Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas!!!

A short and sweet blog from Destin today. It was a quiet week around here. So… Sunshine Cindy and I want to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas. We hope everyone counts their blessings as we close out 2017.

Destin Steve

Monday, December 18, 2017

Almost time for the big guy to come visit

Yep, in one week Santa will be sliding down the palm trees to bring rum and tequila to all the good folks in Destin. Hey, I can dream!

This past week was pretty typical for this time of the year. It was cold then it warmed up and we got some thunderstorms and rain. The town is pretty quiet as most of the snowbirds have not showed up yet and the holiday crowds are not here either. Give it a week and all that will change.

My work has been busy. I had to go in on my off Friday for a while. When I got home Sunshine Cindy and I did some shopping. We went to Harborwalk Village as I needed a new pair of flip flops and a shop there had the ones I wanted. The flip flops are made in Hawaii so I not only shopped locally but bought American Made too!

We wanted to visit a shop we had been to in the Summer that had tons of local stuff but it was closed down and the location was up for rent. There were actually a bunch of empty shops in Harborwalk Village. I can imagine the rent is astronomical down there making it hard to turn a profit. The shops seem to come and go pretty quickly.

Since we were down there we stopped into Harry T’s for a drink. Red was working the bar. I got my traditional tequila sunrise. There were a few folks around the bar. Harry T’s has a great all day happy hour. Susan came in to start her shift while we were there. It was good seeing her and Red.

We decided to go to Ciao Italia for an early dinner. We really like this place. The food is great, the people friendly and it has a nice warm atmosphere. We were stuffed when we left and headed home for the evening.

Saturday was spent visiting with Sunshine Cindy’s parents. It was her Dad’s birthday so we all celebrated. When it got dark the lighted boat parade took place. The boats leave Bluewater Bay marina and make a pass in Rocky Bayou right in front of their house. A couple of neighbors came to join us we went to the dock to watch the boats. It was nice as the weather was comfortable.

Chaos was a good girl while we were gone. She didn’t tear apart the Christmas gifts under the tree I’m glad to say. Chaos loves to be outside and she doesn’t mess with stuff in the house anymore. (I hope I didn’t jinx it.)

Sunday Funday saw me watching football at Landshark again. The Browns still lost but it was a good time with our friends. I saw Curtis and also saw Amy as they were watching some of the other games. We only have two more games to get a win. This is like deja vue again from last year. Ugh!

Down on Okaloosa Island at the Boardwalk, The Black Pearl restaurant has closed. It was open for 11 years which is a long time for a restaurant. The Black Pearl was an upscale restaurant in a an area that was not upscale. Kudo’s to them for surviving 11 years. It’s reported a new restaurant is already in the works for that location as it is a prime beachfront location looking out at the Gulf of Mexico.

Have a great week. See ya’ll next Monday for a Christmas day “Living and Playing in Destin” blog!

Destin Steve

Monday, December 11, 2017

This loss hurt...

As any long time reader of my blog knows, I am a big Cleveland Browns fan. Yes, they suck but being a fan means you root for your team through thick and thin. But yesterday’s game was hard to take. The Browns had the game in control right up into the fourth quarter. Then it all fell apart and they lost in overtime. They have still not won a game this year but they should have beat the Packers yesterday. They need to learn how to win I guess.

On a brighter note my hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning is the best team in the NHL right now. They are playing awesome. So I have that going me! LOL

Mother nature decided to send Destin some winter weather this past week. A lot of areas in the south got snow but it stayed warm enough in Destin that we only got rain. We did have temps in the 30’s and 40’s though. That is way too cold me! My blood is thin and ”75 is pretty chilly to me.” (Thanks to a Jim Morris song for that line.) The Sun came back out on Saturday and it is warming back up into the 60’s today.

Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark Pizza. It was our Christmas party and also election of the new board of directors. We had BT playing for us and a big crowd of about 125 folks showed up. I will be Secretary again in 2018 and Sunshine Cindy was voted onto the board as a Member at Large. Our club has donated over $18,000 to local charities this year. We really do “Party with a Purpose!”

Saturday was the Destin Christmas parade. I planned to walk in the parade with Chaos but I had to go into work so we had to miss it. It was really cold so I am half glad I had to go to work. Sunshine Cindy and I did go to O’Quigley’s for dinner and to watch the second half of the Army / Navy game. I know our future is in good hands with these fine young men and women of the academy’s coming up through the ranks.

And of course on Sunday I went to Landshark to watch the Browns game with Bobby. We had good natured banter back and forth with Sue as she was trying to get her Packers to play better. I guess it worked!

After the game we had a Parrot Head board meeting. Most of the board members were going to watch the lighted boat parade in the harbor later in the evening so it made sense to have our board meeting before that. We will have a fun board next year and hope to surpass our donation total from 2017.

Around town an empty lot has been cleared next to ABC Liquor in front of Home Depot. I have not heard what is going in there. It looks like construction will be starting soon as the site work is almost done. It has the look of a fast food location but we shall see what actually happens.

Our friends with Lucky’s Rotten Apple in Destin have taken over the Tipsy Pig location in downtown Fort Walton Beach and made it into Lucky’s Ft. Walton. It looks like they are going to make it into a late night party spot with DJ’s and drink specials. Since The Swamp and Nightown closed down a void has existed for that type of club. Good luck on the venture.

One thing you hear a lot about now is so called “Fake news.” It wasn’t too long ago we just called this stuff lies! I saw a report a while back showing teenagers in Eastern Europe just pumping this stuff out to drive traffic to their web sites and they are making a lot of money doing it. In Destin someone started a Facebook page called, “City of Destin News.” This is a good old fashion satirical page that pokes fun at a lot of things in Destin and surrounding area. Nobody seems to know who is behind this page but whoever it is does a great job with it.  You can call it fake news if you like but this is not for monetary gain and instead is just satire. Check it out if you get a chance.

It is only two weeks till Christmas. Try to buy American Made if possible. There are some good web sites that only sell American Made items. Buying American Made is good for the economy and it really will make America great again!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, December 4, 2017

Destin life…

Last Thursday was a big day along the Gulf Coast as well as the entire Atlantic ocean and Caribbean sea basin. Hurricane season ended Thursday I am glad to say. I don’t know how hurricane’s know when their season is done but I’m glad not to have to worry about them again for six months. It was a busy hurricane season this year but we survived in Destin with just a couple of glancing blows.

The other big news this week was our home remodel projects are completed. We spent more money than we planned (doesn’t everyone?) and there are still things we would like to do but for now, we are planning to just enjoy what we accomplished. Chad and his team finished up the last couple of items we had for them and the backsplash was completed.

I want to give a shout out to Tile Temptations in Miramar Beach. They went above and beyond to make sure the backsplash job got done this week. Give them a call if you need quality tile work done.

On Saturday after the last of the contractors left, Sunshine Cindy and I went to O’Quigley’s for some food, brews and watch some football. We saw and talked to Charley (the owner). He was telling us how he was just getting over the crud. He had Influenza B. That is one of the nasty ones but he looked like he was on the road to recovery. Sunshine Cindy had their Ruben sandwich. It is huge and good. I had a Cajun sausage and chicken pasta dinner that was great. It was a great way to celebrate the end of the remodel projects.

Sunday saw me head to Landshark to watch the Browns lose…Again! They had an afternoon game. Bobby joined me for a while and John was there to watch the Saints game. The early games were ending with some good finishes. The Jets guy was there going nuts for his J.E.T.S Jets, Jets, Jets! Packer fans were happy as the Pack won in OT. Donny was a happy Raven fan as they easily won too. I was the only disappointed one! LOL

Each year in early December The Donut Hole restaurant in Destin shuts down for a few weeks. They are now closed till just before Christmas. Gilligan’s is also shut down for the season.

This is a slow tourist time in Destin but we are seeing the Snowbirds return. The biggest numbers return right after the holidays but we have seen a lot of cars with Ontario, Michigan and Minnesota tags already. This is the time of the year where people are either driving 45 or 80 on the island. There is no in-between. The snowbirds catch a lot of flak for being cheap (some are but most are really cool) but they are a strong economic engine for our region. 

Our old house was in Diamond Lakes sub division. We had a lake behind our house. Last week they found a body in the lake. It was a mentally challenged person who wandered away from a group about a ½ mile away. No one is sure how he ended up in the lake but it a tragic end for him and his family.

This is a busy week in Destin. Friday night the Parrot Heads will be meeting at Landshark Pizza for our monthly meeting. BT will be playing for us. It should be a fun time. Saturday is the Destin Christmas parade. The parade goes right down Hwy. 98 from Main Street to Stalhman Ave. It is a two mile parade that is always a lot of fun to walk in or watch. It kicks off at 10 am. Then on Sunday is the lighted Christmas Boat Parade in the harbor. This is another fun Destin tradition. That starts about 5:30 I think.

Also on Sunday my Browns will be playing the Packers. You know we will be at Landshark hoping to spoil the Packers run to the playoffs. Lookout Brian and Sue…This is the Browns week!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, November 27, 2017

It was a great Thanksgiving weekend in Destin

It was a nice relaxing holiday weekend in Destin for Sunshine Cindy and I. We went to her parent’s house on Rocky Bayou for Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day. We were able to sit on the back porch and watch some boats and jet ski’s that went out for afternoon rides. Sunshine Cindy works part time for Honey Backed Hams and she had gotten a turkey from them for dinner. It was awesome. It was a nice visit and good day to relax a little.

I was off on Friday. I took Chaos out in the morning for her customary walk. Actually Chaos demands it. She gets me up and follows me around until we leave. All I have to do is say the word “walk” and she goes nuts. Then our walk is more like her dragging up and down the street. If a squirrel runs out she about rips my arm out of its socket. It is good exercise for her and me!

