Yes, the calendar has flipped over to Spring. So in Sunshine Cindy’s mind that means we have to get to work in the yard. The yard of our new house was a mess when we moved in. We have had the major items taken care of but now we are hitting the mess along the fence lines. Well, three full days of effort and it is looking much better. It better after we dumped 80 bags of mulch, moved big edging pavers blocks and ripped out what seemed like miles of vines.
BTW…each bag of mulch weighed 56 pounds. Considering I moved each bag at least twice that means I lifted over 8000 pounds in those three days in mulch alone. And that does not include the paver blocks. Yes, I am sore today! LOL
Sunshine Cindy and I did get out a couple times last week. Wednesday we went to Pepito’s for dinner. We always have a good meal there. I love Mexican food and they have some of the best in Destin.
Friday night was our monthly Parrot Head Phlocking. This month we were at Harry T’s. We got there a little early to get a bite to eat at the bar for happy hour. They have changed their happy hour. It used to be ½ price from 11 am to 7 pm. Now it is $2 off any drink till 6 pm. It is still a good deal. They have a busy bar with a lot of tourist who stop there. It’s interesting to talk to them and hear their stories.
The Parrot Head meeting was another great time. We packed the upstairs area. Dan and his team took good care of us. Flash Flood duo kept everyone up and dancing. Yep, another fun night as we Party with a Purpose.
Spring Break is in full swing. Again this year there is a zero tolerance to underage drinking. Each day a handful of underage drinkers are arrested. A couple years ago the police would give them a summons to appear but no one ever did. So as part of the zero tolerance they are now taking them to jail. There was a letter to editor last week from a mom how she is worried sick her kid might get arrested, carted off to jail and have her picture in the newspaper. Well mom, you know how not to worry about that? Tell your kid to obey the law! There are consequences for breaking the law. This is the real world. Besides when you look at some of the mug shots most of these kids are not taking getting arrested too seriously. You would think they are taking a class photo or something the way they ham it up. Since the crackdown here and over in Panama City Beach, I have not heard of any kids falling off a balcony and getting killed. I think getting your kid home safe should be your number one concern mom!
Around town in Fort Walton a new night club has opened where the old Bingo Castle was. Also…The new buffet restaurant in Destin is slated to open in April. They have their sign up and are hiring.
Enjoy Easter. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, March 26, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
It was a Southern Drawl Band weekend in Destin
The boys with the Southern Drawl Band were back in town this weekend playing Saturday night at The Boathouse and on Sunday at Crab Island Cantina. It has been many months since we last saw them and it was awesome to have them back again.
With Saturday being St. Patrick’s Day, you just knew it would be a wild time and it didn’t disappoint. Sunshine Cindy and I started out by going to Landshark Pizza. Some of the Parrot Heads were meeting up there before the show. Sunshine Cindy and I were dressed in our best St. Paddy’s day garb. We had a blast as almost 40 folks came to get the party started. Even our Oki friends Steve and Becky were back in town and came out. They are a lot of fun.
Landshark was also busy with other folks coming and going. A group that was not associated with the Parrot Heads actually bought some raffle tickets for our 50/50 drawing and one of them won. She even donated a portion back when she heard the proceeds were going to Alaqua. That was cool.
We kept hearing how crazy it was down the hill at The Boathouse but until we started walking down we had no idea just how crazy it was. Between The Boathouse and The Upper Deck, people were 15 or 20 deep. Walking around we ran into a bunch of friends. Ken and Cheryl were cooking crawfish. Jonelle saw us and took an epic selfie with us. It seemed like half of Destin was there. Add in the Spring Breakers and you have a big crowd.
The band put on a fantastic show. They did more of their country and southern rock songs that had the place jumping. JD, who has one of the most perfect country voices sang a lot and of course Mike was his usual great self. We managed to be right up front. Almost all of the Parrot Heads came too. It was a fun night.
Then on Sunday they played an acoustic show at Crab Island Cantina. This was more laid back…just what everyone needed after the wild night at The Boathouse. We again had over 40 members there. A couple rain drops didn’t slow them down either. And just after they finished it rained harder so the timing was perfect.
Our old friend Julie came to the Sunday show. She had been in Orange Beach, AL for STAR’s and came over to see everyone before heading back to St. Louis today. It was awesome seeing her again.
