Tuesday, January 31, 2017

A most excellent day......


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama
 
All pics today were taken with my phone. 

A warm overnight last night left us with a warm start to the day today. It just kept getting better from there as temps soared into the 70's today. Brilliant blue skies and warm sunshine, a light breeze added to make it just about as perfect as we could wish a day to be. 

Clock Tower and Fountain at Visitor's Center

Usually I read or browse the net when I wake up around 6 am, but this morning I dressed and made myself presentable, ambled my way up to the clubhouse to have a chat with a few folks there. Roy, Ed, Neil, and Vern. It was a mix of Roy, Ed and I for a bit, then Vern came along, Roy left, and Neil showed up, Vern left, then I left. So Ed was the only constant. ~laugh~ I straggled home a little after 7:30 am to find Miss Riley up and about. 

This Camellia is called Margaret Davis

We decided to head out and pick up a few groceries that we needed. So off to Wally's World in downtown Foley to get the above mentioned things, from there we went looking for a haircut, noticing a Super Cuts almost directly across the road we had to go past and turn around. We managed a quick unexpected stop before the hair cut, the stop was right next door to the Super Cuts,  but more on that at another time. I had a trim, Riley had a cut, she seems pretty happy with it, but I think she should have gotten a bit more taken off the front, she'll be complaining it's in her eyes before long, which was the reason to have it cut as it's in her eyes. ~laugh~  

This Camellia is called Spring Mist

From there we headed back to the Junction of US 59 and US 98, which is close to home here at the park. We stopped at the Visitor's center for a quick peek and found a map of some walking routes but in the town which can be quite busy at times. We'd like something with less exhaust fumes and noise if we can find it. 

Not quite ready to open but getting close, the whole bush was loaded with these buds.

We did however check out a few of the side streets which were somewhat quieter and had less fumes as well. It was only about a half hour walk but it was better than not walking. The flower pics in the post are all from our downtown walk, they are ALL camellia's, just different varieties. They also bloom in the wild here along the roadways, mostly in the light pink colour but there are others as well. 

I think might be my favourite one.

Our walk started at the Clock Tower, we toured a couple of blocks before crossing on the Pedestrian Walkway above US 59, and heading off into some backstreets on the opposite side of the road. 

This bush was almost finished blooming.

From there is was back to the Igloo. Riley put away the groceries while I cleaned out the inside of the Dogsled, it was getting a bit ugly. ~laugh~ It was just a quick clean but we'll once again be able to put our feet on the floor and see out the windows. ~laugh~ 

There were many bushes like this in yards along our walk. This one was right next to the sidewalk.

After such a taxing task it was time for lunch. Of course I grabbed my garden salad, book, cap and headed outside to sit in the sun. Riley even came out and sat in the sun. We were very lazy, and sat in the sun reading all afternoon. I tipped my chair back against the Igloo and just soaked up the rays. It was truly a marvelous day!!!

This is the Pedestrian Walkway that crosses over top of US 59.

About 4:30 pm I finally came inside as it was getting cool outside but I think perhaps I was just cold from having had so much sun. I put on some long pants, and a shirt to help keep my warm. Prepped dinner, did some internet research, checked facebook and read a bit more. 

This was taken facing north. US 59 below us heading out of town toward I-10 a ways up the road.

Shortly after 6: 15 pm I headed out to start dinner on the BBQ. I have it all worked out, I open up the side cubbie, turn on the light, that along with the outside lights on the Igloo gives me enough light to cook with. I place my chair right beside the cubbie to get light on my book to read between turning things on the grill. Miss Pat (from Roy and Pat) made fun of me reading by a night light she called it. ~laugh~ I explained I was actually cooking dinner, not just sitting outside in the dark reading. ~laugh~ 

Tonight's dinner was good!!!

Around 7:30 pm I brought dinner inside and we enjoyed a nice meal of Dill Potatoes with onions, Italian Garlic Veggies and chicken breast smothered with a new smokey bourbon flavour BBQ sauce. It was pretty good!!

