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!!!