Summer fun in Destin

The summer fun continues along the Gulf Coast. There is always something happening around Destin. Friday was laid back. I met Sunshine Cindy at Friday’s for lunch. Rick was cracking jokes as usual while a good crowd enjoyed themselves. The big news was we didn’t get any rain while we were there. That was a welcome change.

Friday night the Emerald Coast Parrothead Club met at The American Legion. We had about 100 people show up. A lot of money was raised for the USO. As the meeting was winding down a big group of us went into the bar for Karaoke. There are some real good singers who got up there and some not so good ones but everyone had a great time. As usual we closed down the bar.

Mike, Marcia and Sunshine Cindy singing "Love Shack"

Saturday I headed down to the harbor. As I walked by the Tipsy Turtle I saw some folks we had met a while back at Landshark Pizza at one of our parties. They read my weekend update each week to see what’s going on. That’s cool. I walked down to see if Steve was at his Hawaiian Ice booth. He wants some of our Crab Island Mambo tee shirts. He was not open so I walked back to the Turtle to talk to the folks I knew. Debbie was working and a decent crowd of tourist were walking along the boardwalk even though it was drizzling rain.

I made my way down to the Monkey Bar. Just a few locals were there. Rose was working the bar. Some guy was getting set up to play music. One guy sitting at the bar works the Burrito del Mar trailer. He said they do great late night business. I believe it as the drunks look for something to eat.

Jager at The Boathouse

I left and went to The Boathouse. Jager was working the outside bar. Courtney saw me and came and give me a big hug. Paige walked by hollering hello to me. I didn’t know she worked there. Then Gigi came by, gave me a jello shot and talked for a while. I also talked to a local that was there and we watched as the tourist came and went. It is always fun at The Boathouse but I needed to get back down to the Turtle. We had missed Matt’s birthday on Friday because of the Parrothead meeting so I had to make amends.

Sunshine Cindy and I gave Matt one of our black long sleeve tee shirts as a gift. He is always wearing long sleeves and we knew he would like it. He was surprised and thankful. He said they a fun time Friday night as a big crowd showed up with cakes and stuff. Matt is fun and he knows how to keep everyone loose at the Turtle. As the evening wore on, Matt and Mindy set up and started to play. I stayed for a while then decided to head towards the house. I made one last stop at Sago Sports Bar. They had a good crowd in there but I was out of gas and headed home to rest.

Mindy and Matt at the Tipsy Turtle

Sunday Funday was spent on the harbor again. Sunshine Cindy and I went to Dewey Destin’s for a late lunch after running some errands. Dewey’s sits up the hill overlooking the harbor and boardwalk. Sunshine Cindy had Grouper and I had Red Snapper. It was all fantastic. We sat on the outside deck with a nice breeze blowing to keep things comfortable. Tina waited on us. She only had worked there for a few days but she did great. We are not sure why we had not been there before but we will be back.

Wayne was meeting us at Crab Island Cantina. As we walked there we stopped at Steve’s booth. He was there this time. We gave him his tee shirts and we talked to him and the lady who has the booth next to him who sells tee shirts. She already had a deal with someone for Crab Island shirts but she loved our design. We might be able to work out something next year to have her carry our shirts. If you want to see our merchandize and get some for yourself, check us out: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Our latest t-shirt design

At the Cantina, Al was playing the sax. He is becoming a good friend of ours. Another friend, Beth also joined us. We had not seen Beth in a year or so. We talked to Carlos a bit before he took off for the afternoon. Sharon and her friend (Judy?) came and sat at the bar. We talked to them then another friend, Steve came in. It was becoming a Destin local’s place to hang out! When Al took a break we headed down the boardwalk making a stop at The Crazy Lobster. Jesse was working the outside bar so we had to stop and give him a hard time.