Clean up inside and out, walk to the dumpster and played a game of Yahtzee. I won, I won....

Now it's time to head off to do our own thing, Riley to her room, me to mine. 

There you have it, that was our day. We enjoyed it a great deal!!! Tomorrow we have plans to head back into Pensacola. I think we'll be heading into Pensacola a few days this week to do some sight seeing. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe...take care....

Monday, January 30, 2017

Animals, birds, sun, warmth....a full day...


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

A cool night again last night but today was fantastic, sunny, warm and the skies were so blue, with nary a cloud to be seen anywhere. Once the sun came up and started to heat up the air, it just kept getting nicer and nicer. A truly wonderful day. 

Casey the Goffin Cockatoo spoke a few words. 

Monday of course is cleaning day, today being Monday, can you guess what we did first thing? ~laugh~ I'm betting you can! After a pretty thorough cleaning we managed to have ourselves some breakfast, much later than usual today, it's was 9 am by the time we were eating. Riley slept late today, until 8 am, but I had my bedroom and the main bath already cleaned by then, and was working on the kitchen, living room, as well as feeding the cat by the time she woke up.

Ugly duckling has a whole new meaning now, huh? ~laugh~ Muscovy Duck.

We headed out to find the zoo this morning and a place to walk. We managed to find the zoo after a bit of zig zagging around in Gulf Shores. It's down a little back street with NO signage to tell you it's a zoo. It doesn't look like a zoo either. However we managed to find it, and for $11 each we wandered around for a while. Lots of big cats, with several sets of Bengal Tigers, Serval Cats, Lions, parrots, cockatoo's, toucans, and Monkeys of many kinds. Tortoises, swans, ducks, geese, even a Canada Goose with one good leg, one peg leg of sorts with the end of the leg ending in NO FOOT of any kind. It still managed to get around although it stumbled a bit. Capuchin monkeys' seemed to be numerous in the zoo, with a few different cages of them. A few alligators including Chuckie the rescue 'gator. He was bothering people in the state park and instead of putting him down, they shipped him to the zoo. At least 3 sets of Bengal Tigers, including two white ones. A couple of camels, an ostrich, and a few domestic things like goats, sheep, and donkeys. The donkeys didn't like it if they weren't fed and would bray loudly. ~laugh~ Some Fallow Deer as well were running to the fences looking for food. A small aviary with a LOT of parrots, parakeets, cockatoo's and Macaws was interesting but very loud. A couple of different cages with Cockatoo's in them, the birds spoke, it was very cute. Hello, Hey Guys, Hello, Hello, Hey Guys. ~laugh~ They didn't whistle though. ~laugh~ A few kinds of Lemurs rounded out what I can remember seeing today.

Peg Leg Pete the Canada Goose with only ONE foot.

From the Zoo we headed back to the walking path we used the other day. Finding a better parking place we were able to walk further along the trail today. It's a great place to walk, a bit far away but still a great place to stretch our legs and get some exercise.We walked for 30 minutes before turning around to head back to the Dogsled. Felt good to get a couple of walks in the past few days.

This Bengal Tiger paced a lot in a small area. The size of his feet would shock you!!Easily fill a bread plate.

From our walk we headed back toward the Igloo. We were pushing the clock toward 1 pm and were hungry. A quick stop netted us a box of Granola Bars we will leave in the Dogsled, and a rotisserie chicken. Riley enjoyed the chicken while I was happy with a garden salad when we made it home for lunch.

This White-throat Capuchin Monkey was full of energy, up and down the wire on the cage.

From there is was outside for some sunshine while reading, and in my case eating too. Riley didn't stay out long, she thought it was cold with the wind but I thought it was nice. Miss Charlotte (V & C) stopped by for a quick visit and chat. After that we just kind of relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

Grey Crowned Crane.

