to this excursion with great anticipation. My special treat? An ice cream cone. To be exact, a Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.

Best laid plans.

Our first clue to a disaster was the line of traffic headed in that direction. Then? No parking. Now they have multiple massive parking lots. Why you ask did this happen? Because of Richard’s soccer game. His hometown team, Nottingham Forest, had a game being broadcast here at 9:00 am. To top it off he tried and tried but he couldn’t get it on his computer. Great. (Note the sarcasm.) To add insult to injury he found out they lost 4-0.

So no festival for us.

And I must admit I was a bit sulky about the whole thing. Well, honestly, I was a bit more than sulky. maybe even b_ t _ h _ y. When I’ve been looking forward to something for a long time I’m not very receptive to it not happening.

In previous posts I mentioned making pluses out of minuses. Here goes.

1. We went to Bad Ass Coffee and I had a delicious Chai Latte. For me, they make the best ones down here.

2. When we got home I did laundry. I know that doesn’t seem like a plus but it saved me from doing it tomorrow when we’re going out to brunch with the Minnesota friends and then having our other close friends over for supper as they leave this coming week.

3. I enjoyed the beautiful sunny day sitting on the deck reading.

4. What did I read? This is where Richard’s guilt kicked in. From the library he had checked out the book The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith. It’s his latest book in the Cormoran Strike series. We both have enjoyed the author’s previous books and the TV series. Richard was to read it first but to soothe my irritated spirit he offered it to me. And I took it. Yup. I’m ok with that.

The Party’s Over – Shirley Bassey

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Yes. Tonight’s the night.

It’s been an interesting week.

Four evenings of rehearsal for the show. Oh yes. You read that correctly. And because parts were multi cast that meant there was only one evening allocated to run through the Sunset Boulevard performance that I’m in. A first for me. Anyone who knows me knows I have to feel prepared. Heaven help me.

Rehearsal went well. A few notes and that was it. We do have our scripts on stage as we’re recreating the golden age of radio and that helps, but me being me I still really need to have a clear grasp of my part. I am not a ‘wing it’ person.

Three women were cast as Norma Desmond, one for each performance. Tonight’s opening night and it’s my night.

Fun to see this.

One thing I’ve missed by having so few rehearsals is getting to know my fellow cast members. Not too bad for most of them as they knew each other from previous shows. Me? I knew no one. I think I’m the only ‘Snowbird’.

The last couple of weeks Richard and I have been going to thrift stores to see what I could put together for a costume as we’d been told to just dress in ‘40’s or ‘50’s style. I discovered during my rehearsal on Wednesday that they have quite an extensive costume room. So I went to their rehearsal last night to see if what I had was suitable plus look at some of their items. Glad I did. The costume mistress and I found better items. Funny note. Being down here for the winter I don’t have the proper shoes. Have to wear my black casual walking shoes. Not my first choice. So that limited my costume choices. Can’t wear a shorter dress with those shoes. Nope. Not me. Not Norma. And being so short all their long dresses were about a foot too long. The trials of being short. So black pants and a top it is.

Makeup is a whole other issue. Going south I don’t take a lot with me and usually don’t wear much anyway, especially with a tan. Again I’ll make do with what I have. Guess it will be all about the eyes.

A bit of yoga and gym, then a little script review. Richard’s been a real sport reading my cues for me.

And that’s it. I’ll let you know tomorrow how tonight goes. 🤞🏼

Another Opening Another Show – The Muppets

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Nothing beats a glass bottle of Coke and a trusty Moon Pie under the heat of the Alabama sun.
Joseph Carro

The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors Anthology 2

Visiting always is great for discovering local traditions.

Today is Fat Tuesday and our local Mardi Gras parade. Until my first winter in Gulf Shores, Alabama I had never heard of Fat Tuesday. At home on PEI I knew it as Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday

Mardi Gras history – according to what I read online.