Friday was a special day for us and Chaos. It was two years ago on Black Friday 2015 that we brought Chaos home from Alaqua. She was a little 8 pound puppy who has now grown into a 65 pound bundle of energy. She is smart as a whip, loving and she is the princess of the house! We love our Chaos!!!



On Friday afternoon I decided to take my bicycle out for a ride. It has been many months since I rode it. I ended up riding to Joe’s Bayou park and back. It was about a 7 mile ride. Not very long but long enough when you have not been riding in what seemed like forever. The weather was perfect to be out and it was great exercise.

When I got back home Sunshine Cindy was working on putting up our Christmas tree. So while she was doing that I went to Beach Liquor to stock up on a few things for the holidays. They have a craft beer/liquor bar inside the store that opened for the day when I was there. So after paying for my stuff I stopped at the bar and had a couple of craft brews while watching some football. It was a great way to spend an off Friday.

In the evening Sunshine Cindy and I watched some movies. Chaos was tuckered out from running in the backyard all day and she slept with her head on Sunshine Cindy’s leg. It was a perfect ending to a good day.

Sports stated to rule the schedule on Saturday. Sunshine Cindy went to do some shopping Saturday about noon while I stayed home to watch Ohio State beat that team from up north! It was a great game as the Buckeyes came from behind to win it. Then on Saturday evening we headed to Crab Island Cantina and Charley’s BBB Bar to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game. Darla, Bob and Wayne joined us. We all try to get together at least once a year to watch a game. We had fun but the Lightning didn’t play very well and lost. They took good care of us at Charlies. We had sound for the game and it was on several TV’s. The food is excellent and the beer cold. You can’t ask for much more than that.

Sunday Funday was spent watching the Browns at Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy decided to not go this week. Bobby joined me as we once again watched the Browns lose another game. He had a couple of his motorcycle riding buddies join us for part of the game. We also had Joe watching the game from across the room. He was in town and is originally from Cleveland. We all talked for a while commiserating in the sad state of the Browns. Oh well, they have to win another game sometime…right?

Around town it was announced TGI Friday’s will not be returning. The old TGI’s closed at the end of 2016 due to mismanagement. The building was torn down and two new building are going up on the land it used to occupy. It was announced previously TGI’s was going to take over one of the buildings but now the word is they won’t. It’s going to be a Panera Bread and Starbucks and Advanced Auto Parts. I don’t know what happened to Friday’s. They are making progress with the buildings. There was even guys working there on Thanksgiving day.

Down on the harbor, I have written about a new building going up next to the Boathouse. Last spring we were down there with Alan and Jackie when we got to talking with a guy who said he was building a new restaurant and bar on that spot. The site work had begun. There used to be an old restaurant there and small docks but for a couple years it was empty. Since the spring a lot of work has been done. It was now reported in the Destin Log that Claude Perry is doing the building. Claude owns a lot of land in that area. He is the owner of the building that houses the Red Door and the building that houses Landshark Pizza and Asiago Skillet.

They say this is going to be a 8000 square foot, two story building. Claude is looking for someone to lease the space from him. This end of the harbor is more laid back and local than the Harborwalk Village area. That is more Disney’ish while this east end is more hard core partying. It will be interesting to see who will be leasing this space and what they do with it. A high-end fancy place won’t make it here in my opinion. They need an affordable fun place. Of course no one is asking me but if they did…LOL

Only 29 more days till Christmas…Ugh! Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, November 20, 2017

Winter comes to Destin

Winter weather in Destin is best described as either warm and wet or cold and dry. We had both ends of that scale this weekend. Saturday was warm and humid. It felt great. But with that warm weather we also had some rain. Then Sunday morning a front went though and it got cold. But at least it was sunny. When I took Chaos for her morning walk the wind was hollowing but she loved the cold temps. Me, not so much!

Speaking of Chaos, she is getting so much exercise running in the back yard after squirrels she has lost some weight. She is now a lean, mean squirrel chasing machine!

Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t do much away from the house this weekend. I did some work on our fence and cleaned paw prints from our pool deck. I also tried to put some chairs together but the first two I worked on had manufacturing problems that would not let me proceed. They are going back to Wayfair. We should have known better.

Meanwhile Sunshine Cindy was out buying some new cabinet hardware and she finished putting the Beach Room together as the new bed frame came in. That room looks awesome. It looks out at the pool and she did a fantastic job of making it beachy!

The last major remodel project is getting the new backsplash installed. That will happen next week. Then I will stop with all the project updates! Finally our house will be done…at least for the major jobs.

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns game. We had a good group of friends watching several of the different games. Bobby, Cheryl, Ken, Donny, John, Bob, Sue as well as some others who stopped in. Sue didn’t realize she could have so much fun despite her team (the Packers) getting crushed. I told her I wrote the book on having good times with a bad team!

In town the long awaited work on The Point is getting underway. There is a big barge there as they work to strengthen that area to keep the sand from washing into the entrance to the harbor. With the largest charter fishing fleet in the state, keeping the mouth of the harbor open is very important. I will be curious to see how this all looks when it’s done. They have several phases to the project and the first part should be done by May 2018.

This week kicks off the holiday season in Destin. Over the next five weeks there will be parades on land and on the water, Santa will be arriving at our various shopping centers, holiday musical presentations will be held at many locations around town and last but not least the Snowbirds are coming back! Our winter season is officially in full swing. Hopefully our favorite Snowbirds will be back soon. Get well Alan! We miss you and Jackie!

Have a great Thanksgiving celebration. We will be celebrating with Sunshine Cindy’s parents. We also will be going to Charley’s BBB bar inside of the Crab Island Cantina on Saturday evening for a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey viewing party. Come join us if you are in the area! See ya next Monday with a full wrap up of the week!

Destin Steve

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Blog Returns!

It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog posting as Sunshine Cindy and I were traveling to the Keys and Key West. We had  a wonderful trip where we partied with Parrot Head friends, celebrated my 60th birthday, relaxed a lot, and enjoyed good food and drinks. All in all it was a great time.

The Keys are recovering from Hurricane Irma. Key West survived pretty well. There was not a lot of obvious damage. You could tell where trees came down, decks and stairs were rebuilt and a few places were still closed. But all in all, Key West is back in the tourist business.

The same cannot be said for the Middle Keys. It was sad to see the destruction as mountains of debris were piled along US 1. The area around Big Pine Key was the worse. It is going to be many months before there is any semblance of normalcy for those folks. Talking to a FEMA supervisor one evening he said about the half the homes in Big Pine will be demolished as they are uninhabitable. Very sad but the folks in the Keys are a strong group and they will bounce back.

Back at home Chaos had a pretty normal time while we were gone thanks to Susie staying at our house to watch Chaos. She said Chaos spent most of her time running around in the backyard chasing squirrels. That is Chaos’s new favorite pastime. It is good exercise for her. She has lost some weight and sleeps well at night! LOL

It didn’t take long to get back to reality after we got home. We both went back to work and within a day or so the vacation seemed like a distant memory.

The work on the house continues. After we got home we had the last of the kitchen counter granite installed on the new cabinet we had added to the kitchen. It looks awesome. Now all we have left to do in the kitchen is pick out some new backsplash and get that installed. Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I went and purchased a new dining room table. It gets delivered this Thursday. It is a Teak Wood base with a round glass top. It looks amazing and we can’t wait to get it in the house. We are just about done with the major work and purchases for the house.

On Saturday after we did the dining room table shopping we stopped for a beer at Mellow Mushroom. Then we headed across the street to Ciao Italia Bistro for dinner. This place is quickly becoming my favorite for Italian food in Destin.

Friday night was our Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. We honored all of the Vets in our club. We have a lot I am glad to say. We could not be doing what we do without the sacrifices they and their mates made. Thanks to each and every one of them!!!

Sunday was Browns football again. We decided to mix it up and go to Tailfins and try and change the Browns luck. It didn’t work. They still lost. I have to give a shout-out to Bobby. He continues to come to the games with us to try and root the Browns to a win. He even bought a Browns tee shirt. One of these days Bobby, we will taste victory! I hope!


After the game Sunshine Cindy and I walked down to AJ’s. BT and Nicole were there with a bunch of their friends watching the Cowboys/Falcons on the big screen. It was great catching up with them as we have not seen them in several weeks. AJ’s has done an outstanding job with this outside area. They just continue to grow and grow.

We were only gone for about 11 days but the road construction on Hwy 98 got underway big time. From in front of Wal-Mart all the way down to Airport Road they have moved lanes, put up a million barrels and made travel in this area dangerous. I can’t believe they did all this in such a short period of time. That will put more folks on Commons Drive now.

Destin was busy this Saturday. They had a 3k run/walk from the American Legion. There was a Pooch party at the dog park with hundreds of people and pets there. And something was going on at Morgan’s Sports Complex. Hundreds of cars were parked everywhere. I don’t know what it was for but they had a ton of folks there. Destin continues to stay fairly busy.

It’s fun to go on vacation but it is great to be back home. Have a great week everyone and I will be back next Monday “Living and Playing in Destin!”

Destin Steve

Monday, October 23, 2017

Destin in the Fall

We had some hot and humid temps this past week but that all changing as Fall makes an appearance in Destin this week. With some heavy rain on Sunday night we are now getting more seasonable lower temps and lower humidity. A lot of folks around here love this weather.

It was a busy week for Sunshine Cindy and I. Tuesday and Wednesday the new kitchen granite was installed. It looks awesome. We are just waiting for a new cabinet/bar to come in and get installed then all we have left for now is to pick out some new backsplash. We are getting close to having friends over to check it all out.


