Destin Iced Over

It does not happen often but it happened this week. Destin and the panhandle froze over. It started on Tuesday with daytime temps that stayed just above freezing all day while it rained on and off. We actually got a break because if it was a couple of degrees cooler we would have iced over with a lot of folks on the road. The rain did stop in the evening and as I went to sleep it was drying out due to a strong northern wind that was blowing.

How will we survive?

The reports were for more rain and possibly snow overnight with dangerous road conditions Wednesday morning. I was awaken about 1 am with the sound of a strong rain storm…or it might have been sleet…I rolled over and went back to sleep figuring I would see when I got up for work.

It will be weeks before we get out!

I leave for work at 6 am. As I stepped outside the temp was 25 degrees and the driveway was a sheet of ice. I walked to the street in front of the house. It was iced over but it was very thin. I decided to take off and see what it was like. The backroads I have to take had some ice but also some puddles that were not frozen. I got up to Hwy. 98 without seeing another car on the road. As I turned onto 98 the road was a thick sheet of ice. I immediately started sliding around. I had the local radio station on and the DJ’s were relating their trip into the studio. Both bridges I have to take were open but very dangerous. The wind was howling and on the island the wind would break the car loose. I have 15 miles to go to work. I turned around and went back home. My plan was to wait till it warmed up and the streets thawed a little.

The horror of it all...

It was a good plan but we never warmed up all day. The highest it got to was 29 late in the afternoon. By 9:30 am all the bridges were closed. I could not go anywhere if I wanted to. Destin was cut off. We were really an island now. Same thing with Okaloosa Island. They were even cut off more as they are so small. The Ramada Inn bar was open as staff from Tuesday didn’t go home so they were there to keep the bar and restaurant open on Wednesday. The place was packed as no one had anywhere else to go. 

Sledding down the Destin Bridge (From Destin Log FB page)

As the afternoon wore on, video’s and pictures started showing up on FB of people sledding down both the Destin and Brooks bridges. They were using boogie boards, lids from containers and even coolers…anything they could find. I have to hand it to Destin folks, we can make a party out of anything!

I know the people up in Atlanta had a horrific time with the storm. I have many friends up there and some were stranded on the highway’s all night. Luckily we were not that bad. Most everyone was shut down. Very few people were on the road. Some got stranded on one side of the bridge but that was about it. We had many fender benders but nothing serious. With so many roads closed including a stretch of Interstate 10 from the Alabama line eastward for about 100 miles, the authorities handled this very well. My hat’s off to them.

Fun at the Destin Bridge (From Destin Log FB page)

The ice should be gone today. We will get to almost 50 today and will be in the mid 60’s by Saturday. Everything will be back to normal as we will complain about the snowbirds driving slow in the left lane with their turn signal on! (Except for Alan!)

One last item…Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza on Monday. We were stopping in for a quick bite to eat but found the place to be packed. Turns out a birthday party for a local was going on. They then had Music Bingo from 7-9 pm. We stayed and enjoyed the fun. I had not done that before but it was a blast.

Okay, Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone have a good time. We will be at Sago Sports Bar to watch the game. See ya Monday!!!

Lulu’s coming to Destin?

It was a wild few days in Destin with winter weather, a celebrity sighting and rumors about another Buffett sibling coming to Destin. I was talking to a guy on Friday night who told me Lucy Buffett (Jimmy Buffett’s sister) has signed a contract to open a Lulu’s restaurant/club in Destin on the bay side of town. This would make sense as for years we have heard rumors about Lucy planning to open another version of Lulu’s here to compliment her Gulf Shores, AL location. I plan to nose around and see if I can find out where this is going to be built but I have an idea. I will let everyone know what I find out.

Destin's Margaritaville

The celebrity sighting was none other than Jimmy Buffett himself. Monday last week a guy I know was making a delivery down on the harbor. He was near the new Margaritaville when he saw a guy standing by himself talking on the phone. He thought the guy looked familiar…maybe a client. So he walked up to the guy and the guy just turned to him and said, “Yes, it’s me!” It was Jimmy Buffett. They talked for a while. Jimmy told him he was coming back for the grand opening and he might bring a musician friend. Maybe Mac will be coming with him. How cool was that chance encounter.

