Homeward Bound

   Here it is, the beginning of December, and our time in Florida is nearly done. It's been a blast being able to hit the beach every day. A couple of days ago this guy sidled up to me to have a chat:

  I'm sure he's not related to this guy I saw a few days ago. It seems a vulture on top of a dead tree with a threatening religious sign below encapsulates Florida very succinctly:

  Sort of "abandon all hope ye who enter"... right?

  The weather here has been wonderful. It reminds me of a Queensland tourism ad from when we lived in Australia back in the 80's: "Beautiful one day, perfect the next".

  It's kind of been that way throughout our travels this year. The number of rainy days we've had can be counted on one hand and, aside from three days of cool temps in Mobile I'd be hard pressed to come up with any other days when it was less than 20C.

  We've done all the things there are to do here, given there's nothing to do. We're on a long island with a long beach.

  If we drive over to the mainland the only thing there is to do is go to the island to go to the beach. We're stuck in a loop. I'm not complaining but three weeks has been long enough. I mean, how much eating and drinking and going to the beach can one do anyway? I don't think that came out right.

  We did manage to play some golf, although it requires an hour's drive to find a course that isn't private. The entire "Treasure Coast", as this area is called, is littered with private golf course communities. Driving down the highway you see one after another, perfectly manicured landscapes hidden behind walls and lined with palm trees and sculpted shrubberies. I fail to understand the attraction. I mean, what is so good about living next to a fairway where drunken groups of middle-aged men drive around swearing and hitting balls into your backyard? Not for me.

  We also managed to take a run down to Palm Beach so we could mingle with the celebs. Yep. A movie star walked past me. No idea what her name is but I've seen her in a movie or two. Famous.

  We drove past Trump National Golf Course and gawked at Mar A Lago. We saw the old Kennedy compound where JFK spent his last weekend with his father before going to Dallas. The only thing left of it is the frontspiece as the buildings within are being knocked down after the property's recent $75M resale.

  We strolled Worth Avenue and pretended to be a white linen-wearing old money couple in search of a few gold spoons to compliment grandmama's sixty place settings that we inherited along with the beachfront manor. We even managed to ignore the homeless encampment by the beach on the mainland. I think we'd fit right in, if we had a billion or two. Anything less would relegate us to "riff-raff" status.

  Closer to home base we came across this:

  Vote Trump. Oh, by the way, buy some shit here and save 20%. Well, that certainly piqued our curiosity so we turned in and found this:

  We're pissed! And, Merry Christmas. More intriguing so we ventured further and found the owner's truck:

  I feel like this guy was part of the January 6 mob. He's certainly filled with grievances. Merry Christmas to you too. Only in America.

  Last night was another SpaceX launch so we managed a better vantage point than last time. It was perfectly legal and didn't involve grappling hooks, scuba gear or a helicopter. It's strange how they close the beach accesses at 10 pm around here. We tried to sneak into one when we were blinded by the sudden activation of a police car lightbar in front of us. Weird. We ended up driving twenty minutes up the beach to a waterfront park that was open and caught all the action... again.

   When Elon Musk is finished screwing up Twitter and his Starship is ready to launch I want to get tickets to see it up close at the Kennedy Space Center. Big rockets. Cool.

  It's a cool spot to spend a couple of weeks and we'll be happy to come back if invited. The animals appear to like us:

... and there's lots of interesting things on the beach:

... and lots of shells to keep Penny busy:

  Speaking of being invited, we just agreed to return to Montgomery, MN in May as the homeowners are going to Iceland. I agreed on the condition Tom lets me cut the grass with the giant tractor. I'm looking forward to this 😀.

  As it turns out, when the 2024 Blue Jays schedule was released I mentioned to Penny that the Blue Jays would be in Philadelphia and Washington in early May and those were two more ballparks I haven't been to. I'm going to try lining up a sit in the Philly/DC/Baltimore area for early May. If all goes according to plan we'll do that then head off to Minnesota and finish the trip with seeing the Jays play the White Sox in Chicago at the end of May.