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world—mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations—on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. Brazil, Venice and New Orleans play host to some of the holiday’s most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year.

Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means “fat.” In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.” 

Traditionally, in the days leading up to Lent, merrymakers would binge on all the rich, fatty foods—meat, eggs, milk, lard and cheese—that remained in their homes, in anticipation of several weeks of eating only fish and different types of fasting.

There are differing opinions on where was the home of the original Mardi Gras.

Some say that the first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a small celebration and dubbed their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.

In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners. When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.

Others say New Orleans is not home to the original Mardi Gras in the U.S. but believe that distinction belongs to Mardi Gras Mobile Alabama, which has been hosting the celebration since 1703.

Mardi Gras Mobile Alabama began as a French Catholic celebration to prepare for the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It was first called Boeuf Gras (fatted ox) in 1703; the first masked ball was held the ensuing year; and the first known parade occurred in 1711.

Today’s festivities include private, invitation-only parties and masked balls, where revelers wear elegant costumes. These celebrations can be traced directly a group of partiers led by Michael Krafft, who, on the night of December 31, 1830, led a group of revelers on a dawn parade with cowbells and rakes and formed the first mystic society, called the Cowbellion de Rakin Society. It was this society that less than a decade later would introduce Mardi Gras celebrations to New Orleans.

Imagine this: Mardi Gras season in Mobile starts with November parties of the International Carnival Ball and the Camellia Ball, continues with celebrations on January 1 (New Year’s Day) and January 6 (Twelfth Night or Feast of the Epiphany), and finishes with a litany of parades daily starting two weekends before Fat Tuesday.

That’s a lot of parties and parades.

I was surprised that even in this area it seems that every community has a parade. Though now thinking about it I shouldn’t be surprised. In the summer on PEI many communities have their own festivals with parades.

The history of our Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade dates back to 1978 when a group of locals decided Gulf Shores needed a parade. Those locals formed the Pleasure Island Players and thus Mardi Gras began in Gulf Shores. A year later the Mystic Order of Shiners joined the Pleasure Island Players to become what is now the oldest parading order in Baldwin County.

If you’re wanting more info on Mardi Gras here are a few sites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras

https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002665/#:~:text=For%20nearly%20300%20years%2C%20Mobilians,in%20their%20homeland%20of%20France.

https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/

Now back to today.

We decided no pancake breakfast for us. I figured they wouldn’t have gluten free and I’d end up eating the regular pancakes. So better off not going. We planned to go to the Gulf Shores parade. Best laid plans, right? But sadly that was a no go. Since the last time we were here they changed the parade route. Before we could park at the gym and walk a few blocks to view the parade. Not this year. As the parking around the parade route was closed off we’d have had to walk five miles from our house to get there. Nope. Not happening. Too bad. I was hoping to have photos to share with you. Sorry.

But here are a few from last year.

Just like during the parades at home the people on the floats throw things to the crowd. Now at home it’s usually candy. Here the “throws” are plastic bead necklaces, toys, doubloons (coins), Moon Pies, ramen noodles and other food products.

King cake is a staple for all who celebrate Mardi Gras. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake On the Alabama Gulf Coast, king cakes are typically a ring-shaped sweet-bread filled with different fillings and topped with icing and sugar in purple, green and gold. A small plastic baby is included to be tucked inside. Whoever gets the baby brings the next king cake.

The last few days I’ve noticed a lot of people wearing certain colours. Here’s why.

Pictures of items I’ve mentioned and displays I’ve seen around town.

As an aside I love the TV Series Treme. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_(TV_series). I watched it several years ago. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, it follows the lives of residents as they struggle with the aftereffects of the 2005 hurricane and the things the people had to hang on to: like their music, food and family, family that included anyone who decided to accept the challenge to return. The large cast is supported by notable real-life New Orleanians, including many of its famous musicians. Lots of interesting story lines and lots of music

Theme Song and Intro Song – Treme

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.