Sunshine Cindy and I did get out on Friday night too. We headed to O’Quigleys for dinner. The place was crowded with folks watching some of the March Madness basketball games and many Spring Breakers were there too. We found a spot at the bar. Not too long after we sat down, Brian came in. He was looking to watch some of the games and get away from Landshark so he could relax. Glen and Mike also came in so we had a good time as they joined us at the bar.
While at O’Quigleys I noticed a manger type walking around. I recognized him but could not place from where. He kind of looked at us with the same type of bewilderment. Then it dawned on me, he used to be a bartender at Crab Island Cantina. The next time he walked by he stopped as he also remembered us by then. Bobby had just started there as a manager and he was loving it. It was awesome seeing him again. I told him we stop in a couple times a month so we will be seeing him in the future.
Around town the Helen Back on the island has been sold. It will reopen in April as “The New Helen Back.” I also understand the group that bought this place is looking to buy the Navarre location too. I also heard Duck Duck was sold a few months ago to Damon. I’m sure he got a great deal on the place. It appears Chris was not paying his employees and vendors as far back as October and November. That is really sad as he had built up a vibrant business.
The road construction on 98 by Wal-Mart continues. They are adding a third lane each direction from Airport road east. This week traffic will be moved again. It is a nightmare in that area as more folks are using Commons drive. I’m so glad we moved so we don’t have to get on that road too much anymore.
A second Village Door nightclub has opened in Seascape. There is a location in the Village of Baytowne Wharf and of course the original is in NOLA.
This Friday night the Parrot Heads will be meeting upstairs at Harry T’s. The fun starts at 5:30 pm. Come out and help us “Party with a Purpose!”
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
With Saturday being St. Patrick’s Day, you just knew it would be a wild time and it didn’t disappoint. Sunshine Cindy and I started out by going to Landshark Pizza. Some of the Parrot Heads were meeting up there before the show. Sunshine Cindy and I were dressed in our best St. Paddy’s day garb. We had a blast as almost 40 folks came to get the party started. Even our Oki friends Steve and Becky were back in town and came out. They are a lot of fun.
Landshark was also busy with other folks coming and going. A group that was not associated with the Parrot Heads actually bought some raffle tickets for our 50/50 drawing and one of them won. She even donated a portion back when she heard the proceeds were going to Alaqua. That was cool.
We kept hearing how crazy it was down the hill at The Boathouse but until we started walking down we had no idea just how crazy it was. Between The Boathouse and The Upper Deck, people were 15 or 20 deep. Walking around we ran into a bunch of friends. Ken and Cheryl were cooking crawfish. Jonelle saw us and took an epic selfie with us. It seemed like half of Destin was there. Add in the Spring Breakers and you have a big crowd.
The band put on a fantastic show. They did more of their country and southern rock songs that had the place jumping. JD, who has one of the most perfect country voices sang a lot and of course Mike was his usual great self. We managed to be right up front. Almost all of the Parrot Heads came too. It was a fun night.
Then on Sunday they played an acoustic show at Crab Island Cantina. This was more laid back…just what everyone needed after the wild night at The Boathouse. We again had over 40 members there. A couple rain drops didn’t slow them down either. And just after they finished it rained harder so the timing was perfect.
Our old friend Julie came to the Sunday show. She had been in Orange Beach, AL for STAR’s and came over to see everyone before heading back to St. Louis today. It was awesome seeing her again.
Sunshine Cindy and I did get out on Friday night too. We headed to O’Quigleys for dinner. The place was crowded with folks watching some of the March Madness basketball games and many Spring Breakers were there too. We found a spot at the bar. Not too long after we sat down, Brian came in. He was looking to watch some of the games and get away from Landshark so he could relax. Glen and Mike also came in so we had a good time as they joined us at the bar.
While at O’Quigleys I noticed a manger type walking around. I recognized him but could not place from where. He kind of looked at us with the same type of bewilderment. Then it dawned on me, he used to be a bartender at Crab Island Cantina. The next time he walked by he stopped as he also remembered us by then. Bobby had just started there as a manager and he was loving it. It was awesome seeing him again. I told him we stop in a couple times a month so we will be seeing him in the future.
Around town the Helen Back on the island has been sold. It will reopen in April as “The New Helen Back.” I also understand the group that bought this place is looking to buy the Navarre location too. I also heard Duck Duck was sold a few months ago to Damon. I’m sure he got a great deal on the place. It appears Chris was not paying his employees and vendors as far back as October and November. That is really sad as he had built up a vibrant business.