  Of course, our next trip is to Cyprus, leaving the end of January. We'll be there for the month of February followed by ten days in Greece. The next few months looks like a lot of fun.

  With this trip completed we're headed home for the holidays and there won't be any house sitting news happening now that we're booked for the next six months. I won't be writing any new blog episodes until we get ready to leave for Cyprus so until then I wish all of you, my faithful readers, a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Later.

Being Tom Hanks

   Weird title, right? Remember a few years ago there was a strange little movie called "Being John Malkovich"? It's okay if you don't because I think about twenty people saw it. The premise of the movie centred on the discovery of a hidden door that, upon entering, placed one in John Malkovich's mind. Well, I may have found the one that works for Tom Hanks.

  It hit me while walking on the deserted beach across the street from us this morning. I turned around and there was no one for as far as I could see. The waves were crashing onto the beach and all I could see was water, sand and foam. "This reminds me of Castaway", I thought.

  Okay. Crazy thought, right? I mean, just because the beach looked like a desert island and I'd been out in the sun for a bit too long doesn't equate to the Hanksian equivalent of the Vulcan Mind Meld... or does it? Follow along as I take you on a journey of weird coincidences.

  It started back at the end of May, when we started this whole housesitting odyssey. There we were in Uranus, MO, laughing at all the bad puns and craziness of the place when what did we happen upon?

  Yep. The Zoltar machine from Big. I know there are many of these around but be patient. I didn't make a wish because I was already big. In fact, maybe a bit too big. Time to cut down on the BBQ and pizza.

  If you followed our adventures over the summer you'll remember we hit Route 66 out of Seligman, AZ on our way to San Francisco. If I didn't mention it before, Seligman is the inspiration for the town of Radiator Springs in Cars:

  Of course, Hanks was a "woody" wagon in Pixar's production, a take-off on his "Woody" character from Toy Story. Speaking of Pixar, there was this while touring around San Francisco:

  Not convinced yet? Keep following. It will become clear soon. As we prepared to leave San Francisco our car was broken into and our luggage was stolen. If you know your movies you'll know The Terminal was based on a real account of a man whose luggage, containing his refugee papers, was lost preventing his entry into France. As a result, he spent the next eighteen years living in Charles de Gaulle airport. A stretch? Maybe just a little bit.

  Remember Sleepless in Seattle? Well, we were Tireless Near Seattle. Now that's a stretch. C'mon, work with me here! Also, don't forget the yuge dog we took care of in Vancouver. Turner and Hooch anyone? Joe and the Volcano? Yellowstone is a supervolcano. The coincidences are myriad... and tenuous.

  Finally, there was Mobile. And Jennie. And Forrest. And Bayou La Batre. And too many Bubbas to count. And a box of chocolates. Well, a box of chocolate covered shrimp. Don't ask.

  You're starting to see it, aren't you? I'm living in Tom Hanks' mind! Really. Don't tell him though. When John Malkovich found John Cusack in his mind he dumped him out beside the New Jersey Turnpike.

  I think I need to spend less time in the sun.

Beach Life

  Since we last talked we've moved to Hutchinson Island, FL. We left Mobile last Sunday on our way to Panama City Beach (PCB), FL. Along the way there were the usual oddities we love to document.

And this, with the owners not really understanding the concept of keeping the horseshoe upright to keep the luck from running out:

  As we approached our destination I had an idea of cutting over to the beaches against Google's advice to make the drive more interesting. Well, I'm sorry Google, you were right. After crossing the bridge we found it was at the end of that particular island and there was nowhere else to go without returning to the mainland. But, we were there so decided to explore a bit, encountering these guys at the park at the island's end:

  After our little detour we made it to PCB and spent two nights in a hotel with a balcony overlooking miles of deserted white sand beach for the princely sum of $75 US/night. That's a deal in any currency! Here's the view from the balcony:

  Although the weather wasn't great we did manage to spend some time on the beach and indulged in the best oysters and fried green tomatoes before we took off. Oh. And beer. Also the best 😛.