We didn’t get the water and gas back on in the kitchen until Thursday. We had to let all the glue and granite stuff set up. So Wednesday on my way home from work I stopped in at The Crust to pick up some pasta to take home. There was a strange occurrence while I was there. When I walked in there was only 4 people sitting at a table. After I placed my to-go order, a couple of other families came in. About this time the first 4 people left. Then one of the guys come storming back into the restaurant waving a piece of paper around hollering who was the tough guy who put this note on her car (who ever “her” was). No one knew what he was talking about. He even “invited” everyone outside to talk about it.

A guy from the back said no one knows what you are talking about. Someone else asked what the note said. I heard him mumble “asshole.” Then he left. The poor waitress didn’t know what to say or do. About this time the guys storms back in waiving the paper saying it was written on a ticket from the restaurant. He looked at the waitress saying did you do this? She looked at him and said, “Like I had time to run out while I was taking care of everyone.” Then she told him the ticket was not even from the Crust. He stormed out again and finally left. I’m sure he is an asshole and that’s why the note was put there from a previous stop I bet. I joked that I wanted to follow him around town and put more notes on his window! LOL

This weekend our friends Buz and Brenda were getting married on the beach on Saturday. Thursday night the guys got together for a bachelor party for Buz. They started out at Harry T’s. I got there a little early and went to Crab Island Cantina as the bar at Harry T’s was packed. Monica was working the bar. It was not busy so we had a chance to catch up as I had not seen her in a while. When I got back to Harry T’s I found out the party was upstairs. I stayed for this part of the party. They were moving on to the Island but I headed home after chatting with Dan for a while.

Friday was a low key day for us. Sunshine Cindy’s parents came by for a visit but otherwise we took it easy.

Saturday was the wedding on the beach by the Crab Trap. Wayne came by our house to see all the work we have had done. He then rode with us to the beach. It was a day for weddings as three other weddings were going on too. Buz and Brenda looked great. Mike was a perfect “flower girl” as he dispensed miniature bottles of booze to the crowd. Yep, a typical Parrot Head wedding.

After the wedding Steve and Becky invited us to their condo that was just a short drive away. Several folks ended up there as we had a few drinks before the reception that was being held at the American Legion. Steve and Becky have done a lot of work to their place recently and it looks great. They live in Oklahoma but visit Destin often. They are great folks and a lot of fun to hang around with.

Sunshine Cindy and I stayed at the reception for a while then decided we wanted to get away to someplace a little more quiet. We went to the new Italian restaurant, Ciao Italian Bistro. We had a great meal. They get their Italian sausage from Chicago. It was out of this world. The entire meal was perfect. Gugliamo is the owner. He has had several different places in Destin over the years. He was there and we got to talk with him too. He has a hit on his hands. They just got a new pizza oven installed and are ready to start serving pies. I’m sure they will be just as good as the rest of their food. We will be back!

On Sunday I was back at Landshark Pizza for the Browns game. It was a close game but they lost again. This is getting depressing. Oh well, it was fun hanging out with our friends.

It was a dangerous week on the waters around Destin. Earlier in the week a charter boat captain was 21 miles out when he saw a couple of guys in the water. They were diving for Lionfish and their boat had engine problems and broke free. They were two very lucky guys. Then over the weekend a boat overturned in East Pass. 6 people were in the water when good Samaritans pulled them to safety. And finally a small fawn deer was rescued from the Gulf. I’m glad to say all were okay.

My next blog will be Tuesday November 7th. Sunshine Cindy and I will be taking our yearly trip to the Keys and Key West for the Parrot Head “Meeting of the Minds.” This convention, musical festival and family reunion all rolled into one is a fun time. We are glad to be able to help get some tourist money back into the Keys after Irma. See ya when we get back!

Destin Steve

Monday, October 16, 2017

Fall Break in Destin

I don’t really remember when “Fall Break” became a tourist thing but it is real. A couple years ago I noticed the crowds were picking up in early October. This year was very obvious. Traffic in Destin rivaled what we see for Spring Break last week. But that is a good thing as they keep our economy pumped up in the down time.

This past weekend Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Landshark Pizza on Friday night for the Parrot Head meeting. It was a blast with Rusty playing for our football themed fund raiser. A big crowd was there and a good time was had by all. We even had an appearance from our friend Dennis. He stopped in to pick up some wings and hung out with us. It was good to see him again.

Saturday the Parrot Heads were having a beach party. It was supposed to be a bonfire but Walton County is now charging event fees plus a bonfire fee. And they only allow a couple groups on the beach at a time. So we said screw them and we went to Okaloosa County by the Crab Trap for a Glow Stick Tree party since Okaloosa does not allow bon fires on the beach. Sunshine Cindy and I were working on the house all day and didn’t make it but from the pictures I saw I could tell everyone had a fun time. It was a great idea by the board to do the Glow Stick Tree. I think a new tradition has been born.

Sunday Funday saw me back at Landshark for football. Yes, the Browns still lost and looked worse than ever. It’s tough watching them but with a good group of friends there we have a fun time. Landshark was packed with fans watching the games. With a Green Bay game going on at the same time, the back room was totally filled up. Landshark is a great place to watch the games.

After the game I walked down to The Boathouse Oyster Bar. Drop Dead Dangerous was playing. It was supposed to have been a charity fund raiser for Kenny. But with Kenny passing away they turned the event into a celebration of his life. Paul, Larry, JD and Lynley all joined Kitty and Melanie on stage for a fun time. The entire band will be at Crab Island Cantina in Harborwalk Village this Tuesday from 5-9 pm. Get out and listen to them as they are awesome!

Destin was hot and humid all last week. We had temps in the low 90’s and you could cut the humidly with a knife. This is definitely above average for us but I love it. I walked Chaos both Saturday and Sunday mornings. We were both wore out by the time we got back home. LOL  But as of today we are back to normal temps for this time of the year. I know a lot of folks that are happy about that.

Last Wednesday at work we had the CEO and division President in for a visit. I was invited to dinner with them. Our GM made reservations at Ali’s in downtown Ft. Walton Beach. I was very impressed with the place. They do Italian food and do it very well. Of course it helps that someone else picked up the tab! But check Ali’s out if you get a chance.

Ten years ago Thursday was a day I will never forget. Sunshine Cindy and I were first introduced. It was at a Parrot Head meeting. Cajun Mike made the introduction and as they say, the rest is history. It’s been a great ten years and here’s to many many more!

We have another busy week coming up. I already mentioned about Drop Dead Dangerous playing Tuesday at Crab Island Cantina. Tuesday is also the day we have our granite kitchen counter being installed. Saturday is special day for Buz and Brenda. They will be married on the beach. Thursday night the guys are taking Buz out. That should be fun. And of course we have Sunday Funday football. Just another typical week in Destin!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Monday, October 9, 2017

Destin dodges the Hurricane Nate bullet

Another week and another hurricane hitting the US. This time it was the Gulf Coast that took the brunt of the storm. Nate came ashore in Biloxi as a Cat One. It was a fast moving storm I’m glad to say. Here in Destin we had some wind and rain but nothing serious. A few folks lost power but we never lost power at our casa.

What surprised me was the lack of attention that was paid to this storm in our area. Other than the Destin Seafood festival cancelling their event it was pretty much business as usual around town. I heard some complaints about the festival being cancelled but they really didn’t have a choice. You can’t have vendors and attendee’s a couple feet above sea level when you don’t know where the storm is actually going to go. And it was a good call as Saturday afternoon and into Sunday was windy and rainy.

Destin was actually busier than normal. I heard there was Fall Break in several surrounding states and with Monday being a holiday we had more people in town than we have had in a while. I guess no little hurricane will scare them off.

Sunshine Cindy and I had a busy day on Friday. Her dad came over to help us do a few things around the house. He and I ended up traveling around the area to find some weather stripping for our front door. It’s an old door and we ended up having to make due. It was nothing a little gorilla glue couldn’t fix!

After that was done Sunshine Cindy and I headed to the granite place as our granite is in. We got to pick out exactly how they will cut it so we could get the look we wanted. With any luck they will be installing it later this week. Then we made a Publix run. The place was super busy too. Then we went to dinner at McGuire’s. It was fantastic as always. And as usual, I was stuffed to the gills. Then we headed home to relax and digest that great meal.

Saturday morning was spent getting our garage in order. I wanted to be able to get at least one car in there before the storm hit. Then Sunshine Cindy helped some folks with storm prep and I did a little grilling out. Nate blew in full bore in the middle of the night. It kept waking us up as the rain was pelting our bedroom window. But like I said, we didn’t have any damage so it’s all good.

Sunday I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns lose again. This is getting monotonous. Landshark was packed. Bobby, Ken and Cheryl were there trying to help me root on the Browns. Then Donny and Bob came in for the late games. It was a fun atmosphere. I saw a ton of friends there too. Amy, Tony, Michelle, Curtis, Hayden were just a few that I saw. Oh well, maybe next week will be the week to get into the win column.

Last week I mentioned the Golden Corral restaurant closed suddenly. I guess they were serious about it as all signs have been removed and there is nothing left to identify it was ever a Golden Corral. They wasted no time.

A couple years ago the city of Destin received funds and approval to fix Noriega Point to stop the sand from washing into the mouth of the harbor. About once a year they have to dredge the harbor mouth so the fishing fleet can get out. It was announced that the work will finally begin this week. They hope to have the first phase done before the start of summer next year. I hope we don’t get any more hurricane’s in the meantime.

Another project that has been talked about for many years is also underway. Hwy 98 is being widened between The Commons and Silver Sands Outlet mall. Traffic there will be a mess for a year or two as this work takes place.

Finally I want to mention a small business that sells cupcakes. Small Cakes is in the City Market area. Sunshine Cindy has bought cupcakes from them a couple of times. They really are “small cakes” and they taste outstanding. They even have cupcakes for your dog. Chaos loves her cupcakes too.