The road construction on 98 by Wal-Mart continues. They are adding a third lane each direction from Airport road east. This week traffic will be moved again. It is a nightmare in that area as more folks are using Commons drive. I’m so glad we moved so we don’t have to get on that road too much anymore.
A second Village Door nightclub has opened in Seascape. There is a location in the Village of Baytowne Wharf and of course the original is in NOLA.
This Friday night the Parrot Heads will be meeting upstairs at Harry T’s. The fun starts at 5:30 pm. Come out and help us “Party with a Purpose!”
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, March 12, 2018
It was a busy week in Destin
Last Monday Sunshine Cindy’s daughter Tiffany came home for a few days. A co-worker was driving to Destin to see her Mom so Tiffany hitched a ride with her. Monday night Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany went to dinner at Tailfins. Tuesday we all went to McGuire’s for dinner and on Wednesday they went to AJ’s. Then on Thursday she went back to Atlanta. It was a busy few days for Sunshine Cindy!
Wednesday we had a Parrot Head board meeting at Hooters in Destin. A big group of Spring Breakers came in. There must have been about 20 of them. They were having a good time but no one was rowdy. And yes, we had another successful board meeting.
Friday afternoon was our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy and I got down to the harbor early. We walked down to the Boathouse but they were not opening till 5 pm. We did run into Cam. He is now bartending there instead of Hogs Breath. The Boathouse hopes to open the kitchen soon and get back to normal business hours.
Back up the hill we stopped in at The Red Door before going to Landshark. There was a good sized crowd in there for a Friday afternoon. The wind was blowing pretty good making it chilly in there. We had one beer and moved on.
The party at Landshark was another fun time. We had over 100 people again. The highlight of the evening was when our friend Bobby decided to raise money by having his hair cut. He had not had it cut in over a year. When he retired he let it grow and it was way down his back. Darla has been wanting him to cut it so he said if they raised $100 he would let Linda cut it. Well, $150 was raised and now Bobby is back to being neat and trimmed! What a great way to raise money and he also donated his locks to the charity that takes them to make wigs for people with cancer. Awesome job Bobby!
Saturday was a big day on the harbor. It was the 5th annual Taco and Tequila festival. This year Carlos asked if I could get some volunteers to help out. About 8 of us worked the merchandize tent and a tequila pouring tent. The festival was sold out. I believe it was something like 3000 tickets were sold. The harbor was packed with wall to wall people. I didn’t see any trouble either which considering the amount of booze being served is amazing.
On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark for a few beers and some pizza. Jason was behind the bar. A good sized crowd was in there watching all kind of sports. There was basketball, hockey, golf and racing all on various TV’s. I was in heaven! When we got home we spent the rest of the evening on the back patio enjoying a nice night as we transition to Daylight Savings Time.
Speaking of Daylight Savings Time…A bill is waiting for Governor Scott to sign it that will ask Congress to pass legislation permitting Florida to stay on Daylight Savings Time year round. I love this idea and I hope it happens.
In Fort Walton Beach the old Tipsy Pig location has a new sign up saying, “G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time)” is going to be opened soon. It will be interesting to see what this is all about.
I have recently written about Helen Back and whether they are staying open or not. It looks like the location on the island and in Navarre are closed down. The Niceville location is still open and I think Crestview is also still open. The word is the owner was not paying his taxes and the government is after him. Too bad because he had built up a nice business.
If someone wants to open a new business in Destin I would suggest making Help Wanted signs. I swear every business in town has one up in front of their location. I don’t know where they are all going to get the help they need.
And I have one final observation…Destin, like a lot of towns has a problem with homeless vagrants or as I once heard them called, “residentially challenged” people. It appears they are now congregating in the area north of the Winn Dixie shopping center. You see them in that area all the time. And they all have bicycles. Not some cheap second hand bike but real nice ones that are better than what I have. Just what we need, mobile homeless drunks.
This coming weekend the boys from the Southern Drawl Band will be back in town. They are playing The Boathouse on Saturday from 8 till midnight. With Saturday being St. Patrick’s day it is going to be a blast. Then on Sunday they are at Crab Island Cantina from 1-5 pm. Come out and enjoy some great music!
I will have a full report next Monday. See ya then!
