Happy New Year’s Eve!

It has been a fun filled few days here in Destin. We heard Chef Emeril Lagasse was at Harbor Docks on Wednesday. He is getting around town during the holidays. Thursday was one of those afternoons where we decided to head to the harbor and wander around a little. We stopped at the Boathouse and grabbed a beer. We headed down the docks past the empty shell of the Tipsy Turtle. It’s sad to see it sitting empty. We stopped in at AJ’s. A guy was playing music and a beautiful sunset was in process. There were a few people in there as some tourist had found their way in.

Sunset from AJ's

We continued walking down the harbor and ended up at Crab Island Cantina. By now the sun was down and it was getting colder. Greg was working the bar and we chatted with him for a while. Our friend Carlos, who is one of the owners and the head chef spotted us and came over and talked to us for a while. He said they had a great first year. We are happy for them. The Cantina is well run and they have one of the best spots on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy and I then decided to stop in at the Rotten Apple. Bobby, Woody and Dave were leaving until we turned them around for one more. Matt and Mindy were playing and it was good to see them again. We had a fun time there.

Bobby, Woody, Dave and Sunshine Cindy at Rotten Apple

Friday I had to work but Friday night the ECPHC had a phlocking at Sago Sports Bar. Most parrotheads had not been in there in years so it was good exposure for Sago to the parrothead crowd. A lot of folks showed up too. Jan played music and everyone had a fun time. When we left it was raining and blowing but some of us met up at The American Legion. The band Deep South was playing and it was a nice way to cap off the evening.

Dancing at Sago Sports Bar

Saturday the fun continued. I had to run some errands. As I finished I ended up at Hogs Breath for a while. I saw Cam and listened to some lady talk the ear off of a tourist. He listened very patiently. I then popped in at Sago where I had a bite to eat. The rest of the evening Sunshine Cindy and I stayed home and relaxed for the night.

Fun at Landshark Pizza

Sunday was a day to watch some football games. We started at Rupert’s in the bowling alley. There was a pretty good crown in there. We ran into Barry and watched some of the Falcons. We left there and headed to Landshark Pizza. The place was packed. We managed to get a couple of seats. Julie came and joined us. All the local crowd was there watching the games. Matt and Sue were running around like crazy keeping everyone in drinks and food. Then for the third day in a row we stopped at Sago again. There was also a good crowd in there. Sunshine Cindy ended up talking to girl from Memphis who was in town on vacation. That’s one of the neat things about living in a tourist town. You meet a lot of interesting folks.

Have a safe New Year’s Eve celebration tonight. See ya’ll Thursday!

Winter in Destin

Okay don’t laugh but winter has arrived in Destin. I know it has because the calendar says so. And this morning it was 37 degrees. For those up north fighting blizzards and ice this doesn’t sound like much but I can’t even put the top down on Badass. Of course the high today will be almost 60 and we will be back into the 60’s tomorrow so I can’t complain too much!

Sunshine Cindy and her Rum Jumbie

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. We spent it with family. Sunshine Cindy made enough food to feed the Atlanta Falcons football team. Between her and myself we received enough booze as gifts that I think we could open our own liquor store if we wanted too. The highlight was I found her some Rum Jumbie. Sunny Jim would be proud.

The holiday bar was set up

Wednesday we made a Happy Hour stop at Fisherman’s Wharf. I noticed they are advertising one dollar drafts from 3-6 pm so we had to go check it out. I am glad we did. The bar was not crowded and Sara waited on us. The drafts were poured in their usual ice cold glasses so you got a good beer. We saw Jimmy from the docks there. When the sun was setting we had a perfect view through the windows of the bright orange sky. It was beautiful. The best part of the evening was the $9 tab! “My bar tabs too low. I had more fun than that!” as Jim Morris sings about.

Fisherman's Wharf

The new Fudpucker’s on the Island is about to open. This is a big location with a traditional Fudpucker’s restaurant, a sports bar and a steam shack and raw bar. They will also have an arcade and being on the bay, they will be renting jet skis and pontoon boats. The Emerald Coast PHC has already scheduled their 2013 chili cook-off there on March 9th. It looks like Cash is going to turn the old Fud’s location into another of his ventures instead of leasing it out. I am not sure but I have heard it might become a Thai restaurant.

