(Festival Time – Maxi Priest)

No gym today. Guess I need to take a break once in a while.

Another foggy morning but off we went to the Orange Beach Seafood Festival and Car Show. Now this may sound a bit bizarre to you as neither of us eat seafood nor are we car fanatics but there were lots of arts and crafts vendors. Plus it was held at The Wharf and we really like it there. An added bonus was the lack of fog. It was sunny and hot. We arrived just as it opened and the parking lot was almost full. We weren’t expecting it to be so crowded so early. Guess it’s a popular festival.

Our first stop was The Southern Grind, a fun coffee/gift shop.

Richard had coffee and I had a chai latte. It was the best chai latte I’ve had in a long time. 😋

Then off to view the vendors. What was cool was they had stages at both ends of the street with non-stop live entertainment. It wasn’t bad either. Here’s a few pictures. What an amazing fish, right?

There were so many vendors, all selling handmade items. The variety of talents that people have always astounds me. What creative minds. They produced items I could never have imagined. Granted, a lot was not my taste, but that doesn’t stop me from admiring their talents or the beauty of their work.

I was very well behaved and bought nada. Good girl. Richard made two great purchases: a double wind spinner for his back yard and a small painting done on an old board. Two very nice pieces.

For lunch we decided to return to The Southern Grind as the outdoor food trucks didn’t appeal to us.

Our sandwiches were delicious. Richard’s was a gourmet grilled cheese and bacon and mine a chicken salad with grapes and walnuts. I’ll have to try making it when I get home.

We left after lunch and enjoyed the sunny afternoon on the deck.

Wonderful day!

Nite y’all 😴

(Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – The Beatles)

What a foggy day! Lately we’ve had a lot of them. So off to the gym we went:treadmill, lower body strengthening, and yoga.

Now for the part of the day that we’ve been anticipating. We headed to LuLu’s for a late lunch.

https://lulubuffett.com/gulf-shores/

Lucy Anne Buffett, also known by her childhood nickname LuLu, and the official “Crazy Sista” of the Buffett clan, is the little sister of singer Jimmy Buffett. Lucy was born in Mobile, Alabama and says the song that best describes her is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

She owns the above LuLu’s restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores, Alabama where it’s become a well-known coastal destination. Continuing to grow and thrive, there are now two LuLu’s locations, the second in Destin, Florida and a third on in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

When we arrived at LuLu’s in Gulf Shores there was quite a crowd and we had a fifteen minute wait for a table, which wasn’t bad as there are a lot of walking boardwalks. Part of the wait, I believe, was because they don’t have all the tables available this time of year. That’s totally understandable.

As we hadn’t eaten since breakfast at 6:45 we decided to splurge and share an appetizer and a dessert plus our own entrees. We had quite a wait for our food and then, disappointingly, our starter arrived at the same time as our main meals. On the table was a big bucket with cutlery and a roll of brown paper towels to use for serviettes. That makes it much easier for waitresses. These bottles were also on the table. We did not try them.

Our appetizer was the Onion Ring Basket (way more onion rings than we could eat – they were huge rings with a nice, light batter). I ordered a Caesar Salad with Blackened Chicken while Richard chose the Jerk Chicken Sandwich (Grilled Chicken Breast marinated in LuLu’s own Southern Jerk Seasoning topped with Grilled Pineapple and Swiss Cheese and served with Honey Mustard). My salad was very good but I’ve never had a salad with so much added chicken. If I’d know it was going to be so large I’d either have ordered the smaller salad or omitted the chicken. I couldn’t eat the full salad. Richard said his sandwich was very good and he really liked the accompanying fries. Now reading about LuLu’s online everyone said you had to have their Key Lime Pie as it was the best on the coast. That’s the dessert we shared. It was very good. I’m not sure I’d call it the best I’ve ever had but it was tasty.

I’d have to say that the service was not very good. The waitress never came back to our table after delivering our food and drinks; not even to ask how things were going or if I wanted more water. The next time we saw her was when she came with our bill. What? I must have had a questioning facial expression as she then asked if we wanted dessert. Yes we did. So she brought it plus more to drink and then back again with our new bill. She said she had been very busy. Hmmmmmmm.

Something I loved was this giant open air sandbox for kids.

I could see it from where I was sitting in the restaurant. Kids would walk by and then play in the sand with the buckets. Cool idea. What a great way to entertain the kids.

That’s about all for today. Back home to read and relax.

