Monday, December 2, 2013

Thanksgiving weekend in Destin

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday weekend in Destin. We spent Thanksgiving day at Sunshine Cindy parents’ house having all the usual fixings…turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing….and it was all good. The weather was nice as it started to warm back up.

Friday Sunshine Cindy had to go into work. I got a few things done around the house and then ran some errands. It was so nice out I decided to make a stop down on the harbor to see what was going on. My first stop was the Boathouse. Courtney was working the outside bar. A lot of folks were inside as it was still chilly outside even with plastic up to block the wind. Gigi stopped by and said hello as she was running around keeping things in order. I talked to some locals and a few tourist as everyone was in good spirits.

Courtney and Sunshine Cindy

I walked down the harbor towards the village. Steve was at his Hawaiian Ice booth. He thought he would open up and see if he could get any business but it was slow. I hope to have Steve selling our Crab Island Mambo shirts again next year. As I walked into the village there were a lot of people with kids walking around. Turns out Santa was there so that brought out the kids. I saw Tiffany working at Crazy Lobster and I stopped to chat with her for minute. As I was doing that I heard someone holler my name. It was Carlos and he was on the second floor by his office. He asked me where I was going and I told him, “your bar.” That was the right answer.

I did stop at Crab Island Cantina. Greg was working. They had a decent crowd there too. People were enjoying the weather and the holiday. I left and stopped back at Crazy Lobster. I talked to some folks at the outside bar there too. It was a festive atmosphere in the village. Walking back to my car I ran into Jack. I have not seen Jack in quite some time. He looked good and was doing what I did, enjoying the weather on the harbor.

 Past fun at Crab Island Cantina

That night Sunshine Cindy and I went to Sago Sports Bar. We wanted to hang out for a while. I had them put on the Blackhawks/Stars hockey game. That turned out to be a good call as this was a great game. We had some food and drinks as we watched the game on the big 100 inch TV.

Saturday was Tiffany’s birthday. Sunshine Cindy and I took her to Panama City Beach. She wanted to go there so we obliged. Tiff turned 25 and she was having a blast. We started at Margaritaville for some food and cocktails. We walked across Front Beach Road to get up close and personal with the beach. As we got back into Pier Park we made a stop at The Back Porch. They had a happy hour special. As we sat down at the bar Tiff knew the bar-back from Destin. A few minutes later a server from Margaritaville came in. He didn’t wait on us but with long hair and a do-rag he was hard not to recognize. We ended up talking to Charles for almost an hour. He was an interesting person.

Tiffany and Sunshine Cindy at Margaritaville

Our next stop was the Hofbrau House German restaurant. The Auburn/Alabama game was on the TV’s and a group of Auburn fans were there watching the game. They were loud and rabid. A husband and wife team was setting up to sing. Turns out the husband was also an Auburn fan as was many of the staff. It was a surreal experience there. German music with polka’s and waltzes, screaming football fans, families with kids and then Tiffany getting singled out for her birthday. It included a free shot but first she had to be paddled by some of the male staff. She took it like a champ. LOL
Fun at the Hofbrau House in Panama City Beach


Of course the game had a miracle ending. The Auburn fans thought Tiff was a good luck charm so they bought her a shot. The band had to play the Chicken Dance song so people were up and dancing to that song. All in all it was a fun time that no one could have predicted. From there we made a stop at Tootsies for some country music. We ran into the same Auburn fans there. By now they were feeling no pain and were heading home. I drove us back to Destin and we made a final stop at Friday’s for a nightcap. By then it was time to call it a night.

Sunday was more laid back as we closed out the holiday weekend. We went to Tiff’s as her grandparents came with cake and ice cream for her birthday. We had a nice visit. From there Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy had ordered some cupcakes from Stephanie for a co-workers birthday. We went to pick them up and have a few beers.

Dancing at the Hofbrau House

The place was packed with people watching the end of the early NFL games. The Browns lost again so I didn’t miss anything not seeing that game. Sunshine Cindy got a Brat sandwich. She loves them with their homemade sauerkraut. Jason was also working with Stephanie tonight. Turns out it was also Stephanie’s birthday. Jason led the restaurant in singing happy birthday to her! LOL  I also didn’t know it but Jason is Jewish. He is celebrating Hanukkah. He did the ceremony of lighting candles on his Menorah. It was awesome seeing it.

We enjoyed our time at Landshark but it was time to get home and start to get ready for the upcoming work week. Looks like our weather will be seasonal as we get closer to winter. Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

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