Get out and enjoy the weekend. It will be fun as we build up to New Year’s Eve! See ya Monday!

Merry Christmas

You would think that with Christmas coming up this weekend would have been quiet. Well, it was anything but quiet. On Thursday I stopped at Landshark Pizza on the way home for a few brews and some pizza. Sunshine Cindy didn’t want to go out but I needed to stop. The usual locals were in there. Matt and Sue were working and they kept everyone entertained.

Julie in the holiday spirit

Friday afternoon we went to Friday’s for happy hour. Mango Mike, Sherrie, Grady and Marianne were there. We talked to them for bit and got a table right next to them. A little later Suzanne came in and we talked to her too. Brittany was working some of the tables and was excited to be heading home to Michigan after she got off. It was funny that she was complaining about the cold as it was in the low 40’s. I told her she better get used to it as I am sure it’s going to be a lot colder up north.

Mike and Scott at KC's Sandbar

We left there and headed to the Legion. Turns out they didn’t have any karaoke but a band instead. Bobby and Darla were there and we sat with them. Capt. John came in and joined us too. It turned out to be a fun evening of storytelling, dancing and drinking. 

Saturday was spent getting food for Christmas. I gave BadAss a bath and took a bike ride. Saturday night we went to KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach. We invited our Crab Island Mambo friends to come out to celebrate the fact the world didn’t end! What a fun time. They get a wide range of folks in there. There were bikers, people inked up from the tattoo parlors, old farts like us…yes, diverse group. Owners Mike and Bev were there partying with us too. They are good people.

Renee getting ready to hose Jan

Sunday had Sunshine Cindy preparing food for Tuesday. I stayed out of the way. I went to Landshark to watch the Browns play and they put on another pitiful performance. Oh well, it’s almost over! I did see Julie and her son there. They have heard me write about the place and wanted to check it out. Cool.

And last but certainly not least - Merry Christmas from Sunshine Cindy and I to you and your family!

Preparing for Christmas

This week Sunshine Cindy finished her Christmas shopping. Me? I was done weeks ago but then as a guy I don’t put the time into it like the women do. We did get out for dinner on Tuesday. We went to Johnny O’Quigley’s. I had a taste for some chili and they have some of the best in town. I was also glad to see a special on Sam Adams beer. They were selling a 25 oz. mug for just $5. I had to have two! The food was good and we were able to relax.

Beach scene!

Wednesday on my drive home from work the traffic was heavy. It looks like the town is getting busy for the holidays plus all the holiday shoppers were out and about. Add the fact we are starting to get some snowbirds in town doing 45 mph across the island and you have a long drive home.

Each day I drive by the old Fish House and can see they are doing a ton of work on the place that will become “Boshamps Oyster House.” I have heard they are working on putting in a boardwalk behind the place that they hope to connect to the main stretch of the boardwalk farther west. The plan is still to be open by Spring.

"Head" in the sand!

I have also been reporting for a while the old Twisted Palm/Club Overboard building is under contract to become a motorcycle shop, pizza house/bar and indoor shooting/archery range. The deal is expected to close today and work should begin shortly afterwards. Yep, combine bikers, guns, booze and pizza for a fun time. Actually I think it will be a big hit. We will see.

Hoov on the beach

The expansion at Destin Commons is in full swing. They have still not announced who the new tenants will be but they continue to say a major theme type restaurant will be one of the new anchors. This expansion, that will add up to 25 more retail locations to the Commons, is planned to open in spring of 2014.

Get out and enjoy the weekend as you prepare for Christmas. We will be at KC's Sandbar in Ft. Walton Beach Saturday night. Come join us for a "World Didn't End Party! Check in Monday for our Christmas Eve blog!

To much work...

Work…work…work. My day job is getting in the way of my fun job. We were supposed to go to a retirement party for Tonya in Pensacola on Friday but I didn’t get off till late and then had to go in on Saturday so we could not make it. I did stop at Landshark for a few minutes to get some wings to take home. I ended up talking to Brian, Kirby, James and a few other folks. Thursday I published the Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper for December. You can read it here:
http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-December-2012.html

Tonya getting ready to enjoy her new "Laid Back Life"

Saturday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I went to Fuds for lunch. We had not been there in a while. One of the managers we know, Rich, was there and he welcomed us back with hugs and backslaps. Even our server remembered us. We had a great lunch and found out this Fuds is not going to have live music but instead dancing girls that will get the crowd up and going especially the kids. I bet that will be a big draw for the tourist crowd.