  Apropos of nothing, here's a little food tip for your next trip down here. When you're without cooking facilities and want to avoid expensive mediocre chain restaurant food, Publix supermarkets make some damn fine ready to eat meals. I mean, who expects to find lobster bisque next to the rotisserie chicken? We had a tasty dinner and a wonderful breakfast and I'm pretty sure it didn't exceed $40. Score.

  On Tuesday we packed up and headed to Florida's Atlantic coast to meet the homeowners at our next stay. This time we're looking after a Havapoo (sounds horrible... Havanese and Poodle) named Mickey and a Siamese cat named Cheech.

  Oh, and two beta fish that may or may not have names. I don't think it matters as they won't come when you call them anyway.

  The house is small but very comfortable and fully equipped with all the things we could possibly need... including a golf cart. The house is located in, what started out as an RV park, but has morphed into a more permanent community which includes a significant majority of real housing, ie, not mobile (not mobeel either).

  We're a five minute walk to a miles long beach, also largely deserted due to the time of year. Until today we've had no use for the aforementioned golf cart as we're able to walk but Penny decided it would be a good day to go for a spin so she's out riding around in it as we speak. BTW, Mickey loves it so I suspect we'll make more use of it as we go along.

  The weather here was crazy when we arrived with torrential rains and gale force winds for our first two days. No real damage occurred, other that some potted plants upended, but it was a bit concerning for a while as we were buffeted by 60 mph winds.

  Since then we've settled into much more pleasant weather with temps in the high 20's and a fair bit of sun. We were out exploring yesterday, ostensibly in search of gelato, and hit the Manatee Research Centre. No manatees to see but there was this guy:

  I expect we'll get out to play some golf soon and it looks like there are a lot of good spots for kayaking as soon as I find someone to rent us watercraft. BTW, Penny just returned with beer. I guess the golf cart will be useful 😀.

  This all assumes Mike gets some sleep. Although the animals are well-behaved and generally a pleasure to be around, Mickey and Cheech are needy. Mickey needs to sleep on, sometimes in, our bed. Cheech seems lonely all night and would sleep on our bed if we weren't in it. The net result is being awoken at unwelcome times of night by either a) Mickey licking my toes, b) Mickey getting under or out of the covers or c) Cheech meowing incessantly because he's bored/lonely/an asshole/a Siamese (typical). Anyway, because I've been staying up late the past two nights and the sleep-disturbing events occur around 6 am not a lot of sleep is coming my way. Things will improve, hopefully sooner than later.

  Now, some geography and history. Between the island and mainland lies the Indian River, which is really more of an estuary for the Indian and St. Lucie rivers. Since it connects to the Atlantic and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway the water is brackish, supporting a multitude of aquatic'ish animals like manatees, dolphins, sea turtles and countless birds. The area is also the heart of Florida's citrus-growing region although we've seen little evidence of it so far.

  Here's a little-known fact for you. For thirty years, until the 1920's, this area was known for pineapple farming. Unfortunately, successive years of poor weather destroyed the crop and put the farmers out of business. Oranges were seen as a hardier crop that could be more profitable so that was the end of pineapples. Factoids like this keep you coming back, right?

  Our location is about 200 km south of Cape Canaveral and a little research showed there was a rocket launch scheduled for last night at midnight. SpaceX was launching another batch of StarLink satellites and I thought there was a chance we could see the rocket as it's trajectory passed just offshore from us.

  Off we went, walking across the street a few minutes before the Big Event, intending to see something from an unobstructed spot on the RV park's beach. That's when we discovered they close the gate to their beach at dark. And all the other nearby beach accesses are owned by hotels and condos who don't want riff-raff walking through their properties.

  Cue the Mission: Impossible theme.

