Destin changes....

The changes to Destin keep getting announced. Over the last few days it was announced the Holiday Inn in Destin is going to undergo a full transformation. When this place was built in 1971, it was one of the first high rise buildings in Destin. It is a distinctive round building that is hard to miss. An East building was added in 1981. They will keep the tower but tear down everything else. The tower will be renovated and new buildings will go up. They are adding a giant swimming pool with a lazy river. This is a major construction project for the city.

Destin sunrise

Also the Island Golf Center on Okaloosa Island is undergoing a change too with zip lines, a restaurant and other amenities being built. Not to be outdone the Gulfarium is also adding a zip line and some new attractions on the island. Finally Destin Commons is adding over 100k square feet of retail space. Some new entertainment project is planned to go in there too. I don’t have any inside info on what that might be yet. Wow!

Monday is usually one of our quiet evenings but not this week. Sunshine Cindy and I went to help celebrate Matt’s son’s 4th birthday. It was held at the Tipsy Turtle. A perfect spot for kids with all the sand  for them to play in. The kids had fun and the grownups were able to have a few beers. We also dropped off the flyers for the upcoming Sloppy Joe Cook-Off we are having at the Turtle on Oct. 13th. We already have some folks registered. That should be fun.

Fun at the Tipsy Turtle

We have also heard Sago Sport Bar at the Palms is bringing back to Destin the band “Synergy.” This is the original members including Mike and Ike plus they will have Ron “Elvis” Adams performing with them. They will be playing Wednesday’s night starting October 3rd. If you remember them from back at the old original Harry T’s then you won’t want to miss them on Wednesday’s at Sago!

Tuesday and Wednesday evening we spent it at home working on Crab Island Mambo stuff. We have announced the Sloppy Joe Cook-Off we are co-sponsoring with Tipsy Turtle on the web site now. We also plan to be on the harbor during the Destin Seafood Festival Oct 5-7 at the Turtle with some of our merch. Stop by and see us and grab an ice cold beer for both events.

Destin Seafood festival 2011

Tonight we will be out watching the Browns play on Thursday night football. Not sure where we will go yet. So many places around here to watch sports. Plus we have friends who want us to stop at the Rotten Apple too. Matt and Mindy are playing from 5-9.

Could the restaurant be coming to Destin?

I saved the best for last. It continues to be a rumor but we have heard it from so many people that I think it will happen. We have thought Lulu’s was going to take over the old Lucky Snapper building at Harborwalk. We have heard this for the past year. Now it looks like big brother Jimmy Buffett is going to open a Margaritaville there instead. It has not been confirmed yet but from all the chatter I have heard I believe it will happen. How cool will that be to have a Margaritaville on our harbor! We shall see.

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

The Destin locals time!

It was a busy weekend. No time to waste so let’s get right to it. It started Thursday with Tiffany, Sunshine Cindy and her parents going to the harbor for the afternoon. They started with lunch at Dewey Destin’s. The food was okay but nothing to write home about. They walked down to Crab Island Cantina and had some Margarita’s. They always do a great job with them if you upgrade the tequila. They all had a good afternoon. That evening Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and myself went to Sago Sports bar. We watched some football and had some dinner. It was a perfect evening on their patio. We ran into Tim the barber. He was celebrating his 25th year being in business in Destin. And I do mean he was celebrating!

Fun on the Sea Blaster

Friday the ECPHC was sponsoring a dolphin/sunset cruise on the Seablaster. Sunshine Cindy was going and I was going to wait for her and the crew at the Tipsy Turtle were Jan was playing. Cindy and I grabbed some food at the Crazy Lobster and I had my Abita beer fix. Kenny came in. He was going on the boat too. The folks on the boat had a blast. They passed the Turtle hooting and hollering. Of course free beer and wine will do that.

Dolphins ahead

Meanwhile at the Turtle a good crowd was there. Rick, Charlene and even Bart from Banana Bart’s fame was having a few drinks. Tommy and the usual gang was around the bar and Matt was behind it. Not too long after I got there and set up our Crab Island Mambo merch some nicely dressed people came in. It turns out Turtle (Eric) and his girlfriend were going to get married on a pontoon boat at sunset. That was a surprise to everyone. They had a perfect evening for it though. About the time the pontoon boat pulled back in the Parrotheads from the Seablaster also descended on the Tipsy Turtle.