Sue at a previous Parrothead meeting at Fuds

Saturday evening we went to Julie's for a holiday party. It was a fun time. Everyone brought some food. Jan and Kenny played music. The weather was perfect with temps in the low 70’s for the evening. It was a great time with good friends.

Some of the crowd at Julie's party

Sunday I had to go into work again for a while. The afternoon we spent it at home getting some household chores done and I cooked up a feast of spaghetti.  Also in town the new Shrimp Basket restaurant has opened in the old McDonald’s building on Hwy. 98. We have been to Shrimp Basket’s in Gulf Shores and liked it. We will have to check it out.

This is also the time of the year we have cold water again in Destin. In the summer the ground warms up so much you get lukewarm water when you turn the cold faucet on. Now that it is cooled down outside we are actually getting cold water out of the faucet. That’s a little known fact about living in Destin! LOL

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Destin notes...

The weather this week in Destin took a turn towards winter. Sunday I was walking around in shorts and the top was down on Badass but Monday morning it was getting colder. We had some rain this week and it is now more seasonable. I am ready for summer!

Fun on the Seablaster

We only went out once this week. Tuesday night we hit Landshark Pizza. I had a taste for their pizza and it’s taco Tuesday. It's also the night they have $2 Corona beer. There was a good crowd in there. Deana was working. She worked at the Shark Shack last season. A bunch of regulars were there. I talked for a while with a guy who was sitting next to me who was originally from the Cleveland area. He is a Browns fan too. Small world. We had a good time there as usual. The rest of the week we have stayed in getting Crab Island Mambo stuff done.

There are some more changes coming to the Island. The vacant lot next to the Gulfarium is under development. A Holiday Inn Express hotel is being built there. It is a busy site so I expect it will be coming out of the ground pretty fast. Also on the Island at the vacant lot next to the Elks lodge they have started site work. A year or two ago they announced a major hotel/resort was going to be built there but apparently the financing never was completely secured. I have not heard of anything changing but just this week I have noticed they are grading the land and staking it out. Looks like construction might be starting soon.

The "Island"

It also looks like the old Fudpuckers location on the Island has been leased. A new restaurant is going into that location. It is a good spot on the Island. I knew it would not stay empty for very long. With all of this development, I am not sure how everyone is going to get around. The roads are packed now as it is.

And last but not least, our friend Sami ran into a celebrity over the weekend. She met Emeril Lagasse. Yes, the famous chef. They were at Rupert's which is a sports bar at our local bowling alley. Kind of a weird place to run into someone like Emeril. She said he was real nice. I copied a picture she posted on Facebook and here it is.

 

Emeril with Sami

Enjoy the weekend. Get that Christmas shopping done. See ya Monday!

Destin Holiday Weekend Celebration

What a fun, crazy and hectic weekend it was. It started on Thursday. I dropped my boss off at Docie’s bar in Staff’s Restaurant in Ft. Walton Beach as his car was in the shop. Since the traffic was backed up I went in to have a few beers. This is a real locals place. I had a good time chatting with the folks there including Art who used to own Art’s appliance for 55 years. I don’t get there often enough.

Santa Claus on a paddleboard

In the meantime Sunshine Cindy and her daughter went to Miller's Ale House where they ate and talked to some folks there. We all met up at Sago Sports bar later in the evening. As I walked in I thought I had been transported to some Disney TV show. There were kids all dressed to the hilt running around one of the ballrooms. Turns out Destin middle school was having a dance. You could tell it was Destin kids because of the clothes they were wearing. The parents spared no expense. We talked to Tommy and watched some of the football game. Sunshine Cindy and I then hit the Waffle House for some late night food before heading home.

Friday we met Sunshine Cindy’s parents at TGIFriday’s in Destin. Rick waited on us and was in rare form. He had us rolling with his jokes. Friday night we stayed in and I actually watched some college hockey games. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day with temps in the upper 70’s. My company Christmas party was in the evening at the Emerald Grande. We got to the harbor early to have a few drinks at the Crab Island Cantina. As we walked up we saw Alan and Jackie sitting at the bar. We joined them. Craig was waiting on us and took good care of us.