Lulu's in Gulf Shores, AL

The winter weather we endured was some snow in the area with some sleet falling in Destin last Friday. There were pictures of some ice crystals on a tarp. Yes, that passes for a major event in Destin in the winter. I am not sure how we survived. We are actually under a winter storm watch for Tuesday. We have a chance for some more ice crystals to fall in Destin with some real snow falling farther inland. Hurry up summer and come back!

For Sunshine Cindy and I, it was a Sago Sports Bar kind of weekend. Friday night was the ECPHC monthly phlocking at Sago. Jan Patton with help from Kenny were playing the Trop Rock tunes. A big crowd of Parrotheads were there taking in some good food and cheap drinks. We ended up being the last ones out before they closed the doors behind us! LOL

Canadian snowbirds having fun with the Parrotheads at Sago Sports Bar

Saturday night we went back to “Embrace the Chaos!” at Sago for a Crab Island Mambo hockey night party. We had a fun group show up to root the Tampa Bay Lightning on. With a 80 inch HDTV to watch the game, we were in heaven. Loren took good care of our group. The Lightning won and we once again were the last people to leave Sago. I think they were going to start charging us rent since we were in there so much.

Hockey night in Destin at Sago

Sunday saw Sunshine Cindy and the girls from the wedding party go to Pensacola to look at wedding dresses. They were gone all day. I was a couch potato just relaxing all day. It felt good to do nothing.

It will be interesting to see if we get any of the wintery weather they are forecasting. I will have a full report on Thursday. See ya then!

Destin sports...

So far this week we have been recuperating from our trip to New Orleans. Sunshine Cindy and I have been doing the usual stuff…unpacking, laundry, grocery store run, get new livers….all the usual things.

Jimmy and the Parrots

In Destin the new Hampton Inn has opened. They tore down the Hampton Inn that was there and they rebuilt a brand new hotel. We thought it was strange they would level a relatively new building and put up a new one. But I guess it has something to do with the Hampton Inn brand wanting all of their locations to have inside entrances to the guest rooms and the old place had doors that were outside. The new building does look nice though.

The Destin Log had a story the other day wondering if retired football player Kevin Greene was going to move back to Destin now that he has given up his assistant coaching job with the Green Bay Packers. Kevin and his wife used to live in Destin before he took the coaching job. I actually ran into Kevin in my dentist office one day. I remember hearing my dentist remarking about how Kevin’s teeth were perfect despite a career in the NFL. Kevin said he never wore a mouth guard but never lost any teeth either. He was lucky.

Jeff at CAT's in NOLA

Kevin used to play for Pittsburgh. He was one of the first players to have the long flowing blond hair sticking out of his helmet. He was a real good player but of course with me being a Browns fan, I never cared for him. As he was leaving the dentist office he walked right by me. He was wearing shorts and I noticed how skinny his legs were. I would have thought he would still be some muscle bound guy. I almost made a remark about his chicken legs but thought my health was more important! LOL

I have noticed a couple new smoking vapor shops have opened in Destin. They sell the items that are called E-Cigarettes. These devices help people get off the real cigarettes. All they are doing with the device is getting the nicotine and none of the other harmful tars and such. The shops seem to be run by young folks but they are really taking off. I hate to see it but the government is getting involved with these products. Some places are saying you can’t smoke them indoors even thought all they emit is a vapor. Somehow I think Big Tobacco might be behind some of this too. At least until they get into the business.

Jerry Diaz

This is going to be another cold weekend in Destin with temps only getting into the 50’s. It continues to be long pants weather. We will stay warm with a couple of parties at Sago Sports Bar. Friday night the ECPHC is having a get together at Sago and then on Saturday night Crab Island Mambo is having a “Hockey Night in Destin” party. We will  watch the Tampa Bay Lightning game while having a good time. Everyone is invited to join us.

Hockey Night in Destin!

With the cold weather don’t forget, we have Crab Island Mambo long sleeve tee shirts to help keep you warm while you are “Embracing the Chaos!” in style. Our shirts are Made in America too. Check them out here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday for a full wrap-up!

Back from New Orleans

Sunshine Cindy and I have made it back from NOLA. The Pardi Gras Trop Rock event was a blast. We had good weather and the good times did roll.