Beautiful Sunset from the Sea Blaster

The Parrotheads were feeling no pain. A big crowd of them come down from the boat and partied with us. We also had friends of Crab Island Mambo show up. At one point there had to be close to a hundred folks hanging out. Way too many to mention. Kirby was the bar-back and he was running like crazy. As the evening wore on the fun continued. Judie was trying to dance with every person that walked by. Kenny got the hiccups and could not get rid of them. Jan invited Dennis to join him. Dennis is home for a few weeks from Afghanistan. He enjoyed himself. Jan even let him do a few songs by himself. That was cool. It was a fun evening.

Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to Grand Boulevard in Sandestin on Saturday. We had some friends join us as we hit Tommy Bahamas for a few drinks. James was behind the bar. He took good care of us. He wanted me to mention each Wednesday at Helen Back on the island they have a foosball league. Anyone that wants to play just needs to show up. It sounds like fun. From there we went to Cantina Laredo. We had their fresh guacamole. They slice up the avocado’s and mix it all right at the table. It was really good.

Jan with help from Dennis

We took off to get to the beach and Pompano Joe’s for sunset. It was a picture perfect sunset. Howard Livingstone is not the only one with post card type scenery.  LOL  There was a wait to eat there so we went down the beach to the Crab Trap. There was a wait here too but we sat at the bar on the  beach to wait. Not a bad way to wait. Rita was behind the bar and mentioned how busy they were all day. We even saw Roy behind the bar. He used to be at Friday’s in Destin. We had a great meal and enjoyed many laughs.

Sunset from Pompano Joe's

The weather all weekend was great but Sunday was perfect. Clear blue skies and lower humidity made for a great day to be out and about. Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in at Landshark Pizza for some wings. A good crowd was in there eating and watching football. We talked to Pops for a while about the good weekend they were having at the Tipsy Turtle. They hosted a kickoff for the Seafood festival with a big crowd on Saturday. We also talked to Kent. He moved to Destin a couple of years ago from Miami. He was rooting for the Dolphins. It was like a family in there.

Sunshine Cindy having fun

We left, went back home and got Precious. We were taking her with us down to the harbor. She was excited to get to go for a ride. At the Turtle was Rusty and a few others. Matt was behind the bar. Tommy showed up bummed about the Saints losing again. Missy came with her dogs so Precious had some playmates although she mostly ignored them. Jan and Loujean came in. They had been at the Pointe. A bad wreck on Okaloosa Island had traffic that way snarled for hours. Tiffany came to join us to let the traffic die down. It was a relaxing evening under the stars. Precious was wore out by the time we got home. A perfect close to another great Destin weekend!

Enjoy your week. See ya Thursday!

Destin in the Fall

Okay, it is not technically Fall until tomorrow but the weather is starting to feel like Fall. It has been in the upper 60’s the last few mornings. I know that’s not bad considering other parts of the country are getting into the 40’s now but hey, this is Florida and we don’t like it. As Jim Morris sings about, “75 is pretty chilly to me!”

Kenny in the Gulf of Mexico

This week started out rainy. Monday was a total wash out. We stayed in Monday night. I watched the Falcons beat Payton. It seems like the replacement officials are now the big story. It looks to me like the coaches and players are all trying to intimidate them. Oh well, at least the Falcons won.

Tuesday we headed to Landshark Pizza. I love those $2 Corona’s. It was taco Tuesday and Sunshine Cindy had a couple. They were good. Brian just got HD on all his TV’s. What a difference it makes in the picture. There was a small crowd there. At one point Sunshine Cindy stepped out to have a smoke and noticed their “open” sign was not lit up. As soon as it was turned on 5 people came in. Funny how that works. I bet Brian won’t forget it next time. LOL