Julie in the holiday spirit

While we were sitting at the bar it sounded like a war broke out across the pass at the AF officers club on the island. They must have been having some type of maneuvers as we heard all kinds of explosions and saw types of tracers flying around. It lasted about 10 minutes. We have not seen that activity there before. The party was fun and we ended up at Harry T’s for a while afterwards. The place was packed with a lot of younger folks having fun.

Saturday and Sunday I went out for bike rides. Saturday I went to the beach. I love living here! LOL  Sunday evening was the Destin Holiday Boat Parade. We met up with a bunch of friends at Harry T’s to watch it. Sunshine Cindy even brought Precious along. She had a great time. The boats were decorated great this year. It was topped off with a fireworks show. Again the weather was perfect.

Fireworks over the harbor

I have heard through my sources the plans for Margaritaville are supposed to be finished this week. They should be officially announcing it soon. The hope is to have it open before the summer season. From what I am being told is it will be a top notch destination restaurant. That will be a great addition to the Destin harbor party scene.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Slow week in Destin

This week Sunshine Cindy and I have been laying pretty low but we did get out Wednesday evening to Landshark Pizza for their wing special. As we pulled up into the parking lot we could tell the place would be crowded as the parking lot was full. Sitting outside was Brian and Sue with another Brian. Kirby was also outside enjoying the balmy evening. We all chatted for a while. When we walked in the place was packed. We had never seen it that crowded.

Dreaming of Crab Island

Miss Norma and Brian (yes, a third Brian) were sitting at the first stools at the bar. Pops, Turtle, Mom, Missy, Schoie were all sitting at a table. Steve was there. Sunshine Cindy’s hairdresser and her husband were at the bar. James was there….you get the picture, the place was packed. Matt, Haven and Paige were working. Everyone was having a good time but they kept the crew busy waiting on everyone. We had wings, chips and Sunshine Cindy had a salad. It was a fun relaxing time in there.

Come on Summer!

The changes continue in Destin this winter. Two new places are going to open on the bayside of town facing Crab Island. Scallywag’s Pub and Grub and Yellowhouse restaurant will be opening in an area that currently only has the original Dewey Destin’s restaurant. They should have good views. La Famiglia has opened their new place at Harborwalk above Crab Island Cantina. We will have to check it out to see if it’s as good as the original.

A few weeks ago I mentioned there was a report of some type of celebrity backed theme place on a large track of land on Commons Drive might be in the works. The rumor has it Dolly Parton is going to open a mini Dollywood. She has sold her interest in the original so I don’t know how real this rumor is but you never know. We are also hearing a “Beers Around the World” is going to open someplace in town. And finally we hear some people are thinking of opening a comedy club in the old Calhoun’s. We shall see if any of this happens.

Destin's playground!

Finally I have starting hearing about a new trend in weddings that is hitting Destin. It is called, “Trash the Dress.” This is where brides destroy their wedding dress after the ceremony. Here in Destin it is usually by jumping into the Gulf of Mexico. The report said the brides would rather have a memory in pictures and video’s than try and hold onto a gown for years that might never get used. Okay then! lol

Have a great weekend. We have Christmas parades, boat parades and other fun planned in Destin. See ya Monday! 

Destin winter weekend

It was a fun weekend in Destin. The weather was perfect. Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at Buffalo Jack’s in San Destin to check them out. The food was good and the beer was cold. They had a decent crowd in there for a Thursday night out of season. I heard they are getting bigger crowds now that Beef’s closed in San Destin.

From there we stopped in at Sago to catch some of the Falcons/Saints football game. A big crowd was there to watch. Tommy was there and we got to chat with him for a while as he ran around making sure everything was going smoothly. A Cajun guy named Kim started talking to us and ended up partying with us. The Falcons scored early and all the Saints fans were crying it was not their night. Turns out they were right! LOL

Sunshine Cindy and Kim

Friday Sunshine Cindy and her parents took Tiffany out for lunch at Harry T’s to celebrate her birthday. They had a good time. When I got home I headed to Landshark Pizza. Matt and Paige were working. I had some wings and a few beers. Tony and Amy, LD and Kirby were all there too. It was fun. I left and stopped in at Lucky’s Rotten Apple. Rose was working and there was a good crowd there too. You get all types in there. A young couple were decked out in Goth style. I don’t get it but to each his own. From there I went home to watch some college football. Sunshine Cindy was about to sleep so it was a quiet night.

