2nd Half of the Week...

Paul arrived in Destin for the second half of the week to keep me company and entertain the children.  We had some fabulous family time including a visit to Baytowne Warf to check out properties for when we return next month to attend the Alabama State Bar meeting.  While there we ate at one of my favorite restaurants - Graffitis. I had the hazelnut grouper with wild mushroom risotto. All I can tell you is yum, yum and more yum.

Entertaining ourselves with the camera

while waiting to be shown property options....

Fairchild & Sam enjoyed coloring and people watching ....great table location

Photo by Sam

Sam & Fairchild wishing we would let them  ride the Carousel 

The last day of our stay, we had fun taking pictures of the children on the beach.

Divorce on the Beach

The Friday of Memorial Day weekend was momentous for our family because Fairchild's pins and cast were removed.  I have some lovely photographic documentation of that but it will have to wait until another post because I have yet to figure out how to get the photos off of my phone.

To celebrate, we packed up Saturday morning. Stopped by the Farmers Market at Dr Pepper Place on the way out of town...

Then off to Destin.

Alabama attorneys gathered there for an annual conference titled Divorce on the Beach. Attending that conference initiated the Destin trip. 

I rarely go out of town for an entire week. However, plans fell in place to do just that. Office closed Memorial Day and counting Wednesday as a drive day out of the office...all means I could stay in Destin for a week only missing one day in the office that I would have had otherwise.  A working Mamas dream. 

The timing was even more of a blessing to our family because with the cast removed Fairchild could play in the sea, sand and pool. Her arm needed exercise to restore her range of motion and flexibility. Playing at the beach provided much need physical therapy without her even realizing it.

A good friend of mine, Tara Jones, and her boys joined us for half of the week then Paul arrived.  Tara's son George and I got camera happy....

Condo Complex - Scenic Route 98
Thank you Paige!!!

"Our" umbrella and beach chairs

Loved the pool

Taylor and Fairchild

Sam

Taylor

Taylor & Fairchild

Willis Watt

I LOVE this pic -- one below too
Both SCREAM summer

Miss Tara braiding Fairchild's hair
oh yea...Taylor's too!!

Sam and Fairchild burying Taylor in the sand

Never got George in front of the camera. He did a great job behind the lens. 

Looking forward to another trip with Miss Tip Top Pinkie Swear and the Jones Boys.

Every day if I could....

The Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, Sam, Fairchild & I spent the day/night in Birmingham.  Of course, we arrived in town just in time to eat lunch at Shindigs. I would eat lunch there every day if I could...

They were stationed in front of Icing on the Cookie in Homewood

The line never stops.
As fast as customers are served new ones arrive.

Fairchild, Sam & JuJu pose for a pic

To our delight, we got to see our cousin Jess.

Yes, I did....

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Father's Day: A Perfect Gift

On the way to OBA I saw a billboard promoting Alabama Gulf Seafood. Loved the look of the billboard and immediately wanted a Tshirt.  If you want to know this history of the Alabama Gulf Seafood campaign click HERE .  Basically, in 2011 Governor Bentley put together a commission to promote Alabama's Gulf Seafood Industry.  The commission has done a fabulous job putting together an attractive advertising campaign.  To view the official website, click HERE. 

A couple of weeks ago, I looked on line to find purchasable promotional items. To my dismay, found NONE!  What kind of advertising campaign doesn't feature items that can be PURCHASED by third parties to do their advertising while paying for the privilege to do so????

Then last week while playing on the computer - found it.  The commission "commissioned" Billy Reid, uber talented clothing designer from Florence, Alabama, to design and sell Tshirts and caps.  You can shop for them HERE.  Perfect Father's Day gift.

I gave my husband Paul...

and for my Father...

FRONT

BACK

And of course, for myself....

Without specifying expedited shipping, all goods arrived on my doorstep two days after placing the order.  Not one to tarry, I gave Paul his Monday night and my father yesterday!

Russells in OBA

The Friday following Sam's graduation, we packed up and drove to Orange Beach (OBA) to spend the weekend with the Russell family.  

OBA holds a special place in my heart.  

THE PASS

My great grandparents (Big Ruthie & Pop) purchased land before the area was known as OBA. After the State of Alabama built a road to access the area, Big Ruthie & Pop established a home for family vacations with their children and grandchildren. 

The above is a current photo taken from the balcony of a condo unit at the Natuilus.  The cabin you see is the one built by my great grandparents. It now stands several yards from its original location.

My father's generation tells stories of long trips to the beach with Big Ruthie. She would stuff all of her grandchildren into one car (without air conditioner) taking the entire day to drive from Selma to OBA gathering produce at every stand along the way.  Once they arrived, there was no telephone in the cabin (remember cell phones did not exist either!) and no air conditioner.  Further, there were no restaurants and the closest grocery store was 45 minutes away. I am guessing no television but even if there was - promise no 24 hour Nick, Jr.  

Later, my grandparents and great aunt & uncle built cabins next to my great grandparents house.  During this time, quite a few people built beach cabins in the same area -on the gulf bound by the jetties of the pass on one side and Judge Dunn's pier on the other.  In the 1970s my parents built a cabin on Cotton Bayou directly across the street from my grandparents.  

My "back in the day" memories, pre Hurricane Fredrick include: there was only one condominium in the area known simply as "the condo". The land on which Cotton Bayou Condos now sit was simply sand and scrub brush back then.  My cousin Beth's family had a cabin on one side of where Cotton Bayou Condos are now and our cabin was on the other side. We would meet in the middle making tents and generally playing on that land for hours. I remember when people thought they should know the identity of each person on the beach. If identity was undetermined for too long binoculars appeared on screen porches with inhabitants of each house spreading the word until identity was sufficiently determined.  One phone in one cabin for all cabins to use (and, yes, that was considered an upgrade!). Children of all ages in and out of every cabin throughout the day and night. Sunburn.

My grandmother loved the beach most and would take me every summer. So many memories there with her. My favorite "let me tell you how it was back in the day" was the green carpet in her cabin.  Stickers were partial to that carpet and enjoyed digging into my bare feet at surprising moments.  Oh happy day when the carpet was removed replaced by linoleum throughout!!!

My grandmother died in June 2011. To celebrate her life and our family, we met in Orange Beach for the weekend.  Here are a few pics of our gathering.

Paul, Jana, Pal, Pie, RaRa, Baby Lane, James
Sam and Fairchild

We missed you Mac, Lacey & Ford

My sister and cousins all expecting babies to arrive before the end of the year.

Uncle David & Aunt Ginny

Aunt Ann & Bones

Baby Lane expressed it best - we didn't want to leave!!!