We are back in Gulf Shores Alabama!
Last winter we left 4 inches of ice in Terre Haute IN, to find a warmer climate and Gulf Shores won the bingo card locale game. I was checking availability in various places and called to Bruce from my sewing closet saying,
“Hey Honey, Gulf Shores has…”
Before I could finish he said,
“Book it”
So I did and we came. 3 days after we arrived it snowed, first time in decades. We were accused (of course) of bringing it with us from the Midwest. Bruce was in shorts on Sunday, and sweats on Tuesday. It was disheartening. On Friday he was standing in line to refill a propane tank. Everyone at every campsite ran out, and the stores weren’t stocked up well enough till then. I chuckled because most of the men waiting, were wearing Skechers Slip In shoes. The official shoe of men over age 60!
We took a trip to Florida’s “Forgotten Coast” on our way to the Shores. Carabelle and Appalachicola specifically. We love any place along water. Beaches, rivers, and lakes all win big when traveling, especially if a view is available!
When mentioning to people in Florida that we were going to Carabelle we inevitably heard,
“Where is that?”
As a native Californian it was puzzling to me that people didn’t know this part of their state. CA is a huge state, not unlike FL. And while I haven’t been to every place in it, I’m familiar with most of the main areas and a few of the remote ones. They call this “The Forgotten Coast” for a reason. I’d say it’s simply unknown, especially to Florida natives. It’s directly south of Tallahassee by about 60 miles.
Different than Tybee, not a summer destination for Floridians so much as a fishing area for sportsmen. And a retirement area for out of state folks. Quiet, uninhabited, remote (not a big grocery store anywhere and it was 40 miles to find dog food), it’s lovely. We met people who had moved there from the north east and Midwest that loved it for its quiet beach life. And if the big storm from the Midwest hadn’t hit, sending 20 degree temps to us, we would have been outdoors a whole lot more!
We took Saturday to visit Appalachicola, up the cost from Carabelle. Both are historic towns (isn’t everything in the south?), but Appalachacola has a bit more to it. Some shopping, a farmer’s market and an unexpected BBQ competition that we stumbled into.
Apparently BBQ competitions in FL are big. South Carolina and Georgia were present and even a Texas outfit, where Brisket is king. The smells were intoxicating! At 2pm they were offering a tasting event for $5, but we were cold and didn’t stay the course.
Benji was in heaven…
The farmer’s market charmed me. Art, cards, a cutting board from scraps, earrings, and some pecan brittle…
And to top it all off a coffee roaster who moved down from Georgia, just to live there with his family and start his business! (No pic). Carabelle is a place we’d visit again, but probably in November or March when the weather is nicer. Best part?
Dogs can be on the beach!
Now we’re back in Gulf Shores. Bruce wouldn’t stay in our former campground, too much PTSD from last year’s fire. And the camp we wanted was booked, so we’re in one that sells its lots to snowbirds, or even permanent residents. It’ll do for the month. March 1 it’s off to New Orleans for 2 weeks! A girlfriend from AZ is meeting us there to see the town, can’t wait.
Haircut, shopping, ortho doc (my hands), work for Bruce, and the group of quilters I met last year are all available to us here. It’s not crowded and there are fabulous restaurants. We sampled too many of them last year while we were in temp digs. Not as warm as Florida below Orlando, but less crazy, crowded and definitely not as cold as the Midwest. We had a couple of nights when the water froze, but by noon it was running again. There’s even a church to visit that suits.
I think it’s going to become our winter abode…
For this year, it’s simply a nice landing place to avoid the ice and snow of the Midwest and catch up with folks we enjoy. Travels are planned for our route home to Indiana for the summer. New Orleans, Natchtoches LA, Fort Smith AR, Pawhuska OK (The Pioneer Woman’s town), Lee Summit MO, Hannibal MO, and Archbold OH (the place we were stranded last year with truck issues). Friends from Detroit are coming by this weekend, yay! Hopefully it warms a bit.
In the meantime life continues to be lived and experienced. More retirement conversations going on, and summer plans are developing. Maybe even a 70th birthday party for the main guy!
Happy February!
Leave a Reply