(Nothing But Blue Skies – Jackie Wilson)

Went to another yoga class this morning. It was titled ‘Beginning Yoga’ but I think beginners would have had a difficult time as the postures flowed from one to the next with no explanation. I enjoyed the class. The instructor was probably in her eighties. Quite flamboyant. Was a dancer. And played fabulous instrumental music including Nessun Dorma, O Mio Babbino Caro, selections from Swan Lake, and Time to Say Goodbye.

Here’s the fitness centre’s weekly schedule if you want to see the numerous classes that they offer.

What an amazing variety.

While I was at yoga Richard went to a local flea market as they had advertised a record booth and he deals in old 45’s records. He stayed there about ten minutes. Said they were in terrible condition. I’m sure he’ll find some somewhere during this trip.

On the way home, around noon, we stopped and had a lovely walk along the public beach here in Gulf Shores. Lovely white sand but when we looked more closely we saw it had lots of broken shells in it so might be a little rough on bare feet. We were wearing shorts and hoodies but saw others in winter jackets and hats. What’s warm to some is obviously cold to others.

One thing we’ve noticed is we don’t see any bugs. When we’re on the deck no crawling or flying bugs. I like it. I imagine it’s just because of the time of year. But I’ll take it.

We’re lucky our deck is out of our neighbours’ view as Richard decided today to enjoy the sun ‘au naturel’ if you get my drift. I, on the other hand, did not.

Sleep on that. 😉

Nite y’all😴

(Food on the Table – Alabama)

(Catfish Song – Townes Van Zandt)

I’ve decided a goal for this trip will be to make one southern recipe a week. I’ve been google searching and looking through magazines and have begun compiling a list. If any of y’all 😉 have recipe suggestions I’m all ears. But more on this later.

Today was a bit cooler, 15 degrees but stronger winds. No sitting on the deck for me. I like it warmer. The first stop this morning was the post office. Richard went in to send some mail and I checked for mail. What? We got mail? Yup. Junk mail. While there I received my first (and I’m sure not my last) Evangelical conversation if you call a mostly one way dialogue a conversation. She explained to me how God had rewarded her. She had given up her place in the line to an older woman. Then when she was waiting back in the line a postal worker approached her and took her out of the line to go and get her pkg for her. Thus her reward. She then continued to recount testaments she’d read about people being saved by having hands laid on them. She was so passionate and even had tears in her eyes. It was captivating. I listened intently, nodding and smiling. But not once did she try to sway me to go to her church. That was impressive. I think she was just so filled with joy she had to share and I am a good listener.

Off to the library and then we headed to the gym. Yes indeed, I overdid it yesterday. I’ve also learned, after yesterday, not to do two classes back to back. My vinyasa yoga class today was not an easy go. I struggled and I got pretty down on myself. I know yoga is all about listening to your own body and doing what’s right for your body but I wasn’t happy with my body today. 😩 I need to get over that. Maybe someday.

Off to our grocery store and then Walmart where I bought a bicycle (hmm what was I saying about not overdoing it?) at a really good price $79. I enjoy biking and we have such a lovely flat road that also has a bike lane so why not. I’ll get exercise, enjoyment, and sun. Lovely while I’m here and then hopefully sell it before we leave. 🤞Oh. And a Richard had sushi for lunch. His first ever. He said, “It’s not bad.” That’s a good start.

Southern Meal #1

So now for my first southern meal:

Blackened Catfish with a Cilantro-Lime Butter on a bed of Sautéed Turnip Greens and Cornbread.

I have to admit I was a little leery about the greens but we bought the turnip greens anyways. Also bought Old Bay Blackened seasoning, 1lb fresh catfish fillets (on sale $6.99 a lb. super), and, shame on me, a pkg. of cornbread mix. The mix was a mistake. Worst cornbread I ever made. I just didn’t want to buy all the ingredients and have them leftover. So that’s a good reinforcement for me. Making from scratch is always best. When I started cooking dinner I realized that what they had in the store’s turnip greens section was labeled kale on the twist tie. Oh well. Onward and upward. Other than the cornbread the meal tasted very good. Richard had thought I’d chosen quite a difficult one for our first home cooked southern meal but agreed that it turned out ok. I’d definitely cook catfish again.I’d definitely cook catfish again and sauté the greens as well.

Nite y’all 😴

(Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Today stated early for me. Up at 6:00 and off to a 7:00 Pilates class and an 8:00 yoga class. Hips were sore by the end. Maybe I did too much?

I spent the rest of this beautiful morning (22 degrees but felt much hotter) on the deck again. The sound of the surf is music to my ears.

