Florida

Last Tuesday, we took a little ride to Florida to visit the Naval Air Museum.  It was a bit foggy/overcast when we headed out, but turned out to a very nice sunny day.

The following are some of the pictures we took.  We have not been there in quite some time and a new building was added.  Enjoyed the day.

Nixon out, Ford in:

The Blue Angel pilots were not there yet.  Will becoming in a few weeks.  Still are doing there winter training in California.

The following are some of the goofy pics with us in them.

Afterwards, we went to the Pensacola Lighthouse.  We did not go up it, because it is 177 steps to the top.  That is a little too many steps for me with my knee.  We went down to the beach.  Across the bay, you can see Fort Pickens; and that is where we camped two years ago.

On Wednesday, we went on a nature walk with the state park naturalist on one of the trails.  We saw some baby alligators.  I don't have a picture because they were across a tiny pond and we used binoculars.

In the distance, you can see the campground. We are at the highest point in this area. The salt water from the two hurricanes came just up to this area. The salt water is what killed all the trees and then they had a fire which took care of the rest.  It is beginning to re-grow again.

This orange plant smells just awful!!

This bush is Jasmine and it smells wonderful.

The Weekend

A note:  The keyboard that I have blue tooth to my tablet does not have an apostrophe.  So please excuse my punctuation on the blog.

It was a very nice sunny warm weekend.  Friday night we ate at a place called Lulu.  It is run by Jimmy Buffett s sister Lucy.  He called her Lulu.  It is on the inter coastal waterway. We saw 2 barges outside our window while eating. It was a little cool that night on their deck but they had the heater on which was nice. A big marina is next to it.  The place is surrounded by sand, outdoor places to get a snack or a drink, arcade, etc.

One of the barges

Carl in the arcade. He won 5 little pieces of candy.

We did not do much on Saturday.  Went over to Orange Beach to  Al s to  pick up a few things. Carl got a bird feeder and seed and a plastic flamingo to up at the campsite. Later we took a walk around the park near sunset.

As we were coming into the park that night we cross over the bobcat trail and a bobcat actually came out and crossed right in front of the car and stopped and stared at us.

They now have rustic campsites in the park. They give you a hook for a lantern and a fire pit. There is a little creek behind those sites and the alligator warning.

Sunday we went to church  at Worship on the Beach.  It is church held at the Flora-Bama bar.  It is a regular church with the regular meetings a church would have and membership.  It was so crowded.  They were making food you could eat during the service and handing out water.  After the sermon we went down to the gulf where a couple were being baptized.  I took a couple of pics but could not get any closer or I would be in the water myself.

Also, I took a couple of pics of the outside and inside of this place.  The big white tent is where the service was held and children went to the 3rd. floor.

Today is Monday and it rained this morning.  This afternoon it is overcast; however it is quite pleasant out.  Forecast for the week looks like rain everyday and no sun until the weekend with temps in the 70s during the day and 60s at night.

Beach and Pier

It has been nice down here since we arrived; however, the days have been especially foggy in the mornings and later afternoons. The first day we down to check the beach it was a little cool and overcast as the following pics show.

Gulf State Park Beach

Our lone car late afternoon

Some of the tops of the taller condos were in the sky most of the day.

Yesterday we took a tour of the pier with the state park naturalist.  We heard a lot of facts about the pier, the fish, and the area.

One thing we found out that the sand bars which are constantly moving is where the sharks like to be.  It is easier for them to get the fish.  So, it is not a good idea to swim out to the sand bars. Also, that is the area where most of the shells are especially the larger ones.  But, they usually get broken up by the waves and do not make it to shore.

This pier was rebuilt in its new spot after the hurricane and now built to withstand hurricanes.  They can remove all the wooden deck and store them and then put them back.  There is cement down the side and the middle.  They built it longer and is now longest on the gulf.

People on the beach by the pier

Looking toward the condos 

At the end of the pier sat the brown pelicans

Walking back

The temp stayed 70 all night.  Then, this morning it began to drop with a rain storm and wind.  Wind has stayed  with temp about 60 and some sun, so feels colder.  Going to get below 32 tonight and cooler for the next few days. 

Today was a cleaning day.  Since the weather was so bad when we left, the floors needed vacuuming and mopping.  It needed dusting and putting things were they should be.

Gulf Shores State Park

We left for Alabama last Thursday with a little snow coming down.  The car and the motor home was covered with slush and salt.  The roads were pretty clear by Indianapolis. Tennessee had more snow than Kentucky.  The campground that we stayed in at Cullman, AL was full of snow from that last storm that went through there. The first night we stayed in a motel because of the freezing temps.  The slides on the coach were frozen closed.