Sunshine Cindy and Al the Sax Man

We ended up back at the Turtle. Matt had a good crowd and the boardwalk was busy with families walking around. We saw more people we know. Kelly was there. Tony and Amy were at the bar. Kerby and David stopped in. Brian from the Sinkin’ Weenie came by between customers at his food boat. It was a perfect end to the weekend.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Ark on order…

The amount of rain we have been getting this summer is unreal. It is so bad I had to order an Ark. Ark’s-R-Us is all sold out but I was lucky as We-b-Arks had a new shipment coming in. Okay, I am kidding of course but we are closing in on almost 20 inches of rain already this month.

We have been out and around the town this week. Tuesday night I want to Landshark Pizza to relax for a while. I sat next to Brian and we solved all the world’s problems. They were busy as Sue, Jason and Shelby kept everyone served. Kerby came in later and joined us. While there a big storm blew through. It was raining so hard at one point we could not see the cars in the parking lot. Luckily it only lasted a short while.

Pontoon rental

Wednesday I did a bunch of running around. It started at Friday’s in Destin where once again a storm blew through. I headed to the harbor where it had not rained. I walked down to Crab Island Cantina. I saw Carlos and talked to some tourist. I then walked back down the harbor and stopped and talked to Steve at the Hawaiian Ice Booth. He is doing well this summer despite the rain.

My next stop was at the Tipsy Turtle. Debbie was working and Brian from Sinkin’ Weenie was there too. Debbie was telling me the Freaky Tiki might not reopen. She heard there was some type of problem. I hope they get it worked out. When I left the Turtle I walked by there and it was deserted.

The Boardwalk on the harbor

I rode over to the Rotten Apple. Tracy was working and her husband Chip came in. Chip is a boat captain and one of his clients gave him some homemade moonshine. It was made with peaches and it was good. I made one more stop at Hogs Breath before heading home.

Sunshine Cindy and I then walked over to Sago Sports Bar. First Bert sat next to us. We have seen him there many times. He is a nice old guy who lives there at the Palms. He left and another older gentleman joined us. He told us he almost 80 but you would have never known it. He runs one of the biggest real estate agencies in town. In talking to him it sounded like the new Dolly Parton project might include both a pirate dinner theater and a wild west type dinner theater. That would be a surprise. He was an interesting guy.

Jet Ski rentals

A new entertainment spot will be opening at Destin Commons as part of their expansion. Uncle Bucks FishBowl and Grill is a restaurant, bar and bowling/billiards hall. It is a part of the Bass Pro Shops chain. It should be open sometime next year. On a different note, The Lighthouse Restaurant is closing. The shopping center where they have been located at for about 30 years did not renew their lease as they are going to change the makeup of the center. The owners hope to find a new location.

The Parrotheads meet this Friday but nothing else is planned at this time. See ya Monday!

Calypso Nuts and John Friday were in Destin

Wow, what a fun and crazy weekend we had in Destin. “Embrace the Chaos!” was our motto! Thursday night we fought the traffic and made our way down to Crab Island Cantina. When we got there the Calypso Nuts had already started to play. Mark and Stephanie were there with a table right up front. We joined them and a while later Capt. John also joined us. Kevin, Chuck and Dave boated over and took a spot at the bar. Robbie and Lynley put on a great show. There were fireworks to cap the evening. It was a lot of fun.

The Calypso Nuts (Lynley and Robbie)

After we left the Cantina, we stopped at the Tipsy Turtle. We chatted with Matt for a while and watched everyone walking the harbor. By the time we left the crowds had thinned out from the gridlock we had earlier. It did not help having a idiot pull across the median on the Island right in front of a truck. The SUV rolled and blocked traffic for hours. A co-worker of mine witnessed the whole thing as the guy was right in front of him. To make matters worse, the only bush in the median on that entire 5 mile stretch of road is what he pulled out from behind of so the guy coming the other way never saw him coming.