Tiffany on her birthday

Saturday was a fun day. The weather was perfect. I went for a bike ride and in rapid order I saw Alan and Jackie as they were heading to the RV park on the island, Matt was a passenger in a car and Bob at the post office. I then stopped for a haircut at Tim’s place. The girl inside looked at me kind of weird as I rode up probably thinking I was one of the homeless drunks or something. I will be back. I love to give the local places my business.

The gang at the Crazy Lobster

In the afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I went to the Crazy Lobster to watch the UGA/Bama game. I had a taste for some Abita beer and oysters. I had both and they were good. Alan and Jackie, Julie and Loujean and Jan all joined us. We had a fun time. After the game Sunshine Cindy and I went up to Harry T’s for a while. They didn't have any live music, just football so we headed back home.

The Crazy Lobsters' Lobsters

Sunday Sunshine Cindy was not feeling so Sunshiny. She was coming down with a bug so we stayed in all day. The weather was perfect so we sat on the patio for a bit but most of the time she was laying down. She is doing better today.

Looks like a warm week here in Destin. We will enjoy it. See ya Thursday!

Finally Some Rain

It has been weeks since we had any rain in Destin. That all changed Tuesday. The skies opened up and we got a good soaking for several hours. By the time I headed home from work the clouds had gone and the full moon was huge as it was rising. We are supposed to get some warmer days over the next few. I am ready for summer and it’s not even winter yet! On the bright side, hurricane season is over tomorrow. Another year with no big storm. We love that in Destin.

Dreaming of Summer

Monday night Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Sago Sports bar to grab a bite to eat and watch some of the Monday night football game. We got a big hug from Stephanie the bartender as we walked in. We sat at one of the booths. They are so comfortable. Monday’s they have $5 pitchers of beer. The place was not crowded. Morgan waited on us and she was cutting up with us as there was not much else for her to do. We enjoyed ourselves.

Most beautiful beaches in the world

Tuesday we stayed in. Sunshine Cindy cooked a ham and we pigged out. (No pun intended!) Wednesday was Christmas decorating day at the house. The tree is up and the holiday spirit is taking hold. Hard to believe but it is less than four weeks till Christmas.

Barb and Ed enjoying the beach

It’s official. The Snowbirds are back. I saw my first Ontario, Canada license plate the other day. They have also officially opened the Snowbird roost at the community center. Yep, time to get ready for slow drivers with a turn signal that stays on. As Brent Burns likes to say, “If a car from Michigan passes you this time of the year…it is stolen!”

We don’t have a lot planned for this weekend. We will go with the flow but I am sure we will find some interesting places to visit. Have fun. See ya Monday with a full report!

Post Thanksgiving in Destin

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Sunshine Cindy and I spent it with her parents. The weather was perfect as was the food and drinks.

On Friday we had a Crab Island Mambo party at Landshark Pizza. Jan Patton played music for us and everyone had a great time. We had a good turnout. The beer and food flowed. The one memorable moment was when a homeless guy riding a bicycle hit the curb right in front of Landshark and hit the ground. He could barely stand to get back up on the bike. As he tried to ride away I said he was going to hit my car BadAss. Sure enough, across the parking lot he wobbled and ran right into my car sprawling over the hood. I headed out there but Sunshine Cindy stopped and said she would take care of it. After getting an earful from her he managed to ride away not hitting anything else. The car was okay though.

The homeless drunk is about to take off

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I spent around the house for most of the day. It was time to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic. By mid afternoon I was ready to watch some football. My Buckeyes had already beat that team from up north but Florida and Fl. State was coming on. I headed over to Hogs Breath. The weather was still nice and I had the top down. Sunshine Cindy decided to stay home. I sat at the outside bar. I got there early as they usually open the outside bar at 4 but Rikki was already opening it. I got a seat in front of the TV’s. Wayne came out and joined me. One of our Parrothead friends Bill came in and we talked to him for a while.

No, go straight...

Sunshine Cindy decided to come out too. She joined us as the place was filling up. They have good football specials. We had a good time and stayed for the start of the late game. Notre Dame was playing and I was interested in watching them. We left at halftime and went home to watch them win. They are on to the national championship game. Good for them.