Jan playing at KC's

Wednesday evening was a picture perfect night. Clear skies, low humidity and temps that were just right. Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to the harbor and check out the “West Side” of the boardwalk. AJ’s is like the dividing line. To the west is the Emerald Grande and a lot of activity. To the east is more down to earth with the Boathouse, Tipsy Turtle, Red Door Saloon etc down that way. We went to the Shark Shack. It is a small beer and wine spot right in front of Steve’s Hawaiian Ice booth. We ran into Kirby, Matt and Lenny there.  Haven was bartending and we watched all the characters of the docks walking by. Someone brought some puppies they were trying to give away. They were cute but we don’t need another dog. Sunshine Cindy almost was hooked! lol

Sunshine Cindy with the puppy

I think we might head over to Sago Sports bar tonight to watch some of the Thursday night football game. It’s going to be a good weekend with Jan playing at the Turtle Friday night. Stop in if you are in the area. A full report Monday. See ya then!

Destin weekend on the water

There always seems to be something going on in Destin. This weekend was no different. Thursday evening Sunshine Cindy and I headed to the harbor and the Tipsy Turtle to watch the football game. The Pack and Bears were playing. Matt is from Chicago so we know who he was rooting for. There was a good crowd around the bar watching the game but unfortunately for Matt the Bears were routed.

Matt at Tipsy Turtle

Friday I had to go to Anglers on the island. I needed a picture of Red. She is one of their bartenders and we named her our bartender of the month. I got the picture and had some lunch. A good crowd was there including some tourist from Ohio I talked to for a few minutes. Friday evening saw us go back to the harbor. The Parrotheads had a meeting at Harry T’s. While Sunshine Cindy went there I walked down to see Steve at the Hawaiian Ice booth. We have not talked in a while so I wanted to catch up. Things are slow right now as the season is done. He is waiting for October and the seafood festival and the fishing rodeo. Back at Harry T’s a good crowd showed up. It was a beautiful evening. We even saw Jack up there. Sunshine Cindy and I then walked down to the Crab Island Cantina. George and Scotty were behind the bar. Scotty was wondering where we had been. It’s been a few weeks since we stopped in. Sunshine Cindy had a Margarita with Patron. It was great!

View of Crab Island Cantina from Harry T's

We left there and headed back to the Turtle. Most of the regulars were there. Not too long later Kenny and Scott stopped in. Steve and Dottie stopped for a while. Then Jan came and the party was on. At one point a couple of young Asian ladies across the bar asked Kirby to take their picture. As Kirby was taking their photo, Scott snuck up behind and got in the picture. Yes, he photo bombed them! They laughed when they saw what happened. We stayed for a while then decided to get home as we were going boating Saturday.

Kenny and Scott charming the ladies

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. We got to Sunshine Cindy’s parents’ house, got the boat loaded, Julie joined us and off we went to Crab Island. At Crab Island Russ and Dennis were there in their kayak’s. Rick was pulling up in his boat with Jane and Autumn. Not long after we got anchored Judie and Kelly came in their kayak’s. Then Larry and Brodie and a boat full pulled up. Kenny came by kayak and finally Steve, Dottie, Buz and Marsha pulled up. It was a full-fledged party! The tide was going out and there were a few jelly fish out (Russ and Sunshine Cindy both got stung) but otherwise it was a picture perfect day. At one point Dennis picked up what he thought was an stick but it turned out to be an eel. Needless to say the girls freaked!

The real excitement started on the ride back across the bay. In the middle of the bay I smelled smoke. I slowed down and there was smoke coming from the engine. I move some things and checked the engine. I could not see anything wrong and the smoke was going away. I continued back in and all seemed okay. I pulled into Bluewater Bay Marina for gas. As I put the boat into neutral and then tried to get back into gear the boat died. It would start back but die everytime. Someone pulled us into the fuel dock. After letting everything cool down and getting fresh fuel I tried again but no luck. I called Seatow to come get us. Then Steve, Dottie, Buz and Marsh pulled up. Steve towed us back home. What an end to the day! Hopefully it is nothing serious. Jim is going to check it out this week.