The French Quarter from the top of Tropical Isle

Friends from Destin and all over the country converged on the French Quarter for four days of Trop Rock music. We partied from all the Tropical Isle locations to Margaritaville to the Bourbon Orleans bar. In addition we would find other watering holes to meet at and tell lies. We spent a lot of time at Johnny White’s Hole in the Wall bar. We also found a neighborhood spot a block from our hotel. All places were fun.

Jerry Diaz and Hanna's Reef

The French Quarter was full of people all weekend. It was a holiday weekend so you had more people staying the entire weekend. Restaurants, bars and the clubs were all staying busy. The economy of the city of New Orleans has come back strong.

Thursday we will be back to our usual Destin information. See ya then!

Pardi Gras here we come!

This week was mostly spend getting ready for our trip to New Orleans for Pardi Gras. This is a Trop Rock event in the French Quarter that draws over 500 crazy people to the Tropical Isle locations and Margaritaville. We are looking forward to seeing and partying with our friends from around the country this weekend.

Pardi Gras fun at Tropical Isle

Tuesday evening I got out for a while to meet up with Dave and Carolyn from SWFLA who were in town for the night. Sunshine Cindy stayed in to do more packing so she didn’t join us. Dave and Carolyn stayed with Wayne. I met them all at Crab Island Cantina as a starting place to show them the harbor. Greg was working the bar. Judy was there too having made it back from her trip to the Dominican Republic. Wayne, Dave and Carolyn got there just as the sun was going down. It was a clear night with a beautiful sunset.

Carolyn and David

We walked the harbor showing them the soon to be opened Margaritaville, AJ’s and all the other places along the harbor. It was a ghost town as very few people were there. Dave and Carolyn are avid boaters. They were amazed at the number and different types of boats in the harbor. With the largest fishing fleet in the state, we have hundreds of boats docked along the boardwalk. We walked almost to The Boathouse then retreated to have some dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Margaritaville in Destin

Carolyn had a oyster po-boy that was huge. It was overflowing with oysters. She loved it. The rest of us had Mahi sandwiches which were just as good. They do a good job at the Wharf. From there we walked to the Grande. Carolyn wanted to get some info on the place in case they want to stay there for our wedding. It was great getting to spend some time with Dave and Carolyn. They are good folks. Sunshine Cindy and I will see them again in New Orleans. 

Pardi Gras street party

Wednesday we finished our packing for our trip. It’s nice knowing we have 6 days off from work. I have worked 7 out of the last 9 days so I need a vacation! LOL We have some of our friends already there as we can see from Facebook postings. We will be there shortly! New Orleans is a unique city to visit. It has so much history but it is also a town that you have to be careful where you go. There are a lot of people that prey on the drunks and they have a lot of those to prey on. But during the day it is a beautiful city with so much history you can never cover it all.

Thom Shepperd at Pardi Gras

I was able to publish my newsletter, The Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper on Tuesday. Check it out here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-January-2014-edition.html

We will be back to our paradise Monday. I will have a full report on our trip. It will be a blast as we “Embrace the Chaos!”  See ya late Monday or early Tuesday depending on when we get back.

Destin Margaritaville Getting Closer

It was a fun weekend in Destin. The weather had warmed up which was nice. Thursday night I stopped at The Crust Pizzeria on the way home from work. I was getting a pizza to bring home. Charley was there and we talked about Crust and how it is going to be great when it warms up so the back patio can be used. Charley is a good guy just trying to make it in the Destin restaurant scene. He is in a great location next to AJ’s so the summer is busy. He is building the winter crowd too. It’s a nice laid back place and the food is good and Happy Hour prices are good too.

Crust Pizzeria

Friday night we were having a birthday party for Julie at The Boathouse. A lot of friends showed up. At one point we probably had about 20 people there having a good time. We bought cupcakes and a cake from Stephanie for the party. They were x-rated and they were great! LOL Gigi and the Boathouse crew took good care of us. Austin Jennings was playing music. At one point he let Jan and Kenny get up to play a few songs. They can now say they played The Boathouse!

Happy Birthday Julie!

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I went to the harbor to stop at Crab Island Cantina to get some more wedding planning done. It’s coming together. As we walked to the Cantina from the parking garage it was windy and damp as fog was hanging low. Twenty minutes after we got to the Cantina the sun broke out and it got hot. What a perfect day it became. We talked to Carlos for a few minutes. We will meet up with him again this week as we look to do some special things with Crab Island Mambo and the Cantina.