Nite y’all 😴

(Key Lime Pie – Kenny Chesney)

What a foggy day! Had to have the lights on when driving to the gym this morning. Regular Thursday routine: treadmill, Pilates, and upper body strengthening.

Then to Publix for groceries where we discovered (thanks to our grocery bagger) that you can refill your empty gallon water bottles for $.35. Wish we’d discovered this earlier. We’ve been going through approx. one gallon bottle a day at $.85 a bottle. From now on we’ll be refilling. Last stop was Starbucks for Richard’s coffee and my matcha green tea latte.

I know people usually associate key lime pie with Florida but it seems to be on every menu here in Gulf Shores. While grocery shopping this morning we bought these key limes in the grocery store.

This afternoon, for some communing with nature, Richard went to the Nature Centre in Gulf State Park.

https://www.alapark.com/Gulf-State-Park-Nature-Center

This little fellow was just walking around on the floor without any warning notices that it was there. Richard backed onto it. What a shock that must have been – for both of them. Apparently he was the third person today to step on it. Poor turtle.

Since I’m not as much of a naturist as Richard is I stayed home and used that time to make this week’s recipe.

Back home in PEI I’ve only made it with regular limes as I’ve never seen key limes there. Therefore my recipe for this week is Key Lime Pie made with actual key limes.

Southern Recipe #7

Key Lime Pie

The consensus: it was very good – not too sweet. I’ll take it.

Nite y’all 😴

(All You Need is Love – The Beatles)

Cool and rainy today. Did my normal morning routine – Pilates, treadmill, and strength training. Then off to Starbucks.

For a change of pace we decided to go to the movies. It was an added bonus when we got there to discover they had a Tuesday special, every seat was $5. I do love a deal.

The movie we saw was Green Book. Great movie.

“Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.“

I really enjoyed it. This movie touches several very difficult social issues set within the southern US, in 1962, with racism the most obvious, but even with these tense issues for me it is a feel good movie.

I think I especially appreciated it as since I’m wintering in Alabama I have been reading Alabama books/authors. Two I’ve just finished were Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks with James Haskins as a contributor and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. These were two interesting, informative, and often disturbing novels. It’s horrendous that life was actually like this and worrisome that some people still harbour these archaic racist sentiments. When will we ever learn. Hopefully soon.

For an after movie treat we stopped for ice cream.

https://mattshomemadeicecream.com/

Now for those close to me I know you’ll find this hard to imagine but this was my first ice cream cone down here. I know. Unbelievable! I am trying to be good.

Richard is so adventurous. Lol. He had vanilla. I, on the other hand, had creole praline. Yum yum yum (but only a single scoop)

We saw this sign on their wall. Isn’t it great?

I would amend the sign to read All you need is Love and maybe a lot of Ice Cream. But that’s me and my love of ice cream.

A little reading, a little chili thanks to Richard’s culinary skills, and some tea and tv. What more could we wish for. It’s been an amazing day.

Nite y’all 😴

(Amazing Grace – Aretha Franklin)

Today, for the first time, I saw this quote on the wall of the yoga studio, Make Today Amazing. It really registered with me. We should all try to make every day amazing. Amazing can mean many things. Merriam-Webster gives us this definition: causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise. But does it have to only apply to those huge feelings? Can we not find amazement in even the smallest of happenings? A sunrise or sunset, a child’s laugh, a brilliant smile, a kind gesture etc. Can not any of these and many more make your day or someone else’s amazing? Think about it. Tomorrow, how can you make your day and some else’s amazing?

We did our gym and yoga today plus Starbucks and then a quiet afternoon reading at home as it was cooler today. Richard made a tasty veggie stir fry for supper and we had a glass of Chardonnay with it.

Now let me tell you about the wine.

Friends had mentioned that down here we might find good wines from $3.50-$6.00. I have to say I was more than a little sceptical. We’ve been looking and buying but hadn’t found anything under $6. That was until we went to Dollar General. Shock!Dollar General sells wine? Really? Yup. No you’re eyes are not deceiving you. That’s right. $3.50. We had to buy it.

Now, to be honest, it’s been on our shelf for several weeks. Getting the nerve to try it I guess. So today was the day. I was totally prepared. (We had a bottle of a white wine we liked already chilling in the fridge as a back up.) Here’ our $3.50 wine and glasses.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

We liked it.