Prepped dinner, made note that it was 5:30 pm and still daylight outside. The days are getting longer!!!Soon they'll be long enough to sit outside until it's time to BBQ dinner. Can't wait!!!

African Spurred Tortoise, was pretty big, wouldn't fit in the top of a 5 gallon bucket.

Shortly after 6 pm I headed out to BBQ dinner. Not as cold as it has been but the wind was a bit chilly tonight. Dinner was Mild Italian Sausages with Italian Garlic Veggies, and Dill Potatoes with onions. It was very good. The sausages a bit spicy but still good. 

It was pretty good, but the sausages were a bit spicy.

A quick clean up inside and out, a walk to the dumpster, home to work on the pics we took and then write this blog. We took 224 pics, which I've whittled down to 171, some of them are in tonight's post and I'll keep the others for a slow picture day in the future. So all in all an excellent day. No complaints. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe, take care....

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Blustery wind this morning....


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

A cool night outside last night but nice in the Igloo, we leave the heater on and it keeps it from getting too frosty inside. Blue skies today but a cold blustery wind kept the temps down. As the day progressed the wind died down and this evening it's a pretty nice night out there. 

A baby cone compared to those we've been seeing in our travels.

After breakfast we truly didn't have any plans but decided we should find somewhere to actually get a good walk in. We headed out to Gulf Shores to find the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail, which we eventually found after a good deal of looking. Nice trail, hardtop all the way similar to what we had when we walked the Riverwalk in Albany, Ga. The cold wind was in our faces as we returned and I was wishing I'd have brought my gloves, my hands were aching by the time we got back to the Dogsled. 

This thing is longer than Riley's hand!


On the way to find this walking path we toured a few back roads and stopped to take a few pics along the way. Some interesting sights if you keep your eyes open. Some monster type trucks down here and a few of them are pretty big with tires bigger than me. ~laugh~ 


I think the little car underneath might not be worth fixing. ~laugh~

We have been looking for a specific store called the House of Jerky and today we found it, it was closed. ~laugh~ No hours posted so we have no idea when it's open but perhaps we'll try again some times this week, if we happen back this way to walk again. 

Part of the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail.

We stopped at Books A Million to see about an Ereader, but they don't have any, they suggested Target. Now honestly how could a book store suggest we go somewhere else to get a 'book'? We've tried a number of places here and none seem to be available. We'll be heading back into Pensacola this week, we'll hit the Best Buy there. A quick stop at the Dollar Tree, and another at Target, but as you've surmised from the above line, they didn't have any either. The Dollar Store wasn't for an Ereader. ~laugh~ It was to get some window wipes as I'm all out of them and they are great for mirrors, windows and chrome. From there we headed home and managed to be back just before 1 pm. 

The Canal that runs between Foley and Gulf Shores.

Too cold to eat lunch outside today but we had the big door for a bit, until the wind started picking up again, then time to shut it. Riley laid down about 2:30 pm and had herself an hour's nap, and I conked out around 3 for a half hour nap. I awoke to a knocking on the door, Miss Charlotte of Vern and Charlotte along with Miss Norma was here to tell us they would be at CiCi's pizza place at 4:30 pm this afternoon for dinner if we would like to join them. I thanked them but declined. It's too early for us for dinner and too late for lunch. ~laugh~ 

One of the tug boats we seen today on the Canal, just sitting on it's day of rest.

Read for a bit, then around 4:30 we started prepping dinner. Read some more until about 6:15 pm, time to start cooking dinner outside on the BBQ. Dill Potatoes with Onions, Sweet Basil-Thyme Garlic Veggies, and Turkey burgers. I had an English muffin with mine, Riley had regular burger buns. It was pretty good, not as cold outside cooking as I thought, it's seems to be warming up now that the wind died down. 

Palm trees line the driveway leaving The Wharf.

As I was outside cooking dinner, Sue next door stopped by to thank me for telling them about the outdoor speakers being on. I assured her I wasn't complaining but thought for certain they didn't know which she of course explained was due to some grandkids playing music at some point before and they hadn't realized they were still on. ~laugh~ 

Turkey burgers tonight....

