We kicked off the week on Tuesday with a Parrot Head BOD meeting at O’Quigley’s in Destin. The committee for the “Tailgates Down…Phriends All Around” party were also in attendance. It was a good meeting and we feel we are on track to have a fantastic party on May 20th. Charley, the owner of O’Quigley’s even signed up to be a sponsor. We are up to 24 total sponsors now. Our charity, “Children in Crisis” will be the beneficiary of all proceeds.
Wednesday on the way home from work I stopped at The Crust Pizzeria. I had to drop off some paperwork I forgot to give them when they signed up as a sponsor. Charley was not there but Mike was. I have not seen Mike in a few months and he had some free time so we got to catch up. I did get my Baked Ziti with sausage dish that I love. It was fantastic as always.
Friday the week kicked into high gear. Sunshine Cindy and I had to go into Fort Walton Beach to drop off information and tickets about the May party at the radio stations. After a stop at the eye doctor for Sunshine Cindy to order some sunglasses we decided to get into the Cinco de Mayo attitude and stop on the island at Rockin Taco. It was the middle of the afternoon and the place was almost full. They were gearing up for a big night with specials and prizes.
It was windy so we sat inside but the sun was shining and the Gulf of Mexico was beautiful as they had the windows and doors open. We had a couple brews then headed to the harbor and Crab Island Cantina to continue the party.
We went inside to Charley’s BBB Bar to get out of the wind. It was even worse in the wind tunnel between the Grande and the Cantina. Carlos, Mike and Stephanie all came by to say hello. There were a bunch of new folks working as the Cantina had a full staff on also. We had a drink each and decided to go to Tailfins as they were also having specials.
It started out quietly at Tailfins. We sat at the bar inside and had some dinner. The food was good. We both had pasta with fresh gulf shrimp. I think they were probably swimming in the gulf the night before! By the time we finished eating Ronnie was getting ready to start playing. We got a beer and planned to sit at a table on the boardwalk and listen to Ronnie for a while. Well, that was the plan.
When we got to the boardwalk, Johnny (the owner of Tailfins) was there and came over and talked with us. The wind was slowly dying down and we did have our Southern Drawl Band hoodies too to keep us warm. We were enjoying Ronnie’s music, watching the tourist walk the boardwalk and BS’ing with Johnny. He told us about his brother in law and how he owns the play zone area on the island, the pier and how he is planning to build something big on the bay. It sounds like he has his hand into everything.
About the time we were planning to head home our friends from Oklahoma, Steve and Becky came by and joined. Then some other friends of theirs from OK, Chase and Darcy came by and now the party was on. We had a great time and ended up staying for Ronnie’s entire show. It was a fun evening but time for us to head home.
Back home our neighbors Rhett and Becky were having a party in their driveway. We let Chaos out and we all joined in the fun. Chaos was the star of the night getting love from everyone. We finally went in about 11 pm. It was a long fun day.
Saturday was a slower day for us. We went furniture shopping but first stopped at Waffle House for breakfast. We went to J. Miller Furniture in San Destin. We were very impressed. We ordered a new sofa and two oversized chairs. They even gave us a couple beers while we were waiting for all the paperwork to be completed. How cool.
On the drive to the store we had the top down on Badass. The wind was barely blowing and it was about 80 degrees. When we left the store we went down old 98 to ride along the beach. Now the wind was blowing like a tropical storm again. It was amazing how fast it kicked up. I heard there were two different boats that were capsized in the bay. I could believe it. We went home and relaxed the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Sunday had me taking Chaos for her morning walk before Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Beals. We didn’t get anything there. Next stop was Target for some house supplies and toiletries. We then headed to the harbor to go listen to BT play at the Cantina. We get there and Steve and Becky were there so we hung out with them again. They are so much fun. James saw us and talked with us for a while. There were two tourist guys from Austin, TX at the bar. They were waiting for the rest of their family to get in later in the day. We gave them some ideas on places to go during the week they are here. We even broke in a new bartender. I didn’t get his name but he was good. Hopefully he will stick around.
One more stop when we left the Cantina was Landshark for some pizza. Jason and Sue were working. I got to watch the Cavs wrap up game four and move on. After the pizza it was time to head home. We sat on the back porch and enjoyed the end of the weekend.
The town continues to be busy even during this supposed slow time. It was Thunder Beach weekend in Panama City Beach but we get a lot of bikers going through and stopping in Destin too. There was a car show at the Commons that also brought a lot of traffic to town. Jason said Landshark was crazy busy on Saturday night. It’s just the way the town is now.
The mystery of what’s being built where the old PMI building used to be in Fort Walton Beach is solved. It took them about 8 months to tear down the buildings and then the lot sat empty for many more months. Now there is a lot of building going on as a Holiday Inn Express is going in there. I believe a new hotel is also going in on 98 by the high school. This is on top of the new Hampton Inn by the mall. I wonder if there is enough folks to keep all these places full in Fort Walton.
I have decided that if I start a new business it will be to make “help wanted” signs. Literally every store and restaurant in town has one out. I find it hard to believe there is enough help to go around. We should be seeing the summer folks from Lithuania, Russia and other areas like that show up pretty soon to fill some of these jobs.
This weekend I am flying to Cleveland to see my family. It’s a short 3 day trip. Sunshine Cindy is staying home see her Mom on Mother’s Day and take care of Chaos. I will have a wrap up next Monday. See ya then!
Destin Steve
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