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.

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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.

If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Another day. Another age. Hmmm Doesn’t feel like I’m older. That’s a good thing.

When I signed off yesterday we had arrived at our B&B and were getting ready to go to dinner.

But first a few housekeeping items from yesterday. My three children all texted Happy Birthday to me as I’m down south. They’re all great. And thanks for the QuannSpa gift card and the Starbucks gift card. One was even thinking ahead of time and gave me my birthday card at Christmas. Love them all dearly. One of yesterday’s last purchases that I forgot to mention was an absolutely beautiful jade necklace. Thanks Richard.

Now here’s where the unpredictable happened. Since it was my birthday i wanted to dress up for dinner so I brought a dress and my oh so amazing shoes and most likely the only Manolos I’ll ever own (a previous Christmas present from my daughter and son-in-law). The shoes look great and are also comfortable. Now that doesn’t always happen. All dressed up and was walking down the hall, oops the B&B calls it the Great Hall. Then the unthinkable happened. The sole of my left shoe started flapping. The glue had come undone. Insert crying here. Thank goodness I had the foresight to pack a pair of wedge sandals. Whew. Disaster averted.

So off again. Dinner at Jesse’s Restaurant and The Cold Hole https://jessesrestaurant.com/

Now if you were just out for a drive and drove by it, as we have many times on our way to Fairhope, you might not stop as the side by the main road doesn’t look over exciting. But turn the corner and it’s much cuter. And let me tell you, you must eat here. Yes you must. The food was outstanding.

The hard part of being a reservation for two is you usually get a small table off to the side somewhere. Here was no different. Would probably have been fine during the day when you’d have a view but we were fine with it. The plus was that we weren’t really close to other tables.

The menu. Our major disappointment was we had looked at the online menu and in our minds had made our choices but the one we received was different. Apparently they change their menu everyday. Too bad. We had wanted the baked Brie as our appetizer but onto new flavours. New choices. If you look at the menu you’ll see the descriptions for each item.

Appetizer: We shared it.

Baked Fontina – Nothing special. It was ok.

Entrees:

Richard – Turnip the Beet Salad and Crispy Onion Straws. A very unique salad and he liked it. Of course he did. He loves beets.

Debi – Gulf Grouper. Oh my. It was outstanding. I’m so glad I ordered it. The garnish of smoked winter squash was especially tasty.

Desserts:

Richard – Crème Brûlée. It was good but not the best he’s had. It came with whipped cream on it and he doesn’t like whipped cream.

Debi – Chocolate Turtle Decadence – pecans, caramel, gluten free chocolate cake,
chocolate ganache. OMG. Delicious. Yum yum.

I must give a huge shout out to our unbelievable server, Lauren. She was professional, friendly, and extremely helpful. I had asked her to omit the bulgar wheat and she expertly recommended risotto as a substitute. Smart lady. I wanted the Chocolate Decadence for dessert so as the menu was changed I asked if it was on the new menu. She replied it wasn’t and as it was my birthday I would get a free bread pudding for dessert. Then she offered to check if they happened to have my choice. And yes they did. Thanks so much Lauren.

Ok. This was a long post and I haven’t even mentioned everything about out B&B and as there is so much to say it there will have to be a Part 3. Stay tuned.

Jesse – Roberta Flack

Take care and stay healthy.

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

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How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Satchel Paige

To me that is a truer than true statement. Those of you around my age know exactly what I mean. Most of the time I don’t feel old. Until I look in a mirror. That’s the killer.

So my birthday celebrations: shopping in Fairhope and then overnight at Magnolia Springs B&B. Dinner will be at Jesse’s Restaurant. This will be posted in two parts as it would make this post way too long. I’ll discuss the dinner in a following post and more regarding the accommodations as we just arrived at the B&B.

Today’s first stop was at Starbucks in Foley to receive my free birthday drink. A Venti Matcha Tea Latte. And Richard had a dark roast coffee. On the weekend I picked up my free carrot cake from Publix and put it in the freezer for the future. Gotta love it.