Chinese Proverb

In my last post I mentioned that I took a leap and I auditioned for a local production. I’m always nervous, before and after. After waiting and waiting and waiting for a phone call and not receiving one I figured that was it. No part for me. You can imagine how surprised and excited I was to receive the call this afternoon. Woo Hoo! I got a part. Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

In February 2020 I had bit the bullet and auditioned for the play A Bad Year for Tomatoes by The Snowbird Company down here. I was blessed to get a part but sadly, due to the pandemic and not able to travel to the US, I had to withdraw. That makes getting this part especially sweet.

Now to work. Even though lines don’t have to be memorized I still have work to do. Get out the highlighter. And as we only rehearse four evenings next week before opening on the 24th I’d better get cracking.

Will keep you updated.

Only a short gym workout today. Then off to a presentation by Dr. Wayne Flynt about Harper Lee’s life. Interesting as he was a friend of hers. Her book To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, is still on the Top Ten Books list and in 2022 to celebrate their 125th anniversary The New York Times invited readers to nominate the best book published during that time. All 50 states and 67 countries responded and the winning book was? You’re right. To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s one of my favourites. Mildred Dover, my grade ten English Literature teacher, introduced it to me. Her passion for literature brought this book to life. It didn’t hurt that we got to act out some of the courtroom scenes. Thanks Mrs. Dover for all that you did. One fine teacher.

A late lunch/early dinner at Sea ‘Suds. https://sea-n-suds.com/

Established in Gulf Shores, AL in 1975. it is one of the original family-friendly restaurants in town. Very popular place. It was packed and lots waiting. We wanted an outdoor table as it’s right on the beach it so was a bit longer of a wait but we didn’t mind. The biggest disappointment for me was that the outdoor eating was under a full roof, so no sun and no beach view. But while table waiting I enjoyed the view.

I was excited to go as it advertised a salad bar. One look and I opted to order off the menu. Had a burger which was just ok. Richard had a cod burger and loved it. So nice when that happens. The servers were run off their feet. So many customers to serve and short staffed. But they kept on top of things. Bravo to servers. Thanks for all you do.

I’m so Excited – The Pointer Sisters

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.

Kristi Ling

It’s been a quiet week. You’ve probably realized that as it’s been a week since my last post.

Of course we had plans to go places but with rain and Richard having a sore knee they were postponed until better days. No problem. We still have another month and a half down here. As Richard said this morning, “Look at the bright side. It’s raining but at least we have more days to do things. It’s not like we’re just here for the weekend.”. How true. Taking a positive view soothes the spirit.

Last Saturday I went to an audition. Now I wasn’t going to mention it to you as they are holding more auditions today. And the audition process? Let’s just say it was ‘unique’. Never have I had one like it. Yes, very different. I won’t know the decisions until tonight or tomorrow. The director said everyone will get a call. That’s a lot of calls as between the two audition days there were quite a few people auditioning. I’ll let you know the results. Whatever the outcome preparing for the audition was wonderful for my mind and spirit.

It’s an interesting concept. You recreate shows, script in hand (or on tablet), from the Golden Age of Radio, a time and a medium that overlapped the Golden Age of Hollywood and the infancy of the Television Age. Much as back then, you do live sound effects, period music, and commercials, all in front of “a live studio audience.” There’s three radio shows being recreated: THE BICKERSONS” John’s New Fishing Pole, YOU BET YOUR LIFE (an amalgamation from episodes of the long running hit radio and television quiz show hosted by Groucho Marx), and SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Every year Gulf Shores has a Community FitFair that takes place at the Bodenhamer Recreation Center. That’s the place where we do yoga classes, and the gym. Consistent physical activity helps with body, mind, and spirit. I guess similar to keeping my mind active by doing Wordle and crossword puzzles everyday. And my blog.

The last one we attended was in 2020. It seemed smaller this year. But you know what memories are like. This fair is open to the public and included were some free aerobic classes.