Right before impact on BadAss...

Sunday was cooler but I still took a bike ride. I need to work off some of the food I have been eating. I wanted to watch the Browns/Steelers game. I headed to Landshark Pizza and once again Sunshine Cindy stayed back at the house. She is not a huge sports fan. As I walked in and sat down the Browns were already losing. Geeze, the game was only 2 minutes old. LD was at the bar. I talked to him the whole time. He was there because he was out of beer at home and they can’t sell any in the stores till 1 pm. He had an hour to go.

Black Friday at Landshark

There was a good crowd in there. Pitchers of beer are only $6 or buckets are $11. Good deals. Later Kirby and Matt came in. The Browns held on to win. It was ugly but a win over Pittsburgh is always good. I also had a good view of the Falcons game. They also won. It was a good day. Oh yeah, LD was still there when I left. Guess he didn’t need to get any beer on the way home now. LOL

Enjoy the week as we get into the holiday season. See ya Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Be thankful for what you have and for our troops who help keep us secure so we could celebrate each year.

This week has seen the traffic picking up and tourist coming into town for the holiday. Tuesday I went to Landshark Pizza to hang out and have some food. Sunshine Cindy was doing some stuff around the house and didn’t want to leave so off I went. The top was down even though it was cool. Landshark was packed. They had four big groups. It looked like families that had come into town had gotten together there for dinner. I sat at the bar and watched Brian, Sue and Steph run around like madmen. Tuesdays is $2 Corona beers. I had several and some wings. All good. I talked with Kent from the Logo Place for a bit too as he was sitting at the bar.

Jan

Wednesday the weather was about as nice as it could get. For my afternoon walk at work the temp was 78 degrees. Perfect with no clouds. We went to KC's Sandbar in Ft. Walton for the evening to meet up with some friends. Sunshine Cindy and I got there first. We sat at the bar and ordered some food. Lauren was behind the bar. She is different with tattoo’s, piercings and a Mohawk with different colors in her hair. That is the charm of KC’s, you get all types in there including us Trop Rockers.

Our crowd started coming in. Wayne, Kenny, Julie, Jan and Loujean all made it. Jan was playing so he was setting up. Mike the owner came and talked to us for a good while. I have known Mike for several years and watched him grow his place into something big. There was even a local beat cop walk in. He knew everyone, chatted for a few minutes before moving on. It was a fun night. Temps got down to about 60 but it was still comfortable. A good prelude to Thanksgiving.

Kenny

A quick note about our stop at Anglers last weekend that I failed to mention. They are remolding a lot of the place. It is mostly being done upstairs but the bathrooms downstairs are now brand new. The lights are so bright you think you are going to be interrogated. Also come on out and join Sunshine Cindy and I at Landshark Pizza on Friday. Jan will be playing from 1-5. It will be a good time. Landshark is next to Old Time Pottery in Destin.

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Weekend wrap up

Last Thursday we stayed home but on Friday we got out and about. We headed to Okaloosa Island and stopped at Anglers. We had not been in there in a while. Clinton was the manager on duty and Ryan was working behind the bar. They were glad to see us as it has been a while since we have been in there. They had a party upstairs. Ryan said it was roller derby girls having a party. Note to self that night, don’t piss off any of the ladies at Anglers. LOL 

Julie came out and joined us. From Anglers we headed to Swizzle Stick. Another place we had not been to in a while. Charlie was there and we all chatted for a while. Chris Hayes was playing music and the place was pretty crowded. Of course with only about 19 seats it does not take too many folks to fill it up. When we left we stopped in at Rotten Apple. This place was pretty full too with Rose behind the bar. Julie called it a night but Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Sago Sports Bar. We sat at the bar and talked to David. He recently moved here from NYC. Not long after he got here he had a heart attack. Welcome to Destin. But he is doing well now. There was a group of about 8 young women having what looked like a bachelorette party. They were sucking down the shots and having a great time.

David and Sunshine Cindy

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and Julie went to a service for a Parrothead friend who passed away earlier this week. Wild Bill was a great guy who will be missed. He had a heart attack but was not as lucky as David. Sail on Bill.