I never imagined a $3.50 wine could taste this good. Lesson learned. Thanks Bob and Diane for sharing this amazing info with us.

Nite y’all😴

(Dolphins – Fred Neil)

Yesterday was great. I did my morning gym routine while Richard stayed home to watch his soccer game. Then we headed to the Coastal Alabama Farmer’s and Fisherman’s Market in Foley.

http://coastalalabamamarket.com/home

Summerside and Charlottetown should be very proud of themselves. Their markets are far superior to this one. We left without any purchases. That never happens when we go to the PEI farmer’s markets. Cheers PEI.

A tasty stop at Starbucks, then groceries, and back home.

Onto the deck to read. What a super surprise to watch three dolphins swimming about 50 metres off shore. A true delight. We’d heard they were around here so it was really wonderful to finally see them so close.

Today, Sunday, was even better. We went to Craft Farms for breakfast. What a wonderful buffet. Love those omelet bars. One of the things Richard tried was the biscuits and gravy. He said they were delicious but I gave them a pass. They didn’t appeal to me. But I did try their cinnamon rolls which they claim to be the best. Now they were yummy. Here’s a few pictures for you golfers out there.

https://www.craftfarms.com/index.php

https://www.craftfarms.com/clubhouse-tour/

https://www.craftfarms.com/cotton-creek-bar-grill/

I’m not a golfer but there were certainly lots of golfers there. It was a beautiful place.

Right after this we went home as today’s forecast was sunny and 24C. I didn’t want to miss one second. We went for a beautiful beach walk and then onto our deck. How wonderful to see the dolphins again.

We were invited next door for wine so to go with this I made Lower Alabama Caviar.

Southern Recipe #6

Lower Alabama Caviar

It was a nice, light appetizer made with black eyed peas, green, yellow, red chopped peppers, and quartered cherry tomatoes with an olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette.

It was enjoyed by all.

(I’m So Tired – The Beatles)

I love shopping but after a day of it I am so tired. More about that in a bit.

Yesterday I told you I was headed to the theatre last night. Apparently the local snowbirds have a community theatre group and put on a production each year. This year’s was “Jack of Diamonds”.

How wonderful to have a reason to get dressed up. After a month of leggings, jeans, gym clothes, and bathing suits it was so exciting to put on makeup, a nice dress, and fancy heels (a Christmas present – Manolo Blahnik – thanks Kathryn and Scott ❤️). Off we went. Who was overdressed? Me me me. But I didn’t care. I felt great.

In the lobby, prior to the show, a woman started talking to me. She was quite a character. Asked me how old I thought she was. I generously said 73. Quite loudly she informed me that she was 85 and that they come down every winter from Michigan. She kept talking about men-husbands and how you can’t live with them or without them but that she’d keep hers. I felt bad for her husband as he was right there but he certainly must be used to it as he didn’t seem bothered at all by her behaviour.

When we took our seats the lady next to me was chatty. Those who know me know that I am not. (So now tonight I’ve had two chatter bugs.) That’s ok. I can talk if I have to. This second woman comes to this theatre production every year. Has two dogs. Comes for three weeks each year from St. Louis, Missouri. Told me a lot more but you don’t want to hear it.

Now on with the show.

Oh me, oh my.

I’ve been to many community theatre productions over the years, some good and some not so good, but I always try to remember that they’re amateurs who love the theatre and are doing this for the sheer joy of performing. This show was really hard to watch. Enough said. I’m sure you understand. What made it even worse was that my chatty lady next to me was loving it, laughing incessantly, and then staring at me as I wasn’t laughing. Literally every time she laughed she stared at me. I was feeling very self conscious. I didn’t find it funny (oh my what a script) but now felt compelled to laugh to cease her stares. Thank goodness for intermission. Richard and I decided to get some fresh air and didn’t return. I know that’s bad but I’d had enough.

Now for today and why I’m so tired.

Richard went to Mobile to search for records at a record store there. I had him drop me off at Tanger Outlet Mall and spent six hours shopping. What a day. Spent my first two hours at T. J. Max. Nice clothes and great prices. Lots of designer clothes too. Bought a few things. Great start to the day. This is a huge outlet mall. I did a lot of walking. Visited quite a few stores. I spent a great deal of time in the Kate Spade store. How could I not. 70% off with an additional 20% off on top of that. I did well. By the time Richard came back I was toast. Maybe go back again near the end of March. We’ll see.

Off to Sunliner Diner for Fish & Chips and then home.