They had various information tables including Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Hearing, Abuse, Health Spa, Massage Therapy, Cryotherapy, Float Spa, Dental, Plastic Surgery, Balance Testing, and Memory Testing. Some of these I’d never heard of.

A Food Court was set up with fresh fruit, granola bars, and a small meal of Green Goddess Salad and Turkey and Quinoa Taco Bake.

Very tasty. They supplied the recipe cards so I have them for the future. I’ll definitely make them.

To top off the week we had friends over for dinner. Always a great time. And wonderful for the spirit. As usual I forgot to take pictures of the full meal which is so annoying but here’s what was left of the appetizers. Peppadews https://eatdelights.com/what-are-peppadews/ stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a blueberry. Medjool dates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medjool stuffed with cream cheese and topped with red pepper jelly. My daughter gave me the date recipe. It’s usually done with goat cheese but since I already had cream cheese that’s what I used this time.

And that’s the week. Rainy but I can’t complain. It’s not snow or freezing rain.

Singing in the Rain – Gene Kelly

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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It’s more fun when you’re not the only one having it.

the Oaqui

Since this afternoon was warm but overcast we decided to visit touristy shops. You know the kind I mean. Places with beach wear, t shirts with logos, and tons of souvenirs,

We stopped at Trading Company Beach Outfitters, Souvenir City, and Surf Style.

These stores are stuffed full. I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve done this. My oh my. Not the greatest quality. And expensive. More kinds of souvenirs than you could imagine. Glad we were just having fun.

Searching for shells is very big in this area.

While window shopping today I saw for sale mesh shell bags for collecting shells and sand scoopers. Earlier this vacation I’d heard of shell bags as they’re available at the Welcome Center (picture shown below) but I didn’t know about sand scoopers. And no they’re not for dog doo-doo. (Dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches.) They’re for scooping up shells. Besides picking up shells from the beach people also walk in the water and scoop shells from there.

Then off to a restaurant at The Lodge at Gulf State Park. https://www.alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park

They have three restaurants. We ate at Foodcraft. https://foodcraftgsp.com/?SEO_id=GMB–R-PNSLGHH-1&y_source=1_MjY1ODk0MTctNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D

In The Lodge they have various works of art. Lovely.

It was pasta night buffet. I was hoping for a gluten free pasta being available but no such luck so I ate the wheat pasta. One night shouldn’t hurt. Sadly not a lot of choices, especially with salads. Only lettuce, croutons, and dressing. More choices in food to add to your pasta dish. Richard had the tomato sauce and I had the Alfredo sauce. It was tasty. It was a night out so can’t complain too much. Won’t go to pasta night again. Three dessert choices: Key Lime Tarts, Tiramisu, and Bread Pudding. Richard said the tarts were good.

I’ve never had bread pudding. I know, I know. How could that be? After hearing so many friends rave about it for years I decided to give it a try. I was so disappointed. Just not for me. 🥲 Only ate a few bites. Not like me.

But it was a fun afternoon.

Fun Day – Stevie Wonder

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

Mahatma Gandhi

Quite often I post about meals we’ve enjoyed at restaurants or at friends’ places. We make good choices. Mostly. But who doesn’t enjoy a nice dessert. Or sometimes a burger and fries. I feel that’s ok.

We usually eat healthily. Good breakfast. Healthy lunch. Lately my lunch has been hummus and raw veggies. But I thought today I’d share what we do once a week for supper. Most of our suppers at home are healthy but. in particular, one night a week we make a special point of eating salad with tuna. We even took our own little tins of tuna with us from home just in case we couldn’t find them down here. How’s that for planning? Pretty good I think.

I often find that if I buy all the individual salad items I end up throwing some in the garbage due to spoilage. At Publix grocery store we’ve found that every week they have different kinds of bagged salads on sale. Perfect. This way we eat the full bag (while adding some little extras to it) and there’s no waste.

Tonight’s salad with tuna.