Crab Island

Sunday was supposed to be a rainy day in Destin but instead it turned out wonderful. With Dennis in town that could only mean one thing…a Pointe day! Before Dennis went off to Afghanistan we used to meet every Sunday at the Pointe to sit in the sand, have a few beers and solve all the world’s problems. With Dennis gone we don’t do that much anymore but Sunday was one of the days. Tropical Wayne even showed up from Panama City. Russ, Charlene, Rick were all there too. It was a fun time. I even took his kayak out and cruised by the Tipsy Turtle. I startled Matt shouting from the water. I told him I would be back later.

Sunshine Cindy and Red Dog

He believed me as he had Turtle go get more beer to make sure they had enough. That is service! Sunshine Cindy and I went there in the evening to relax a little. The highlight of the evening was Red Dog stopping in. We have run into Red Dog a few times around town. He does not have or need much to get by in life. His bar is set pretty low. As long as he a few bucks for a beer and smokes then he is happy. He is one of the true Destin characters.

Have a great week. See ya’ll Thursday!

Destin in the off season!

The restaurant/bar carousal continues to turn in Destin. It was announced this week Fudpuckers on the island is moving. I heard about this several weeks ago when a friend told me he was trying to rent a building on the water but Fuds beat him to it. They have made it official they will be opening a new Fudpuckers on Hwy. 98 next to the new RV park across from the Ramada. It will have waterfront seating, a sports bar and a pizza bar all under one roof. It should open sometime in November.

Fud's in Destin

Word also came out this week the old Fish Bar in Destin is being reopened as a more casual place. They are adding a big deck overlooking the harbor too. They also hope to open sometime in November. The only constant around here is change.

Sunshine Cindy and I got out on Tuesday evening and we had Tiffany join us. We went to Landshark Pizza. Sue was cooking and Alisha was working the bar and tables. Steve and Kirby plus some other regulars were there. We had a good time and some good food. Plus with Corona’s on special for only two bucks it made for a good time out. We also got to try some smoked pork loin they will be using for sandwich specials Thursday and Friday. Make sure you by there and get one as the smoked meat was great. The highlight of the evening was when a guy came in asking if they had any hot sauce. He had bought some nuggets from Burger King and wanted some hot sauce to put on them. We all tried to talk Sue into giving him some of the Ghost Pepper sauce but she would not do it. Actually that was strange having someone come into a competing place and ask for something.

Kenny and Jan at KC's

Wednesday Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to Ft. Walton Beach and stop at KC’s Sandbar. Owners Mike and Bev have a cool little place right in the middle of downtown Ft. Walton Beach. Jan and Kenny were there getting ready for the sunset sing-a-long that Jan is the host of. Scott and Lenny were there too and we talked to all of them. Melisa was behind the bar. It was a good crowd for a Wednesday night. We left and headed back to Destin and the harbor. We wanted to see if the Turtle was open. As we parked a big group of senior citizen types were walking down the boardwalk. I thought there must be a good crowd on the boardwalk but I was mistaken. I guess the old folks bus was leaving and so were we as the Turtle was not open. Over to Sago Sports Bar we went. Tommy showed us all the new wiring so they are ready for the new TV’s. JB was playing on the patio. A good crowd was there. We stayed for a while but had to head home as work beckoned in the morning.

More Jan

It is going to be a great weekend. A boat trip to Crab Island is in store for Saturday. Enjoy your weekend. See ya Monday!

Destin Weekend

It is September and there is a slight hint of the changing of the seasons. Our evenings are starting to feel a little more comfortable. Thursday evening I stopped at Landshark Pizza on the way home to pick up some dinner. Sue was making the pizza’s and Paige was working the tables. Dinner was great! I think Sue makes some of the best pies in town.

The Jet Man back in town

Friday night we headed to the harbor. As we walked up to the Tipsy Turtle we saw Tommy from Sago Sports Bar sitting there. He was hoping we would show up as he has decided to advertise on the Crab Island Mambo web site. Very cool. Matt was behind the bar. Pops was at the bar relaxing. Barry was with some friends at the bar too. As they left others came to fill the seats. Julie came out to join us. I could tell it was going to be a fun evening. The humidity was down and people were out. Jack came by with his son Brian and Brian’s wife Shaughnessy (I hope I spelled that right.) They are from Mobile and were in town for the weekend. They were celebrating their one year anniversary. A neat story about their wedding is the fact it was held at the Gulfarium on the island. I bet that was a blast.