Clean up after dinner, and a walk up to the dumpster, then a stop at the clubhouse to thank Vern & Charlotte again for the dinner invitation. Home by 8:15 pm and off to do our own thing after that. 

A Happy Birthday goes out to two of my cousins, Bob Kay and his sister Ruth Kay who both celebrate a birthday today. Happy Birthday to both of them!!!

All in all, a good day, no complaints. Hope tomorrow is nicer temperature wise and we can get another walk in. We've been missing those. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time..be safe...take care....

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Cold day here.....


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

Little wind but still cold today, overcast, a blah kind of day. We didn't see the sun today at all and a few times I thought it was going to rain but it seemed to pass without a drop falling. A short post today.

Breakfast was pancakes this morning, we spent some time cleaning up, doing dishes and just kind of figuring out what to do with ourselves today. 

About 10:30 am or so we headed out in the Dogsled to do a bit of a shop and just to get out. We crossed over US59 South into the Old Time Pottery parking lot and once again toured inside the big store. A few purchases today included some yarn for Miss Riley, as she's enjoying knitting a scarf for herself with this fancy yarn. 
 
I'm not sure why the crock pot needs to be camouflage but here it is....

From there we headed north to the Big Lots store where we just kind of wandered around looking at all the things they had but didn't buy anything. We couldn't really find anything we needed. Across the parking lot to Lowe's and once again toured but found nothing we needed. From there we headed to Wally's World for some groceries. Riley's choice of a rotisserie chicken was of course important on the list, we added a few other things as well. 

Home from Walmart, we unpacked the groceries, turned to some lunch. Riley ripped into the chicken while I had a large garden salad. We watched two movies today, the first was Elite Killers with Jason Stathom and Robert DeNiro. It was okay, but a British movie which I think just leaves something out of the big picture. From that movie we watched Fast & Furious 4, great car chases, driving, and some pretty cute eye candy as well. ~laugh~ 

I like this, it comes with netting as well. No room or I might be tempted. ~laugh~

After that I read my book, but wasn't really hungry for dinner, so Riley was happy to have more chicken, and some Rice Pilaf for her dinner. We topped it off with a bowl of ice cream. ~laugh~ 

I cleaned up after dinner while Riley enjoyed her knitting. A call from my dad also brightened up her evening. Today is Riley's birthday. She's 25 today. She received birthday wishes off and on all day on her face book page, a phone call, a text or two, completed her greetings. She's having a great time and seems to be doing amazingly well in just this short period. I'm glad she's travelling with me, it's good for both of us. Happy Birthday to amazing young woman!!

So as you can see, nothing exciting but we got thru the day . ~laugh~ Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time..be safe...take care...

Friday, January 27, 2017

A totally lazy day here....


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

A very cool over night with a cold blustery day today. The wind, along with a lack of sunshine kept the temps in the mid 50F/12.7 C range all day. A few more days of this kind of weather before we hit a spell of nice warm days. Can't wait. ~laugh~ A few hardy souls braved the temps with short sleeves but they were few and far between. Out of the wind of course it wasn't too bad but still needed a heavier sweater. 
 
Not many pics tonight as we didn't do much of anything. 

Road between Row A (on the left) and Row B (on the right) heading toward the front of the park. The yellow truck is at the trailer that is getting the new roof.

We debated about a few things today but in the end just decided to stay home and do things around here, and perhaps I could scratch a couple of things off my to do list. A leisurely breakfast and a bit of reading started my morning off. I had to give breakfast a second try as the first one was aborted with milk that tasted just a bit off. ~laugh~ You know we shopped yesterday right? I didn't get milk. ~laugh~ 
 
I decided I needed to defrost the fridge and freezer as the ice build up in the fridge was starting to spread to most of the fins, instead of just one or two. Two pots of boiling water on the stove, then into the compartments meant the defrost went pretty fast. In about 45 minutes I was finished both top and bottom. We decided on turkey burgers for dinner, so took those out while I was at it.
 