  Disregarding gates and hedges and fences, Penny and I strolled down to the neighbouring condo's beach access like we owned the place. The only things we were missing were clipboards and hardhats so we'd look official enough should we be stopped by some rent-a-cop for trespassing. "We're here to measure the beach!", we'd exclaim, as if they should know that, of course, the beach-measuring team always come out at midnight. We'd explain how the beach can only be measured in the dark as the sunshine causes the granules of sand to expand, thus rendering our measurements meaningless.

  Alas, no security personnel accosted us so we found a spot with a clear view on the deserted beach and awaited said Big Event. Well, we weren't disappointed. Two seconds after the launch the sky lit up to the north-northeast of us and we watched with fascination as the flare rose up into the sky, almost overflying us on its way to orbit. A bonus, added feature... we also saw the expended booster's retro rockets flare as it settled down on SpaceX's at-sea recovery barge a hundred miles out to the east of us. Cellphone camera video doesn't do it justice but here's what we got:

  I know. It's a dot. I said cellphone camera video sucks. What we saw was the rocket and it's tail, all quite spectacular in the clear night. When you're sitting on a dark, deserted beach listening to the ocean rolling in and you look up to see a rocket fly over your head it's pretty cool. I also saw a meteorite crash into the ocean a few miles away. Lots of cool.

  We're here until December 4 and then we'll likely head straight home as the weather will likely suck. Until then we'll get lots of beach time and that's never a bad thing.

Y'all Come Back Now

   We're into our last two days here in Mobile and we've had a full week of sightseeing, food and golf. Let's get started!

  When the last episode finished we'd just returned from hitting Florida and Mississippi in the same weekend and the news that we were headed to Cyprus for the month of February. That meant Mike The Travel Agent was kept glued to his laptop for the next three mornings organizing flights so that we could get to our housesitting assignment and have some time in Greece at the tail end. Penny and I are looking forward to getting off the North American continent, finally.

  Well, I was only partially glued. We did manage to play some golf Monday then head out to see the USS Alabama WWII battleship Tuesday. We left this guy at home and he didn't eat anyone's shoes, like he did with Sandi's sandals last week:

  The Alabama was a member of the second-largest class of US battleship, about 70% the size of the Missouri, so it ain't small. After a quick tour of the accompanying submarine, USS Drum, we embarked on a marathon of exploration through most of the decks of the massive ship.

  Our first stop was an exhibit describing the various exploits of the ship and the battles it took part in. One of them featured a ship that's familiar to Torontonians:

  It's a bit weird to encounter this in the Deep South after seeing the ship moored at Ontario Place for decades. After some wandering through some of the interior spaces we hit the deck where we got a true sense of the ship's size. And I shot down some kamikaze pilots. Just another day the the office.

  With the upper decks tour completed Ben and I headed below to check out the technical spaces, like the Engine Room:

  Given there were usually around 2,500 sailors aboard it was fascinating to see the inner workings of what amounts to a floating city. We saw the surgery, kitchens, shoemaker, laundry, post office, print shop and even a soda fountain! This was the first class of battleship that was equipped to have ice cream on board which became a valuable commodity when trading with smaller vessels.

  With the tours done we headed out to Wintzell's Oyster House in downtown Mobile for some local seafood. Apparently, they cornered the market on salt before we arrived as some of the food was inedible and the rest made us all thirsty for the rest of the evening. So much so that ice cream was required!

  During the drive home we stopped to check out some neighbourhood streetlights the residents strung up.

  It's something we've seen quite a bit here with lights tied between the houses and the roadside trees. It certainly livens the place up at night.

  Speaking of the roadside trees, you don't see many people walking at night here and it's not because they're worried about crime. Those same beautiful trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them have very shallow roots and they dramatically heave the sidewalks so much that walking in the dark can be dangerous. No exaggeration!

  Upon our return home Ben and Penny (and Willie) were plum tuckered out. Eating ice cream can certainly sap one's energy 😳.