For the base we used a bagged Asian salad by Fresh Express. Love this salad. It’s delicious. Our finished salads look better in real life than in the pictures.

I enjoy hot and spicy and this canned tuna, Spicy Thai Chili, is very spicy. Too spicy for Richard so he enjoys Sundried Tomato and Basil.To this we added some walnuts, sliced almonds, ginger pieces, blue cheese (only to Richard’s – I detest it), and Tomato Basil Baked Red Lentil snacks. We discovered these down here and really like them. Plus they’re gluten free. Yay! They’re great as a snack or a salad topping. I find that adding a few extras increases the “yummy” factor.

What are your favourite salads? I’d love for you to share with me so I can add some variety to our meal plans. What little extras do you like to add to your salads? What ways do you try to eat healthy?

Salad Days – The Young Marble Giants

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Don’t let tradition paralyze your mind. Be receptive to new ideas. Be experimental. Try new approaches. Be progressive in everything you do.

David J. Schwartz

A new coffee shop recently opened close to us in Orange Beach. If you read my blog you might remember that Richard loves coffee. Me? I hate it. Can’t even stand the smell of it. I love green tea and matcha or chai lattes. Different strokes.

Strange how things catch your eye. As I’ve said before I am not very observant. When we were in Magnolia Springs Richard was reading an article about that new coffee shop and brought it to my attention. Thanks Richard.

Now I don’t get controversial in my posts and I know I’m not from down here, just a snowbird, so shouldn’t really comment but this really rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn’t let it go. You may agree or disagree. We all have that privilege.

Apparently the coffee shop’s provocative name has created quite a stir with the city’s officials in Orange Beach who blasted it as inappropriate for children and even went as far as calling on residents not to patronize it. And what is that name you ask?

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

https://badasscoffee.com/about-us/

Now before making your decision about the name here’s some background behind it. Or so I’ve read online.

https://www.royalkonacoffee.com/coffee-hawaii-history/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/give-a-hoof-bad-ass-coffee-of-hawaii-raises-money-to-support-donkey-rescue-farms-301626788.html

http://www.coffeetimes.com/burros.html

Legend has it that for generations donkeys were used to carry loads of coffee up and down the rugged hills in Hawaii as there were no machines to do this. The donkeys could be heard bellowing as they carried precious loads of coffee beans down the steep mountains of the Big Island in Hawaii. The people of Kona named these hard-working donkeys the “Bad Ass Ones” because of their reliably strong but stubborn nature in carrying their precious cargo.

This coffee shop’s brand (Bad Ass Coffee) says it embraces the historical and cultural significance of the donkey which hauled those coffee products.

The company reinforces this story in their shop. On the coffee shop’s wall there’s a visible placard near its entrance entitled, “The Bad Ass Legend” that explains the story of the hardworking donkeys. The story is also written on the back of coffee mugs, shirts, and the packaged coffee that is sold inside the coffee shop. Plus there’s a wall dedicated to the animal.

So that’s the background. Does the name offend me? Nope. Not at all. What offends and bothers me are comments made by some of their city council officials in articles that I read. I won’t name names. To be generous I suppose they’re entitled to their opinions no matter how antiquated they seem to me.

“… said he does not appreciate the use of foul language in public, and frowns upon foul language used in front of women and children.”

“ The only point I was trying to make is that our society has lowered the bar in what is acceptable with mixed company and kids around, and that it bothers me,”

“ In my day, when I was growing up, children did not say certain things, or they were at risk of getting backhanded by mom and dad.”

“The council is pretty much united in our disgust. I don’t think we’re prudes by any means. But why would I drive to a place with a name such as that with an 8-year-old in the car when I wouldn’t let (that name) come out of (the child’s) mouth? We’ve become sort of crude in accepting of that kind of garbage in this country.”

What? What? What? Really? I read it but I couldn’t believe it.

