Florala State Park

The local weather man was predicting beautiful weather for this weekend so we decided to take advantage of it by going on a "spontaneous" (meaning without careful planning for more than a week) camping trip to Florala State Park which sits right off of Highway 331 on the Florida/Alabama line. We had passed the park before on our way to Opp.  It sits on a beautiful lake right in town. 

Just as we were setting up camp, we got a call from Bubba's brother, Joe, who suggested that they join us in Florala for supper.  We thought that was a great idea since ham sandwiches had been on our menu for that evening.  The buffet was loaded with all kinds of good things including seafood.  Unlike most buffets, there were servers to dip your selections.  We enjoyed eating and visiting with Joe and Judy both at the restaurant and back at the trailer.

On Saturday morning, we ate a light breakfast and decided to explore downtown Florala.  There are a number of antique/second hand shops that line the main street.  We are definitely not interested in obtaining any more "stuff", but it is fun to look at things from the past.

This life size Elvis always gets our attention when we're passing through Florala.  While we were looking around Bubba expressed interest in a machete that he found in a display case.  It had saw teeth on one side and a sharp edge on the other with a pistol handle.  He talked himself out of getting it and I was glad.  I mean how many machetes can one man use?  It's not like he has to chop his way through the brush to get to his truck every day.

For lunch we returned to Country Folks Buffet and enjoyed another fine meal.  After lunch we went back to the trailer for some relaxation and then our traditional game of Scrabble.  Bubba has gotten so used to winning that he gets a little desperate if I get ahead by a few points.  He tried to convince me that "texu" was a modern word used for telling some one that you were going to send them a text message.  For example, "I'm going to texu."  I stood firm and would not allow it, but even without "texu" he won although it was a closer game than last time.

As usual, we enjoyed our weekend.  It is so pleasant to just get away.  The park was beautiful, but we will probably not camp there again.  TV reception was good, the bath house was old but clean; however, we could hear the traffic from Highway 331 all through the night - not enough to keep us awake, just enough to let us know that we were not that far away from civilization.
Country Folks Buffet was worth repeating and I would recommend it to anyone passing through the area.  My next blog will not be about a camping trip.  Our granddaughter and daughter are coming for a visit February 9 and that is even better than camping so stay tuned for news of their visit.

Do You See What I See?

When I look out my window........

There's a really large camellia.  Scattered around the yard are several more large camellia bushes that came from this bush.  But that is not what I'm really seeing when I look out that window....

This is what I'm seeing.  I remember that day so well for some reason.  It was somewhere around Valentine's Day in 1976.  Amy was around two years old.  We were commemorating this "romantic" holiday by planting a camellia that would always be there.  (We were more optimist back then about our green thumbs.)  Amy was right in the middle of things, covering herself up with leaves and helping us plant the new flower.  I remember the little pink plaid pants and pink shirt she was wearing.  Bubba is always surprised that I can remember what someone was wearing 36 years ago, but sometimes I can because it seems like it was just yesterday.  I remember the spring like weather on that day in February.  I don't know why this day is so vivid in my memory, but it is.  That little girl is all grown up with a little girl of her own now and that bush continues to grow outside my window reminding me of that day so long ago.

St. George Island State Park (Bubba and Mrs McGoo)

The weekend of the MLK holiday was eagerly anticipated.  We had not been camping since our Christmas outing and we were ready to go.  Reservations had been made a month prior at the St. George Island State Park.

I am now working what is called a flexible work schedule which means I work four 10 hour days and can be off every Friday for a three day weekend!  Friday morning we took our time loading the camper and around noon we started for our St. George Island adventure.  I neglected to mention that it was COLD, probably the coldest weekend so far, but we went anyway. This is a beautiful area.  We stayed in Friday evening bundled up, reading, and enjoying spaghetti for supper.