  Wednesday morning brought the completion of my airline ticketing nightmare so we decided to head off to the Eastern Shore in the afternoon, checking out Daphne, Fairhope and Point Clear. It's a very scenic area with pocket beaches, shopping and lots of restaurants. We found a little deserted beach to hang out on for an hour then decided to head down to Gulf Shores to catch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay:

    That brings me to today's event, the second of our two food tours, this time during daylight. Well, the two tours were like night and day. Where last week's evening stroll was uninteresting with largely disappointing food selections, today's was a five-star feast! We spent the afternoon hitting all the iconic Mobile eateries where we had friend green tomatoes with biscuits at the Ruby Slipper, followed by bao buns at Squid Ink, three kinds of oysters at Wintzell's (no salt this time), terrific BBQ at Moe's and completed the adventure with deep-fried deliciousness at the Mo'Bay Beignet Co. All the food was wonderful and more than made up for our earlier misadventure.

  Tomorrow is our last day in Mobile. Ben and Sandi will be taking off for home after spending the past two weeks sharing our exploration of this interesting neck of the woods. They're been wonderful houseguests and their companionship has made our stay here so much more fun. We wish them safe travels as they make their way north while Penny and I work our way south and east.

  Mobile has been a different kind of experience for us. Willie is another dog we'd happily take home with us (that makes three) but this wasn't a beautiful house in a scenic location. We sat for a young family in a working-class neighbourhood. No gated community, this. No spectacular views of city and ocean. No mountains. No limitless vistas with nary a house in sight. It wasn't anything like all our other sits but we enjoyed it just the same. I know we'll garner another excellent review and we'll once again receive requests to come back. I'm not sure we would but we've added a new place and new memories and that's why we do this.

  On Wednesday we start our next assignment on Hutchinson Island, FL, midway between Daytona Beach and Miami. We're looking forward to sun, sand, sea and waving buh-bye to Alabama where everyone likes to say, "Y'all come back!"

Into The Wild Blue Yonder

  With Ben and Sandi's arrival a week ago it was time for us to resume our explorations around Mobile. Unfortunately, the day after they arrived the weather went into the shitter with temps hovering in the low teens for three days. I know those of you in cooler climes are thinking that's not much of a hardship but, when you've become accustomed to 30ish and hot sun, 12 feels like mid-winter. Enough whining.

  The first order of business, of course, was food. I decided to cook up some seafood gumbo, y'know, deep south fare. That required us to head off to the local branch of a Nawlins-based supermarket for the fixin's. Now, this place is called Rouses but I like to refer to it as ROUSes... see The Princess Bride if you're not clued in. With ingredients in hand the gumbo was successfully prepared and enjoyed by all. Paul Prudhomme, watch out!

  The weather continued to be uncooperative until Friday so we did a lot of nothing, other than freeze. On Thursday night we went out for the first of our two food tours in downtown Mobile. We started at a restaurant on the top floor of one of the three tall buildings. Mobile is no Metropolis. Here's the view from the restaurant:

  The evening took us to four other establishments where we were treated to some local culinary treats, some more treat-like than others. There was drinking as well.

  'Nuff said about that. Our guide was not very impressive and didn't impart too much of the local lore but it was a fairly entertaining evening just the same. We'll be doing it again, in daylight, on Friday.

  Friday's warmer temps meant Ben and I could head off to Florida, a one hour trip east, for a round of golf while Penny and Sandi engaged in some bird watching around Dauphin Island. Ben and I hoped to engage in birdie watching also but I think the ladies were more successful.

  With the weather steadily improving we decided to head off to Pensacola Naval Air Station first thing Saturday morning to catch the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. And what a show it was! With everything from biplanes to an F-35 we were treated to an amazing display of aerobatics and sheer brute power.