Destin Steve
Wednesday we had a Parrot Head board meeting at Hooters in Destin. A big group of Spring Breakers came in. There must have been about 20 of them. They were having a good time but no one was rowdy. And yes, we had another successful board meeting.
Friday afternoon was our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy and I got down to the harbor early. We walked down to the Boathouse but they were not opening till 5 pm. We did run into Cam. He is now bartending there instead of Hogs Breath. The Boathouse hopes to open the kitchen soon and get back to normal business hours.
Back up the hill we stopped in at The Red Door before going to Landshark. There was a good sized crowd in there for a Friday afternoon. The wind was blowing pretty good making it chilly in there. We had one beer and moved on.
The party at Landshark was another fun time. We had over 100 people again. The highlight of the evening was when our friend Bobby decided to raise money by having his hair cut. He had not had it cut in over a year. When he retired he let it grow and it was way down his back. Darla has been wanting him to cut it so he said if they raised $100 he would let Linda cut it. Well, $150 was raised and now Bobby is back to being neat and trimmed! What a great way to raise money and he also donated his locks to the charity that takes them to make wigs for people with cancer. Awesome job Bobby!
Saturday was a big day on the harbor. It was the 5th annual Taco and Tequila festival. This year Carlos asked if I could get some volunteers to help out. About 8 of us worked the merchandize tent and a tequila pouring tent. The festival was sold out. I believe it was something like 3000 tickets were sold. The harbor was packed with wall to wall people. I didn’t see any trouble either which considering the amount of booze being served is amazing.
On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark for a few beers and some pizza. Jason was behind the bar. A good sized crowd was in there watching all kind of sports. There was basketball, hockey, golf and racing all on various TV’s. I was in heaven! When we got home we spent the rest of the evening on the back patio enjoying a nice night as we transition to Daylight Savings Time.
Speaking of Daylight Savings Time…A bill is waiting for Governor Scott to sign it that will ask Congress to pass legislation permitting Florida to stay on Daylight Savings Time year round. I love this idea and I hope it happens.
In Fort Walton Beach the old Tipsy Pig location has a new sign up saying, “G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time)” is going to be opened soon. It will be interesting to see what this is all about.
I have recently written about Helen Back and whether they are staying open or not. It looks like the location on the island and in Navarre are closed down. The Niceville location is still open and I think Crestview is also still open. The word is the owner was not paying his taxes and the government is after him. Too bad because he had built up a nice business.
If someone wants to open a new business in Destin I would suggest making Help Wanted signs. I swear every business in town has one up in front of their location. I don’t know where they are all going to get the help they need.
And I have one final observation…Destin, like a lot of towns has a problem with homeless vagrants or as I once heard them called, “residentially challenged” people. It appears they are now congregating in the area north of the Winn Dixie shopping center. You see them in that area all the time. And they all have bicycles. Not some cheap second hand bike but real nice ones that are better than what I have. Just what we need, mobile homeless drunks.
This coming weekend the boys from the Southern Drawl Band will be back in town. They are playing The Boathouse on Saturday from 8 till midnight. With Saturday being St. Patrick’s day it is going to be a blast. Then on Sunday they are at Crab Island Cantina from 1-5 pm. Come out and enjoy some great music!
I will have a full report next Monday. See ya then!
Destin Steve
Monday, March 5, 2018
Spring Breakers in Destin…There’re Back!
Last week there was a noticeable increase in traffic due to Spring Breakers arriving in town. Spring Break is more condensed this year with Easter being on April 1st. Next week is shaping up to be the busiest week of the Spring Break season. Many colleges that send a lot of Breakers to the Emerald Coast are on their break that week. Let the games begin!
Other than trips to Ace and Home Depot, Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t leave the house. We spent the entire weekend working on the back patio. Now that all the painting is done we were hanging up all of our knick-knacks, moving the beer fridge back from the garage, unsticking windows that were painted shut, cleaning up the pool deck area…basically getting the patio and pool area ready for some partying! And yes, I am sore today! LOL
This past week I saw Mother Nature in her full glory. Each morning driving into work I saw a huge flock of either ducks or geese heading south. They were flying in their ever evolving “V” formation. One day I bet there were at least 100 of them with almost that many the other days. How awesome!
The Boathouse on the harbor is partially open. They are still in a remodel mode of their kitchen but will be open outside on the weekends. They are serving oysters and gumbo too! It’s good to have them back in business.