After the service I met the girls at Johnny O’s for some dinner. This is a sports bar with about a million TV’s all around. Okay, maybe not a million but they have so many you get sports overload trying to watch them all. The food was good and we enjoyed the atmosphere. It had been a while since we had been in there. About the time we finished we got a text from Jan and Loujean asking us to go watch the sunset somewhere. We decided to head to Harry T’s as they have the best view in town.

Sunset at Harry T's

On the drive over I had a guy in a yellow Benz sports car pass by. I decided to mess with him a bit so I pulled up alongside and revved the engine then pull ahead and dropped back. He got alongside me, rolled his window down and laughing said I was wasting gas. Then he told us about a 66 Mustang he has. We were driving down Hwy. 98 carrying on a conversation with this guy. It was pretty funny.

At Harry T’s Jan and Loujean had just got there. They had Scott with them. Julie made it and then Wayne came in too. The party was on. The sunset was beautiful. Dolphins were jumping in the pass. It was a perfect night. Wayne had his Key West PD hat on. A guy at a table next to us had a Key West jacket he was wearing so we had to talk to him. Turns out he was there with his wife, his daughter from Boston and another couple. They are heading to Key West in a few weeks for the winter. We are jealous. They are bikers and loved to party. We all had a good time.

Jan and Scott showing off trying to get some beads I guess!

Cherie come in. She didn’t know we were there but ended up partying with us. Jan and Scott were feeling no pain. They were so funny. The band Flash Flood played and sounded great. We talked to Binkie the drummer and ended up buying him some shots of Jager. The band sounded great. Wayne, Cherie, Sunshine Cindy and I all stayed till they finished playing at midnight. We were not expecting it to be a late night but we had so much fun we couldn’t leave. So much for an early evening!

Cherie and Sunshine Cindy having fun

And on Sunday we rested! Actually I watched some football. My Browns game against the Cowboys was on TV and I made the mistake of watching it. The Browns are great at finding a way to lose. I should have just stuck a sharp stick in my eye. It would have felt the same.

A quick mention that on Friday Jan Patton will be playing at Landshark Pizza from 1-5 pm. Come join us after shopping. Happy Turkey day. See ya Thursday!

Slow time of the year in Destin

This time of the year is when Destin is at its slowest. The fishing rodeo is over. Snowbirds have not descended on us yet. There are few tourist to clog our roadways. Some restaurants shut down for the season although fewer do that. When I first moved to Destin over 13 years ago most places would shut down for the season. Not anymore. Plus the weather is getting colder. I actually had to break out my jacket Wednesday morning as the temp was in the upper 40’s. I was not happy about that!

Dreaming of the beach

Most of this week was spent working on the Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper for November. It is a day-by-day account of our trip to Key West. I published it yesterday. Check it out here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-November-2012.html

We did get out on Wednesday to Landshark Pizza. The place was packed. Good for them. We had wings and beer. We left there and went to Rotten Apple. We got a chance to talk to Rose about advertising on our web site. We had a few beers and some popcorn and saw some Parrothead friends.

Love our beach

I talk a lot how places come and go in Destin. This week we heard the Tipsy Turtle might not be back next year. Those faithful readers of this blog know we spend a lot of time there and love hanging out at this cool place by the water. It still looks like the property is being sold so that puts everything up in the air. We will probably get more information this weekend but it does not look good. Oh well, there are plenty of other places in town.

Speaking of other places and changes. KC’s Sandbar & Grill in Ft. Walton Beach is now doing a late night breakfast on Friday and Saturday nights. (Actually Saturday and Sunday early morning) They are serving from 2am to noon those days. We have not checked it out yet but will soon.

Fisherman's Wharf

I got to thinking the other day about the places that were here when I first got to Destin and which ones are still here. There are still a lot of the old local spots that have endured. Some have moved to new locations like Hooters and Harry T’s. But you still have Hogs Breath, Harbor Docks, Gilligan’s, AJ’s, The Boathouse, Dewey Destin’s on the Bay, The Lighthouse, Louisiana Lagniappe, The Back Porch, Fisherman’s Wharf, TGI Friday’s all still going strong. I am sure I am missing a few but you get the point. Destin endures and continues to grow and our places to have fun are growing right along with the town.

Get out and enjoy this pre-Thanksgiving weekend. See ya Monday!

