Gulf Shores........... Part Two

Amber has always wanted to take a dolphin tour, so she found and booked the trip on line before we left home. We put on our swim suits so we could parasail afterward and off we went.

That's Brenda and Jake; with Jaclyn , Billy and Jackson in the back. The tank-like thing in front is one of the four glass bottom areas of the boat. I don't have a clue as to why they're there because you certainly don't see any sea life through it.

Jeff, Coen, Amber,and me looking like a whale. I swear I don't weigh 200 lbs. It must be the swimsuit under the cover-up.

On our way to see the dolphins we passed "Party Island". This was taken on a Thursday. Our guide told us that on weekends the shore is filled with boats and other boats anchor 3 deep to the island. The sand is soft with no rocks so even fiberglass boats run ashore.

Farther back in the bay the dolphins show up. Don't expect photos. They're way to fast for that, and they will not pose. The dolphin population of the area was 700 to 900 before the oil spill, but no studies have been made since. The gestation period is a year and the baby stays with mother for 2 years learning the ropes. We did see plenty of dolphins. No babies, but I was assured they're there.

Most of the boats are privately owned, but a few were available for charter fishing.

The company that we were with also has diving and snorkeling tours.

In the same area near Orange Beach, Alabama

 Ono Island, a private and gated community, is filled with fabulous homes. The island is five miles long and can only be accessed by one bridge. Our guide assured us that many famous people had property there, but I only photographed one home. The green house in the background with the boat house on the left belongs to.............Dale Earnhardt Jr.

This little beach bum actually preferred the pool. I'm not sure if it was the waves knocking him around,  the sand, or the seaweed - but the pool was a clear winner.

One afternoon as Brenda and I watched the swimmers from the balcony of our condo, Coen looked up and said "I love you, Grandma!"

And that's why he's getting a car when he's sixteen.

Gulf Shores Alabama...... Part One

The view from our condo in Gulf Shores.

The last week in July I went to Alabama with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. We met my friend Brenda with her two daughters, son-in-law, and two grandsons.

It was a great condo for the 10 of us, right on the beach with a nice pool.

The beach is very nice here, with sand that's almost white. It's sort of "fluffy", very fine and soft.

 Jeff, Amber and Coen.

Ruffians in the pool.

From the left:

Billy, Jaclyn and Jackson, Charly and Jake, Amber and Coen and Jeff.

Both the pool and the gulf were so warm you could wade right in.

 The temperatures were in the low 90's during our stay. That's at least 10 degrees cooler than here in the mid-west where we've had the worst summer any of us can remember. I'd kind of worried about the time of our vacation, thinking it would be too hot to enjoy the trip but boy was I wrong. The weather was wonderfully comfortable to us.

One day we traveled inland to Summerdale, Ala. - the home of Alligator Alley. Not quite 20 miles from the coast but the comfort level plummeted. It was so humid you could hardly breathe.

Another pool full of shifty characters.

That's me holding the little 'gator for my grandson. He was leery but finally touched it. Poked might be a closer description. The alligator was dry as powder and air temperature, not cool and slimy like I expected.

Jake had no fear at all. I think he'd have taken it home.

This shy boy is Captain Crunch, the star of the farm. Check it out www.gatoralleyfarm.com/mythbusters.html

The boys look out for each other.

These things really do hide well, even when you know they're around they're hard to see. I'd recommend a visit, but not in July!

Microburst

Sunday afternoon ten days ago we had a little excitement here.

Our friends had left an hour earlier. At about 3 PM we were watching Dish TV (no local weather there) when the wind suddenly picked up. It was an amazingly rapid change. One moment the wind was calm and the next thing we knew the fifth wheel was rocking. Luckily John reacted quickly enough to put the awning in or I'm sure it would have been torn off.

We weren't as fortunate with our shade tent.

Sitting inside we saw the tent lift off for other parts.

The trailer shown behind us and across the road had a tree fall, blocking their door and breaking a glass top patio table. Their golf cart was narrowly missed.

The trailer on the left in the rear of the photo had its awning attached to 2 upright poles. That's a popular way to brace the awning and make a larger shaded area. The owner and her son ran out and held on to the support ropes, saving the awning.

When I bought the tent last August I didn't think it was really sturdy despite the fact it was "commercial grade". I figured we'd be satisfied if it lasted out the Autumn.

In this picture you can see the frame was actually torn in two. Looking at the flimsy bamboo torch you might notice that the silly little cap on top is still there.

A camp site down the road had a tent that wasn't damaged at all, and another neighbor had to track their patio umbrella down 200 yards away.

The marina just across the cove had serious damage when 3 of the 4 cables anchoring it in place were torn apart.

The whole "storm" lasted just a few minutes and we had no problems with the trailer.

I already have a new shade tent I like way better than the old one. 

The worst issue was the feral cat. Winston was extremely freaked out.

It was emotionally exhausting.

We won't be so lax in the future.

Coen and the Pontoon

Coen's first cruise on the pontoon he was careful to use sunscreen.

The temperatures were so high it was tough even on the water.

Coen is driving now that we've left the cove and you can see he's got a relaxed style behind the helm. He actually can't see over the windshield so why look forward. When Grandpa offered a course correction it was not received well at all. Coen wasn't sold on the experience of boating in general. If Coen is at the lake he wants to be swimming, not messing around with all the other stuff! I couldn't wait to see him tube for the first time. I just knew he'd love riding the tube with his dad and I'd get tons of great pictures for the blog. Well, I was wrong.........REAL wrong! Coen wanted no one on the tube. Not me, not Amber, not Dad and certainly not Coen. Maybe next year.