Are we still there? Mixed company? In front of women? Backhanding children? Good lord. Is that still the philosophy here? The antiquated ‘the poor delicate little woman can’t be exposed to this as she might get a case of the vapours’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapours_(mental_condition) Really? Is that still the mindset down here? Seems it. Blows my mind. Totally infuriates me. Wake up. Or should I say “Wake up and smell the coffee.”. (Just adding a little levity.) It is 2023.

At my opening I said, “Strange how things catch your eye.” Well a day after reading the coffee articles a friend posted the following on Facebook. How appropriate. Thankfully most of us are in 2023 and not back in the 1950’s.

I know this was a rant but I just couldn’t not address it. These are my thoughts. They may not be yours.

An oldie but a goodie.

The Times They Are a Changin’ – Bob Dylan

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Mother Teresa

Very good life philosophy. And that’s what I tried to do yesterday and today. And hopefully most days. I was full of pleases and thank yous. I also complimented the people and their food at each eating establishment I visited. You can always find sometime positive to say.

Now I am Canadian so I might as well say it. I’m sorry. Why? For having so many long posts regarding my birthday. But we experienced so many wonderful things that I didn’t want to omit any of these fine establishments. They deserved the recognition.

So this post is all about Magnolia Springs B&B.

https://www.magnoliasprings.com/

What a gem of a discovery. Richard had read about it and suggested we stay there. I’m exceedingly glad we did.

As luck would have it one of the owners was working outside when we arrived and he quickly ceased his work, showed us in, and demonstrated how everything in our room worked. Good thing he did, especially the toilet. But I’ll get to that later.

We entered into why they call the Great Hall. We had reserved the McLennan Room as it was on the first floor and had a king bed. When traveling I like a king. What a lovely room. Rooms always look especially fresh when they have crisp white linens and this one didn’t disappoint. The bed was very comfortable. Firm but soft too if that makes sense. My only complaint would be the pillows. Very big and thick. But so thick that my neck was at an uncomfortable angle when sleeping. Not the worst I’ve ever slept on. Should have remembered our own pillows. Cute little sitting chairs and comfortable for me as I’m so short. I like sitting in a chair, not on the bed. The bathroom was darling with its claw foot tub. And yes I did try it. So big. And they had bubble bath. Sweet. Felt heavenly.

Now the toilet. Who ever thought I’d be discussing a toilet. Not me that’s for sure. Probably not you either. What a novelty. I’d never heard of it. It’s a Thomas Crapper.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crapper

The owner told us to pull down the cord (can you see the cord?) and wait until we heard “the growl” before releasing the cord. Oh my. What a loud sound. In my mind not to be used in the middle of the night. Lol.

And how bizarre is this. Richard was reading a book by Peter Robinson, Before the Poison, and had just finished reading this.

A few pictures of the inside of the B&B.

Up in the morning and off to the dining room for breakfast. Oh my Oh my Oh my. Hands down this was the tastiest breakfast I’ve ever had at a B&B. Well done guys. And served by the friendly owners/hosts David and Eric. I especially loved how they described each item including all the ingredients used. They go out of their way to make everything healthy and tasty. Wow. Totally achieved this. All items were absolutely delicious. Best grits I’ve had in Alabama. I’ve never previously enjoyed grits but these I did. Richard is very particular about his coffee and he had two cups. Now that said something. He thought it was very good. And what an additional cute touch with the serviettes. Loved them. So appropriate. And did I mention I love crisp white linens? Tables covered in crisp white tablecloths. Ahhhhh.

I highly recommend Magnolia Springs B&B. A beautiful home that lovingly maintains its historical details. And don’t forget the great breakfast. It’s not inexpensive but not overpriced and well worth it. And did I mention the great breakfast. Haha. So if you’re ever out that way give it a try.

What a couple of days we had. Hard to believe we packed so much into not even two full days. On the way home we stopped into a new coffee shop in Orange Beach but that story is for another day.

Magnolia Springs – Willie Sugarcapps

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.