Friday night our friend Jan Patton was playing music at the Freaky Tiki bar on the harbor with Kenny on the harmonica. We got there about 7. A good crowd was already at the bar. Jan was sounding good. In short order Wayne, Pat, Steve, Dottie, Buzz, Marsha and several others all showed up. Jan had people stopping to listen. At one point I look up and see Darla and Bob come in. They heard the music but didn’t realize it was Jan who was playing. They stayed for a while. Then Matt and Brian also stopped in. At this point the place was packed.

Jan and Kenny

We stayed till Jan finished up for the night. There were still a good number of folks walking around the harbor and heading to The Boathouse and the Monkey Bar. Sunshine Cindy and I were out of gas though. We headed home as we called it a night.

Saturday was crazy. John Friday played at Crab Island Cantina starting at 3 pm. Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I got there about 2:30. We got the big table up front. Jim and Betty showed up then Wayne made it. Wayne said he could see Sunshine Cindy in her bright lime green Crab Island Mambo tank top from the Destin bridge. She always stands out! LOL  Judie and Kelly made it having fought traffic in Ft. Walton Beach. Julie, Suzanne, Karen and Ann also joined us. We had a great time as John played non-stop till about 7:30.

John Friday

At one point a giant yacht came under the Destin bridge and started towards the harbor. They were not lined up in the channel and you can see them hit the sandy bottom. The yacht listed pretty far to the right as the captain started to back up to get off the sandbar. He made another approach this time using the channel to great applause from everyone!

The mega yacht as it hits the sandbar

When John finished we hung around talking. Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany took off to wander the boardwalk. As John packed up Wayne and I helped him load his gear as we got ready to move on. Then Cherie and her date showed up at the Cantina for dinner. While talking to them Kenny and Leanna showed up. They thought John was playing till 9. They missed that memo!

The harbor was packed again. Vince Vance and the Valiant’s from New Orleans was playing on the big stage. We kept walking and went past the area that seems to be turning into a carnival type of spot. In front of AJ’s we saw JB and Tami. We made it to the Tipsy Turtle where Matt and Mindy were playing. We had fun hanging out there. Matt introduced me to Charley who owns The Crust pizzeria. There might be an advertising opportunity there for Crab Island Mambo.  

Judie and Wayne at the Turtle

Matt was having a busy night. Matt and Mindy were having fun as they usually do. We had a bunch of folks stop by and hang out for a while. It was fun but it got to be late and time to head home. As Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I walked back to the car we ran into JD and Tami again. This time they had an entourage with them. We talked for a while then kept on going. We got home and sat outside listening to the frogs and crickets.

Sunday was a slower day. We dropped off Sunshine Cindy’s car to have new tires put on. We headed to Friday’s for some lunch. It was not too busy. Desiree and Sara took care of us. When we left the car was still not ready so we went to the harbor and Freaky Tiki. Scott and Bonnie were there. We just stayed for one beer and then went to get the car. The rest of the afternoon at home we were slugs! LOL

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Quiet week in Destin....so far!

With all of the rain we have had, our emerald green water has been dirty and murky due to all the runoff from inland. It looks like we are just about back to normal as the dirt and silt have had a chance to settle. It’s time to be waist deep in the gulf again!

Waist deep in the gulf...

This has been a very quiet week so far. I was able to get out and ride my bike a little. I dodged some rain drops but nothing heavy. The evenings have been spent working on Crab Island Mambo stuff. We have a busy weekend coming up so there was preparations to be made. We also have the new order of tee shirts, tanks and long sleeve shirts at the printer. We have also ordered some pendants with our logo on them to check them out. I can’t wait to get them.

Some changes are coming to the Winn Dixie shopping center in Destin. A new bar is going in where Kirkland’s used to be. It is supposed to be a wing place with tons of taps for craft beer. The grand opening is going to be sometime in August. I drove by there the other day and a lot of work is taking place.

Beers ready and waiting

There is also a new building going up on the lot that is on Hwy. 98 in front of Winn Dixie. I have heard a new restaurant is coming to town but I don’t know for sure if this is where it is going or if something else is going in there. They don’t have any signs up yet so it is a mystery.

