Back to Normal??

The dust has settled from Mardis Gras and activities are getting back to normal in the club house – quilting, sewing and more quilting! I was even involed with one of the ladie’s projects. They had agreed to make fleece hats and scarves for the vets in the hospice in Bay Minette. I took my circular saw over and soon started cutting the fleece into proper sizes for the ladies to pin and sew together. Altogether, there was about 30 poeple involved and we managed to turn out around 200 hats by the end of the day. It was fun with the bonus of doing something for the vets.

One of our interesting eateries is the Tin Top Oyster Bar. We have been there a few times for their Sunday Brunch – Eggs Benedict which includes Champagne! My favourite is Eggs Benedict with their crawfish sauce, yum. Ross & Pat, friends from Lindsay, Ontario have stopped into the Plantation and joined us at the Tin Top and I’m sure it made their favourites list too. We made sure they got to all our hot spots – Sunset Grill, Big Daddy`s & Tin Top. They were here for a couple of weeks which gave us time to introduce them to Fast Track, our latest hot board game!  We also went to Felix’s Fish Camp and got the pleasure of seeing this alligator.  The couple we took with us didn’t appreciate the great experience of excellent service but we sure do.

Ed & Madonna, neighbors across from us are leaving to go back to Georgia due to health problems so we hosted a neighborhood happy hour so many people had a chance to say farewell. We all had a great time and Ed was able to speak to anyone that took a few minutes to chat. Again, we were all over served from the buffet – everyone is so generous when you have a get together.

 

Now that Barb has a new interest – well, not new, she has always had an interest in art and drawing but now she is working on her skills. Anyway, we take drives out to Mobile Bay to catch sunsets, study clouds and now she looks at the view in front of her with a differnt perspective so she can translate that in her paintings. These pictures are from Mullet Point Park at Point Clear, looking out over Mobile Bay. It was a beautiful sunset with surrounding wildlife. We would not have seen any of this if we had not taken the leap of full timing 16 years ago. Wow, how lucky are we?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, we are finally trying to work the rust out of our golf swings. We’re sure it will take a few trips to the range to even remember which end of the club to hold onto! So once we added the WD40 and built up some nerve, we ventured over to a par 3 with Tom & Cheryl for 18 holes of something we may not want to define as golf! Ahhh, we had fun anyway and you know we were a little sore the next day but no pain….

That brings us to the end of February and we hope all is good where you are and remember to take time to smell the flowers….

It’s Mardis Gras at the Plantation

I have no explanation for taking soooo long to update our blog except that we are tooo busy having fun and I still ask the same question – is this legal? Anyway, January ends with Barb, Marti, Ann & Kelli taking in a live play in Pensacola and can you guess what it was about? Well, if you chose anything other than quilting, you were wrong. Yes, a live stage play with quilting as the theme. They started with lunch and then onto downtown Pensacola to the play. The ladies had a great time and recommended the play to other quilters here at the Plantation.

 

Mardis Gras was early this year with the craziness at the Plantation starting on the first Friday of February. It kicks off with a dinner – of course, we’re Escapees and there is always a good reason to dine – then once this years King & Queen have been identified, they go off to dress in their Royal garb, get sworn in and then the party of skits, singing and all around silliness beginns until Fat Tuesday. This years theme was the circus and all that it brings. Who said ‘send in the clowns’?

On Saturday, Tom & Cheryl and Barb & I went to the Mullet Mates parade at Point Clear on Mobile Bay. It’s a small community parade and that is perfect for us. The floats are creative albeit mostly home made and the throws are good – this year Barb caught a small stuffed tiger – and you can get up close and personal to watch the fun. After, we wandered into Fairhope, prowled around the artsy town and French Quarter and ended up at McSharries for a beverage. Sunday was a quiet day except for the Ice Cream social and of course, more skits and good times celebrating Mardis Gras here at the Plantation.

Our highlight of Monday was the Plantation’s rendition of a Mardis Gras parade. Golf carts, bikes and trikes all decorated in green, gold, and purple. The King & Queen were on the last ‘float’ of utility wagon, tossing beads and moon pies at the throngs of parade attendees! I was honoured to be asked to be part of the Military Honour Guard. I made sure the organizer knew that I did not have miltary experience but he said it didn’t matter so I carried the POW MIA flag. It was a thrill for me and I carried it proudly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barb & I took in the night parade in Fairhope. It was a little cool but hey, it is winter here too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Tuesday dinner, there was more skits, jokes and the grand finale to remove the King and Queen from their thrones! It is almost as dramtical as when they are identified at the beginning of Mardis Gras.

 

Wednesday, the Platation awakens to normalcy with us attending happy hours, lunches at Big Daddy’s and beautiful evenings at the Sunset Grill, watching the sun dip into Moile Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

We hope all is good where you are…..