Cool in Destin

The weather is turning chilly in Destin. We have not had to turn the heat on in the house yet but the top is up on Badass most of the time now. On Thursday I stopped in at Rotten Apple. Still didn’t get a chance to talk to Rose. I left and went down to the harbor and the Turtle. Matt is now in charge of the Turtle and he is trying to make it through the winter. Tony was there. It was a clear cool evening. There was no wind but the temp was dropping. I had shorts on too and that didn’t help. After two beers I decided to find some heat. I stopped into Sago and watched some football there. A good crowd was in there.

Sherry on the balcony of The Veranda

Sago is doing well. I heard that the night of the Alabama\LSU football game they sold over 1800 chicken wings alone. Wow, that is a lot of chicken! Tommy is doing a good job with the place.

Friday was a Parrothead meeting. It was held at The Veranda above Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at the Cantina first. We had a few drinks and even did a shot to get in the mood for the meeting! LOL  We talked to Carlos for a bit. He said they had a good first season at the Cantina. Good for them. It is a great location and the staff always takes good care of us. We went up to the Veranda. There was a good crowd. The view from the balcony was great. It was fun. From there a bunch of us went to the Turtle. Matt had a fire going. It was chilly but the fire was nice. Sunshine Cindy and I ended the evening stopping at Waffle House for some food. Can’t beat the Waffle House for a late night stop!

Capt. John and his bubbles

Saturday I spent most of the day working on Crab Island Mambo stuff. I did get to watch Texas A&M beat Alabama. I suppose that will quiet the Bama folks at work for a while. In the evening we went to Julie’s house for a dinner. Julie wanted to try out her new smoker. Russ, Loujean and Jan also joined us. Sunshine Cindy made 10 pounds (yes 10 lbs.) of mashed potatoes. We will be eating them for a while this week. Everything was great. We had a fun time. Julie had turkey and pork. Russ brought a green bean casserole. Loujean had Rum cake and of course the mound of mashed potatoes we brought. Everyone went home stuffed.

Sunday was warm but windy. I rode my bike and felt like I was climbing a mountain when I was heading into the wind. It was a good workout. In the afternoon Matt was having a type of tailgate party at the Turtle. Julie brought chili and Loujean brought bean dip. We should have brought the potatoes. There was a good crowd watching football and the NASCAR race. A loud roar erupted when Jeff Gordon got into the fight with the pit crew from Clint Boyer. It was windy but warm.

James by the fire

It looks like it will be cooling off this week. Oh well, it is getting closer to the holidays. Pretty soon the snowbirds will be showing up too. There goes the sweet and low from the restaurants! Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Back in the Saddle!

Now that we are back from our trip down south, things are getting back to a normal pace. We had a blast on our vacation meeting a lot of old friends and making new ones. But it is now back to reality and the real world. I took Tuesday off from work to recover after the almost 13 hour drive on Monday. I did get to Landshark Pizza and got to talk to Brian and James. Sunshine Cindy and I also went to the Rotten Apple to talk to Rose but she was off that night. The rest of the day was spent getting caught up on our paperwork and such from the trip.

Wayne and Sunshine Cindy

Wednesday we met with Matt from the Tipsy Turtle. Matt is now running the bar and quizzed us on what he can do to get people to come down to the harbor during the winter. Matt has some good ideas starting with beer at $2 a bottle! He plans to be open on Friday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s for the time being. He is setting up some heat and hopes to get some type of enclosure. Depending on what happens with the lease we might make the Tipsy Turtle the official home of Crab Island Mambo. That would be cool.

We met Matt at Landshark and saw a bunch of friends there. Paige was working the tables and they sold a bunch of wings. They sell them for 49 cents each on Wednesday. A great deal. When we got home, Julie stopped by to exchange vehicles. She let us drive her SUV on vacation as it was bigger than Sunshine Cindy’s SUV and allowed us to get all of our merchandise down to Key West. We really appreciated her letting us do that.

Julie's car

The changes continue to come in Destin. While we were gone, the old McDonald’s on Hwy. 98 was sold and is already being remodeled. It will become a Shrimp Basket restaurant. This is a family owned chain that we have eaten at in Gulf Shores. They have good food and it will be a good addition to Destin. The old Hampton Inn across from the Track is being demolished. It is almost gone. I had not heard anything about this so I don’t know if they are rebuilding or what is going to happen there. Gilligan’s has closed for the season. They will reopen in February.

Get out and enjoy the weekend. See ya Monday!