The following are pics of our car, bikes on the back, and the motor home at the Alabama Welcome center.  Also, at the center is the rocket ship  because the Huntsville Space Center.

The following pics are of our campsite.  We have not set up anything yet.  There is a trail next to us to an overlook of the Middle Lake.

This morning again was foggy. Yesterday it was foggy all day traveling to Gulf Shores.

This pic is looking down the road we are camping on.  This road is about 2 miles long with loops for other campsites shooting off it.  This is a large campground for a state park with full hook-ups and 50 amp. 

This is Jasper all wrapped up in his bed on the couch as we traveled to keep warm in the back.  The first day we left it was so cold he stayed on my lap the entire time. When the sun came out it warmed up fine. He does not like to ride. He is fine now sleeping, playing and looking out the window.

We will be putting stuff away inside and straighten things out for the next few days.  Was so terribly cold when we tried to pack and with the slides being frozen; just put things wherever.  The car is also loaded with stuff that should have been in the bags. 

Will write again later when all settled.  A cold front is coming and will be quite cold right through the weekend; but still better than home.

Starting Out Again Soon

We hope to get out of here next week (2/26) if the weather cooperates.  We will be heading for the month of March or a little longer to Gulf Shores, AL.

Will be typing the posts from my tablet,  so hope it will work out ok!

Last Blog from This Vacation

I will not fight this Internet any longer.  Uploaded pictures the other day and then they wouldn't attach and all was lost.  We are enjoying the good weather and beach at the park and haven't gone into the "city" to try and find better Internet.

Had a great time with Ryan, Becky, Olivia, and Owen.  Enjoyed having fun on the beach with the kids. Miss having Livie here to play in the gulf.  Carl isn't as much fun when it comes to the water.

Went on a dolphin cruise late one afternoon. Mom went along too.  Had a great time and saw a lot of them. 

The other day we toured another fort--Ft. Morgan.  I was surprised at how many oil riggers are out in the gulf and bay there.  While we were there, a tour bus was also.  They were being led on a private tour, so we got to see them shoot a cannon.  This is the fort led by General Farragut where the famous saying:  "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" was said.

Carl and I have ridden every bike trail in the "Backcountry Trail of Orange Beach." They range from 1 mile to 2.75 miles.  However, we would get them from the campground so more miles were added on plus coming back to the campsite.  We did this all on our 20" folding bikes.

It is Sunday morning, and we are getting a thunderstorm.  It is suppose to clear later in the day. Good day to relax and read.  Had enough sun yesterday and a real long bike ride.  Leaving here tomorrow and going up to Foley--only about 10-15 miles--to stay a couple of days.  Hadn't had a chance to go up there yet--didn't want to leave the beautiful weather and the beach.  They have a great outlet mall, a big pottery store, and Lambert's "Throw the rolls" restaurant.  Also, want to take a side trip up to Fairhope.  Then we should be headed home by the end of next week.

P.S. Mom is doing fine.  Just a little swelling in her feet at times now, but she back to doing her jigsaw puzzles.

Rain Day with Strong Wind

Today we had rain since we got up.  Late afternoon the rain stopped and the wind began and gusted at times. You can see just a bit of a trailer in the top left corner of the pic out the motor home window.  That trailer has lost his awning due to the wind gusts.  This is the first day since we left that we had a day like this.

 

Yesterday we spend the day on the beach with Ryan and family at his condo.  Below is lovely Livie.

 

 Ryan and Owen digging a hole in the sand.

A pic of the view of the gulf from our chairs under the umbrella.



 

The following 3 photos are in sepia because Olivia was playing with my camera and changed the setting, I didn't notice when I was taking pictures.  I couldn't tell with the glare of the sun.

 

Carl, Ryan, and the kids

 

 

 Does anyone know who this guy is?  I know it is hard to recognize in this photo.  I didn't want to go right up to him and take his picture.

That is Gary Hoogeboom.  He played NFL football as a quarterback. He also was on the TV show the "Survivor."  Carl recognized him.  He was in the condo where Ryan is with his family from Grand Haven.  Later Ryan was in the hot tub with him, but no one went up to him and talked with him. Those guys are real chickens.

 

For Cameron, a guy was kayaking out in the gulf.

Our microwave went out last week.  We went into Home Depot and Carl installed a new one.

 

Tonight we are going to babysit Olivia and Owen.  They are going to stay overnight with us so their folks and meet up with all the other couples they know down for an adult evening at the FloraBama Bar.

Some big news down here today. The Carnival Triumph ship that is down here in Mobil Bay for repairs broke loose with the high winds and made its way across the river and hit another ship for more damage.  A guard shack that had 2 men in it blew into the river and only one has been found so far.