Hail to the Chief

We have been out to eat so much lately, seems we are always getting together with someone.

Judy has finished her family heirloom painting and I have one more session before mine is finished.

We've talked with Randy, Kristi & Devyn and all is well in Michigan although very muddy and wet.

Yesterday Don & I worked on his stereo and have diagnosed the problem to be the amp so he's ordered a new one. We all went for a ride to check out an alligator we were told about and sure enough it was there beside the road, we understand she's (had babies last year so the sex has been determined) been there for several years. Further down the road ends at the beach so we went for a long walk, it was quite windy and the surf was really up.

Dr Bahnmiller called today, she has been made Chief Resident for Family Medicine, U of South Alabama Hospital. This is effective in June when she starts her third and final year of residency.
We got together for lunch, she had just gotten off her standby rotation, a 30 hour shift. Hail to the Chief!! Good job Jody.

Tomorrow we leave for St Augustine.

Road Kill Cafe & Baldwin Co museum

After Judy & Zola finished water aerobics we all went to the Road Kill Cafe for their lunch buffet. They are open from 11am to 1pm Monday through Friday and what you get is what's on the buffet today. It was good. We then went to the Baldwin County Museum which was OK but they had a traveling display from the USS Republic, a side wheel boat sunk by a hurricane just after the Civil War, or as it's called locally, the War of Northern Aggression. The display and videos were very interesting, especially the recovery of a few hundred million dollars of gold coins. I wasn't allowed to take any USS Republic pictures but do you like the goat wagon?

It's been cold the last two days, 50s daytime and 30 at night but it'll be a lot warmer starting tomorrow.

Boomtown; Hello Ron & Nancy; Bye Ray & Barb

Well, what have we been up to the last week? The usual...some water aerobics, Curves, euchre (only doing so so), poker (doing real good), the super bowl and such. No painting class this week due to floor painting in the pavilon.

There was a going away party in the pavilion for Ray & Barb who left Monday for California. It also gave us an excuse to have a couple drinks to warm up for the super bowl. Hey Ray & Barb....where are you two now?

We had a call from Brooklyn friends Ron and Nancy (Nancy just retired) who were on their way to Florida via Gulf Shores. We had a great visit with them and got together with Don & Zola and Sue Salt for a seafood dinner at DeSoto's.

Today we joined a large group from the park for a 2 hour bus ride to Biloxi, MS and a casino called Boomtown. It cost us $20 and we got that much in free play money and a very large and good buffet lunch. Next to Boomtown was a large fleet of fishing (or shrimp?) boats. OK, how'd we do? After expenses I won $25 on the poker machines and Judy did real good and won $120 on the slots. I had a good time except for a long bus ride with zero legroom. Now, if Judy can do this daily (winning only took her about an hour) we'd start setting up home at more casinos.

Poker & euchre & painting & observations

On Monday Judy and I started a painting class here at the RV park. Judy can draw a decent stick figure but I can't draw a staight line so this will be pretty interesting. I had wanted to paint a picture from Oregon with the front end of our HitchHiker against some snow topped green mountains but the teach suggested an easier starting painting so we agreed, this time. Like the moon in Judy's painting? It's the teachs thumb print.

When we lived in MI I thought the Ann Arbor News was often carried away with U/M sports but they don't come close to the Mobile Register. The front page usually has football pictures and sports headlines at the top, above all else. Even now with the football season over they have not only football (still) but also basketball pictures and banners at the top of the front page. Another observation, Detroit doesn't have a corner on crime and murder; lots of it down here. Auto accidents and deaths.....lots of those too.

I've had two real good days playing poker, winning $15 to $20 each day, now lets see how long I can keep it. Judy has been doing real good at euchre. She's won $$$ at both the RV Park and the American Legion.

We went out last night to the China Dragon with a group from the RV Park.

Bruce b'day, Don & Zola, Dan & Nora

We got together with Don & Zola, our good friends from Michigan who winter in Gulf Shores for lunch and a stop at Camping World then the girls went shopping. We get to see each other quite often as they are only 4 miles away. Jody had Tuesday afternoon off so she and Bruce came out, they brought their dog so we went to the local dog walk so she could play. Sunday was Bruce's 38th birthday so they returned after church and we all went out for lunch then played euchre and had pumpkin and pecan pie to celebrate.
We also got together (the picture of the 4 of us) with Dan & Nora Berkery from Virginia, they are fellow HitchHikers staying nearby. We had a nice visit and had a shrimp meal at the Sea & Suds.
And of course....Roscoe. Our neighbors tinny dog. I finally got to dog sit one day when Jack & Lucy (from Tipton, MI) went to the dog track and abandoned Roscoe so I could spend some time with him.

Fairhope, AL

We finished the AARP drives ed program this morning and then drove down the east shore of Mobile Bay. You can see the tall buildings of downtown Mobile across the bay in the picture. We had lunch (shrimp) at the Oar House in Foley and did a little shopping before returning home mid afternoon so we can rest before tonight's euchre games. We recorded the inauguration and will watch it tonight.

I think it's winter in south AL as it didn't make it to 50 today. Cold, sunny & windy. But spring has sprung as I saw my first robin this week, the tulips are growing & we saw a red bud tree blooming. The forecast is 70 later this week but we are keeping the heaters fired up for now.

MLK Day; Robert E Lee & Stonwall Jackson Day

Judy has been doing real good at euchre. She won $18 Tuesday and came in fourth Sunday for twelve bucks. Good thing she continues to afford her trophy husband. Sunday was our neighbors birthday so Jack (birthday boy) and Lucy went out along with Don & Zola and us to the Longhorn before playing euchre. Saturday Judy & I went to see Bruce & Jody, we started to reupholster my parents old platform rocker. We have had a couple cold nights (30 degrees) but it's warming up, it was mid 60s today and all sunshine after some early morning rain.
Today is a big day down here in addition to MLK Day......Robert E Lee & Stonewall Jackson Day. You are celebrating up north too aren't ya? Today we started the AARP Drivers Reeducation course for old farts. We'll finish it tomorrow and I hope we can get an insurance discount. After the 1/2 day course we picked up a bookcase Jody & Bruce bought yesterday and trucked it to their place and assembled it. Judy also finished reupholstering the platform rocker my mom did 30 years ago. We'll see if it lasts as long.