This is the driveway across the street from Bluegrass in a mobile trailer park. We walked it's one road today to get out of the wind but still found it cold.
 
After about an hour I was looking for something to do, I started testing out the new shelf blockers we bought to use in our pantry now that we have sliding shelves. This will stop them from sliding out while we travel. Of course as I tested them I noticed a few things that could stand a tidying up, one shelf lead to another to another. You get the idea. I tidied up the whole pantry. ~laugh~ After that I decided I needed to take a look at the silverware drawer as it wasn't closing properly. Tightened up some screws, added an extra one, voila, it's fixed. Next I had to go outside and get my drill to work on the pan drawer again. Miss Charlotte of Vern and Charlotte was walking by, stopped to chat and ended up coming in for a bit to chatter with both of us. I felt awful about the state of the Igloo, pans all over the countertop, drawer out on the floor, screwdrivers everywhere. ~laugh~ Isn't that always the way, someone stops by when the house is at it's worst. ~laugh~ She filled us in on the local pizza place, and Lambert's the home of the throwed rolls. Yes, throwed and rolls. They throw rolls at you, dinner rolls, if you don't catch 'em it's okay, they'll keep throwing until you do. ~laugh~ 

Working on the pan drawer after Miss Charlotte left I think I may have found the problem, we shall see if my fix continues to hold or if it was just a wishful momentary fix. ~laugh~ I think the slide it's self wasn't straight, that whoever put it in didn't ensure it was level. It is also a bit too small, didn't fit as well as it should, so I added cardboard shim for now to see if that works, but only to the front, when I added one to the back also it seemed to make the drawer bind when moving. If you recall I used a thin piece of wood last time but it was too thick, so I thought the cardboard would at least let me know if it will fix the actual sliding problem. If the cardboard shim continues to work I'll head to the lumber store to get a proper shim, but I don't want to do so until I know it'll work. 

My new sploggers, shiny aren't they?

After that it was time for lunch while we watched a movie called Deep Impact with Morgan Freeman and Robert Duvall, it was pretty good. Oh and the guy that played Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings was also in it. Much younger than he was in LOTR. We both enjoyed the movie but it wasn't one of Morgan Freeman's better ones. 
 
Time to take a quick walk around the park, but it was too cold for us to go far. I know it's not really cold but it is when yesterday was 25 degrees warmer. ~laugh~ We only made about 3 rounds, it was enough. We chatted with Linda, Charlotte, (not Miss Charlotte of Vern and Charlotte), and Brian for a bit then headed inside to get warm. 
 
Riley's new half rubbers. Funky huh?
 
Reading some more, had to lay down for a bit as my hip seems to be having fits today for some reason. Seems better now but earlier it was throbbing like crazy. I'm still trying to get the results of my blood work or at least have them sent to my doctor. Do you recall it was late December I had the blood work done in Albany, Ga. It shouldn't be this difficult to get my own results. Had they told me it would be this much trouble I would have just had them faxed to the dr, but now I'm not sure if they've even done that. I'm trying to find that out.  Anyway, I'm off topic again. My train of thought just wanders around like a drunk in a bad wind storm. ~laugh~ 
 
 
"Sgetti and meatballs with tomatoes and green chilies. Bit spicy but good.

About the time I was thinking I should be doing something about prepping dinner, I realized I just couldn't be outside to BBQ tonight, since my hip was feeling better there was no way I was going outside to stand in the cold while cooking. So we changed our dinner plans and had spaghetti, meatballs and tomatoes with chilies. It was pretty good. We'll do the burgers when it warms up. 

We played one game of Yahtzee, no I didn't win, I lost by 6 points. ~laugh~  We BOTH rolled Yahtzees. ~laugh~ I still think she cheats. 

