Happy Thanksgiving!

It is a frigid start to Thanksgiving this morning in Destin. It is currently 34 degrees but at least we have a bright sun shining. Sunshine Cindy and I want to wish everyone a safe and fun day. I hope you get to spend it with family and friends.

We have not got out and about this week as there was holiday prep work to do at home. The food is ready and the appetites are strong. It won’t be over the river and through the woods but rather over the Mid-Bay bridge and through the Eglin reservation to grandma’s house. LOL

I have heard of some more places opening and closing in the area. Over in Niceville where Helen Back recently opened in the K-Mart shopping center, Ed’s has closed their doors. Ed’s was the old Perry’s in the Food World shopping center. I heard they had their rent raised so much it was not worth staying open.

Happy Thanksgiving from Sunshine Cindy

Also in Niceville, Ernie’s has moved from Northpoint Yacht Club to the old Giuseppe’s building. Giuseppe’s has been empty for a few years so I hope Ernie’s can make it a success again. Hurricane Ivan destroyed the original Giuseppe’s and when they rebuilt it did not have the same charm as before. I wish the Ernie’s team well. We liked them at Northpoint.

With Ernie’s moving from Northpoint, that left their space open. Big City has moved in to take it over. They recently had a grand opening. I didn’t hear many good things. Mostly about how they ignored people. Hopefully that was just a start up problem. Sunshine Cindy and I will need to get over there to check it out as well as Ernie’s.

A Crab Island picture to warm up this cold day

Back in Destin I have heard the folks that run the Red Bar in Grayton Beach are opening a place in Shoreline Village shopping center at the entrance to Holiday Isle. They are remodeling the two story building that has housed several different places but none lasted very long. If this new place is anything like the Red Bar, it will be a great addition to the Destin bar/restaurant scene. The Red Bar is a funky place that is an institution in Grayton Beach.

"Embrace the Chaos!"

Don’t forget you can “Embrace the Chaos!” with your Crab Island Mambo tees, tanks and long sleeve shirts all year long. Order yours here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great turkey day!!!! See ya Monday!

Destin Life

We had another fun weekend on the Emerald Coast. It started Thursday night. Sunshine Cindy stayed in but I went to Landshark Pizza for a while. Paige and Jason were working and there was a pretty good size crowd there. Julie and her husband came in with some friends to watch the Thursday night football game. Kerby also stopped in. I have not seen Kerby in a while. He is busy doing construction. I stayed long enough for some wings and to catch the start of the game. Then it was back home for the night.

Carlos and Sunshine Cindy at Crab Island Cantina

I was off Friday. I ran some errands during the day as well as working on the Crab Island Mambo web site. When Sunshine Cindy got home from work we headed to the harbor to relax a little at Crab Island Cantina. The weather was nice. I still had shorts on and there was no breeze. The harbor was dead quiet. We sat at the bar. Judy was there keeping an eye on the staff. One of their girls was with her as she was not working due to the slow night.

Julie joined us and we talked to a military guy who was also sitting at the bar. He was in town for the week teaching at Hurlburt Field. He was an interesting fellow. We thank him for his service to our country! Carlos also came out and joined us. He was cracking jokes and having a good time. Carlos is usually so busy we don’t get to see that side of him too often. Tiffany also joined us when she got off from working at the Crazy Lobster. we had fun having a few drinks and some food. Carlos took a golf cart full of folks for a ride. We thought they were going to AJ’s but about 10 minutes after they left they came by again hooting and hollering. I wonder what they were drinking! LOL

Julie with Jackie and Alan

We left the Cantina as they were winding down and called it a night. Saturday was still a nice day. I went for a bike ride to the beach. It felt good getting the fresh salt air. When I got back home I worked some more on the Crab Island Mambo web site and I did some writing for December’s Mullet Wrapper. Saturday afternoon we put the word out we were going to KC’s Tapworks. The Crab Island Mambo Christmas and Welcome to Winter Party will be held there on December 21st and I wanted to see how the layout will lend itself to music.

Julie, Jan, Mike and Wayne at Tapworks

About 12 friends showed up to party with us. College football games were on the TV’s and popcorn was being popped! I tried some of their craft beers. They have 50 of them so I had a big selection to choose from! Mike and Bev, the owners, also partied with us. As the evening went on the place filled up. By the time we left around 10 pm it was packed in there. That is great for Mike and Bev as they have worked their fanny’s off to get their complex to where it is today. What started out as a snow cone stand is now a sand bar, sports bar and Tapworks. A micro-brewery is also in the works. The American Spirit is alive and well in Ft. Walton Beach.

Football Sunday saw Sunshine Cindy and I heading to Sago Sports Bar to watch the Browns/Steelers game. I should have saved myself the aggravation. The Browns sucked. Julie sat through the game with us but she was also watching her Rams play and beat the Bears. At least someone beside the Steelers fans that were all around me was happy!

Beer tower at Sago Sports Bar

The place was full. Tommy came in and he was amazed at all the people there. Each TV had a different game on and there were fans from each team at each TV. As the Browns debacle was ending we get a message from Alan and Jackie saying they were coming by. Then Sunshine Cindy gets a message from Stephanie that she and Mark were also coming to join us. Julie left but the second shift of friends showed up! LOL We had a great time talking to them while the second half games were going on. All in all it was a fun day despite the Browns!

If any of my blog friends want to “Embrace the Chaos!” Crab Island Mambo style, now is your chance. We have a full collection of “Embrace the Chaos” tee shirts, tank tops and long sleeve shirts plus bottle and can koozies. For all orders $30 and over, we are offering FREE shipping. Also, if you are in the area, we will hand deliver your order directly to you. We only sell “American Made” shirts and koozies so you know your purchase is helping our economy! Click here to take advantage of this special offer:
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“Embrace the Chaos!” all year long!!!

"Embrace the Chaos!" tee shirt

It’s a short work week. Enjoy it and get ready for turkey day. See ya Thursday!

Destin Wedding plans

Sunshine Cindy and I continue to make plans for our upcoming wedding. We are getting hitched in May down on the harbor here in Destin. Tuesday afternoon we met with a wedding planner. We need to have someone to help us pull this all together and make sure everything is a go for the big day. We met with Christine from RSVP events in Destin. She knows her business and will be a big help to us.

Jerry Diaz and Bobby Summers

We are getting all the outside vendors to supply what we need, we have booked Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef to play music for us, Crab Island Cantina will host the wedding and reception…everything is falling into place. Being a guy I think this is all so simple and will handle itself. But we are looking at 200 people there, details to be finalized, rooms to be booked….even what color tablecloths we will use! LOL Just give me a beer and tell me where to go and how much money is needed!

When we left RSVP we stopped in at Island Wings for a beer and a bite to eat. As we found a seat at the bar we saw Alan and Jackie. We sat next to them. We seem to always run into those two. I had some craft beers and chili to eat. It was just the right spice and very good. Sunshine Cindy had a tuna sandwich. She also enjoyed her food. It was a nice visit with Alan and Jackie. Island Wings was not overly crowded so the noise level was not too bad like the first time we stopped in there.

Island Wings

Trying to get home from work on Wednesday was a chore. First the road in front of my office was backed up. I tried to go one direction but it was at a standstill. After only going a few hundred feet in about 10 minutes I turned around sat in more traffic but at least it was moving. I took some back roads and got back to Hwy. 98 thinking I was home free. Nope. I got onto the Island I could see flashing lights ahead. I came to another dead stop. Turns out a car was upside down in a sand dune.

There was emergency vehicles everywhere. It didn’t look too good. I heard this morning two people were in the car and taken to the hospital. I hope they are okay. After getting past that I seemed to get behind every slow driving snowbird in town. It took almost an hour to get home. Oh well, that does not happen too often.

No Tipsy Turtle on the harbor

Down on the harbor, the land that was Aloha Rentals is now roped off. This is the land that Johnny O’Quigley bought. He is waiting for a development order from the city of Destin to start work on his latest Ale House. What is really sad is the Tipsy Turtle tiki hut is gone. I am not sure where it went but there is a big empty space where it used to sit. There were a lot of great memories from that spot going back to when Baby J’s sat at the dock. Hopefully the new place will have some of that same charm.

Where Tipsy Turtle and Baby J's used to sit

Over in Shoreline Village shopping center a new coffee shop has opened. We seem to be getting coffee shops left and right in this town now. That entire shopping center is undergoing a massive renovation. I will be interested to see what ends up there. It is in a good location right at the entrance to Holiday Isle.

Not much planned for this weekend but we will find something to keep us occupied. Enjoy your weekend. See ya Monday!

Destin Blog

Sunshine Cindy and I got out and about a little this weekend. It started on Thursday night. We went to Sago Sports bar. Tiffany joined us. We had some dinner and watched some football. Tommy and his crew were all there working. There was a decent crowd having fun. Sago is in the Palms condo complex. We enjoy going there.

Malibu Jack's

Friday we decided to stay close to home and be low key. We went to Hogs Breath for a while. The outside bar was full but we found a couple of stools to sit at. There are always some interesting folks at Hogs and this visit was no different. We talked to some of the other locals there while a table of folks were downing shots and beer like it was going out of style. They were having a good time for sure.

We left Hogs and walked over to Malibu Jacks. We wanted to see if anything was going on there. There was a lady and a guy at the bar. James the owner was there too. It looked like he was training a new girl. Erica waited on us. She recently moved to Destin from Michigan. James was trying out some new finger foods he might want to put on the menu. James also showed me all the work they have done in the back. They have a tiki bar and can actually have a stage. It might have potential for a Crab Island Mambo party. With beers only $2, you can’t beat the price.

Stephanie is a little camera shy...lol

From there Sunshine Cindy and I made one more stop at Friday’s. This Friday’s used to always have the same people working. Now they have all new people. That is neither good or bad but you do lose that feel of familiarity you get with a regular staff.

Saturday was spent working on the Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper. This was my special Key West edition. I had almost three times the number of pictures as I usually do so it took a lot of time to put together. You can read it here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-November-2013.html

Key West Mallory Square

I was tired from being in front of the computer all day so in the evening we made a stop at Landshark Pizza. Walking in we felt like walking into Cheers. The place was crowded and I think we knew 75% of the folks. It takes 5 minutes just saying hello to everyone. We ended up getting caught up in the Auburn/Georgia football game. It had one of the most exciting finishes I had seen in a long time. Auburn won but it took a lot of luck.

Stephanie was working and told us about a new type of cupcake she has. Stephanie has a side business making and selling cupcakes. She has a new creation where she has a cookie in the middle of the cupcake. She calls it a “Cu-pookie.” LOL Sunshine Cindy wanted to try it so she ordered a dozen that we would pick up on Sunday.

Watching the Browns with Tom

Sunday morning we got a few things done around the house. We decided to go to Kenny D’s to see the Browns game. Tom and Sandy are always there and this was no exception. Tom’s parents joined them again. We walked in and the first quarter of the game was ending and the Browns were winning 13-0. I thought great, it might be a good day. Nope, within a couple of minutes they were losing. They had TWO punts blocked. A fumble returned for a TD. Before I could even finish a beer it as 31-13 and they were looking like a high school team. Oh well, it was fun catching up with Tom and Sandy.

While at Kenny D’s I had a lady tap me on the shoulder and ask if I was Destin Steve. It was Evelyn from Macon, Ga. She said she reads each blog. She saw Badass in the parking lot and just knew it us there. That was really cool. Thanks for reading!

The top down on Badass in the middle of November

The weather was nice and warm for the middle of November. We put the top down on Badass and headed to Landshark to pick up our Cu-pookie’s. We got a table. Julie, Alan and Jackie all stopped in and joined us. Stephanie had several orders to deliver. The Cu-pookie’s were better than advertised. They were fantastic. We ended up staying for a few hours watching some of the different games. It was a fun afternoon there after the pain of the Browns game.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Destin is freezing…

I know when I talk about how cold it is in Destin, people up north just laugh. But it did get cold this week in Destin. Real cold. Like in the 30’s at night cold. That might not sound like much to people in Minnesota but it is like the Frozen Tundra to us on the beach. We were lucky it did not last long but I have a feeling this is going to be a colder than normal winter down here. I guess it is time to move farther south! LOL

Crab Island picture to warm us up

Most of this week has been spent on Crab Island Mambo stuff. Because of that we didn’t get out and about much. But I do have a few observations about more comings and goings in Destin. Gilligan’s has closed for the winter. They won’t reopen till sometime in February. Graffiti’s is closed for a few weeks as I guess the owners take a vacation during the slow time.

The new Hampton Inn is getting closer to being open. It is hard to miss as it is a pink building. It really stands out across the street from The Track. Thai Delights restaurant will be opening soon in the Target shopping center. This is the place that used to be on Mountain Drive next to the Rotten Apple. A minor fire at Jim n Nick’s BBQ restaurant in Destin has temporarily closed the place. It should reopen tomorrow.

More Crab Island

There are times around here buildings are up and occupied in no time while other times it seems to take forever to get something done. The latter is taking place on the Island. With big fanfare early this year there was a big announcement about some entertainment complex taking over the old Island Golf spot. They were going to remodel the putt-putt course, add a bigger building, put in a zip line….etc. Well, it now almost the end of the year and they still have a long way to go to complete this. They missed spring break and the summer season. Now I wonder if they will be open for next year’s spring break. The strange thing is I see people working there all the time. I don’t know what they are doing. It must be a government job! LOL

It is getting to be the holiday season. There will be all sorts of celebrations taking place in and around Destin. The city Christmas parade will be 12/14. On 12/15 on the harbor will be the holiday boat parade. Also on 12/15 we will have The Southern Drawl Band back at Crab Island Cantina from 5-9 pm. Our Crab Island Christmas Party will be Saturday December 21st at KC’s Sandbar & Grill Tapworks bar. Jan Patton will be playing music and everyone is welcome to join us.

Jan Patton

Not sure where we will be or what we will be doing this weekend. The all girls band, Mustang Sally will be playing at KC’s Friday night starting at 8 pm. I have seen them perform in Put in Bay, Ohio and they are really good. We might try to get out there to catch them. I am sure some football will be in my future too somewhere!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Blue's Brews and BBQ weekend!

There was a big event on the harbor this weekend and it did NOT rain. That was the first time in a long time we had good weather. I actually started the weekend on Thursday night. I made a stop at Landshark Pizza to relax a little. I had a pizza and some beer. I watched some football watching the crew work. They had a good crowd and even put Renee to work. She was just hanging out but she jumped in to help out when things got hectic. She is a hard worker.

The Saturday event was Blues, Brews and BBQ. It was held in Harborwalk village. Landshark Pizza was entering a smoked pork BBQ sandwich. This is James’s secret recipe. He gave me a bite of the pork as it was still slow cooking. It tasted great.

Friends from Illinois

Friday afternoon I went down to the harbor. I had the new Southern Drawl Band CD that I wanted to give to Carlos at Crab Island Cantina. The weather was nice but the harbor was dead. There were only a few people milling around and they were mostly there setting up for the Saturday event. I found Carlos and he immediately put the CD on to listen to one song in particular. The song is called, “Numbered” and was written by Mike Nash. Mike played it for Carlos the last time he was here. It is a moving song about losing a best friend and living life to the fullest because you don’t know when your number will be up. Carlos loved the song.

When I left the Cantina I walked towards AJ’s. I thought I might get a drink at the Shark Shack but it was closed as were all the other places along the harbor. I headed home instead.

Mike Nash

Friday night was the Parrothead meeting at Harry T’s. Sunshine Cindy and I got back down to the harbor about 6:00. A decent crowd was there. Alan and Jackie were there with Kirsten and Jeff who were down visiting from Illinois. We reminisced about the trip to Key West with all who went. Sunshine Cindy and I left to get something to eat and stopped at Crazy Lobster. Tiff was working and just about to get off. It was 7:30 and there was no one in the place.

We sat and ate. I had my Abita Amber so I was happy. I also had crab cakes with jalapenos on the side. I only had a few jalapenos slices and thought they were being stingy until I remembered how hot their jalapenos are. These were no exception. They were make your eyeballs sweat hot. But I loved them. It just made the beer go down faster. About the time we were ready to leave at 8:45 two more people walked in. It was a slow night for sure.

Landshark Pizza's tent

Sunshine Cindy and I made a stop at The American Legion. A bunch of friends were there for Karaoke. Jimmy and Sandra announced they are moving back to Louisiana in two weeks. They are fixtures at the Legion and will be missed. We stayed for a while then called it night and headed home.

Saturday we went to the harbor about 12:30 pm. We could not get over all the people that were there. The village was packed. It was just the opposite from the night before. We paid for our wrist band and proceeded to taste test from as many of the booths as possible. We really liked the food from Landshark, Sago had great ribs, Harry T’s had BBQ eggrolls, Crab Island Cantina and all the others had great food too. We had some craft beers and were totally enjoying ourselves.

Big crowd at Harry T's

We went to the big stage as we heard there was a Jim Beam station that was giving samples out. We found the station and it was true, free Jim Beam samples of their different types of whiskey’s. We tried a few while listening to a band that was a Jerry Lee Lewis type throw back band. They were really good as was the whiskey. We met some nice people there and saw many friends as they passed by.

When the band finished they gave out the trophy’s to the winning BBQ entries. I am glad to say Landshark won First Place in the People’s Choice award. Congratulations to Brian, Sue and James. It really was good. Crab Island Cantina also took home first place honors in the "Best Seafood BBQ and First Place "Most Creative BBQ" and Second Place "Best Traditional BBQ." Way to go Landshark and Crab Island Cantina!!!

Tat's at the Jim Beam tent

A group of us made a stop at Fishheads. Becca was working the bar. I did not know she was working there now. Melissa stopped by and talked to us. It sounds like they are doing well and look forward to a full season next year. There was a big crowd hanging around listening to the music by a couple that I didn’t recognize.

Wayne, Pat, Sunshine Cindy and I made a final stop at the downstairs bar at AJ’s. For some reason I was channeling my inner Eddie Murphy and was cracking up everyone. Thankfully I didn’t lose my Man Card but it was close. LOL It was a perfect ending to a fun day.

Carlos and his two first place trophy's

Sunday we relaxed most of the day. Sunshine Cindy took Precious to the vet but that was about it. I spent most of the day working on the upcoming Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper. It will be ready this weekend. Be sure to look for it.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Back into the Destin groove

Slow but sure, Sunshine Cindy and I are getting back into the groove in Destin. After being gone for over 10 days, it took us some time to get used to the cooler weather and having to go back to work.

Sunshine Cindy and Precious

The first thing we did on Tuesday was go pick up Sunshine Cindy’s dog Precious. She was being spoiled by a dog sitter who took great care of her. After we got her we stopped at Friday’s in Destin to meet Sunshine Cindy’s Mom, some of her lady friends and Tiff. We told some stories about our trip and got caught up with everyone. Then we went home. Precious was happy to be home.

Later in the afternoon I headed to Landshark Pizza. I was not ready to totally get off vacation mode yet! Brian and Sue were working then Stephanie came in to work. It was Stephanie’s cousin I met at our Welcome to the Island Party in Key West. We still can’t believe it. I had a taste for some wings and Landshark has some of the best. As I sat there my snowbird friends Alan and Jackie came in. They got into town Sunday and will be here for about 5 months. It was great catching up with them.

Jackie and Alan

They stay at the RV park on the island. They told me Fud’s on the island is basically closing down all of their rooms except for the lower bar area for the season. That is surprising. I would have thought the back Steamer Bar on the water would be open especially on nice days. Oh well, I guess they got to be as big as they are by making smart business decisions.

All the servers in town are talking about how slow everything is right now. The fishing rodeo is over so those folks are gone. Only a few snowbirds have come into town and all fall breaks at the schools are over. So it is basically a ghost town for a while. I am not complaining as it is nice to get around but then I don’t rely on tourist for my paycheck either. We will be on the harbor this weekend so it will be interesting to see how many people are there walking around.

Sunny Jim playing at Fuds steamer bar

Years ago when I first moved to Destin, almost every place in town would close for the winter. We had far fewer places then and you could roll a bowling ball down Hwy. 98 in the evenings and not hit anyone. It’s not that bad now and fewer places close for the season. I have seen several places that are closing for a couple of weeks to take a much needed break but not many will be shut down for the winter.

This weekend at Harborwalk Village they will have a “Blues, Brews and BBQ” festival. The weather looks like it will be good so I expect a big crowd to descend on the harbor. We will probably visit to check it out. Friday night is the ECPHC meeting at Harry T’s so we will get right back into our local Trop Rock scene pretty quick.

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Back home in Destin

Home safe and sound. It was a 14 hour drive but that included a stop at Alabama Jack’s for lunch that took up almost an hour. We took our time and the trip was uneventful.

We are sad to leave Key West. It is like a second home to us. Key West is not for everyone but it is definitely for me and Sunshine Cindy. It was also sad to leave our Trop Rock and Parrothead family. They are the greatest group of people you will ever meet. But it is good to be home with our local crazy friends.

In the November Mullet Wrapper that will come out Nov. 15th, I will have a day-by-day account of our entire trip. All the juicy details and some of the wild and wacky fun we had will be described. Look for it and I will also post the link here.

Now it is time to get back into “Destin” mode and get ready to go back to work tomorrow. See ya Thursday with all of our regular Destin updates and photo's!