Fairhope https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairhope,_Alabama. Kind of our typical routine. I did some morning shopping and again I scored some nice items from the various consignment stores (a top, a dress, and a purse). Richard got records from the local record store. So much fun. For lunch we went to Sandra’s Place, a unique little sandwich + shop.

Food was very tasty. The coolest thing happened. We heard someone wish one of the workers Happy Birthday. I found my birthday twin! Of course I had to wish her Happy Birthday and tell her it was mine too.

A few pictures.

My birthday so more shopping. Two more tops. Then a coffee/tea break at our fav spot page & palette.

The first time we visited here in. 2019 I went to an advice booth. What a hoot. Just like You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. It’s no longer there but when I went to the bathroom (as I do most places I visit – gotta love getting older) I found the advice booth hidden on the way there.

Ever notice how you can go to places again and again and always see something new. I guess I do as I’m not the most observant person. Let’s face it. I’m not observant at all. My mind is usually somewhere else. Often singing a song. Oblivious to all around me. I have to give Richard credit for pointing the following wall hangings out to me. Take special note of the bottom one.

Pretty neat, right? A famous PEI author on the wall in Fairhope, Alabama.

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

We’re staying at Magnolia Springs B&B and it is located obviously in Magnolia Springs.

https://www.magnoliasprings.com

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_Springs,_Alabama

What a fantastic tree canopy leading to our B&B.

This is from their website.

“Off the beaten path in southern Baldwin County on an avenue of stunning live oaks, Magnolia Springs is the last community with year-round mail by boat on the Magnolia River; a lazy river that flows through Magnolia Springs into Weeks Bay and on into Mobile Bay…You’ll be delighted to stay in this grand and historic Alabama landmark, which was built in 1897 and has been lovingly restored over the last 20 plus years, with original stained glass and woodwork.”

It’s absolutely lovely. Sweet entryway. Beautiful, beautiful woodwork. Fine linens. Much more about this historical B&B in tomorrow’s post. Our room is the McLennan. Again from their website. “ A beautifully presented room offering 12 ft. ceilings, an iron canopy king bed, and comfy sitting area. This bedroom and bath are restored to a magnificent level and include an original “soak worthy” claw foot tub and elephant trunk toilet that is over 200 years old and works like the day it was made! The resplendent king bed faces the south window overlooking the front porch and our beautiful canopy oak trees.”

That’s it for now. We have to dress for dinner.

Stay tuned for more on Magnolia Springs and Jesse’s Restaurant.

As I grew up being a fan I just had to use this song.

You Say It’s Your Birthday – The Beatles

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.

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. It’s called life.

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Rainy day. But not complaining. Better than the 20-25 cm. of snow projected for PEI tomorrow and Tuesday. Brave the storm family and friends. Stay safe and get your storm chips. 😉

Ever since we first came to Gulf Shores in January 2019 Richard has dreamed of going to Waffle House https://www.wafflehouse.com/ for breakfast. Maybe one reason is they’re everywhere. On the drive down we’d always see them advertised on the exits. And down here there are quite a few.

So today was the day Richard finally got to fulfill his dream. Or should I say nightmare. Hmmmm. Yes. Definitely a nightmare. My apologies to those who love this place but we had a poor experience.

The first indication that things weren’t going to go well was when I ordered hot tea and she brought me sweet tea. Then she couldn’t find tea bags to make hot tea. But yes she finally found them way in the back of the cupboard across from us. Brought me a half cup of luke warm tea. Thankfully I had a glass of cold water.

Richard ordered the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bowl. I had the Two Egg Breakfast & Bacon. Oh my. I did not like their hash browns. They looked crispy on the top but underneath super soggy. The rest of mine was ok. Wish I’d remembered to take pictures. Why can’t I engrain that into my brain? Richard’s looked nothing like the menu picture. Obviously our breakfasts did not live up to Richard’s expectations. Lesson learned.

Two things on the menu we found quite unique.

First, look at all the toppings for the hash browns. We’d never seen that before. Would have loved to have seen some with these toppings in person. But I did find a picture online.

Second, look at what’s displayed at the bottom of the menu. All brand names. We thought that was pretty cool.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day

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.