This Friday is our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. Rusty is playing for us and it is a football theme. Come out and “party with a purpose” with the Parrot Heads.

See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, October 2, 2017

Fall has arrived in Destin

The calendar said Fall came almost two weeks ago but it took till this weekend for it officially feel like Fall in Destin. All last week we had temps in the low 90’s. Saturday afternoon we had a cold front push through with rain and dropping temps. By Sunday the wind was howling and the temp only got up to about 80. What a difference a day made.

The nice thing about the warm temps was I could still use our pool. Friday when I got home from work I went swimming and it felt so good. Speaking of the new house…we are checking tasks off the remodel list. The gas line was approved by the city and we hooked up the gas grill. All painting inside the house is done. The recessed spot for the TV is done. The granite folks came out to measure the kitchen counter. The rest of the trimming of the trees is done. Yep, the place is shaping up.

We invited Sunshine Cindy’s parents over on Saturday to break in the new grill. I cooked up some burgers and we had a fun visit. The grill worked like a champ. I think I will really like it. They weren’t gone 5 minutes when the skies opened up. That was a surprise rain shower for sure.

Sunday Funday we went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns. They still suck. But we had a good time with our friends Ken, Cheryl and Bobby. Paige took good care of us. It was a good atmosphere with a lot of hooting and hollering.


Earlier in the week the Emerald Coast Parrot Head club had a fund raising dinner at Landshark. 10% of the food sales went to our Alzheimer’s charity fund. We had a small but fun group there. Ron and a friend of his, Ken who is a true Cajun were there. We were the last ones from our group there and we had a blast. Ken was a fun guy. While there a Parrot Head friend, Mike came in. We had not seen Mike in months as he is fighting colon cancer. He looked pretty good all things considered. He said he has 4 more chemo treatments but so far so good. Keep up the fight Mike!

We get asked all the time how Chaos is taking to her new house. She loves it. She runs after squirrels all day long if we let her. She actually almost got one last week but I’m not sure what she would do if she caught it. She also loves to play ball in the house. It’s funny but she takes her ball up the stairs and then she rolls the ball back down the steps and she waits till Sunshine Cindy or I throw the ball back up to her. Yep, Chaos loves her new house!


Around town we heard Golden Corral has closed down. I don’t know for sure but I think it had something to do with their rent being raised too high.

This coming weekend is the Destin Seafood Festival. Tens of thousands will descend on the harbor for food, drinking and music. Our friends the Southern Drawl Band will be headlining Saturday night for the third year in a row. They play starting at 8 pm. Come out and have a good time. These guys are awesome!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Monday, September 25, 2017

Blue Marlin Bombers rule the Destin Kickball League!

I know what you are saying…Destin has a kickball league? And why does the Blue Marlin Bombers (I hope I remembered their name right) rule this league? They rule because they are the champs again for the second time in a row. They are the 2016 and now 2017 champs. We all know how hard it is to repeat as champs. The team is made up of folks from the Century 21 Blue Marlin reality company. And these old geezers (the oldest team in the league by probably 20 years) beat all them young’uns! Congrats to Jerry and the team! Since the paper won’t give them any love I had too!!!

This week Sunshine Cindy and I continued our quest to get the remodeling of our new house done. Chad and his team are almost done with the inside stuff. We had John and his team work on trimming the forest that passed for a yard. He is over half done. A new gas line was installed to our patio. Things are getting closer.

Sunshine Cindy and I went out on Friday to pick out granite for a new kitchen counter. The old 24 year old granite looked like…well, 24 years old. We took Chaos with us to help pick it out. Actually we didn’t want her to be home alone with the guys and all the nail guns and noise. She did great too. After getting granite ordered we stopped at Home Depot to buy a gas BBQ grill to hook up to the new gas line. We took Chaos into Home Depot too and everyone loved her. We saw Steve and he joked that Chaos didn’t look like a service dog.

After all this running around was done we were hungry for lunch so we stopped at Tailfins. It’s very dog friendly at the lower outside bar. One of the regulars, Ken and his friend Joe were sitting at the end of the bar. We all ended up talking for a long while. Victoria was behind the bar taking care of us. Johnny the owner came by and gave Chaos some treats. She was in heaven! We had a nice relaxing time.

Friday night was a parrot head Phlocking in Fort Walton Beach at the Tipsy Pig. By the time we got home it was late and we had things we wanted to get done around the house so we skipped the Phlocking. It looked like a fun time with Gunner playing for us and even Ron Adams sang some songs with the band. Ron is a big name musician in our area.

Saturday was spent around the house. The gas grill was delivered. Now we are waiting for the gas company to come and hook it up after the city inspects the line. We got a lot done but really we can work on things for a month straight and not be done.

Sunday I went to Landshark Pizza for the Browns game. The big buzz was all the players taking a knee for national anthem after Trump made his remarks about the players. I’m sure glad he has solved all the other problems in the world and can concentrate on NFL players. My only observation on this whole thing is the people that are up in arms the most seem to root for teams that suck. I guess it’s easy to jump off a bandwagon when you are the only one on it.

The Browns were the Browns. That means they lost but it was kind of close. One of these days they will put it all together and actually win another game. But there were a bunch of good games at the same time as the Browns were playing. Jerry, Leslie and Jason were sitting with me and they were all rooting for the Falcons who won on a last second stop at the goal line. A couple that was rooting for Giants also sat with us. They Giants lost on a 61 yard field goal as time ran out. People were hooting and hollering for the Saints and Jets who both won. All in all it was a fun time.

Around town it has been quiet. In a couple weeks will be a bump for fall break and the fishing rodeo. Then the snowbirds will start to come back but for now it mostly locals.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, September 18, 2017

Irma still dominates the news in Destin and Florida

Last week Destin and the western panhandle were spared the wrath of Irma. But we were about the only place in the state that was not hit. We had a little wind and no rain at all. The Keys were hammered. Flooding occurred in many parts of the state. Power is still out despite an army of power crews from all over the country and Canada helping. Slowly the state is getting back to normal except for the Keys. Just yesterday they started to allow people to return to Key West that had evacuated. But there is little power, almost no water or gas so it will take time to get back to a semblance of normalcy there.

Back here in Destin the remodeling of our new house continues. It is coming along great. Big steps this coming week is a new front fence and gates, a landscaper coming to trim all the trees and a gas line being run to our patio so we can hook up a gas grill.

Speaking of the new house, Chaos loves her new big backyard. Her new favorite activity is chasing squirrels. I’m not sure what she would do if she caught one but she sure tries. The squirrels just sit up in the trees and squawk at her while she runs around like a crazy dog. LOL

A musician friend of ours from Key West evacuated to our area. I didn’t know he was here till he messaged me to tell me he was playing at Kenny D’s on old 98. Allen Holland goes by the name of Frankendread on stage. He plays island/reggae type music. Kenny let him play for tips to try and help him out. Sunshine Cindy and I went to see him on Saturday night. Allen is ready to get home but he knows until tourist can come back and basic needs like power and water are working there is no reason to go home yet.

He had a lead guitar player from his band with him. They did a fun show. The folks loved him and I hope he did well with the tips. He will be there for the next couple nights. I also put him in touch with Carlos from Crab Island Cantina. I hope they can work out something so he can play there too.

There are a lot of other stories like Allen’s. I know of a Key West musician who is staying in Navarre and some up in the Chattanooga area. It makes the destruction Irma did more personal when you know people who were affected and how they are trying to cope.

Sunshine Cindy and I had a busy day on Saturday. The Parrot Heads had rented a party boat for a trip to Crab Island. We paid to go but ended up not being able to go due to the work being done at home. We could not leave Chaos home alone. But before they got on the boat some folks were meeting up at Harry T’s for a pre-Crab Island Bloody Mary morning. So we got Chaos and went to join them for that.

Chaos was the star of the show. You can have dogs at the bar and everyone loved her. Dan the owner came and saw Chaos, he walked up to her and he started barking at her. Chaos started barking right back at him. Then Dan brought her some treats and now Chaos was his best friend.

When the Parrot Heads left we walked down to the Cantina. Monica was working the bar. An Octoberfest celebration was being held in Harborwalk Village and a lot of people were walking around. We got to talk to Carlos for a while. We have not seen him in months. Once again Chaos was the center of attention and she loved it! We headed home after a couple beers and some food. It was such a perfect day we decided to not do any work but get in the pool instead. That was a good decision. We stayed there swimming till we headed to Kenny D’s to see Allen.

Sunday was Browns football again. We were playing the Ravens and we met up with our Ravens friends at AJ’s. Baltimore kicked our butts but we had a good time with our friends like we always do. AJ’s is not the best place to watch the games so we won’t be back but we had to try it once.

Around town I have noticed Panini Pete’s has already closed. They were only open about a year. This was a lunch place. They closed about 4 or 5 each afternoon. We stopped once and really liked the food but it would have been nice if they had stayed open a little longer into the early evening. We would have gone more often if they did. It will be interesting to see what goes into the building as a lot of work was done on it.

Have a great week. See y’all next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, September 11, 2017

I’m back!!!

It has been several weeks that I was offline with our move from our old house to our new one. But we are now settled in and I am ready to start getting everyone back into the “Living and Playing in Destin” mode.

A recap of our last few weeks had us closing on our old house on August 23rd. On the 22nd we had movers move all of our stuff into storage except for a couple suitcases of clothes and some boxes of important papers that we took to a condo at Sandpiper Cove that we rented while we waited to close on our new house. We had to find a place that we could bring Chaos and luckily this unit in Sandpiper Cove worked for us.

The condo itself was just a one bedroom/one bath and it was very run down. It also had some bugs but it was a ground floor unit and Chaos loved taking walks in the big yard outside our sliding glass door. For ten days it was our home away from home.