  Since it took place on a military base it was obligatory to play the Star Spangled Banner... but not just any old rendition:

  Then we saw a formation of Stearman trainers. If you remember, Penny flew in one of these six weeks ago:

  One of the more impressive displays was wing-walking:

  After five hours in the sun it was finally time for the Blue Angels (crank up the sound on these 😉)

  It was all very impressive. And loud. Although I didn't manage to get any video of it, there was a pass by a new F-35 that just about blew my eardrums out. The Blue Angels also managed to scare the crap out of everyone by "sneaking" one of the F-18s past us at about 500 mph while we were looking the other way. Funny guys.

  Sunday took us in the opposite direction, heading to Ocean Springs, MS for a giant craft show featuring over four hundred vendors. Because our bit of Alabama is tucked into this little notch between Florida and Mississippi it makes it easy to take these little jaunts into the neighbouring states.

  There's a wooden carving of Crooked Feather's head here. He's not on a stick so I have no idea why we took a picture of him, but here it is:

  In my last report I mentioned we were trying to figure out our plans for next year. Well, things just fell into place. We're booked into a house sit with two cats in the southwestern part of Cyprus from the end of January until early March. Problem solved!

  This week promises to be loaded with Mobile-y things with golf on Monday, a trip to see the USS Alabama, some strolling through old Mobile, another food tour and maybe some beach time before we head out next weekend. Ben and Sandi will leave Saturday and Penny and I will head to Florida Sunday. Stay tuned!

Damn The Torpedoes... Full Speed Ahead

   Silence.

  It's been ten days since we arrived and I've had nothing to write about. I've been without inspiration and I'm loathe to write just for the sake of putting words to figurative paper. Until today.

  Am I inspired? No. Did something unusual happen? No. It's just time. I feel a need to take all of you with me on this journey and, even though nothing momentous occurred, I think I need to share my thoughts.

  First, our search for fresh shrimp was finally satisfied. In fact, once Ben and Sandi arrived and we took them to Dauphin Island Monday we even managed to buy some from the shop there that's always closed. Score one for the good guys.

  While we were there we stopped at Fort Gaines. Built in 1821 it was part of Mobile Bay's defenses. In 1864 it, along with Fort Morgan on the eastern side of the bay, played a significant part in the Battle of Mobile Bay, the last major battle of the war. As it was unfolding, the Union's Admiral Farragut, upon encountering torpedoes launched by the Confederate Navy and determined to capture Mobile uttered his famous quote, "Damn the torpedoes... full speed ahead!"

  After a brief visit to the fort we spent an hour on the beach watching the waves roll gently onto the beach while pelicans, terns and an odd duck hung out nearby:

  There's something about ocean waves I find mesmerizing, like a campfire. If I lived in an oceanfront house with a firepit I don't think I'd ever be bored.

  Today is Halloween and I believe I mentioned we live across the street from a huge cemetery. We haven't seen any kids around here so we don't think we'll get any action this evening but old houses across from 100,000 dead people sounds like the perfect locale for some scary stuff.

  Speaking of Magnolia Cemetery, I've been walking Willie there and checking out old markers and memorials. There's a section reserved for 1,100 Confederate soldiers' graves and there's an unusual marker set just to the side as it was added recently.

  The unknown sailor's skeleton was discovered in an archaeological survey of the CSS Alabama off the coast of Cherbourg, France ten years ago, and was interred in a special ceremony. The Alabama is revered here, as is the Confederacy in general. In 1864 the Alabama sailed to France for drydock repairs as the South did not have adequate facilities to service it. A Union battleship followed it and blocked its exit after the repairs, sinking it in the English Channel. An interesting connection to find here.

  There's also memorials erected to Confederate generals by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is a bit Klannish in it's beliefs. All this is accepted quite openly around here although the state government forced the removal of a statue of Confederate hero Admiral Semmes two years ago in the "good people on both sides" aftermath.

  Alabama is a very "red" state in US political terms. We're not seeing many Trump signs here, unlike most other states we've visited. I think it may be a case of not preaching to the choir. Between sympathy for the Confederacy and support for Trump we think it wise not to engage in political discussions.