This afternoon we decided to do some local exploring. We’re on West Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, so we drove down the road and continued on East Beach Blvd.

First we stopped at the Gulf State Park and went to the Beach Pavilion but the main building wasn’t open. (We’ve noticed a lot of places here say open March 1st.) The building itself is a unique design.

https://www.alapark.com/gulf-state-park

https://www.alapark.com/Gulf-State-Park-Beach-Pavilion

Then off to the Fishing and Education Pier.

https://www.alapark.com/Gulf-State-Park-Fishing-and-Education-Pier

Like most attractions, PEI friends you can relate to this, there’s a fee. $3, $4, or $9 depending on how long you want to go on the pier. It was a nice walk and we got to see pelicans up close and personal.

Lots of people were fishing off the pier thus all the pelicans hanging around. A few fishers threw their catch to the pelicans. That was cool ’cause we got to observe this and see the pelicans swallowing the fish. You could actually see the whole fish in the pouch as they were trying to swallow. Quite interesting.

Pictures we saw of the pier on its website make it appear that the pier is much longer than it actually is. That was disappointing. But still a nice walk and beautiful vistas.

I’m glad I wore a sweater. It was windy and I’ve noticed that the temperature quickly lowers late in the afternoon.

What a great day!

Nite y’all 😴

(The Uninvited Guest – Marillion)

Our first visitor. What a beauty!

Typical day: gym (tried a vinyasa yoga class and will definitely go back), Starbucks, and sunning on the deck with tea and a book. Not too shabby.

Contrast and compare. This is a picture taken yesterday of my house in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Pretty but Brrrrr.

This is where I am now. Pretty and warm.

I made the right decision.

Nite y’all. 😴

(What a Difference a Day Makes – Dinah Washington)

Saturday

Saturday, was a cool one. As I was driving to my Pilates class (which, by the way, was an excellent workout) I couldn’t help but notice people out walking in their long pants, jackets, and winter hats. A chilly 6 degrees. (It was also my first day out driving by myself. Yay me!)

In the afternoon we went on a thrift shop tour. We were hoping to find some cheap lawn chairs that we could use on the beach but no luck. As we’d be leaving them here we don’t want to pay much and since we were already out we decided to stop for an early supper. Ate at Long Horn Steakhouse. I’d never had a Texas Onion before so that was our appetizer. It tasted good but we were disappointed that the onion had already been broken into pieces. This is what we expected. The picture below is how we got it. Tasted good but certainly not the same visual effect. What do you think?

Back home and did a late afternoon beach walk and by the end of the walk my bare feet were way past chilly. Brrrrr. Watched Netflix under a blanket.

Sunday

Fantastic dayEven though it was only 18 degrees Celsius I sat on the deck with my tea and a book this morning and half the afternoon. ☀️ Got a tan and even a bit of red in my cheeks. Sorry PEI friends. I hear you’re not so lucky. ❄️😩

Had a warm and inviting beach walk today. Love seeing the herons and the pelicans.

Everyday is an adventure.

Nite y’all😴

(Red Red Wine – Neil Diamond)

Saw this wine in a grocery store. Made me laugh so I wanted to share it with you.

And no. I didn’t buy it. 🥴. Looked a bit too bizarre.

Got a gym membership so was off to the gym at 6:30 this morning. Did some cardio, some upper body, and a yoga class. Not bad at all.

Exciting news.🎆 At least for me. Apple TV remote arrived today. Insert happy dance here. 💃 Super excited. Have it all set up and ready for Netflix tonight. I made sure I connected my iPhone and iPad remote apps so I can be covered in the event of a similar occurrence. Learning from my mistakes.

Then mostly a lazy day. Did a little laundry and swiffered the floor. I couldn’t find any swiffer cloths so I improvised by putting a clean rag I found onto the swiffer – it did the trick. The rest of the day I enjoyed our breathtaking view of sun, white beach, and white caps 🌊 while sitting and reading my library book.

Doesn’t get much better than this.

Nite y’all 😴

(What a Day This Has Been (Almost Like Being in Love) – Nat King Cole)

Interesting day.

Fantastic beginning. Had a beautiful walk on the beach.

Then

Back to the Apple TV remote saga.

After trying many strategies last night; downloading the phone app (didn’t work) and trying to order online (didn’t work) all the while messaging with Jared about mailing mine to me and with Scott about possible options, I went to bed with no final solution. So this morning we started again. Jared talked online to Best Buy and they said they had them at their store in Spanish Fort, about an hour away from where we are.

So off we went to Best Buy. Yay. Nope. Not yay. We got there and the employee who waited on us couldn’t find any. Go figure. So an hour drive there plus an hour back and no remote. Best Buy you have a very dissatisfied customer.

But every cloud has a silver lining (but not a silver remote lol). We decided to go to a few stores we didn’t recognize. The first was “World Market”, quite an eclectic store. Richard was pleased. He found his favourite tea, Yorkshire Gold, in a metal tea caddy as well as his favourite mince pies. We also bought a few other things including Christmas treats at 50% off. I do love a deal.

A little look around “The Dollar Tree”, then Starbucks where a Richard talked to two men from Quebec (when you’re ‘away’ and you see a car from Canada you naturally talk to them), and then back home. Before arriving we stopped into the Welcome Centre in Gulf Shores where I took today’s title picture (Richard’s idea) and left with a bag of brochures.

Back home and returned to the remote debacle.

Jared researched ways to get it sent to me and Scott offered to order me one and sent to me. That was the final solution and fingers crossed it arrives. Thanks so much guys for all your patience and assistance.

After all that another beach walk was the best medicine.

And that’s the drama for today.

Nite y’all 😴

(On a Day Like Today – Bryan Adams )

First full day here.

I was up at 5:00 am. Couldn’t sleep. Excited I guess. Made tea. Finished organizing things in the kitchen. Set up the Apple TV but I’m so cross at myself. I forgot to bring the remote. Good one Debi.

Richard was the first one to go for a walk on the beach and put his feet in the gulf waters.

So off to the town we go with our list of to do’s: post office, library, fitness centre, Starbucks, and groceries.

We rented a post office box. Now I can order a remote for the Apple TV. Fantastic!

Next was the library. Got our library cards and checked out some books. Ready to read in the sun. But not today. Raining and foggy again. 🌧🌫 But the man at the post office said they don’t usually have much fog. Thank goodness.

Took a tour of the fitness centre. We thought it was a worth while price:$95 a month for a non resident couple. Has a pool, racketball court, walking track, exercise room with weights and cardio equipment, saunas, and a variety of exercise classes including yoga. We went into the exercise looked around. It was full of old people. Now I realize that, yes, I am old. But I mean they were OLD. Much older than me. I’m not used to that. A little unnerving. So we decided we’d join and went to the reception desk. She wouldn’t let us join! Alabama state law. Bahahahaha. Only those legally married can get the couples rate. Really? Think they need to join the 21st century. She’d sell us two singles which would be almost double the price of the couples membership but by then we were quite irritated so we said thanks but no thanks.

Since we didn’t like the Piggly Wiggly yesterday we decided to try Walmart. What a zoo! It was so crowded you couldn’t even turn around. We did not enjoy this experience. We need to find our grocery store. Am I weird or do others feel this way?

Off to a fav spot, Starbucks. Not the best one as it’s a tiny one in Target but better than nothing. I had my usual Matcha Green Tea Latte with coconut milk, no syrup, one honey and extra hot. Thanks to my daughter Kathryn for introducing me to this. Love it.

Driving by a Publix grocery store we decided to go in and take a look around. Think we’ve found it. Hip hip hooray. Felt at home there. I may be strange but these things are important.

Back home, put away groceries, and have a cup of green tea.

Now for a walk on the beach. Oh my. Heaven. Huge waves, moderate temperature, and light breeze. How soothing to wiggle my toes in the sand and water, listen to the crashing waves, and breathe the salt air. What more could a girl ask for. Well this girl would like some sun but I’m sure that will come. (Sorry PEI that you’ve got snow.)

So far I’m really loving this home away from home.

Off to order the remote online. 👍

Nite all😴

We’re here!

For three months anyway.

The house is lovely. We’re really right on the beach. The only sad part is we arrived in fog. Boo Hoo. I’m sure tomorrow will be brighter. On the plus side it was 24 degrees Celsius. Sweet. I’ll post more pics soon but I have these for now. I took these from our back deck. Not the greatest photos but you can see how close we are to the beach. Unbelievable. I’m so happy.

Arriving on New Years Day we weren’t sure if anything would be open so we stopped for a few groceries at the first grocery store-Piggly Wiggly. It’s an ok grocery store but we won’t be shopping there again. There wasn’t a great variety and no organic section or gluten free products. I’m sure somewhere must carry them. I particularly want to find kombucha. I’ve been missing it.

I leave you with a a New Years blessing we received from an older man from Ohio who we met this morning at breakfast.

“May the most you wish for be the very least you receive.”

Nite all 😴

(Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Just had to share this.

Plus my playlist for the car.

Woo Hoo