Saturday we ate a light breakfast because we wanted to eat seafood somewhere for lunch.  I had done some research online and found that most people recommended either  The Hut  or  Captain Snook's Seafood Restaurant in East Point.  We chose Captain Snook's and were not disappointed.  Bubba ordered the fried oysters/shrimp combo with french fries.  I ordered the fried shrimp/crab fingers combo with cheese grits.  It was all delicious.  I usually don't like to eat seafood away from home because most restaurants leave it a little under cooked for my taste; however, I mentioned to the waitress that I would like it cooked pretty done and it was perfect.  We finished off our lunch by sharing a slice of their homemade key lime pie  It was soooooo good.

We spent the rest of the day working on our photography skills using our new tripod to take pictures.  There are plenty of beautiful sites that make good backgrounds for pictures.

It was driving Bubba crazy that there were oysters on the flats behind us and he couldn't get to them (this time).
Supper Saturday evening was grilled hot dogs accompanied by chips and dip.  (Is there anything much better than a grilled hot dog?")

We will definitely return to St. George Island in warmer weather.  The park was nice, plenty of privacy between sites.  The public restrooms have just been refurbished and are very clean.  There is not very good television reception.  At night we got Channel 11 (PBS) and that was it.  In the morning, we got a little NBC and a little ABC.  We're not hooked on television, but we do like to watch some news every day.

Sunday morning, we started the day with some pancakes and sausage that Bubba had cooked on the grill while he was doing the hot dogs the night before.  We got out and explored the island some more and for lunch we got a pizza from BJ's Pizza and Subs.  Once again I had searched the internet and found many favorable comments about their food, especially the pizza which was described as "old fashioned homemade".  We got a sausage and pepperoni, loaded with cheese and it was a refreshing change from the pizzas that come from the chains.

We made the decision to head for home Sunday afternoon rather than Monday as originally planned because I had an eye doctor appointment on Monday.  I broke the leg on my glasses Thursday and I can't do without them for very long.  You might have noticed that I was not wearing them in all these pictures and I looked like I was squinting like the old cartoon character Mr. McGoo.


All in all, it was a very good weekend.  We're looking forward to returning in warmer weather.  Sister-in-law Winifred loves St. George Island after vacationing there one summer and was excited that we were going.  She definitely steered us to a idyllic location.  Thanks, Winnie!

A Tribute to Aunt Gladys

I woke up Thursday morning and started my day like any other. I sat in my recliner, opened up my laptop, and began drinking my morning coffee.  I always click on the local newspaper and after glancing at the news, I go straight to the obituaries.  (I guess I'm making sure my name isn't there.)  But there was a name and picture there that I recognized -- Aunt Gladys.  She was my dad's younger sister and she had passed away at the age of 89.  I must confess that I had not seen Aunt Gladys in the past five years.  The last time I saw her she seemed so glad to see me and I told myself that I was going to make a point of going by to see her.  I wanted her to tell me about my dad when he was a boy and about my mom and dad when they were first married.  I never made it.  I told Bubba that I wanted to go to the visitation and the funeral so we did.
Although it was a sad occasion, it was good to see cousins that I had not seen in years.  We exchanged addresses and I hope that we do make an effort to stay in touch better than we did in the past. Aunt Gladys' obituary might not have been impressive in the eyes of the world, "She loved her family, gardening, shelling peas and cooking for her family."

"She loved her family."  She raised five children, pretty much on her own.  She doted on her grandchildren. She cared for her parents.  She loved her brother and sisters and their families.  She was interested in them all and loved every occasion when they could get together.

"Gardening" was included in the pictures displayed at the visitation.  Some of her flowers were pictured.

"Shelling peas" while she watched soap operas was jokingly referred to as a favorite pastime.

"Cooking for her family" was an occasion for them to be together and she enjoyed that.

The greatest tribute to Aunt Gladys was not in the words of the obituary; it was in the gathering of her family to say good bye.  They were all there with their children and grandchildren.  Not only did they love and appreciate their mother, they loved and appreciated each other.  In the words of Proverbs 31, "Her children rise up and call her blessed."  What a great testimony this is to a good woman -- rest in peace, Aunt Gladys.