On August 31st we closed on our new house. It went right down to the wire waiting for all the paperwork to get to the lawyers office but by 5:00 we were officially the new owners. Chaos was being watched by our old neighbors, the Sue’s as we didn’t want to leave her alone in the condo. After we left the lawyers office Sunshine Cindy and I stopped into Tailfins for a celebratory drink. It was on July 4th as we sat at Tailfins we decided to look into moving. It was hard to believe that in about 7 weeks we sold our house, found a new one and got everything done in that short time span. It was an exhausting time but well worth it.

We could not have pulled this all off without the efforts of our realtor, Jerry Sullivan. Jerry is the owner of Blue Marlin/Century 21 in Destin. He is top notch and I highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell in the Destin/30A area.

On the flip side, the listing agent for the house we bought was not someone I would ever recommend. Ron Hinkie didn’t return calls and didn’t follow through on some things he said he would do. The house sold in spite of him, not because of him.

Friday September 1st we had a contractor lined up to start work on some remodeling we are having done. All Service Construction of Destin is doing our work and they are outstanding. Chad and his team started by repainting the entire inside of the house. When they say they will be there at 8 am, they are there on time. I hear horror stories about contractors all the time. So far we are very pleased with their work.

Last Friday September 8th we had our furniture moved from storage into the new house since almost all of the painting is done. PMS (Professional Moving Services) did a great job moving us twice. Now we have the fun task of unpacking.

Okay, enough about all that. The other big news is obviously Hurricane Irma. We are lucky here in the panhandle as we are about the only spot in the state of Florida that was sparred her wrath. A lot of damage was done and about 1/3 of the state is out of power but all in all, it could have been worse. I guess all the weather folks can now put away their poncho’s and come in out of the rain. It gets pretty ridiculous how they hype this. Yes, the storm is dangerous and especially for people that live right along the coast but keep some perspective. I have rode out several hurricanes and know that if it gets up into the “3” range it’s time to get out. But they stress people out with the 24/7 coverage. You can only stare at that little radar box for so long.

And what’s with the people up in Atlanta buying out grocery stores of bread and water because Irma will bring them some rain and wind? You would think they are going to be off the grid for weeks.

This past Friday the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark Pizza. Paul Roush, an excellent Trop Rock singer from Port Charlotte came to stay with Wayne to escape Irma. It was good seeing him and he even played a few songs while BT took a break. Sunday I went back to Landshark to watch the Browns first game of the season.

The usual Sunday football gang was there. But we and the staff at Landshark was in for a surprise. With all of Destin filled with evacuee’s, Landshark filled up with families and others who were in town running from Irma. They were not staffed for it and when a couple of cooks called out they were really scrambling around to take care of everyone. There were a few tense moments but mostly everyone was good natured about it. Oh yeah, the Browns played better but still lost. But I do have hope that this season they will turn it around. It looks like it.

Elsewhere around town, the new Friday’s that is going up in place of the torn down one has walls going up now. At the rate they are going I can see them being open before the end of the year.

We are back to our regularly scheduled weekly updates. See ya next Monday as we Live and Play in Destin!

Destin Steve

Monday, August 14, 2017

New House Education

As the regular readers of my blog know, Sunshine Cindy and I are in the process of moving from our current house to a slightly bigger house with a pool. Sunshine Cindy is a big fan of HGTV and the fixer upper type of shows. Because of her viewing habits and our house hunting, she has taught me many new terms related to houses.

Thankfully we are not buying a house that we will have to have a “demo day.” Every show that I watch has a demo day and all the hosts are always super excited about this day as they get to literally destroy everything in their path. Demo day is like a field day in school when you got to play all day. Except their playing happens to rip stuff apart.

One thing I learned right away was we will never have a popcorn ceiling. I always thought popcorn was for eating. Since when did they start putting that stuff on ceilings? We walked into one house and the first thing I heard was, “That popcorn has to go.” Who knew???

Another thing those shows have taught Sunshine Cindy is everyone tears down walls but you have to be careful it is not a “load-bearing” wall. A what? Don’t all walls have loads they bear. I watched as she would walk around houses tapping on walls wondering if they were load-bearing. Thankfully we won’t be tearing any walls down, load bearing or not bearing anything.

What the hell is “subway tile?” And why do so many houses now have this type of tile? Has there been a run on old abandoned subway stations for their tile? And where did “shiplap” boards come from all of a sudden? Why can’t we use just regular wood boards. Do they get shiplap from ships? This is all so confusing.

There was a time when everyone had a good old kitchen countertop encased in linoleum. Now you have so many choices to choose from your head will spin. Who knew there are so many different types of countertops you can get.
1. Granite
2. Marble
3. Soapstone
4. Quartzite
5. Slate
6. Limestone
7. Engineered Stone
8. Quartz
9. Engineered Granite
10. Engineered Marble
11. Concrete

And this is just a partial list. I think our new place has one of these countertop types in our kitchen so we should be good to go. I hope! And speaking of kitchens, when did everyone want to go back to the days of farmers and start having a “farm sink?” That seems to be at odds with the trend to stainless steel appliances. No wonder I am so confused.

I want to know when the Master Bathroom changed to an “Ensuite Bathroom.” Is this supposed to sound more sophisticated? Is it easier to poop in an Ensuite Bathroom than a Master Bathroom? Who started this marketing campaign? I want to meet this person because they have effectively removed the term Master Bath from our vocabulary.

While we are in the Ensuite Bathroom, can someone tell me the difference between a soaking bathtub and a regular tub? And does anyone actually use the jets that all these tubs now seem to have? I have a feeling the tub in our new Ensuite Bathroom might be on the way out to get something more with the times. Maybe we can put some subway tile around it!

When it’s all said and done you want a house with “curb appeal.” Personally I would rather have “living like a king appeal” but no one asked me when the house street jargon was being updated.

Okay, off my soapbox…We had a busy week last week with many things going on with the houses. We had inspections, more paperwork to fill out and plans to move being made. On top of all that we laid to rest our good friend Kenny. The funeral was Friday and I was a pallbearer. It was an emotional day. The procession to the cemetery must have been at least a ½ mile long. It was an amazing outpouring of love for Kenny. He will be missed.

Friday night was a Parrot Head meeting at Landshark where we celebrated Kenny’s life. It was a good time to remember the great times we all had. Before the meeting Sunshine Cindy, Wayne, Judie, Kelly and myself went to Harry T’s for some happy hour drinks. Dan bought us a round in honor of Kenny. It was good seeing Susan, Mike and Red behind the bar.

The rest of the weekend was spent packing. Progress is being made but we still have a ways to go.

I have mentioned the Gumbo Pot a couple times wondering when it would open. I guess I waited too long. I’m not sure it ever opened but it is already closed and a new Italian restaurant has opened in its place. I don’t know what happened to have this change so fast.

Okay, a busy week house wise coming up. Plus the Parrot Heads have a beach cleanup this Saturday that I would love to attend but we shall see.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, August 7, 2017

Sad day in Destin

This past Thursday we lost a dear friend. I have written many times about Kenny. I am sorry to report he succumbed to cancer after a courageous but brief battle. Kenny was loved by everyone. I know you always hear that when someone passes away but with Kenny it was really true. Kenny would give you the shirt off his back and do it with his always present smile. Kenny will be missed but the memories he created will live on forever. Sail on my friend…


Sunshine Cindy and I had a hectic week. Tuesday we got an offer on our house. Wednesday we agreed to a deal. Thursday we made an offer on a house. Saturday we signed a contract to buy the house. After a full weekend of packing, we are about 75% done. Sunday I went up in the attic to empty it. It felt like it was 200 degrees up there. But we got everything down and we even got the entire garage packed up. This is going to be a whirlwind couple of weeks coming up. And yes, we are staying in Destin!

Most of our week was spent doing house stuff. It was either negotiating the price on our house or the new house, figuring out how to get moved in three weeks and where are we going, starting to pack as I mentioned and oh yeah, working our regular jobs!

Thursday we stopped at Island Wings after looking at the house we ended up buying one more time. At Island Wings we talked about what to offer. While there the call came in from Wayne about Kenny passing. It was a strange emotional moment for Sunshine Cindy and I. We were waited on by Melina. She was either Russian or Ukrainian. A lot of places hire these folks for the summer. She was very nice, cheerful and we could tell she was a hard worker.

I stopped at Landshark Pizza on the way home from work on Friday. Sunshine Cindy was in Niceville celebrating her Mom’s birthday. I had a pizza and couple beers and beat her home. The only other time we got out was Sunday. We stopped at Landshark then too. B was there. Brian came in after us. He was with Steve who is the GM of Half Shell Oyster Bar and Restaurant. He seemed like a nice guy. Josh was working the bar. We had some food and a good time then went home as we were tired from all the packing we had done.

This Friday is the wake for Kenny. It will be a sad time but also a celebration of his life.

See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Monday, July 31, 2017

The House Hunt in Destin Continues

Sunshine Cindy and I are continuing to look at houses in Destin. Friday we met up with our realtor Jerry and visited three houses. One thing we have learned is the pictures you see on-line are not always representative of what the house actually looks like. Two of the places we went to looked good in the pics but were dumps when we actually saw them. But the third place we went to was really nice and this is a strong candidate.


Before we can buy a new place we have to sell ours. We finally got the for sale sign up this weekend. We have to have custom made signs displayed in our neighborhood and Jerry’s printer was having a tough time getting it done. But it is now up and Jerry already got a call from someone who saw the sign. So that’s progress. If you know someone who wants to move to Destin have them check out our listing.
http://www.flexmls.com/cgi-bin/mainmenu.cgi?cmd=url+other/run_public_link.html&public_link_tech_id=1aoz9inpe4rj&s=15&id=1&san=47660&cid=1

It’s hard to believe but schools are already starting in some places this week with many more starting next week. That will definitely help our traffic situation. Last week was hit or miss going home. One day it was slow but the next day I was home almost at my normal time. You just never know.

