Days 87 – 89
Norman Jean and the “triplets” left their slip at first light on Monday morning, 12/07/20, bound for Panama City Beach, FL, so we’d said our goodbyes to them the night before, with promises to hopefully catch back up with Luke and his wife later on, somewhere down in Florida. Wayne and Mitch both offered their services to crew for us aboard Legacy anytime we might need them. All we had to do was give them a call. We got up early ourselves on 12/07/20, and drove our rental car over to Fairhope, AL, for the day.
We had both heard good things about Fairhope from multiple people, so we were glad to have a pretty weather day to drive there for a visit.
We took the back roads from Orange Beach to Fairhope and I continued to be saddened by all the horrific Hurricane Sally damage that was still so prevalent all over the Alabama coast. One of the things that shocked me the most were the large mountains of debris just piled up along roadways waiting to be hauled away to landfills (I assumed). Still sitting there… almost three solid months later. Multitudes of privacy fences were down, along with billboards and commercial signage, hundreds of roofs were covered with blue tarps, and temporary, make-shift building construction still awaited permanent completion. Steve suggested that perhaps the cleanup delay was due to lack of manpower and equipment available to cover so many miles and miles of damage. That, coupled with the inevitable delays caused by the Covid-19 restrictions, I’m sure.
After touring the marina in Fairhope and other coastal areas of town, we drove into downtown Fairhope, which could not have been more quaint and welcoming. The weather was cold but beautiful, so we walked the shops and I exclaimed several times how much fun Fairhope would be for a girls’ weekend. We settled on The Bone and Barrel for lunch, where the food and service were both great. While we were eating, I noticed some unusual decorative trim applied to the walls of the restaurant, which upon closer inspection turned out to be old, painted cassette tape cartridges! This technique was a decorating first for me and I thought it quite clever and resourceful. (Steve wasn’t nearly as impressed with the trim as I was, but I’m the designer in our marriage, so what did he know?)
I drug Steve around Fairhope so I could visit several shops and take pictures for this blog. We both mentioned that Fairhope might be a fun place to retire someday, when we move back onto land. (I have a feeling that we’ll most likely come across many possible retirement towns as we do the loop!)
We drove around some of the historic neighborhoods in Fairhope where many beautiful old live oak trees laden with clumps of Spanish moss were still standing after Hurricane Sally. (Live oaks are one of my favorite sights in coastal communities.) After spending most of the day in Fairhope, we drove back to Orange Beach via Gulf Shores, AL. The cool temperatures and time of year left the beaches almost completely empty, which I found simultaneously beautiful and sad.
On Tuesday, 12/08/20, I took the rental car and drove to Great Clips for a haircut and then to Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby to purchase Christmas crafting supplies for “Crafting with Gram” up in Conway with the grand-kids later in the week. I had found a You-tube video on how to make gnomes that looked both easy and fun. I knew our two grandsons, Brayden and Corbin, probably wouldn’t be interested in crafting, so I bought enough supplies for all four grand-daughters, two daughters and myself. I love a good craft shopping fix!
On Wednesday, 12/09/20, the weather warmed up and we were back in shorts and t-shirts. I spent my birthday at the laundromat washing bedding and rugs while Steve ran errands in the rental car. We packed for our next day drive to central Arkansas for early Christmas with the grand-kids and also to see my brother and my dad. That evening, Steve and Kelly Brandt (on Spontaneity) rode with us to dinner at Acme Seafood, since we were leaving the following morning, and they would be gone back home to St. Louis for the holidays by the time we returned to Orange Beach. By by the time they returned from their home, we would’ve left The Wharf for the Florida panhandle.
Position: N 30° 17.699, W 87° 37.816
Marina Nights: 74