Destin snapshot

Living and Playing in Destin is a snapshot of our life here in paradise. We do have to actually work for a living so it is not all play. This week has so far been quiet on the play front. I did get out for a while on Wednesday evening as I headed over to Landshark Pizza for some wings and a few brews. Sunshine Cindy decided to stay home so I was solo. Wednesday evenings they have wings on special for 49 cents each. I love their wings with a blackened dry rub instead of a sauce. I ran into several folks I see at the Tipsy Turtle at Landshark Pizza. Paul was in there. Steve was sitting next to me and we chatted the whole while. He is an interesting fellow having retired from his job as Captain of the prison guards who work on death row. Brian and his Landshark crew stayed busy all night. Paige took good care of me and I was able to watch one cook do nothing but fry wings all night. They were going like hot cakes. It was a nice relaxing time there.

Cool Destin cloud formation

As we continue to be in the middle of our busiest tourist season Destin has ever seen I want to relate a story I heard on the radio the other day. We have a great watery playground in Destin. With the harbor, East Pass into the Gulf of Mexico and Crab Island in the bay this area is a boaters paradise. There are dozens of places where tourist can rent pontoon boats and jet skies to enjoy the water. The problem is no one bothers to check to see if the person renting the boat actually knows how to operate it. Add alcohol to the mix and it could be a disaster. The story on the radio was a pontoon boat that was running full speed under the Destin bridge and into the harbor. This is all a no wake zone. When someone caught up to the guy and told him it was a no wake area he claimed to not know what that meant. How can you not know that is beyond me.

Summerbreeze playing the Tipsy Turtle

Last summer I was heading back to Niceville from Crab Island. I have to get into a marked channel from Crab Island that will get me into the bay so I can make the run across the bay. I was running with a couple of other boats in the channel when from the right a rental pontoon boat shot right across the channel in front of all of us. It was impossible to have not seen all of us so I can only assume he was drunk but he almost got cut in half. Luckily all the boats in the channel were able to get slowed down and avoid the idiot. Whenever I see a boat with a number on it, I try to stay away! 

Okay, we are all looking forward to the weekend. See you on Monday….