A possible new condo was announced this past week. They are looking to build it on the north side of 98 by the Destin bridge. Of course all of the NIMBY types came out of the woodwork complaining about it. Personally I would rather not see another tower going up either but reading about people saying they have lived here for 7 years and are moving because they can’t stand the traffic cracks me up. 7 years ago, 17 years ago and even before that the traffic was bad in the summer. That’s just the way it has been and will be. We live on an island for crying out loud. And yes, move if you don’t like it because it’s not going to change.

This past week Sunshine Cindy and I went to Tailfins on Friday after we looked at those houses. It was a perfect day on the harbor. Wayne came and joined us too. We then went to Harry T’s and AJ’s before heading home. It was a fun evening.

Saturday we took Tiffany to AJ’s Oyster Shanty on the island. BT was playing. Wayne was there too as he lives just down the street. We had a fun time. BT always does a great show and keeps the audience engaged. After he finished we went to Tailfins for dinner. Right as we got there a rain shower cooled everything down for a while. Of course then it got hot and steamy. We enjoyed a good meal then headed home.

On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I ran a few errands then decided we would stop at Landshark Pizza. We got there about 2 but found out they weren’t opening till 3. So we walked over to the Red Door saloon for a few beers before going back to Landshark. The Red Door was busy with their usual mix of bikers, tourist and fish heads. It is an unusual mix of customers to say the least. We watched as a biker guy hand feed a squirrel french fries. You never know what you will see there.

When we got to Landshark Brian and Glen were there. We talked to them for a few minutes that we grabbed a couple bar stools and ordered a pizza. We wanted a thin crust one and I have to say it was the best pizza we have ever got at Landshark. I’m not sure who was making the pizza’s but this was a perfect thin crust pizza. Bruce and his girlfriend came in and talked to us and then a couple that we have seen around town a lot sat next to us. I can’t remember their names but they are nice. We ended up talking to them till we were both ready to leave.

Before we left the house on Sunday I decided to trim some bushes in our back yard. I got quite a surprise with one of bushes I trimmed. After a couple whacks a swarm of wasps came flying out. I got away from them and didn’t get stung. But I did empty a can of wasp and hornet spay on the bush. I will get another one to empty on it soon before I go back to try to finish the trimming.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, July 24, 2017

Dog Days of Summer in Destin

This is the time of the year where our days are all similar. Hot, humid, a chance of rain, tourist coming and going…It’s all pretty predicable. But that will start to change as schools will be getting ready to start back which will take a large chunk of the families out of our town.

Last week Sunshine Cindy and I had to go to Pensacola on Friday for her yearly checkup. All is good for another year I am happy to report. Friday afternoon we had a showing of our house. We had to load up Chaos and clear out for a while. We did get a good report that the folks really liked our place. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Here is the link to our listing if anyone knows of someone looking for a great place in Destin.
http://www.flexmls.com/share/zN1O/4248JadeLoopDestinFL32541

With Tiffany back in town for a few weeks, we took her out to Island Wings for lunch. Our server is someone Tiffany used to work with. That was cool. We enjoyed a good meal and some cold drinks.

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I looked at a couple more houses with our realtor Jerry. We really like one place and took another off the list. It was in a preferred part of town but it had just too much wrong with it. After looking at the houses Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at Tailfins for some lunch and to discuss our house options. We have been stopping there on a regular basis and the help is recognizing us and greeting us. The harbor was really busy and Tailfins was also busy with some big groups eating.

Sunday I headed to Crab Island Cantina to listen to BT. Sunshine Cindy decided she wanted to stay home and relax. It was probably a good call. I could not get a parking place in the garage and the surface lots were packed with many cars driving around waiting for someone to leave. I ended up in the lot pass Landshark Pizza and walked to the Cantina from there.

It was hot and humid and by the time I got there I was sweating pretty good. The cold beer tasted real good. I talked to BT during his break and headed back towards my car. My plan was to stop at the outside bar at Tailfins for a beer then go to Landshark for some lunch.

At the outside bar at Tailfins there was no bartender. I waited about 5 minutes. I know the bartender has to run around a lot but I decided to go to the Boathouse for a beer. Dougie was there as well as a couple other locals. I cooled down with a cold beer then headed up the hill to Landshark.

Paige was working the bar and Jason was taking care of the tables. People came and went as they had a steady stream of folks. One family came in and the guy looked at the million different Green Bay Packers stuff on the walls and asked if it was a Packer bar. You couldn’t put anything pass this guy. lol  I had some wings and they were cooked to perfection. It felt good to be in the air conditioning too.

We drove by the old Friday’s this weekend and were surprised to see the building was torn down. I heard they are going to put a new and bigger Friday’s there plus a Panera Bread and an auto parts store.

The Destin Log is also reporting the long awaited work on Norriego Point is finally going to get started with most of the work to be done before next Summer.

This Friday the Parrot Heads have a phlocking at the American Legion was we work to raise money for our local charities. it will be a fun time like always. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, July 17, 2017

Summer in Destin


What is Summer like in Destin you ask? It is a lot of things but never boring!

Don’t try to leave Destin on Saturday morning or come to Destin Saturday afternoon. Saturday’s the changeover day where one week’s worth of tourist leave and another week’s worth come in. Stay away from Mid-Bay bridge at all cost on Saturdays!

In Summer in Destin you have to plan your trips. Don’t try to go to a restaurant between 6 and 9 pm. You will be waiting. Plan to stay off of Hwy. 98 in the afternoons and for heaven sake don’t try to take Commons Drive as it is a parking lot. Plan things right and you can fly up and down 98…like at 5 or 6 am!

The Destin charter fishing fleet is going strong in the Summer. Trips leave early in the morning with some captains making two trips a day. If you want some free entertainment go to the docks in the afternoon as the boats come back and watch as the deck hands filet up the catch. You see some impressive fish on the docks.

The Summer weather in Destin is pretty predictable. We have temps in the upper 80’s to low 90’s with humidity that you can cut with a knife. Each day there is a 50 or 60% chance of rain with it usually hitting about late afternoon.

Which bring us to another Summer activity in Destin. When it rains, all the tourist leave the beach and hit the road to the Commons and the Outlet Mall. That immediately causes a nightmare traffic problem. If I was king I would mandate all tourist have to return to their condo if it’s raining and wait it out. If you want to walk someplace go ahead but leave the car behind! LOL

Summer in Destin means going to the beach or Crab Island. Yes, we have seaweed, jelly fish, sharks and many other yucky things that can hurt you in our water. So be careful but you can still have fun. Don’t forget the sunscreen as you can burn quickly.

If you want to adventure out on the water you can rent a jet ski or pontoon boat. Many tourist do just that. Or you can go parasailing, play a round of golf or just do nothing on the beach. You can head to the harbor or The Boardwalk on the island for fireworks. Free concerts are hosted at many locations. In Destin in the Summer you can do it all or nothing at all.

Come down and enjoy all Destin has to offer in the Summer. All we ask is don’t leave your common sense at home, don’t trash our beach and relax because you are on vacation!

Sunshine Cindy and I had a quiet week. We did go to Landshark Pizza for the Parrot Head meeting on Friday. Saturday we did a little house searching then had lunch at Tailfins. Other than that we were bums!

Not much going on this week for us. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, July 10, 2017

House for sale in Destin

If you have wanted to own a piece of Destin, now is your chance. Sunshine Cindy and I are listing our house for sale as we look to move to a place that we can let Chaos run around better. Our house will be on the MLS any day now. It is in a great part of town with a nice lake view. Message me if you want more info.

We survived the 4th of July Independence Day celebration. It started on Monday evening as we sat on our back porch and watched the fireworks show from the Destin Commons. Chaos loved the fireworks. She sat and stared at them and was not bothered by them at all.

Tuesday afternoon we went to Boshamps for lunch. We sat at the big outside bar. The food was great. The atmosphere at the bar was very subdued. It might have been due to the heat but there was a nice breeze blowing. It was not the kind of bar where you just strike up a conversation with folks around you. Maybe it was just the time we were there. But the Grouper sandwich we had was one of the best we have ever had.

We then stopped at Tailfins at our usual spot in front of the downstairs bar. It is always breezy and a great people watching spot. The owner Johnny came by and chatted with us for a while. They do a good job taking care of the locals and the service is always good. Plus it is easy to park in front of the place and walk down to the bar. My knee is slowly improving but this still helps me being so close. As it was getting later in the afternoon we decided to head home before all the people coming to the harbor for the fireworks show got there.

The rest of the week was back to work and starting to get the house in order to show it. On Saturday we went to look at a couple of houses. One was okay but reeked of cigarette smoke. You don’t realize how bad a house can smell until you enter into one that allows smoking inside. The second house was very nice. It had a big pool and a big yard for Chaos. This one has potential.

After looking at the houses we stopped at Tailfins again for lunch. We talked about the houses, had some good food and cold beverages. Johnny saw us and came by again to say hi. He told us Friday night Ruben Studdard from American Idol fame sat in for an hour with the band they had playing. He said it was awesome and he was so good. You never know who you might see in Destin.

Sunday we went to the airport to pick up Tiffany. She is spending a few weeks with us. Sunshine Cindy and I had a beer at the airport as we waited for Tiffany to arrive. Two beers cost us $14.84. That is ridiculous. After we got Tiffany we stopped at Landshark Pizza for lunch. I had 3 beers for $6.75 there. Note to self, don’t get beer at the airport anymore!