When we left the Cantina we walked down the harborwalk to see how they are doing with the new Margaritaville. As we walked there a group of maintenance staff was sweeping up a bunch of glass. Turns out on the second floor pool deck of the Grande, a pool chair was picked up by the wind the night before and thrown into a window shattering it. Glass was everywhere.

Jackacudas

The old Crazy Lobster is officially going to become a seafood and sushi restaurant. It will be called Jackacudas and is owned by locals. It should open by spring as they are doing a lot of remodeling. When we got to Margaritaville we could not pass as they were putting some steel beams in place. They are getting closer to opening. Signs are now up in a few spots. You can see the bars taking shape. We have been told there will be three full bars in the place and all of them are made of Cypress. It should be fantastic. There will be different levels and plenty of open space to look out at the gulf. I am still guessing it will be March before they open.

Margaritaville Chill Bar sign is up

We left the harbor and made a quick stop at Smokin Vapor. Sunshine Cindy is using the vapor now and doing well with it. We then went to Sago Sports bar to watch the Saints football game. Alan and Jackie and then Capt. John joined us. We had a fun time even if the Saints lost. A good crowd was there rooting for them but it was not meant to be. I had a chance to talk to Tommy to let him know we will have a group again for the Super Bowl. Sago is fun for sports events. We plan to get a group together to watch a Tampa Bay hockey game on Jan. 25th. Everyone is welcome!

Destin Margaritaville

Sunday was more laid back. We did a lot of stuff around the house. I did get away for a while and went to Landshark Pizza to hang out and watch some football. Steve came in about the time I got there and he told me about a trip he took to Charleston WVA that became the trip to hell. I won’t go into the details but he is glad to be home. I watched the Bronco’s win and headed home to get ready for the week.

Sago beer tower

We were able to sell some more of our Crab Island Mambo tee shirts this weekend. We are selling quite a few of the long sleeve shirts. We are sold out of XL Black long sleeve but have some quantity of all others. Get yours here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. We leave for New Orleans on Thursday but I will post before we leave. See ya then!!!

Destin Deep Freeze

Okay, I know half the country was in the deep freeze but here in Destin we are not used to it. It was in the upper teens Tuesday morning. Pipes were freezing and bursting in many locations as we are not prepared for temps that low. Fountains were freezing over. People who forgot to turn off their sprinklers awoke to a winter wonderland scene more reminiscent to International Falls, MN than Destin, FL! We did warm up in the afternoon to the mid 30’s and now we are back to our average winter temps. I am ready for summer!!!

Destin Harbor in the summer....come on summer!

In town I noticed Dewey Destin’s Seafood restaurant on the harbor is temporarily closed for remodeling. I wonder what they are doing. This is a petty new building. Sunshine Cindy and I ate there this summer for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. They have a great view of the harbor and excellent fresh fish. I am interested in seeing what they are doing.

The Beef Jerky place that was in the shopping center next to Johnny O’Quigleys has moved. They are now in the Destin Commons close to Bass Pro Shops. We have bought Beef Jerky from them on many occasions and it was always good. They have new owners but hopefully the same Jerky. 

Kelly Bryd at The Boathouse

New places continue to pop up in Fort Walton Beach. The Boardroom Pub & Grub is open adjacent to Fluid Surf Shop. The entrance to the place is actually in the city parking lot. I have not been in there yet but it looks like a craft beer kind of place with sandwiches to eat. I will have to check it out and report back. Just down Hwy. 98 from The Boardroom a new Mexican restaurant is opening up. It is in a building that has been a graveyard for other restaurants. It is almost across the street from Olive Garden. Let’s see if they can make it work.

The snowbirds have descended on Destin in full flock now. Just about every car I am behind now has a lady with blue hair and a guy with no hair in it. We joke but the snowbirds fill a void in the winter months before spring break and the summer season. As our friend Brent Burns likes to joke about, “I don’t want to say snowbirds drive slow, but if a car from Michigan passes you this time of the year, it is stolen!”

Harborwalk Village Destin

Not a lot planned for this weekend. Friday night does look like a Boathouse kind of night having fun with friends on the harbor. Otherwise we might find a place to watch some football Saturday and Sunday. Here is the Crab Island Mambo weekend update! http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html

Enjoy your weekend. I will have a full report on Monday!