  Apropos of nothing, there's an injury lawyer in Alabama by the name of Alexander Shunnarah. It appears he told an ad agency to buy every vacant billboard in the state.

  Everywhere you go, and I mean everywhere, you see his smiling face. I'm sure he gets a ton of business because of his ads but I'm sure he's charging a ton to pay for all those signs.

  Weather-wise, it's been 30ish and sunny since we got here... until today. It got cold last night, into the single digits, which is rare here at this time of year. The forecast calls for a return to normal by Thursday but I had to turn on the heat this morning. I mean, I can do that back home. This is NOT what we came here for. /whine=on

  Speaking of cold weather, we're trying to come up with a plan for the winter. We'll be home in early December and were planning to hit the road again in late January. The question is, where? We'd prefer someplace warm. Our options appear to be, come back to the US south, go off to Australia or find a warm spot around the Mediterranean. I guess it's possible something in the Caribbean will come up but the greatest volume of possibilities is in those three areas.

  The US is easy and cheap as all we need to do is drive. However, once we leave North America we run into the "no car" problem and long stays will run up huge rental car bills. Many Australia and New Zealand sits provide a car but airfare is steep. Most of the European ones are in rural areas where cars are necessary but not provided. It's a quandary.

  We have time on our side as it's three months away and I'm betting we'll find something but the uncertainty isn't welcome.

  With seasonal weather returning Thursday we'll go back to exploring Mobile with our friends, playing some golf and hitting more beaches. Life will be good once again. Until then we'll tough it out like real Canadians... and make gumbo.

"Mobeel" Not "Mobyle"

  We've completed our first weekend in Mobile, having recovered from the endlessly boring three day drive, so it's time for some thoughts on our current house sit.

  Let's talk about the "where" first. Mobile is situated on the west coast of Mobile Bay, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It's in the little neck of Alabama that sticks out between Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle, part of what's affectionately known as the "Redneck Riviera". It's an oil-rich area with drilling platforms scattered around the Gulf south of the bay. In fact, the "Deepwater Horizon" disaster of 2010 occurred just south of here and oil washed up on the coastal beaches for months afterwards.

  Mobile itself is an interesting place. Founded by the French as the capital of Louisiana in the early 18th century it became British territory after the Seven Years War then Spanish during the American Revolution and finally American early in the 19th century. It's where Mardi Gras was first celebrated in the U.S. and much of what New Orleans is now known for began here.

  To the south are the fertile saltwater bayous where oysters, shrimp and crawfish abound. Fresh seafood is all around us although we have yet to eat any of it. More on that a bit later. To the north are cotton fields, a reminder that the economy was wholly dependent upon farm labour, provided by slaves. When the federal government started moving to outlaw slavery in the 1850's it threatened the profitability of all southern landowners and led to the Civil War.

End of history lesson.

  One of the first things that hits you when you arrive is how you interpret the word "mobile". For example, a sign that reads "Mobile Veterinarian" anywhere else would advertise a vet that makes house calls. Here, it just tells you where they're located. And, it's "Mobeel", not "Mobyle". I guess having a car here makes you mobile in Mobile... in an automobile 😉.

  The city itself is an amalgam of French, Spanish, new, old, slums and old money neo-classic architecture. Where we are living, in the heart of the "old" city near the waterfront, is a few blocks from an area replete with boarded up shacks and tenements ready for urban renewal. Two blocks in the opposite direction reveals antebellum manor houses. Across the street is a noteworthy cemetery where Civil War dead are buried. To the west is the "new" Mobile, full of housing developments and big box stores. Oh, the incongruity of it all.

  Our house, for the next three weeks, is a pokey little two-bedroom place around a hundred years old. It's undergone a few badly executed renovations over the years, which I try to ignore, but it's homey and warm. It's a corner lot so the backyard is small but it's shaded and comfortable and they have a Blackstone grill, which makes it all okay. Fun fact: one of the owners is in the Coast Guard and hangs from helicopters during rescues. For the first 65 years of my life I didn't meet anyone who hung from helicopters to rescue people and I've now met two in the past two months (see Jim in the "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" episode). Life is funny.