I know everyone likes to talk about the traffic in Destin in the summer but it has really not been as bad this summer as past years. My theory is tourist who stay in San Destin or Okaloosa Island are staying in those areas to party and play. Whatever it is, I hope I didn’t jinx it.

Sunshine Cindy and I send strong healing vibes and prayers to our friends Kenny and Mike. They are both fighting serious health issues. Get well soon guys!

This Friday night is the monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. It is hippie night. Come out and Party with a Purpose with the Parrot Heads.

See ya next Monday with a full Destin recap!

Destin Steve

Monday, July 3, 2017

Happy Fourth of July

This week is the busiest week of the year in Destin. Just about every room is rented and people are everywhere with their big vacation smiles.

I’m still limping around. I had an MRI last week and it reviled a partially torn ACL. I got a cortisone shot and just need to give it time to heal. It can take up to a few months so I will be moving slowly in the meantime.

Last week Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Biloxi for an overnight stay at Hard Rock Casino. Our Parrot Head friends were taking a bus trip over but we decided to spend the night. And I’m glad we did. When we checked in we were informed we were upgraded to a suite. This room was sweet. It had a bath and a half. Three TV’s. An awesome walk in shower/tub. It was amazing. I don’t know why we were upgraded but we didn’t complain. Alas we didn’t win any money but we had a blast. We stopped at the Hard Rock Café a couple times. We played many different games and just had a fun time.

While we were there on Wednesday I noticed a warming on my phone. Biloxi was under a tornado warning. We would never know from inside the casino. On Thursday morning a monsoon was coming down. It let up before we left but started up right after we were gone with the road in front of the casino flooded for a while. We got out of town just in time.

Friday morning we stopped in at Asiago Skillet for breakfast. We love this place. The food is excellent and they have good prices. Saturday I tweaked my knee. We had to miss Dottie and Steve’s yearly 4th of July party. We hated to miss it but I needed to rest the leg. Sunday I was a little better and we made a trip to the harbor and finally to Hooters. We had a fun time at Hooters sitting at the bar. The bartenders were fun keeping everyone entertained.

To close out the weekend we spent Sunday evening at our neighborhood pool with the Sue’s. The water is like bath water but it was still relaxing.

The traffic is going to be bad for the next few weeks. We hope we don’t get any rain because when it does all the tourist come off the beach, get in their cars and drive to the outlet mall or the Commons. We just have to have some patience and know that it won’t last for much longer. The joy of living in a tourist town.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th holiday. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, June 26, 2017

Summer Time in Destin

We are into our normal summer pattern here in Destin. Hot, humid with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Last week we were visited by Tropical Storm Cindy…Not to be confused with Sunshine Cindy…Tropical Storm Cindy brought a lot of rain, flooding and a tornado to our area. Fort Walton Beach had a tornado skip through town touching down in several spots. Luckily there was only minor damage and no injuries.

The tourist traffic is picking up too although it is not real bad yet. With “yet” being the key word. The month of July is always the worse. I believe more folks are staying on the island or in San Destin for their meals and entertainment and not coming to Destin. The traffic patterns are always evolving.

We had a Parrot Head Phlocking at Rotten Apple on Friday evening. There was a great turnout and everyone had a good time dancing to the Dizzy Jukes Band. They played a lot of good old rock and roll songs. Sheri and the staff at the Apple took good care of us as they usually do.

When we left Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at Waffle House for a bite to eat. They were not on their game at the Waffle House. It’s not often they don’t do a good job but the service was slow, food overcooked and just a strange vibe to the place. I guess we need to be drunk when we go in there! LOL

Saturday was a bittersweet day for us. We had a going away pool party for Julie. She is moving back to St. Louis next week. She has become a good friend and we will miss her. But on the bright side we have an excuse to take a road trip to St. Louis now!

Sorry to say we never did meet up with Alan/Jackie and Kistin/Jeff while they were in town. The stars just never aligned. Oh well, next time…

I mentioned recently about a place called “The Gumbo Pot” that is going to be opening soon. I see it will be in the old location of Rotolo’s Pizza next to Moe’s. They will have a liquor license as they are advertising Hurricane’s and Daiquiris. They also say they will have a Cajun Breakfast. This sounds like an interesting place. I think they have an original place in the French Quarter.

This weekend is the Fourth of July weekend. This will be the busiest time of the year in town. The harbor and the Commons will all have fireworks shows. It will be crazy on the harbor. Get out and enjoy! See ya next Monday!

Monday, June 19, 2017

Summer showers

Here in Destin we are definitely into the summertime pattern of 40-50% chance of rain each day. The weathermen might as well just give us the forecast and say this is what it will be like for the next three months. Last week was a perfect example. Monday and Tuesday it poured buckets in Fort Walton Beach both days but nothing came down in Destin. Wednesday more monsoon rains hit Fort Walton and Destin finally got a little rain. Driving into work on Thursday the sun was out but a cloud burst came out of nowhere and soaked me before I could get Badass stopped and the top up.

Anyway, you get the picture. This week we will most likely get more steady rains as the tropical system is supposed to organize and bring a lot of rain to Florida, we just don’t know where yet.

Last week we really took it easy. I am still letting my bum knee heal. It is slowly getting better I am glad to say. I did go to Landshark Pizza on Friday for a few beers and a pizza. Brian was behind the bar. A decent late lunch time crowd was there. My pizza was awesome as usual.

When I left there I stopped at Island Wings. Sunshine Cindy wanted me bring her home a burger. At the bar I got to talking to a guy who just got back from the Middle East as a contractor. He is planning to head back soon. He was a Steelers fan but I didn’t hold that against him! LOL  Then a couple came in and sat at the bar. They were from Charleston and had escaped from their family for a while. I guess they came with a big group and they needed some peace and quiet. They asked what was a good seafood place. Tristen the bartender and I both agreed they should try Harbor Docks. They made reservations so I hoped they enjoyed it.

Friday night Sunshine Cindy and I relaxed at home. And on Saturday I decided I needed to stay in and off my feet as much as possible if I ever want to get my knee better. She went shopping for the better part of the afternoon. In the evening we rented a PPV movie. It was a wild Saturday night in the ol homestead!

Sunday being Father’s Day saw us head to Niceville to spend the day with Sunshine Cindy’s parents. It was a beautiful day. A lot of boats were in Rocky Bayou having a fun day. We had a nice cookout and great day.

On Saturday our friends Mike and Bev, the owners of KC’s Sandbar in downtown Fort Walton Beach hosted congressman Matt Gaetz’s town hall meeting. It was on the news as a big crowd came to hear the congressman. Then on Sunday they hosted a benefit fund raiser for a good friend who is fighting cancer. We are praying hard for a full recovery.

Our Southern Illinois friends Alan and Jackie are back in town. We have not seen them yet but we hope to catch up with them this week before they head back home.

I saw a sign today that a place called “Destin Gumbo Pot” is going to be opening sometime soon. I bet they will be selling gumbo!

This Friday the Parrot Heads will be at Lucky’s Rotten Apple as we party with a purpose. We hope to see all of our friends there.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, June 12, 2017

Drop Dead Dangerous kind of week in Destin

The ladies from Drop Dead Dangerous, Melanie and Kitty, spent the better part of the week in Destin working and playing. After playing at the Cantina the previous Sunday they were at Juana’s on Tuesday evening, The Boathouse on Wednesday, kayaking Crab Island on Thursday and finally playing for the Emerald Coast Parrot Head club on Friday night at Landshark Pizza. It was great getting see them a few times. They are very talented.

It was a busy week for us. I had a Parrot Head board meeting to attend on Thursday. Friday at the meeting at Landshark the club made two check presentations. $1000 to Food for Thought and $1597 to Children in Crisis which was from the Tailgates Down party from a few weeks ago. The club continues to Party with a Purpose!

Saturday was the first beach cleanup of the year but I had to miss it. I have sprained my knee and I knew I didn’t need to try and walk in the sand. So instead Sunshine Cindy and I went to the harbor for brunch at Harry T’s. While eating we saw Tommy kayaking by with a couple lady friends. We talked to them for a few minutes. It is always like old home week every time we stop at Harry T’s. Mama D came by to say hi, we chatted with Tim from Flash Flood and got big hugs from Michelle and Red.

After we were done Sunshine Cindy wanted to go home to do some work around the house but I talked her into going to Crab Island Cantina for a beer. Monica was working the bar. I saw Carlos across the room and texted him to come say hello. He responded to wave as he could see us on the security camera’s. He did come and say hello to us. He was thrilled with the turnout from DDD and I know he will have them back next time they are in town.

When we left it was now Sunshine Cindy’s turn to surprise. She suggested we stop at Jackacuda’s. Derrick was working the bar. He just got into town from Orlando for the summer. He was interesting to talk to. I didn’t get any sushi since I was still full from brunch. Next time.

On the way home Rotten Apple was mentioned so of course we had to stop there too. Tracy was working and Rosily was preparing to work. We have not seen her in a while as she just started at the Apple. They have done a lot of remodeling making the place even bigger. It is a late night party spot that packs them in. When we got home we spent the rest of the evening on the back porch.

I didn’t go anywhere on Sunday as I tried to rest my knee. I’m trying to get in to see someone about it. Rubbing dirt on it didn’t help! LOL

We are getting into full blown Summer Tourist Season traffic. The area by the Grande is packed with people and cars. Last week we had a person hit and killed there and the next day another accident had the intersection closed…all this at 6 am in the morning. It does not seem to slow down anyone from coming to town though. The rental boats going out to Crab Island on Saturday was amazing. One after the other going and coming.