The Destin Air Force

Later in the evening Kenny and then Jan all showed up. A couple of girls who work at Baytowne stopped in for a beer. They promised to come back on the 21st to hear Jan play. We shall see. The Destin Air Force flew over right after the sun went down that added to the fun evening. Just another fun time on the Destin harbor.

Saturday was our last beach cleanup of the year. It rained early in the morning which keep the crowd down. We still had almost 20 people show up though. A fair amount of trash was picked up. The skies looked bad the whole time we were there but not until almost 3:00 did it actually rain. Beach patrol came by urging everyone off the beach because of lightning in the area. We packed up as it started to pour. By the time we had the cars packed it stopped raining and the sun was coming back out. So a group of us went to Wayne’s condo down the beach and hung out at his pool. A fun way to end the day.  

Beach Cleanup fun

During the beach cleanup my good friend Hoov came out to join us. Hoov is finishing up his third year working in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor. It is great to have him back home for a few weeks before he has to go back.

Sunday morning the weather was great as it was cooler and the humidity was way down. Sunshine Cindy and I joined some friends for breakfast at the American Legion in Destin. It’s a great deal. Five dollars for breakfast and only two dollars for Bloody Mary’s. What a deal and it was good too! Sunday afternoon we headed to Sago Sports Bar in the Palms. With them advertising with us we wanted to make sure we have all the details right about specials and such. We got to meet Alexis the manager and Wayne the chef. They have some exciting things planned including more 80 and 70 inch TV’s on the way. We sat at the outside bar and watched the Saints lose. Steph was bartending. We remember her from Baby J’s. She was one of the original bartenders there and she is an excellent bartender. We recognized some other folks there and Julie came to join us. It’s a fun place and I think they will do well.

Hoov with a jello shot

I have heard about one more possible change down on the harbor. The rumor mill is saying Johnny O’Quigley has bought some prime land on the harbor and is planning to open one of his signature bar/restaurants there. That will be interesting to see if it happens. Okay, Monday morning and the temperature was 68 degrees driving into work. The top was down on Badass and I almost had to turn the heat on! Ugh! Have a good week. See ya Thursday. 

Quiet week so far...

It has been a quiet week after the fun of the Labor Day weekend. Monday I did get out for a bike ride to try and exercise a little. I rode to the post office in the middle of the day when it was about 90 degrees out. It’s about 2 ½ miles there. I decided to ride over to Landshark Pizza and get a cold beer before riding home. Brian was there and the place was not busy as the lunch crowd had gone. While there I had Brian email me his latest football specials so I can get them up on the Crab Island Mambo web site. Brian does a good job with making Landshark a good locals place.

Let's go to Crab Island

When I left to head home, I was not even out of the parking lot when I heard someone call my name out. I turned around there was Matt from the Tipsy Turtle. We chatted for a few minutes and off to the house I went. The wind was behind me on the way home so it was an easier ride. The rest of the day was spent doing a lot nothing. Sunshine Cindy and I are good at that! LOL

Tuesday was back to work. Ugh! In the evening I spent some time on Crab Island Mambo business. Otherwise it was an evening of watching it rain and catching some sports on TV. Nothing too exciting.

Wednesday evening Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to Sago Sports Bar. This is a new sports bar inside The Palms Condo. When we got there a small crowd was around the bar. The Cowboys and Giants were going to be playing the season opening football game later so I was curious as to what kind of crowd the place would pull. JB was there and we talked to him for a while. He was supposed to be performing on the patio but they had taken a lightning strike and it took out some of the cash registers and speakers. He ended up just hanging out. Tommy is the manger of the place. We know him from the Tipsy Turtle. We chatted with him too telling him what a great job they have done decorating the place. He said they have more TV’s coming in soon. Big one’s too like 70 and 80 inch big! Hopefully he will do some advertising on our Crab Island Mambo site.

Under the Destin bridge

We ordered some food which was good typical bar food. We got a bucket of beer but they have good prices on draft beer too. We saw Pete and talked with him for awhile. The place filled up with a subdued crowd eating, talking, playing pool and watching the game. It is a great atmosphere in the place. We will be back.