We've been hearing someones tv for a few hours now, it seems really loud and we've never heard it this loud before. We mostly just ignored it, as it wasn't too bad while we were up and moving about but once things quieted down and we started off in our own directions it seemed to get louder, maybe because the Igloo was quieter. At first I thought it was coming from Roy and Pat's as Roy is very hard of hearing. I donned my shoes, and a hoodie, stepped outside to listen, nope, not coming from Roy and Pat's trailer. Stepped around to the other side where Ed and Sue are living, sure enough, it's coming from there. I stepped closer and realized their outside speakers were on. ~laugh~ We've done that as well without realizing it, we however were lucky we were in the Pit when it happened and no one was around to hear it except maybe Bambi. So I knocked on the door and asked them if they knew the outside speakers were on, of course they didn't and now they've shut them, quiet is all around us once again. ~laugh~ 

So as you can see or have read, it's been a pretty lazy kind of day here but a productive one all the same. We have plans to pick up some milk, cheese and a rotisserie chicken tomorrow. Other than that we shall see. 
 
Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Please feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe, take care.....
 
 
 



Thursday, January 26, 2017

Cooler today....fraud call.....


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

A much warmer night than expected but a cooler day followed. Out of the wind and into the sunshine it was a fantastic day however it wasn't always possible to stay out of the wind and in the sunshine. Know what I mean? ~laugh~ We managed to make it to about 58F/14C by this afternoon but the clouds rolled in periodically so the temps may have been registering at those numbers but it didn't feel like it. However, no complaints, we aren't shovelling anything. ~grin~ 

A holly berry bush and some kind of flowering shrub mixed together here in the park.

 We hung around for a bit after breakfast as we thought we'd go to the train museum in Foley before going grocery shopping but around 9 am, decided we'd do the train museum after groceries and putting them away as the museum doesn't open until 10 am. We went off to Robertsdale Wally World instead of the local one and stopped at the TSC (Tractor Supply Company) on the way. I needed some 'chicken' wire for a project I want to do in the near future. We wandered around the store for a bit, Riley got herself a pair of half rubber boots, and I got myself a pair of sloggers. No half rubber boots are not just one boot, ~laugh~ they are only about mid calf instead of almost to your knee. Sloggers are like ducky boots, but very shiny and a bit more like a shoe. I guess I should show you a pic but then again, I'm lazy and I've already uploaded all of today's pics. ~laugh~  We also managed to find a small roll of wire for me. Leaving there it was a short hop to the Wally World but the Dogsled wasn't feeling like making a left hand turn and so we voomed right on past thru the little town of Robertsdale. On the outskirts of the town we came across a Fred's that I was pretty certain was there from a previous visit.

Isn't this just such a pretty flower?
 
Fred's is a combination pharmacy, dollar store kind of thing but it has a variety of goodies to keep one's attention. We picked up some stuff for my dad that he requested a while ago. We also managed to find some kitty litter for Her Royal Highness. A couple of bottles of shampoo and body wash, some face clothes for us rounded out our big shopping trip at Fred's. 

Holly Berries and see the flower bud beside the berries?

From Fred's it was back to Walmart and some much needed groceries. Riley and I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, it seems as if we are buying them constantly. With a small fridge you can't really stock up plus they don't always keep so well either. Therefore if it seems like we buy groceries often, it's because we do. Paying for the groceries with my debit card was an experience. We've had trouble with the chip readers down here in the US since we've been here but often times if we just swipe instead of inserting the chip they work fine. Tried a number of times to swipe, and/or use the chip, wouldn't work. Same thing with Riley's card. Hmm....I used my card at this same store just a few days ago and it worked fine. They tried keying it in as well, no good. Finally Riley's card worked, no reason, didn't do anything different it just worked. Hm....wonder what that means? 

This is the driveway between Rows B and C. Row B is in the picture. We are further up from the brown trailer.

