Slowing Down

One of the last crafting events was a beautiful beading item that was well attended by many ladies. The pendant is very attractive and Barb couldn’t resist joining the class. It is also that time of the year to finish up some of her projects that she has been plucking away at throughout the season. Along with these items, Barb has also been coaching another lady with her first time quilt that she sort of started in 1980ish. Marti created some needle point ‘squares’ that they turned into a full size quilt. Busy busy, but you know….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marti’s wonderful quilt.

 

It is hard to believe that this winter season at the Plantation in LA (Lower Alabama) is coming to an end. At each social activity or gathering, that seems to be the most talked about topic – when are you heading north or what are your plans to go north etc. As I write this, the park is very quiet and all activities have come to an end. Oh, there are still some ladies that are in the club house sewing or creating some other form of art work but the organized group things are done. The major items that are still going on are the fair well lunches, dinners and eating extravaganzas!

 

 

 

We joined a bunch for a day at the beach and oh, lunch! Go figure…. The day at the beach was very quiet after the March breakers had gone back to school so we had the beach to ourselves. Watching the waves roll ashore, the shore birds pecking for food and the kite boarders zipping up and down the shore line, it was pretty relaxing after such a busy season. We packed some snacks, beverages and more snacks! Wow, when I climb into the truck to come home, I am sure to push the GVWR over the limit! After our relaxed sit on the beach, watching the pleasure craft float by, we gathered ourselves up and headed for lunch – yes, more to eat.

We ended up at Flounders Chowder House which was surprisingly not busy so we had lots of choices of seating. Large Margaritas for the ladies and some of the guys and of course, a beer for me. The menu had everything for anyone and soon the over loaded plates were set in front of us and we chowed down once more. Whew, it was a good thing that there was a wheel barrow handy to get me back to the car!

After Barb & I got back to the rig, we put our chairs in the shade of our Magnolia tree and sat and pondered how lucky we are to be in this lifestyle, the friend’s we’ve made and the site we have here at The Plantation . Life is good for us.

We had an impromptu fabric shop to one of the ladies favourite fabric shop in Gautier Mississippi – a drive well worth it for both the ladies and Bill & I – we went to The Shed for lunch and dollar draft after Barb & Ann shopped for what they ‘needed’. We had a happy hour with our neighbours, took in the Loxley strawberry festival with Bill & Ann.

Bill & Ann found The Compleat Angler, it had a big deck that looks west over Mobile Bay so we just had to go there before we left for the season. The sunset provided us with a nice view almost on queue and the food was delicious – another great find.

There are some activities that we just had to attend in the final days at the Plantation. There is a diner in Elberta – The Road Kill Cafe – that normally opens at 11AM and closes by 1PM because they are out of food to serve. So, our park manager arranges for a special evening meal and the Cafe opens only for us. It was a little later than usual this year and about 70 attended but the fried chicken and ham were delicious. Last year we followed the instructions and the doors opened at 5PM AND we had to wait for a table, so this year we were there by 4:30! Oh, did I mention it is all you can eat for $8.50?

 

Another ‘out of the park’ event is the annual Baldwin Pops outdoor concert at the Bayside Park in Daphne. It is a ‘take your lawn chair’ type of event and many people attend. We had a sizable walk from our parking spot to the concert but it was well worth the inconvenience. The concert finished just at sunset and the view was spectacular. We sat beside a sign but did not pay attention to it until a lady came up to it to take a picture. Curiosity got the better of us and we had to look to see what was worth the picture – you be the judge.

 

 

 

 

 

It would not be complete without one last lunch at Big Daddy’s. There is something to be said for sitting on the deck beside the Fish River with good friends having lunch and sipping a cool one!

Well, our days here at the Plantation are drawing to a close and as usual, we are of conflicting feelings – happy to be getting back on the road but sad because we are leaving this wonderful piece of paradise. We are happy to be on the road because after all, our home has wheels and that is why we started this in the first place. We also have some exciting plans for the trip home.

We hope you come back to read more of our adventures and we would like to see more comments (besides John’s). We hope all is good out there for you….