Lobster Tail restaurant on The Boardwalk has opened. They are in the old Black Pearl location. The restaurant sits right on the Gulf. It is one of the best locations on the island. We don’t get to The Boardwalk a lot but we might have to make a trip to check this place out.
Now for something a little off kilter for this blog but it’s something that caught my attention.
A recent article in the Northwest Florida Daily News had a headline that read there was a “Brouhaha” at a local bar. Now that was a word I have not heard in a long time and especially in the title of a story. So it got me to thinking (I know, a dangerous thing!) how many other words could they have used in the headline that carried the same meaning. I came up with a long list that I broke up into two categories.
One category is a softer type of bar room fight like a “Skirmish.” Or maybe they were having a “Ruckus” or a “Furor.” A couple of guys got into a “Scuffle,” a “To-Do,” or a “Tussle.” They had a “Row” while having some “Discord.” It might have been a “Fray” or maybe a “Scrap.” If a “Fracas” or some “Hullabaloo” broke out you would not think it was too serious. The same thing for a “Rumpus” or some “Tumult” at the local bar.
But the other category is more serious. If the headline read there were “Fisticuffs” or a “Brawl” at a local bar you would take more notice. I would want to know more if it said there was a “Donnybrook,” a “Clash,” a “Riot” or even a “Melee.” And finally if a “Free-For-All” happened they would have my full attention.
So what category does “Brouhaha” fall into? Maybe it is its own category. More of a fight than a “Fracas” but not as bad as a “Donnybrook.” Since I was not there I guess we will never know the answer but I can continue to look at things from a slightly different angle than most! LOL
This Friday is our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza starting at 5:30. Jeff and Camaro’s from Panama City will be playing for us. Come help us raise money for charity and have a blast while doing it!
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Other than trips to Ace and Home Depot, Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t leave the house. We spent the entire weekend working on the back patio. Now that all the painting is done we were hanging up all of our knick-knacks, moving the beer fridge back from the garage, unsticking windows that were painted shut, cleaning up the pool deck area…basically getting the patio and pool area ready for some partying! And yes, I am sore today! LOL
This past week I saw Mother Nature in her full glory. Each morning driving into work I saw a huge flock of either ducks or geese heading south. They were flying in their ever evolving “V” formation. One day I bet there were at least 100 of them with almost that many the other days. How awesome!
The Boathouse on the harbor is partially open. They are still in a remodel mode of their kitchen but will be open outside on the weekends. They are serving oysters and gumbo too! It’s good to have them back in business.
Lobster Tail restaurant on The Boardwalk has opened. They are in the old Black Pearl location. The restaurant sits right on the Gulf. It is one of the best locations on the island. We don’t get to The Boardwalk a lot but we might have to make a trip to check this place out.
Now for something a little off kilter for this blog but it’s something that caught my attention.
A recent article in the Northwest Florida Daily News had a headline that read there was a “Brouhaha” at a local bar. Now that was a word I have not heard in a long time and especially in the title of a story. So it got me to thinking (I know, a dangerous thing!) how many other words could they have used in the headline that carried the same meaning. I came up with a long list that I broke up into two categories.
One category is a softer type of bar room fight like a “Skirmish.” Or maybe they were having a “Ruckus” or a “Furor.” A couple of guys got into a “Scuffle,” a “To-Do,” or a “Tussle.” They had a “Row” while having some “Discord.” It might have been a “Fray” or maybe a “Scrap.” If a “Fracas” or some “Hullabaloo” broke out you would not think it was too serious. The same thing for a “Rumpus” or some “Tumult” at the local bar.
But the other category is more serious. If the headline read there were “Fisticuffs” or a “Brawl” at a local bar you would take more notice. I would want to know more if it said there was a “Donnybrook,” a “Clash,” a “Riot” or even a “Melee.” And finally if a “Free-For-All” happened they would have my full attention.
So what category does “Brouhaha” fall into? Maybe it is its own category. More of a fight than a “Fracas” but not as bad as a “Donnybrook.” Since I was not there I guess we will never know the answer but I can continue to look at things from a slightly different angle than most! LOL
This Friday is our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza starting at 5:30. Jeff and Camaro’s from Panama City will be playing for us. Come help us raise money for charity and have a blast while doing it!
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
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