Doesn’t it always feel wonderful to get into your comfy clothes? Such a feeling of utter relaxation. Ahhhhhhh. Now for some tea and TV. 🥰

Nite y’all 😴

(Leftovers – Millie Jackson)

I imagine you’re scratching your head regarding today’s title. I don’t blame you one little bit. I know it sounds bizarre. We’re going to the theatre tonight (thanks Richard) and since we have a freezer full of leftovers we decided to have an easy supper tonight to give me lots of time to get ready. Works for me.

Typical start to the day: gym = treadmill, Pilates class, and now adding strength training which today was lower body. I keep trying.

Then off to Starbucks for our regular coffee and tea.

For a fun twist to our morning we played mini golf. I haven’t done that since my kids were young. We used to do it every summer in Cavendish or Summerside. I have not improved.

We played Shrimpy’s Mini Golf & Ice Cream (minus the ice cream – can’t ruin the workout).

I started out ok but not a great finish. But fitting for Valentines Day, we tied.

Sunny and cloudy this afternoon but hoping to sit and read on the deck.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. As my Pilates instructor said this morning, “Remember to love yourself.”.

Born This Way – Lady Gaga

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnzx1GOYqp8&feature=share

Beautiful – Christina Aguilera

https://youtu.be/eAfyFTzZDMM

Nite y’all 😴

(Lazy Day – Spanky and Our Gang)

Just like the title says. Is was an overcast day with intermittent showers. Went to the gym but just did treadmill and yoga. Went to the coffee shop Roasted Oak Coffee and Wine Bar at The Lodge Gulf State Park https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/alabama/the-lodge-at-gulf-state-park-a-hilton-hotel-PNSLGHH/index.html and sat on their lovely covered deck listening to the gulf’s crashing waves, drinking coffee/hot chocolate, and reading. Then back home for an afternoon of laziness and reading.

We all need a day like this.

Nite y’all 😴

(Bushwacker- Da Tree Men)

Today was the day to visit Fort Morgan so again I was up early to do my gym workout and a Pilates class.

On the road and off to Fort Morgan.

http://www.fort-morgan.org/

It’s only about a 35 minute drive from where we’re staying. I was absolutely thrilled when we got to the payment booth. The lady said, “So that’s two adults?”. I replied, “Two seniors” as I had read that seniors received a discounted price. She looked at me and said,” Seniors are 65.”. I smiled and responded,”Yes. I’m 65.”. She looked surprised and said she wanted to know my secret. Yay. Made my week. Ha ha Richard. She obviously thought you looked 65. 😊

Again I appreciated bringing an extra sweater. It was windy and chilly so I had on my long sleeved shirt, my fisherman knit turtleneck sweater, and a long wool cardigan. I was finally warm for the walk.

So I told you what I was wearing. Here’s Richard. He’s never seems to be cold.

It was an interesting place but they must work on a low budget. It doesn’t seem as well maintained as the Halifax Citadel.

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax

When we left Fort Morgan a car passed us with a woman hanging out the passenger window and crazily waving her arms. What? Imagine this: the car had a PEI license plate. I wish they’d stopped so we could have found out who they were and where they were from. Doesn’t that sound like an Islander?

Time for lunch so we stopped at a quirky spot called Tacky Jacks.

https://www.tackyjacks.com/locations-fm

We had Mexican Garbage (minus the beef).

MEXICAN GARBAGE

When I gave our waitress my order for nachos she said it was enough for two so we decided to share it. Good decision. She was absolutely dead on. It was crazy huge. And it was delicious. Before our meal arrived I decided to be adventurous and ordered a Bushwacker. Our neighbours had mentioned they’d had them last week so I thought why not try one. Here’s why not.

Tacky Jacks Bushwacker: 4 oz cream of coconut, 2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur, 1 oz Bacardi® black rum (151 is best), 1 oz creme de cacao, 4 oz half-and-half vanilla ice cream. Pour all ingredients into a blender with two cups of ice, and blend until mixed.

I only drank a bit of it. It was way too strong for me. I like my wine and the occasional scotch. I’m not a big drinker. This drink really made me appreciate my water and lemon.

On the way home we did aquick stopover at Starbucks and Publix.

Got home around 3:30 and the weather was so beautiful that we sat reading on the deck ’till after 5:00. Even though it was only 17C I could sit out in my bathing suit. Sweet. Love it.

What a great day!

Nite y’all 😴