Steve & Suzy left & the last supper

                     Patches trying out a new shoe box.  Looks like me trying on a Speedo swimsuit.

Here's Steve and Suzy escaping Gulf Shores headed for Texas to register their new truck.  They have been our neighbors for the last couple of months.  It looks like Lulu in the back seat is ready for this trip!

Here's the last food outing before leaving Gulf Shores.  Tom & Heather, Don & Zola, Judy & I, Jenny & Craig, and Ron & Roberta.  We went to Portabella's, an Italian place, in Foley.....wish we knew it was so good because we'd have gone there a lot more!

Visitors

We had a couple visitors at the Gulf Shores airport this week.  I spotted them on the way to supper and stopped on the way back for a quick picture.  Checking into it there are here for 3 days as they tout the USA.  

                                                                              B17

                                                                               B24

Campground's Mardi Gras float

                                       Oh Boy, here comes the campgrounds Mardi Gras float!
                             Practice for the big parades in Orange Beach & Golf Shores this weekend.

                                   WOW, treasures of beads and Moon Pies for Judy, Suzy & Steve.

New fridge, eating out with friends and ice in Gulf Shores

                   Our RV fridge died so we replaced it with a residential fridge, think it made Judy happy?

                                            One of the HitchHiker lunch outings at Mikee's

.                                     Here we are gathering for a pot luck in the park's pavilion.

                           This was early afternoon before the ice storm and cold hit later this afternoon.  We were                                                 hoping the weather forecast would be wrong.

  

                                                  Later,,,,looking out the back window.

Ice on the ladder.  This is the first time we have had ice on our home sweet home!  It dropped to the low and mid 20s at night and stayed at freezing during the day.  This lasted 2 days but was nothing like what Randy & Devyn are enduring in Michigan.

                    I didn't get any good shots of the sad drooping palm trees but this was on our site.

Happy New Year!

                            Reanato, Jody, Devyn, Randy and Mark before the Polar Bear Dip in Lake Lanier.

And in the background the star of the show.....THE LAKE LANIER!!  They were fortunate...no ice.

                                          Time to limber up and get ready for THE PLUNGE!

                             Standing on the dock watching those that went before them, will they chicken out?

                           I'm getting old and forgetful so this picture was to remind me what year this was.

                                                This almost looks like a march to the gallows.

                                                 Look Ma....they did it, they really did it!
                                                                         Geronimo!!!
                                  Wait a minute, it looks like Renato just waited and faked all the other s out!
                              Well, he is from Barzil which is on the equator and probably doesn't like the cold.
                                                                  Yes, he did dood it.

                                   Here's the after picture, I think they were happy it was over!
                                           It must have been cold as Devyn's nose turned red.

After the plunge there was a chili cook off contest.  Renato & Randy entered a pot but we think the contest was rigged because the lady that organized the day won.

 

Christmas IN Flowery Branch, GA

On December 21 we went to Jody & Renato's home in Georgia for Christmas.   Randy and Devyn also arrived on the 21st.  We returned to Gulf Shores January 1.  We were concerned that that might be too much time but we had an excellent time the kids and Devyn.  The only thing we missed was our HitchHiker home with all it's comforts.  Patches agreed after spend all her time in a bedroom.

Devyn loved and really enjoyed playing with Xena, Gabby and the new mutt....Bertha the bulldog.

                       Randy & Renato enjoy cooking and they were put to the task and did very well.

                                       Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would stop them from BBQ!

                                                                  Tree trimming time.

Of course we had to have Christmas cookies!  Judy was excited because this is the first Christmas she can remember that she didn't have to roll cookies.  The task has been turned over to a new expert cookie maker!

                                        Brazilian pizza anyone?  Check out the hard boiled eggs.

                                                         Randy making his special pizza.

                                                       Time to frost and test the cookies.

                                              This is either Santa Claus or Dapper Dan.

                                                                  The Bahnmiller clan.

          Judy made our Christmas tree at a craft course, Jody supplied the Amaryllis for my birthday.

                                   How's this for a unique Christmas tree in the Gulf Shores library?

                                                        Here's an outdoor  Christmas tree.