Some news from Harborwalk Village. The Shedd has closed their doors. The BBQ and Blues joint could not get established. No plans for the building but we understand it will be torn down when the next phase of Harborwalk starts construction. Last week Tightlines closed down. This was not unexpected. When Lucky Snapper could not get a new long term lease they left last year. Tightlines came in with a one year deal as there was talk about a new project going into the space starting this fall. The rumors continue to point to Lulu’s opening a place there. She is Jimmy Buffett’s sister and has a thriving establishment in Orange Beach, AL. An announcement is due within 30 days. We shall see.

Crab Island

This weekend we have our last beach cleanup of the year. Hopefully the weather will be good for us. Enjoy your weekend. See ya Monday!

Labor Day Weekend

I had a four day weekend and loved it. The weather turned out great as we didn’t have to hear anything else about Isaac. Friends were coming into town and every place was back open. It started off on Friday as we stayed around the house getting some things done. I was actually able to give Badass a wash. It has been a while. Friday evening we had a Parrothead phlocking at KC’s Sandbar in Ft. Walton. A lot of folks showed up. It is always fun at KC’s.

KC's Sandbar

We left and headed to the harbor. The Turtle was open again so we had to make an appearance. While there Julie stopped in. She had friends in town. Tim and Nancy from Tennessee were with her as was old friend Dean. Dean is from Louisiana. He was without power for a couple of days but once he got it back on he hit the road to Destin. There was another couple from Louisiana that was supposed to be coming too. Herrie (I hope I spelled that right) and Sophia were also without power. As messages went back and forth they got their power back on too and decided to hit the road early in the morning. We all hung around the Turtle for several hours. Matt and Mindy were playing and it was the usual fun time. We turned in kind of early as we had a big day planned for Saturday.

Nancy, Dean, Julie and Tim in front

Julie was having a pool party. She was expecting about 50 people. She had Jeff Brewer coming over from Panama City to play music. Herrie and Sophia got there and Herrie went right to work making Jambalaya. It smelled so good too! The party ended up with over 50 people. There were tons of food. The water felt great as it was a hot day. It was a great party with Sunshine Cindy and Dean the last two out of the pool at about 10:30. A fun day…thanks Julie!

Sunday was another day where we went with the flow as we had no plans. I headed to the harbor in the afternoon. Sunshine Cindy was not ready to head out yet so I headed down. I stopped at the Red Door Saloon. I had a beer and enjoyed the good breeze. I left there and walked down to the Turtle. Jan was sitting at the bar. He was in Destin and decided to hang out there. Loujean was on her way but Jan got a call and had to go to work. So they swapped spots on the barstool. There was a couple that came and sat down. They were from Tennessee and had been to a football game in Montgomery on Saturday. They decided to make the couple hour trip to Destin instead of going home. The guy’s sister had been to the Turtle in the summer and was worried the storm might have damaged it. He got her on the phone and since Matt was busy I talked to her like I owned the place. It was funny and the couple had a good laugh.

Fun at Julie's pool party

Sunshine Cindy called and I went and got her. As we got back to the Turtle Lonnie was sitting at the bar. We had talked to him a month or so ago and he remembered us. Then a couple of ladies sat down and were admiring our beer Koozies. They wanted one and so did Lonnie so we sold a few Koozies. A few minutes later Jack came in and sat next to us. His wife Lynn is a faithful reader of this blog. Thank you Lynn!!! We were hungry so we went to the Boathouse where Wayne and Julie and the gang was at. We ate and listened to Rusty play some music. It was fun other than the service was not up to par. Oh well, the food  and music was good.

The Destin Air Force

We all went back down to the Turtle where we had a few more beers after the fireworks had been shot off on the harbor. Julie’s out of town guest were leaving in the morning so this was going to be our “goodbye’s” till the next time. It was great getting to meet them. Once again the Parrothead family (and Julie) has introduced us to more good people.

Monday and we are winding down. We don’t have any plans yet. It might be a day to just go hang out at our pool and enjoy the day off. I hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day holiday. See ya Thursday…