  With unpacking and some basic grocery shopping completed we headed out to check out the beaches this weekend. Our first stop, on the way to Gulf Shores on Saturday, was a British Car Show put on by the South Alabama British Car Club. We're suckers for these things so off we went to Fairhope, AL with Willie along for the ride. No pictures to show but there was a gorgeous 1954 Jaguar XK120 I'd be happy to have in the driveway. Willie liked it too and would have climbed in had Penny not had a good hold on his leash. I'm sure the owners would not have been pleased.

  One of the ubiquitous things you see along roadsides in the southern states are billboards advertising gun shows.

  I'm determined to go to one. I'm curious to see what it's all about and find out if it's as easy to buy firearms as the media makes it out to be. Maybe I'll buy some camo at Costco so I can blend in. Also, don't wear the maple leaf hat.

  We continued down to the Shore where we were confined to walking the concrete fronting the sand as Willie wasn't allowed on it. I mean, he's pretty well-mannered and I'm sure he wouldn't do anything wrong, but rules is rules.

  The beach at Gulf Shores is pretty much the same as any you'd find in Florida, with bars, restaurants, condos and hotels vying for views of the water and sand. Unable to enjoy the sand and uninterested in quaffing beers amongst the locals glued to TV's showing the Crimson Tide game we headed home promising to revisit the area without our furry friend.

  But wait. There are two beach areas here. Gulf Shores is the touristy barrier island stretching across the eastern opening to Mobile Bay. To the west is Dauphin Island and research revealed the area to be the home of fishing fleets where one can buy the catch of the day as it comes off the boat. Having not yet sampled any of the local seafood it became Sunday's destination. With our dog-unfriendly beach experience fresh in our minds we left Willie at home. With a doggie door and lots of water we knew he'd be fine without us for a few hours.

  DI, as it's known by the locals, is at the end of a long causeway/bridge affair that spans the rivers and bayous that make up the Mobile Bay estuary. It's a peaceful, scenic area with lots of waterfront vacation homes on stilts, safely above potential floodwaters during hurricane season.

  The island itself has two characters. The western half is a narrow sandbar strewn with beach houses competing for water and beach views to the south and jetties for their boats along the marshy north. The eastern half is mostly treed with nice beaches and is where the permanent residents live. After driving the length of the island we stopped at the easternmost beach to walk the sand and dip our toes in the Gulf waters. Of course, Penny took this opportunity to search for stones and shells to add to her collection.

  While lying on the sand staring at the gentle waves rolling in and counting the drilling rigs in the distance I noticed people were walking the beach with their dogs. It seems we got it backwards; we should have brought Willie with us here and left him at home when visiting Gulf Shores. We'll be back.

  Now then, I did mention this seafood thing. Before we drove down to DI I looked up the best shop to buy fresh seafood. Our plan was to hit it on our way home as it was open until 5 pm. Well, no. We drove over at 3:30 and they were closed. Maybe they had sold everything. Maybe it was Sunday and it was time for NFL football. Who knows? Anyway, no seafood at DI.

  I did have a Plan B. The map revealed we were only twenty minutes from Bayou La Batre. Yes, Forrest Gump strikes again. The same Bayou La Batre where Bubba grew up. The place where Forrest would go when he wanted to become a shrimpin' boat captain. They must have shrimp there so off we went.

  Did I mention it was Sunday? Did I mention it was late afternoon? No shrimp anywhere. We tried. We really did. Back home we went, shrimpless. We'll be back, but not on a Sunday and not in the late afternoon. Oh, and we didn't see Lt. Dan either.

  This week we'll start exploring the city itself, head back to DI, with Willie this time, check out the local seafood and maybe a golf course. The weather forecast is calling for a week of  sunny, 30C days so it sounds like a good plan. Later.