It is supposed to be a rainy week. We shall see. Sunshine Cindy and I don’t have anything big planned other than Father’s Day. Have a fun week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, June 5, 2017

It’s Tourist Season in Destin

They’re back! Okay, the tourist never really left but they are coming back for the summer season in record numbers. It is shaping up to be a crazy summer here in paradise!

One thing the tourist (and locals for that matter) love to do is fish. With the largest charter fishing fleet in Florida and being only minutes to the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico, fishing is a major attraction in Destin. One of the most prized fish to catch is the Red Snapper. Red Snapper is one of the best eating fish there is. The season for Red Snapper opened June 1st. This year it is open for 49 days I think. Many people plan their vacations to Destin around Red Snapper season. Make your reservations for a charter now if you want to get out and catch your limit.


Another thing that comes with the summer tourist season that’s not fun is June Grass. June Grass is a form of algae that clumps up in big green smelly globs. Depending on the tides and wind direction you might have one day where the beach is covered in this stuff and then the next day it is gone. As it dries on the beach it smells bad. Well the June Grass is already coming. Driving home from work last week along the Island I could smell it. And at the harbor on Sunday we had whiffs of it too. We need a change in wind direction to blow it back off shore.

This past week was the famous Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival held in downtown Fort Walton Beach. It is five days of fun, music, fireworks, parades and of course pirates! The Saturday party on the water in the Sound is insane. When I lived on the island I would have a Bowlegs party at my condo that overlooked the Sound. There would be literally a couple thousand types of boats and water crafts descend on this small area. A big police presence is there to try and keep the peace. It sounded like this year’s party was a success.

Sunshine Cindy and I got out a few times this past week. Last Monday, Labor Day we went to Island Wings. It’s been a while since we stopped in there. We talked to the bartender about them needing to be more of a locals place. They have decent food but the prices for drinks is high for not being on the water. They do have a locals discount but you have to ask for it. We love that they are on the north side of Hwy 98 so we will be back. We did enjoy our stop there on Monday.

Friday I made a run to Landshark Pizza. Sue and Paige were working the bar. Scotty came in and we talked for a while. Then B stopped in with a guy who works for him. I can never remember his name. We all solved some of the world’s problems. I headed home before the traffic got real bad. Later in the evening a guy was hit crossing 98. It shut down the westbound lanes till after 2 am. What a mess that must have been.


Saturday afternoon we stopped in at Hogs Breath. Rikki was working. A decent crowd was at the bar watching the traffic on 98. We split a BBQ pork sandwich. It was awesome. When we got home we ended up on the back porch for the evening enjoying a nice night.

Sunday the girls were back in Destin. Melanie and Kitty (Drop Dead Dangerous) were back in town to play at Crab Island Cantina. They are an awesome duo that you will be hearing a lot about in the future. They are talented and good looking…a perfect combination! There was a big crowd at the Cantina to listen to BT then the ladies. It was a fun time as the weather was perfect and a ton of boats in the harbor made for a nice backdrop. They will be in town all week playing at The Boathouse on Wednesday and Landshark Pizza on Friday for the Parrot Heads.


A new restaurant has opened just down Commons Drive from our house. Half Shell Oyster House is the newest addition to the Destin restaurant scene. According to their web site they have a New Orleans theme in their décor and food. They have other locations across the Gulf Coast. We will be trying them out soon.

That’s it for today. Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, May 29, 2017

Happy Memorial Day

Be sure to take time today to honor those who sacrificed their lives so we can live in this great country.

Last week was the last slow tourist week in Destin for a couple months. Even though the town was busy, it’s nothing like what we have in store for us. The weekend was crazy with folks coming to celebrate the holiday weekend. Next week starts the parade on the harbor on Tuesdays and fireworks on Thursday. Plus they are doing fireworks on the island again this year on Wednesdays. I might need to pack a lunch to get home from work!

Friday Sunshine Cindy and I went to her parents’ house. They were having a small party with their neighbors. The night was beautiful and the neighbors were all nice folks. It was a fun way to start the weekend.

Saturday we made a stop at Honey Baked Ham to pick up ham sliders for our friends Bobby and Darla’s yearly Memorial Weekend party. They boil crawfish and shrimp, had Jeff and the Camaro’s playing music and celebrate our service members. This was their 22nd year putting this party on. It is amazing.

When we left Bobby’s, we stopped at Buz and Brenda’s house for a while. They have a nice place in Harbor Breeze subdivision. It was a nice end to the day.

Sunday was spent working around the house. We had our tile floors cleaned this past week. So while everything was out of the way, Sunshine Cindy wanted to do a deep cleaning. The house is looking fantastic. Even Chaos stayed out of the way other than supervising us from time to time. lol

I made a trip to Landshark in the late afternoon for a pizza. Tashunda was working the bar with a new guy. I didn’t get his name but he was cool. Jason was working tables. Brian and Sue were watching the parking lot to make sure only patrons of Landshark parked there. They were doing fireworks on the harbor Sunday night and it was getting busy. Hwy 98 westbound was a parking lot. I got on the back roads as soon as I could.

It was a calm week after the craziness we had the previous week with the parrot head party.

Have a safe Memorial Day. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Monday, May 22, 2017

It was a hectic week in Destin

Some weeks are busier than others. Last week was one of those busy weeks for us. Monday I flew back to Destin from Cleveland. Monday afternoon we had our final planning meeting for the Parrot Head “Tailgates Down” party. The board and committee met at O’Quigleys and hashed out the last of the details. It was a long but productive day.

Tuesday Sunshine Cindy and I stayed home but the planning for the party continued. She made a run to Publix to buy beer for the weekend. About 5 cases of beer later we were well stocked. The banners arrived on Tuesday and they looked great. Sunshine Cindy is the committee chairperson and she was working on the details into the evening.

Wednesday was our third anniversary. We decided that we would go out to a nice dinner after the party was completed so we stayed home, had a few cocktails on the porch and looked at the event tee shirts that were delivered that afternoon. They turned out great except for misspelling “Camero” for Jeff and the Camaro’s. Oh well, it is now a collector’s item!

Thursday was the last day we had to get all the final details in order. I stopped at Landshark Pizza on the way home from work and got a pizza to bring home. While at Landshark I had a chance to chat with B for a while. I have not seen B in several weeks. Paige was working the bar. It was a relaxing time before the craziness that was coming.

Friday morning Sunshine Cindy and I went to Asiago Skillet for breakfast. We saw Brian and Sue in the parking lot. They recommended we get the King Biscuit platter. Sunshine Cindy did and it was awesome. A huge biscuit covered in sausage gravy, eggs, bacon and ham. Wow, that was good. I had breakfast burritos that were just as good. Asiago is our favorite breakfast place. After breakfast we stopped and got 6 bags of ice. We have two big coolers that we were bringing on Saturday so we needed all that ice.

After we got back home Sunshine Cindy got a call that a new pair of prescription sunglasses we ordered for her was in. So off to Fort Walton Beach we went to get them. By the time we got home it was almost time to head to Crab Island Cantina for our friend Jim Asbell’s show. This was being billed as a pre-party for the main event on Saturday. We took Uber and got to the Cantina about an hour before he was to go on. Jim was already there setting up on the outside stage.

The Cantina staff took great care of us. Al was our server. We ended up with over 50 people and Al was on top of things for us. To make things easier we had Al find a bucket so we could keep our beers cold and save him from making too trips back and forth. Jim did a great show as usual. Many folks that were just there hanging out stayed and enjoyed the music. If you ever get a chance to see Jim live you need to do it!

After he was done several of us helped him load up. A group had gone to Landshark so we walked down there. We got to give Jim a tour of the harbor area. He had no idea there was so much to do down along the docks. At Landshark Mike, Brodie, Judie, Kelly, Leigh, Keith and the three of us sat around the bar. We had some food and enjoyed some good conversation. But we had to be up early on Saturday so we called it quits about 10:30 and got Uber back home.

By 8 am Sunshine Cindy and I were at the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village starting to get set up. Stephanie was already there and the rest of the committee was showing up right behind us. By the time the tailgate part of the party got started everything was ready to go. We used the Parrot Head float as a stage in the field for the tailgating with a generator for power. That worked perfectly. At noon the party moved into the main grounds.


Jeff and the Camaro’s opened the show. Jeff did his usual fun show. He had people dancing in the grass. BT Turner followed and he entertained everyone with his fun and quirky songs. Our headliner was Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef from Texas. We had a glitch with the power as the breakers kept popping. We determined there was a problem with the breakers on the stage. We remedied that by using the generator that was used in the parking lot. The show went on!

It was a hot and humid day. By late afternoon we started to get some cloud cover. There was a 50% chance of rain but we got lucky. It didn’t start to rain until we had the last of the cleanup done and everyone had long gone home. Saturday night we had hours of thunderstorms blow through with strong lightning and heavy rain. We are fortunate it held off for us.


Sunday morning I rode back to the venue to drop off a key and make one last pass to be sure we didn’t leave anything behind. We had volunteer help from our charity, “Children in Crisis” help clean up and they did a great job. We really needed that help after being out there all day. We should be donating a nice check to them soon from the proceeds of the party!

Sunday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to McGuire’s for our anniversary dinner. We had a nice varied meal. I first got sushi and Sunshine Cindy got a Ruben egg roll appetizer. They were both yummy. We had to have the Senate Bean Soup. You have to have it for just 18 cents! We then got one of their burgers to split. These things are like ¾ of a pound of meat. We had to bring a fourth of it home.

After eating we took a drive around old town Destin. Then when we got back home we sat on our front porch to close out the weekend. We were tired from the all the activities we did during the week but also satisfied that we were part of a successful event that folks enjoyed while we raised money for a worthy charity.

I think this week will not be quite so busy. But the summer tourist season kicks off this weekend so we have about 11 weeks of crazy traffic and congestion to look forward to. Have a great Memorial holiday. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve