ALABAMA WEEK 8 (PART 2): DAUPHIN ISLAND, AL

We enjoyed another local day trip to Dauphin Island. The drive was about 1 hour 45 minutes South-West from the RV park. You can take your car via fairy boat, but we did not know where the pair was located, so we took the scenic route around the Mobile Bay. You have to cross a large high road-bridge to get over to the island. The island town is about 5 miles long. One end has Fort Gains where the battle of Mobile Bay took place and the other end is a beach that look like it goes on forever. On either side of the island you can see oil drilling stations one after another off the horizon. As we arrived at Dauphin Island beach we saw a hole in the sand that looked like it may have came from a turtle nesting. Then, what we saw next was shocking. After Katrina the sea reseeded and the fishing pier stands alone on the beach. As we walked along the beach I could still see what looked like round balls of oil and even some spots where the oil has left it mark in the sands.  At least the seagulls remain. There was still people walking the beach and even some laying out to catch the sun rays. As we drove to the other side of the island the streets was full of ocean water and there was home after home that looked like no one was living with for sale or rent signs. Or maybe it's still winter and the owners are waiting until summer to return. I collected some sand and three medium size sea shells.

UPDATED NOTE

I'm a few weeks behind on posting to the blog. Rain and windy weather so the internet connection not the greatest on the backside of the RV park. Also, on the days that the weather was nice we get out of the RV and took day trips. I will be making small post highlighting my weeks instead of one large post with two or three weeks of stuff. Trying to keep the blog simple and  easy to follow along. Keep your eyes open in the coming days.

ALABAMA WEEK 8: FAIRHOPE

A small, quite, hidden town about 45 minutes west from Azalea Acres that has one foot in new trends and the other in the good old south. As we drove into the town, it reminded me of  Mayberry, the 1960's TV Andy Griffith Show. Street parking at no cost in front of all the Mama and Pops stores. We arrived around lunch time and ate at the first restaurant we saw, Pelican Patio. Pelican Patio, is located on back street of town next to one of two parking garages. It look like a home that the front porch was closed off for dinning and a patio for outside dinning. The food was good, I had 10 piece HOT wings, while the wife had steak wrap with curly fries. I finished mine, but the steak wrap was too big for the wife, we had to take half of it home. We walked around town, looking at the stores and other restaurants. We found Gumbo Shack. This is where Guy Fieri  the host of Diners, Drive-in and Drives visited to film one of his episodes. We found this restaurant AFTER we just ate, so we just went inside took some pictures and left. Fairhope is not far away, so next time the wife wants to eat at Gumbo Shack. I'm not a Gumbo lover, but I'll eat there with her.

ALABAMA WEEK 7 (Part 2): POTLUCK  and GODADDY.COM BOWL

Another pot luck at the clubhouse. This time it was not as full as usual, but still a good turn out. The wife made fried rice. To our surprised someone cooked deer and it was the first time the wife and I ate it. It was pretty good.  

Because of the NFL playoff starting tomorrow, we took a trip to Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL to see the setup of the godaddy.com bowl where Kent State will play it's first bowl game in 40 years. The back gates was open, so I walked in to get some pictures of the field. They still had workers painting the field, but still got some pics. I did not want to push my luck by climbing into the stands to get a better view of the whole field, so I took pictures from field level. I will watch the game like most everyone else, on ESPN on Sunday night 8:00 pm (est). I will watch the game in the clubhouse and will wear my school colors with pride. I AM, KENT STATE!

ALABAMA WEEK 7: HAPPY NEW YEAR

The RV Park brought in the New Year with a get together that started at 7:00 pm and around 9:30 pm there was only was only three couples still standing. We saw one couple bow out around 11:00 pm and then there was only two. After the clocks struck midnight we closed up the clubhouse and returned to our RV. There was spreed of finger foods, we brought 3 bottles of Welch's sparkling juice. Most people just talked and hanged out, while others played the Wii and card games. We also got a visit from Lulu.

With the ringing in of the New Year, it bring the hope of a better year. I did not make a New Years Resolution, just because most don't last past the 5th of January. However, it's more of a guide to follow. Like most people the number one resolution is to eat better or get in better shape. I have fulfilled this goal last year, until the holidays started. For the first 11 and half months I lost 16 lbs, but after the holiday started I ate all the food I saw at the holiday parties and slacked on exercise, I gained 8 lbs back.  The good news is my New Year weight is less than last January 1st. I have to get back on that horse and keep focused on the main goal.

Like most North Ohio sports fans we kid ourselves in hopping for Cleveland sports to be better than the previous year. The Browns can only get better. Right now we don't even have a GM or head coach. The only direction we can go is up from here and we HAVE to resign Josh Cribbs. Our record .. is another story, the Browns played better than their 5-11 record. Now, for the Indians. Manny Acta should not have gotten fired as head coach, the 25 man roster should have been fired. The players are the ones that went from 3 1/2 games out at the all star break to the second worst record in the American League.  The one good thing that came out of that is the Tribe will once again have a high draft pick (get pitching). With Terry Francona as the new skipper, he has a proven track record that he can manage a team to a World Series Champions. The Tribe released (in my opinion) some of it's over rated players (Hafner and Sizemore) and under performers (Hannahan and Kotchman). The team has been aggressive in the off season signing free agents (Swisher and Reynolds) and have another month and half before spring training starts to sign some starting pitchers. As for the Cavs, it looks like another lottery pick in our future. With my love of Cleveland Sports I have never seen a World Championship in my life time. Indians was close in 95 and 97. Browns in the 80's (if not for John Elway). Cavs in the 80's (if not for Michael Jordan) and the close, but no cigar for the "King James" era. I look at Kent State as good thinks to come for North Ohio sports. In 2012 The baseball team made it to their first ever College World Series, in football they made it to a bowl game for the first time in 40 years and in basketball they are among the top of the leader board in the MAC once again (behind Akron<another North Ohio school>). I will remain a die hard Cleveland Sports fan for life, and here is in hopping I see my first Championship arrives to North Ohio in 2013.


We took our first road trip of the year to Destin Florida. It's about two hour drive from the the RV park. We just wanted to get out and do something, since the last couple of weeks we had bad weather and was stuck in the RV. Destin is a huge tourist attractions that has fishing, water park (was not open), go-carts, mini golf, large hotels and shopping centers. We walked around the shopping centers and treated ourselves to hot brownie and ice cream at Destin Hard Rock Cafe. All-in-all it was a nice day (little over cast mid 60's) just to get out and enjoy the day together before the weather is in the low 50's tomorrow.