Fishing the Gulf Today

The water was warm and blue green today as we fished the Gulf. The pale taupe sand, the jade green transparent water and the white foam of the surf receding onto itself were spectacular. I have been refining some techniques with my camera and am enjoying the result!

Also within view on the Gulf today were several boats likely fishing for Pompano or Whiting. We were enjoying the beach with our chairs down in the surf so that the water washed over our feet and and ankles. Nice...

On the marina side of Playa Del Rio we were entertained by a speedboat and a young man doing somersaults on a water ski Board. He was using his own wake to give him the lift to complete the flip. It was very amazing!

Beach Update!

The Beach has been very clear blue/green these past very sunny days. If you recall all of the amazing shells we were able to gather with Kirsten when she was here in January and, by ourselves before that in November and December, well now there are not so many at all! Those shells that are on the beach now are usually small and broken and only the occasional scallop shell , like the one Richard is holding in the photo, seems to manage to stay whole. I was so amazed the other day when I found a whole, quarter-sized sand dollar lying in the sand at my feet. It is very beautiful.

Rudy and Reggie are enjoying themselves as we clean the inside of the RV the pet bed makes it out to the patio and they take full advantage to sun themselves in comfort! We have been here so long that the other "long timers" call out to Rudy and Reggie from afar whenever they are out!



We are starting to plan the trip back to Ottawa from our winter home-away-from-home and are looking forward to hitting the road again. On the tentative agenda right now are a Luxury Casino RV Park in Mississippi or Alabama (both states have them), Nashville's KOA right in the heart of Grand Ole Opry country (in the city!)and with a Big Bass Pro shop near by for Richard, Kentucky's rolling hills and the Airstream Factory near Lima, Ohio for some warranty work and a plant tour! Here is hoping that the weather up North gets better soon!

Oh and just in case you didn't know - it is a dogs life at Playa Del Rio. Millie (in the bag) is getting a lift to the beach in Scott's golfcart with her "person" Nancy!

"The Sharecropper's Son" Bert Hayes Visits Playa Del Rio

Dr. Bert Hayes (Born October 1, 1931) author of the Sharecropper's Son, came to the park today for an informal dialogue on history, the economy, and the Great Depression. Also visiting was Maj. General (Retired) Abdallah Soudi Bawaneh. After sharing some thoughts on how history reveals itself in the future, an open dialogue on where the economic times are taking us ensued. We considered the stance of the generations to come and compared our values to those of our children and grandchildren. I couldn't help but think that similar conversations may have taken place in the living rooms of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents and perhaps that the more we think things are changing the more they stay the same.

There was a sense of general concern over what the next few years would hold for the USA in terms of economic, and perhaps even more importantly, social stability. There was consideration given to the awkward questions of what could be done and who should be doing it as we faced the potential for increased crime, loss of hope for the future of our, and by our, young people.

While it was a sobering discussion it was certainly very thought provoking. Dr Hayes shared some stories from his experience as a professor over the years. He made reference to a couple of articles from before the Depression of the 1930's that could equally resonate in todays world indicating similar trends for this era's failing economy. History repeats itself, history helps predictions, and as Dr Hayes points out we are slow to learn from it!

Suzy Sets Out for Tulsa, OK

Suzy set out early this morning, rolling down the road at 07:05 am after Richard helped her get hitched up and all systems checked for the trip... She has been here at Playa 4 days longer than we have so we will soon be the longest "residents" of the park for this year. She will likely get to Little Rock if the winds die down a bit - they are gusting to 35 mph with the temp only at 32 F when she left this am. Brrrggghhhh!

Big Fish!

Pat Golden landed a huge fish yesterday and a passerby got the photo so everyone would know it wasn't just another "big fish story"!! wow! Black Drum fish!

February is Almost Over!!!

It is so hard to believe that February is almost over for another year...We cannot believe how fast the time is going here in the South! Wednesday afternoon we were enjoying the warmth and sunshine outside the Airstream when Connie came by on her walk with Cody, her big, old dog. We were chatting and then somehow got talking about playing Bridge and how we would like to learn how to play! Well before we knew it we were engaged in a game around our picnic table with she and Don, her husband, who is a great teacher of Bridge!!

Don taught us how to play, count points, and bid and it was great fun. I still do not know how to keep score but that is okay. The trouble is, now that we have "learned", Don and Connie have pulled out today, as they had planned, after being here two months. Hopefully we will meet on the road again and can see if we remember our lesson in Bridge. Here are some shots of Don and Connie around the Marina and heading out today.... Their home is in Oklahoma but I suspect they will take their time meandering home and seeing more sights along the way.

Happy Mardi Gras - Feb 24, 2009!

Here is a video from the parade this morning...


And if you would like to see more photos please go to:

http://www.kodakgallery.ca/ShareLanding.action?c=13mkrdcp.21h4k33d&x=0&y=po1i2l&localeid=en_CA

Mardi Gras or as they say it in the South "Maaww-dee Graaaw"

This week the Mardi Gras festivities have ramped up here in Florida and of course, in our neighbouring Alabama. There was a parade Friday and Saturday night and there will be another on Tuesday, Feb 24th 2009 - the actual Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Even Rudy and Reggie have gotton in on the action.

Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama began in 1703, over 15 years before New Orleans was founded (1718).

We are planning to attend the parade on Tuesday and I will be sure to include some pictures...stay tuned...

Playa Del Rio RV Park and Marina Evolves Again...

This morning Jane and Carl - the work campers who have been here at the park, longer than we have, have left for Memphis, TN and Little rock, Arkansas for some work to be done to their motor home and to help a relative prep a house for sale. They, and Charlie, their dog, set out early this morning. They expect to get to Jackson, Mississippi tonight and then on to Memphis.

Today is a really sunny day with a slight breeze. We had heavy rains overnight last night - it woke us up and we watched the weather for a while during the night from the safety of our Airstream...

This morning we met the Nielsens, a couple with Danish roots, in a motorhome with a nice dish (Richard's comment) on top! We shared the Frikadeller that I made for lunch with them!

Valentines Day at Perdido Key

Yesterday was a great day at the beach - a little overcast after having rained at least 5 inches overnight...we spent a quiet day starting with an attempt at breakfast at the Hangout but a run for something had the access points blocked off so we went up the street to the Pancake House in the Best Western. Both restaurants overlook the Gulf so it was nice either way... After that we drove ten minutes north to Foley Alabama and I checked out the COACH outlet store and treated myself to a new purse...found a couple of gifts and we returned to the Park with my treasures.





There were two events at the clubhouse to mark the holiday - a visit from the cooking ladies from http://www.thecookingladies.com/ two Canadian women who travel in a motorhome and promote their cookbooks. We enjoyed hearing about their travels and learned that they had been sponsored by Home Hardware in the past. They write a column for the RV Lifestyle Magazine and asked for our details as fellow travelling Canadians...











The second event was an oyster feast: shucking is evidently a spectator sport since we all enjoyed watching Carl and Scott dig away at the elusive prey! The oysters were prepared raw or grilled on the half shell. A pot luck supper rounded out the festivities and since Richard (my valentine) and I were fighting this cold we had to retreat to the Airstream at about 6 30 pm for an early night.