Work is moving along on the new Margaritaville on the harbor. They totally gutted the old structure and are building a brand new place. It is going to be a great addition to the harbor. Also on the harbor the new zip lines are up and running. You can see people screaming back and forth! LOL

Margaritaville to be in Destin soon!

We will be seeing the Calypso Nuts tonight (Thursday) at Crab Island Cantina and Trop Rocker John Friday Saturday afternoon at the Cantina. It is going to be a fun weekend. A full report on Monday!

The Summer Season

We had a good weekend in Destin. It actually started on Thursday evening when I stopped in at Landshark Pizza for happy hour. Sunshine Cindy was working late so I had to get out and about for a while! LOL Brian, Paige, Jason and a new girl whose name I didn’t get were working. I had some wings and enjoyed some sports and conversation with some locals. A steady stream of folks came and went with a lot of takeout orders being called in.

Friday night was an ECPHC meeting at Harry T’s down on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy and I parked below Fisherman’s Wharf. We first stopped at the Tipsy Turtle to grab a beer from Matt then walked down the harbor. At the Shark Shack, Brian and Bruce were there. We talked to them for a while and continued down the harbor. On the dock there was a real shark one of the charter boats had caught. As we looked at the shark, Tommy came walking by. He had just left the meeting. He was on his way to his car to head to the Elks Lodge on the island for a River Rats meeting.

The ECPHC at Harry T's

We finally got to Harry T’s. A big crowd was up there. There was not much of a breeze and it was stuffy but the fans helped. We had a good time. Off we went to Crab Island Cantina. Greg and Kyle were working. Some tourist had their butts in our usual spot. I guess they didn’t get the memo about that being our seats! LOL Brodie and Brenda joined us. They had a big dinner crowd there. Al the Sax Man was finishing up a show. We love listening to Al.

Time to move on again. Off to the Turtle. Julie, Jan, Loujean, Kenny, Leanna and “Mom” were all there. We stayed there till it started to drizzle. We had a good time. Matt took good care of us. As we drove home there was a spectacular lightning show. The sky was being lit up like crazy.

The gang was at the Tipsy Turtle

I spent Saturday morning and early afternoon working on our monthly Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper newsletter. You can read it here! http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-July-2013.html

Saturday evening we went to a pool party. We had a great time. Good food, friends and drinks. Once again we were chased home by rain and lightning. There was a monsoon rain that came down. The streets were flooding making it interesting getting home. But Badass got us home fine.

Sunday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I headed back down to the harbor. The sun had come out so we decided to get out. Our first stop was The Boathouse. As soon as we walked in the door, Gigi tossed us some Jello Shots. You have to love that kind of welcome! We grabbed a table. Sunshine Cindy ordered some grilled shrimp and I ordered a blackened Mahi sandwich. It was all excellent as usual.

Conga Bill at The Boathouse

Kelly was playing music with help from Conga Bill. Bob was sitting at our table. He was an interesting person. We enjoyed talking to him. Ed and his wife were there and Ed was his usual self. During a break Bill came and talked with us about Key West. He lived there for about 9 years but it got too expensive so he came back to Destin. Not a bad choice.

As we left to wander the harbor we ran into Kerby. We had not seen him since his fishing trip from hell. We got a full report on how they ran out of gas and had to be towed in. We stopped at the Turtle. Debbie was working. We had not met her before. She was nice and knows how to open a beer so she is okay in my book.

We decided to walk to Crazy Lobster. Passing AJ’s we saw Suzanne, Karen and her friend Sue. We chatted for a while then off we went.

Fun at Harborwalk Village

Harborwalk Village was packed with people. The zip lines were busy. Families were everywhere. We sat at the outside bar at the Crazy Lobster. Harper was working. Jesse saw us and came out to greet us. He was working inside. We enjoyed people watching from our seats. After a while we headed back down the harbor. We stopped at the Turtle again. Matt from Sago Sports Bar was sitting at the Turtle. We talked to him for a while. He is a nice fellow. From there we headed home to get ready for the work week.

It looks like we might dry out a little this week. Yeah! See ya Thursday!!!

Shark sighting in Destin

Well, we had a slight reprieve from the rain that drenched us this past holiday weekend. We only had a few afternoon thunderstorms roaming around but today the rain is back full bore as a system is sitting right on top of us.

Monday night Sunshine Cindy and I stayed in. I was working on getting the word out about our upcoming Crab Island Mambo musical events we are helping with. I hope we get everyone to come out for The Calypso Nuts on 7/18, John Friday on 7/20 and Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef on 9/13. All shows are at Crab Island Cantina in Harborwalk Village in Destin.

John Friday

Tuesday we decided to try Old El Paso, a new Mexican restaurant that recently opened next to Hogs Breath. We got there about 6:30 and were the only people there. Not an encouraging sign. We sat on the patio just steps from Hwy. 98 where we were able to watch the world go by. Not long after we got there the place started to fill up. The food was excellent but I thought it could have used a little more hot spice. Tuesday’s they have $1.25 draft beer. A good deal. We liked it as it is easy to get to if we don’t want to fight the traffic.

Next to the restaurant is a Head Shop. They sell all kind of stuff for smoking whatever you want to smoke. Watching the people that were there was like looking at a hippie commune from the 60’s. It was a quite a unique group. On the other side of the restaurant is Malibu Jack’s. We stopped in there for a quick beer. James the owner was there. He is trying to fix up the grounds on the back side of the building with tables and sand. It has potential if he gets it done.

Crab Island

Wednesday we stayed in again. It was officially announced The Southern Drawl Band will be coming back to Destin and the Crab Island Cantina on 8/29 and 10/6. We are also helping to promote these shows as we get the guys back to Rock the Cantina. We also have Jan Patton playing for us at Landshark Pizza on 9/1. We have a busy time coming up!

Wednesday was also an exciting time on the beach down by the Whales Tail restaurant. A big Hammerhead Shark was cruising the water right by shore. I saw a photo of it and it was about 8 or 10 feet long. It was only a few feet off the shore. That reminded me of the time I saw a Hammerhead Shark in the shallow water at Topsail Park. I was sitting in the edge of the surf and saw a fin coming down only a few feet off shore. I stood up and saw the shark. I stepped back out of the water and watched the shark swim by about 5 feet away from me. That was really cool.

Fun at Sago Sports Bar earlier this year

I have seen a sign advertising a new establishment coming to The Destin Yacht Club building on the harbor. Sir Churchill’s Cigar Bar & Lounge will be opening sometime in August. They are totally remolding the old Harry T's and Zampieri's spot. They plan to have both public and private smoking lounges. It sounds like a unique concept for the cigar smoking crowd.

Last weekend I ran into Tommy who runs Sago Sports Bar at The Palms Condo. Tommy told me how he got a phone call at 7 am on Sunday morning saying security needed help. It turns out there was a group skinny dipping in the fountain right at the entrance to the condo. Yes, this was at 7 am right out front. I don’t know what they were drinking (or maybe they had been to the Head Shop) that would cause them to do this but I can guess it was quite the sight.

And finally for those who have been keeping up with the two teenage girls that were in the Parasailing accident in Panama City a few weeks ago good news. One of the girls was going home today and the other is up and walking and should go home soon. That is great news. As anyone who saw the video can attest, it did not look good for them. There must be a reason why they are still here.

Enjoy your weekend. We have a Parrothead meeting on Friday at Harry T’s. Not sure what we will be doing besides that but it will most likely be fun! See ya Monday!

Wet Holiday in Destin

The long holiday weekend in Destin can be best summed up in one word, “WET.” It started raining on Wednesday as everyone was getting into town. And it kept raining right through to Sunday. Some place got over 20 inches of rain in those days. There was a lot of localized flooding and some washed out streets.

Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t go anywhere on Thursday, the 4th of July. All morning the rain pounded down. We were supposed to go to Steve and Dottie’s for a party in the late afternoon but about 2 we decided not to get out. It turns out the rain stopped for the evening and the party went on but we just stayed home and relaxed. We could hear the fireworks from the harbor. Turns out the harbor got packed with people who all came out since the rain stopped.

JB at the Monkey Bar

Friday we woke up to some light rain. Sunshine Cindy went into work for a while and I ran some errands. I got back home about 10:30 and the rain started back up. Sunshine Cindy got home about noon right as we started to get tornado warnings. Tiffany got called into work early and she left right before the big rains hit. Within about 10 after she left we could not get out of our driveway as the road was flooded in front of our house. For the next few hours the rain was a monsoon and water spouts and tornados were spotted all around us. It finally all passed about 4:00.

We decided we were going to get out of the house and headed to the harbor. Hwy. 98 was a parking lot but the back roads got me right there. I was able to pull into the parking garage right as they were closing it and found a spot to park. We went to Crab Island Cantina. All the guys were working behind the bar. Greg, Dominic, Kyle and Mike as they were expecting a big crowd during the evening. We talked to some tourist from Atlanta and Cincinnati. It looked like we might not get any more rain for the evening.

Sunshine Cindy and I hung around there and had a bite to eat while BS’ing with the guys. Judy came by to say hi. Everyone was tired as most did not get out until 3 or 4 in the morning the previous night. With the weather holding we walked down to the Monkey Bar. JB was getting ready to play for the night. We talked to him and his wife Tami. Tony and Amy were sitting outside and Sherrie came in. The weather had most of the other outside bars closed so everyone was making their way here. We talked to a couple from the Padre Island area of Texas. Turns out they have heard and enjoy listening to our good friend Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef. Small world.

Kenny and Leann at The Boathouse

We had fun there but decided to move on to The Boathouse. As we walked up we saw Kenny out front with Catfish. Kenny was wondering if any of our group was going to show up. We went inside and found a corner at the bar. Jason was playing some good country music. The place was packed. A big group from W. Virginia was in there having a blast. Another friend, Ken came in and joined us. Finally a friend of Kenny’s, Leann joined us too. She used to work in Destin but moved back to Chicago. We had a great time watching everyone and cutting up with the staff.

It was getting late. We walked back to the car and went across the street to McGuires. Clay and Anthony were working the bar. Anthony asked about our Crab Island Mambo shirts. When he heard we were Parrotheads he said a few years ago Chuck Lawson used to play every Friday night and a big group of Parrotheads would come in. I told him I was part of that group. He always made sure he took care of us as he was serving at the time. Funny that he would remember that. It must have been 6 years ago. I know we did take good care of him too so I am sure he remembers that.

Mike Nash and Southern Drawl Band

Friday was a late night so we slept in on Saturday. When we did wake up it was, surprise, raining again. I got on the computer and worked on the upcoming Crab Island Mambo newsletter. We had friends who went to Landshark Landing at Margaritaville Hotel in Pensacola the night before to see Southern Drawl Band. They talked us into coming over there for the Saturday night show. We asked Julie if she wanted to go and she agreed and then offered to drive. Sweet! LOL  When we got there Judie, Kelly, Wayne and Cherie were already there. We pulled up some seats and joined them.

Long story short, we were there for over 6 hours having a blast. The band went on about 7 and they were still going after midnight when we decided we needed to head back home. There was a big crowd in the place and everyone had a good time. Mike and the band sounded great.

Sunshine Cindy and Kelly dancing

While there, Sunshine Cindy and I were able to ask Judie and Kelly if they wanted to be part of our “Best Friends” wedding party group. They are thrilled to be a part of big day. They join Julie, Wayne, Jan and Loujean. Of course Tiffany will have a big role too.

And on Sunday the sun came out….. Okay, it was not perfect but at least it did not rain. Sunday was a wind-it-down kind of day. I had to go to the harbor to talk to Crab Island Cantina about booking some Trop Rock musicians over the next several weeks. We have The Calypso Nuts playing on July 18th from 6 pm. This will be a great show as the harbor does fireworks on Thursdays and it is always packed with people. July 20th John Friday is playing from 3-7. And September 13th Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef will be playing from 8-midnight. Plus we are trying to pin down some dates to get Southern Drawl Band back to the Cantina. Thanks to Carlos and the staff for helping support Trop Rock Music.

A cute couple

After I left the Cantina I stopped in at Crazy Lobster. Jesse was working the outside bar so I had to say hi. Jesse was our Crab Island Mambo bartender of the month back in March and he is a lot of fun. I stayed there for a while talking to some tourist and locals who stopped by. At one point we saw an old couple sitting on a bench and they were sound asleep. I got a picture then Jesse went behind them to get a picture as they were so cute. Jesse did the “Tebow” pose behind them. The old couple became stars and didn’t even know it.

Jesse doing his best "Tebow"

I made a stop at Landshark Pizza on the way home for some wings. Brian, Becca and Jason were working. Brian said they had a record day on Saturday. Good for them. The word is getting out about how good their pizza and wings are.

Sorry this blog was a long one but a lot happened the last few days! LOL  Have a great week. See ya Thursday.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!!! It has been a little wet down here in Destin but that only slows down the party but not stop it!

This week started out with a quiet Monday at home. Sunshine Cindy and I were able to get caught up on some Crab Island Mambo stuff. We are preparing a new tee shirt order as we are out of several styles and colors. We plan to stock up on the large teal “Passed out on the Island” design. That has been a big mover for us. You can purchase our merchandise here so you can bring some “Destin” to your home. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

"Passed Out on the Island" tank top

Tuesday was a big day for us. We got to pick up Sunshine Cindy’s new engagement/wedding ring. The great owners of Emerald Lady Jewelry are fantastic to work with. They helped us find the perfect ring that is tropical and elegant. Sunshine Cindy is thrilled with her ring. I think I earned some points! LOL

We left and headed to Landshark Pizza so she could show the ring off. Landshark was busy. Jason is now working there cooking. He did a great job for only his second day on the job. Sue and Brian were busy keeping everyone in food and drinks. Sunshine Cindy and I got a pizza and enjoyed talking to some folks next to us. There were several large groups of tourist come in and they all seemed to enjoy their food.

The Pointe (for Dennis)

After we got home we sat on the back porch for a while. All of a sudden from across the lake fireworks started going off. They were coming from the Destin Commons property. We had a perfect view of the pyrotechnics. They went on for about 10 minutes with a great grand finale. We were not expecting to see that and we don’t know what was going on there to warrant the show but we are not complaining.

Wednesday was wet. Wednesday was traffic gridlock in Destin. All the locals know that if it rains during the summer we need to try and stay off the roads. All the tourist who would normally be on the beach get into their cars and take off. They look for the shopping centers, movie theaters or they just want to drive around. Add to that all the people that were coming into town for the holiday weekend and you had the recipe for a major traffic jam.

The beach

There are only a few roads in Destin. Wednesday every one of them was packed tight. It took Sunshine Cindy 45 minutes to go a mile or so. Accidents were all over the place. Hwy. 98 was backed up all the way across the island and halfway through Ft. Walton Beach. When I left work, I headed to Friday’s in Ft. Walton to wait out the traffic. About 8 pm I headed home and it was clear sailing by then. Sunshine Cindy stopped at Friday’s in Destin. We were Friday’ing’ it at different locations! LOL

Enjoy the holiday. Sunshine Cindy and I will be with friends tonight celebrating. The rest of the weekend is up in the air but I am sure we will have a good time no matter what we do! See ya Monday!

Destin summer weather

Summertime weather in Destin is unique. There is always a chance for an afternoon thunderstorm. There is local lore that Destin is protected from storms by “The Destin Dome.”  The Dome is talked about a lot by the locals. The past few days were a perfect example of the Dome. Friday as I drove home from work there was a storm coming across the bay heading right for Destin. As I sat in traffic on the Destin Bridge it hit with strong winds and dark ugly clouds but no rain. I am not sure why it didn’t rain but we never got a drop.

Sunday while we were down on the harbor I saw the sky getting dark to the west. I checked the radar and a big line of thunderstorms were almost on top of us. We ducked into a building to ride it out but again, nothing. It just seemed to vanish as it got to Destin. The Dome did its job again! LOL

Drinks on the harbor

We seemed to spend the entire weekend on the harbor. Friday night we started at The Boathouse. Courtney, Jager and Gigi all greeted us as we walked in. Jason Clark was playing great country music. We hung around there for a while. Out front some friends were there. Bonnie and Scott had a night off from the Freaky Tiki. They were hanging out too.

Sunshine Cindy and I walked down to the Turtle. Matt was behind the bar. A good crowd was there. Tony and Amy were sitting at the bar enjoying the nice evening. Turtle and Ashley stopped in for a while. Sunshine Cindy and I got a couple of Sausage Brats’ from the Sinkin’ Weenie. They were really good.  We then walked back to the Boathouse to listen to Jason some more. He is a great talent. We ended up at Dockside to end the night.

Oysters at The Boathouse

Saturday we went to McGuire’s with Tiffany for dinner. We sat upstairs. There was a nice breeze. The food was fantastic as usual. McGuire’s does a great business as they serve huge portions of good food. A great combination. From there Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany went to the harbor. I had a sour stomach so I headed home. They had a great time hitting Crab Island Cantina, Crazy Lobster, AJ’s, the Turtle and the Boathouse. A good time was had by all.

On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I headed back to the harbor to meet up with Wayne. He was at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at the Turtle first to say hi to Matt. He was just getting opened. From there we walked down the Cantina. Kyle was working the bar and Dominic came in soon after we got there. We had hoped to talk to Carlos about booking some Trop Rock music but he was still out of town. There was a good crowd there having lunch. Al was setting up to play some music.

The weather was looking kind of threatening. I had the top down on Badass so we decided to walk back to the Turtle in case it did start to rain. We were there just a few minutes when it did start to rain. I got the top up but the rain stopped pretty quick. The Dome sprung a leak but quickly got it stopped up. A good crowd was at the Turtle. Everyone was in a good mood having fun.

Inside at the Monkey Hut

Off we went again down to the Boathouse to eat. Courtney waited on us. I had a dozen raw oysters. Every so often I get a taste for them and Sunday was the day! The Boathouse is known for their oysters and they were good. We listened to Kelly Bird play some music while we enjoyed our food.

We then walked over to the new Monkey Hut bar. This is in the old KJ’s location. Danny from Rotten Apple fame has done a great job fixing it up. They added a nice deck outside. I think it will do well. Wayne was wanting to head back towards the Grande where his car was parked so we made one more stop this time at Coyote Ugly. No, Sunshine Cindy did not get up on the bar dancing. There was a good sized crowd in there. Wayne left and we started towards our car too.

Staff on the bar at Coyote Ugly

As we got to the Turtle I heard someone calling my name. It was Julie. She was there with her family that got into town on Friday. We stayed and chatted with them for a while. Then it was on to the house to get ready for the short work week.

During one of our stops at The Boathouse over the weekend we learned that Zac Brown was in there a couple of weeks ago. He didn’t have his trademark skull cap on as he was trying to blend in. The girl who waited on him didn’t know it was him tell she got his credit card to pay the tab. The Boathouse is good about keeping these celebrity sightings quiet so they don’t get overrun by autograph seekers. You never know who you will see at The Boathouse.

Check out all the pictures and a video from all the fun Crab Island Mambo had in June. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/June-2013-Crab-Island-Mambo-events.html

Have a safe and happy Independence Day celebration. See ya on Thursday!