Home to the Igloo, put away the groceries, decided we were done for the day. ~laugh~ Are we lazy or what? We actually did manage 4 rounds around the park this afternoon though. Not a long walk but still a bit of a walk. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. As we're putting the groceries away my phone dings, and I get a text message from TD Canada Trust (my bank), we think there has been a fraudulent attempt to use your debit card ending in..XXXX, if this is you send yes, if not call...XXXXXXXXXX. I send a text saying yes....one comes back....we can't help you at this time..please call...XXXXXXXXX. I don't bother calling, I'm in the middle of things right now. As I am just finishing making my lunch my phone rings, it's TD Canada Trust calling me about an attempted Fraudulent use of my debit card. Please press 1 for .....you get the idea. Press 1, press 2, finally a voice says," Thanks for calling TD Canada Trust, how may I help you today?" Hm.....you called me, I didn't call you. Give him my name, and "oh, yes, we think there was a fraudulent attempt to use your debit card this morning.". Long story short, they finally agreed I was who I said I was, that it was me trying to use my card and that they would lift the lock on the card so I could use it. Isn't that wonderful of them? I mean I appreciate it very much but TD Canada Trust already knew I was in the US for 5 months as I had already contacted them about my credit card not working. They assured me there would be no more problems with either debit or credit. Hmmmmm.......I appreciate the position they are in, seeing something out of the ordinary but had they taken the time to look they could have seen a number of other transaction on both credit and debit card in this area. Oh well...it's fixed now, apparently. ~laugh~ 

This is Tom Jackson's cat. (Tom & Linda owned the park but Tom passed about a year and a half ago)
 
Lunch was inside today, too cool outside but I did slip outside to read for about a half hour but it was too chilly for me with the sun slipping in and out of the cloud cover. Like I said above, we walked 4 loops around the park this afternoon. Stopped in at the clubhouse on our last round, Vern, Charlotte, Pat, Charlotte (yes 2 Charlottes) were all working on the puzzle. I take my hat off to them, the pieces are small and I don't have the patience. I kept offering Pat pieces but she didn't seem to want them. ~laugh~  As we were headed into the clubhouse we noticed Charlotte's (not Charlotte of Vern & Charlotte) golf cart had a clear plastic enclosure over it to keep out the weather, one side was completely open of course for access but the front panel was open from the top down about a foot. Riley mentioned it to me and asked why I thought it was down, I had no idea. So I asked Charlotte if that was to let the wind blow thru her hair as she's not tall enough to see thru it. ~laugh~ She assured me it was to let the wind blow thru her hair. ~laugh~ Actually she said it kept fogging up and I was going to comment on her being hot stuff but thought better of it. ~laugh~ 
 
These guys are ripping the roof off the trailer. It's a fairly new looking Mobile Suite but they were just ripping strips off the roof and tossing them on ground, so it must have had a leak.

Home after our little chat, prepped dinner and sat down to read my book again. Cools off as the sun goes down causing us to turn on the heater again tonight. 

Yummmmmm....
 
Dinner was excellent and I as the cook will assure you that it was not a fib, it truly was excellent. ~laugh~ Dill potatoes with onion, Garlic Rosemary Veggies and Orange Mustard Glazed Pork Loin Chops.  Plus we added a couple of Oatmeal Cookies for dessert. 

Clean up inside, outside, and walked the trash to the dumpster. After that it was a quick game of Yahtzee, ~doing my dance~ yes, I did, and yes I did. ~laugh~ 

After that it was off to our own corners to do our own thing. Me to write this blog, read some blogs and perhaps catch up on some emails before calling it a night. 

So there you have it, nothing exciting but a pleasant day all the same. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time...be safe....take care....

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Sun, sandy,.....


Our Location: Bluegrass Rv Park, Foley, Alabama

Last night was a bit nippy but the heater kept us warm and toasty. Like most places in the deep south when the sun comes up the temps warm up quickly and Foley is no different. The temps climbed steadily starting around 8:15 am this morning. They climbed all the way to about 77F / 25C by mid afternoon. Lots of sunshine this morning gave way to intermittent clouds this afternoon. 

The way to the water..

After breakfast we headed out toward the lovely sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Perdido Beach, Orange Beach, etc, all of these places along the shore have a name and yet all seem to be one endless town.  However on the way we stopped at a few RV parks looking around for the future. We managed to find about 3 or 4 some we didn't like at all, some were okay and one I was sure we'd get lost in. ~laugh~  After that one we headed off to the beach.
 
The waters of  the Gulf of Mexico at Gulf Shores, Alabama
 
We found a parking spot near the beach and walked across the street into the wonderfully soft cool sand of the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Down near the water's edge the beach sloped in places making it difficult to walk close to the water. Eventually we just took off our shoes and socks and walked in the edge of the surf. Big rollers crashing up against the sand with a strong current trying to pull you back into the water with a playful tug but a stern feeling of don't wander out too far. The beach was fairly busy considering the season but the warm temps were beckoning people to the hypnotic call of the surf. A few fishermen along the shores, one or two people daring to stand at the water's edge and allow their toes to be caressed by the cool rushing water. Terns, seagulls, Sand Pipers and other birds running along the soft sand  mixed among sun bathers, walkers, metal detecting guys, fishermen, and a few kids. The brilliant blue skies were the perfect drawing card, the suns rays were almost hot but the soft breeze kept things moderated. We walked for a long way on the beach before turning around and heading back the way we'd come. Finally we found a spot to get off the sand, wash our feet and put on our socks and shoes. Walking along a back road across from the beach we enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of the coastal tourist trap. Hotels line the beach with more building going on all the time. Little shops of souvenirs, small little shacks offering seafood, hot dogs, burgers, surf style shops with bathing suits, sweaters, etc, plus many others dot the endless miles of sand.  
 
Almost looks like blowing snow, doesn't it?
A fisherman on the beach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Back in the Dogsled we turned toward home feeling refreshed and alert from our walk, which we both truly enjoyed today. Clipping along Hwy 59 we were on the outskirts of Foley when we jammed on the brakes and whipped into the parking lot Old Tyme Pottery. It's a massive store with a bit of almost everything in it, not just pottery. Riley and I walked around for about a half hour just looking at all the things they offer for sale. Some we really liked, some we couldn't imagine anyone liking. ~laugh~ She bought a couple of balls of yarn that caught her fancy. Once again we headed for home, arriving about noon thirty. ~laugh~ Lunch outside in the sun was nice but the clouds started floating in obscuring the sun from time to time until finally about 2: 45 pm I headed inside. Not sure which made me tired, the walk or the sun but I had myself a little nappy this afternoon and woke up feeling much better. 
 
Rolling breakers....
Riley walking barefoot.


Sweet Ride....
 
 
I spent a little time on the phone today with a couple of my friends. Boots, (Linda) my best friend and I chatted for a while just getting caught up on things. My condolences to Linda's family on the loss of her mothers second husband Calvin. 

I also chatted with my friend Ron catching up on the local gossip from Long Beach, Ms which is our next and final stop before we head back north in early April. Looking forward to seeing Ron and his lovely wife Sharon, along with a whole crew of folks at Magic River Campground in about a month's time.
 
Closed all the windows, vents, etc as it was starting to cool off. Prepped dinner, realizing we have no potatoes so we had to improvise with Spanish Rice instead. Dark now between 5:45 and 6 pm, the days are getting longer again. 
 
Love our BBQ.
 
Dinner tonight was Spanish Rice, Oregano Veggies, Chicken Breasts with friend Roger's excellent bbq sauce. 
 
Love these things, wonder if they would grown in Canada?
 
Quick clean up inside, and outside, walked the garbage to the dumpster, chatted with a fella on the way back to the Igloo and finally home by 8:00 pm. Off to do our thing in different directions after that. 
 
Typical beach town street down here.
 
Thanks for stopping by, nothing exciting but it was a really nice day. Not sure what's going on tomorrow but I'm sure it will be fun, and relaxing too. Until next time...be safe, take care....