Bundle up Destin

This weekend was the end of my two weeks off from work. But I made sure I got out and enjoyed my time off. Thursday afternoon I had to take an old TV to our local recycling center in Ft. Walton Beach. While I was on that side of town, I stopped in at Anglers Beachside bar. I used to go there all the time when I lived on the island but I don’t get over there very much now. Red was working behind the bar. It was a warm afternoon and there were some people on the pier. A good group of snowbirds were at the bar too. It was nice seeing Red again. I need to get back there more often.

I drove back to Destin and stopped on the harbor. Even though it was warm, the wind was blowing hard and made it feel colder. I stopped in at Crab Island Cantina. Greg was working but not too many folks were there. I had one beer and headed to Harry T’s where I could sit inside. I have not been to the downstairs bar in a long time. They had a good crowd in there for happy hour. I didn’t know anyone working but I did see Lou the manager. Harry T’s does a good business. They know how to get people in the door.

Harry T's

Off again this time to The Crust Pizzeria. Charley was running around taking care of several tables. He had some tourist at a table behind where I was at who were in town from Texas. They are thinking of moving to Destin. They asked my opinion on the area and of course I had to tell them it’s the best place to live! I had a pizza while I was there. It is great New York style pizza. While there I saw that Alan and Jackie were at Landshark Pizza. So that was my next stop. The place was crowded. I talked to them until they left and then I decided it was time to get home too.

Crust Pizzeria

Friday I worked on Crab Island Mambo stuff until Sunshine Cindy got home. A cold front came into town. There was some ice spotted in Destin too. I had to wear a hoodie when we went out. Ugh! We headed to the Ramada Inn on the island. We met Alan and Jackie, Wayne and Julie there. There is a nice bar in the lobby area. It was a fun time. We ate, watched some football and solved most of the world’s problems and froze when we left as it was about 30 degrees. Oh the horror of it all. LOL

Saturday was all about the NFL playoff games. A big group of us decided to meet up at Landshark Pizza to watch the games. Sunshine Cindy and I got there about halfway through the first game. We pulled tables together and were joined by Julie, Russ, Suzanne, Kenny, Jan and Loujean. Later Gigi, Missy and Barefoot Rikkie came in and sat at the bar. Everyone was having a fun time.

Football party at Landshark Pizza

Jan is a Colts fan and they came back to win their game after being down by 28 points. What game. The second game was the Saints against the Eagles. Loujean and Jan are from PA so they are also Eagles fans. This was a back and forth game but the Saints won it at the end. Another fantastic game. It was a lot of fun eating pizza, wings, cheese curds and having a few beers while watching the games. Stephanie and Jason were working and took good care of us.

Russ and Suzanne

And on Sunday we rested. We thought about going out to see some of the Sunday football games but decided instead to go to Best Buy to get a TV. We had to replace the one I dumped on Thursday. We put the top down on Badass to get the TV into the car and drove home with it down as it was just warm enough to do that. That will be the last time for the top to be down for a while as the temps the next two days will barely reach 40. For those that are below zero it might not sound like much but it is freezing to us! I might have to wear socks! LOL

Have a great week. All the folks fighting the cold and snow…hunker down and stay safe. See ya’ll Thursday!

Welcome to 2014

Is it just me or was it only a year or two ago we celebrated Y2K and all that was supposed to go wrong. Where does the time go?

Monday I went to Landshark Pizza and spent a little time there in the afternoon. Some of the guys were there…Capt. Todd, Capt. Browning, Tommy, Pops and a few others. James also stopped in. Brian and Sue were working. One of the college bowl games was on TV. I talked to a guy who was the starting tight end on the Colorado Championship team from 1990. He lives in Destin now but still closely follows college football. That was cool.

Landshark Pizza in Destin

In the evening when Sunshine Cindy got off work, we headed to Pepito’s for some Mexican food. They have excellent food there at good prices. It has been a while since we were there. They are expanding into space next to them. In the summer you can hardly get into the place so they need more room. We had a nice meal and headed home.

Tuesday was New Year’s Eve. The plan was to go out early and be home before the crazies got on the road. We went to Friday’s in Destin. Wayne and Julie joined us. It was a nice relaxing evening. There was a table of snowbirds behind us. Sunshine Cindy had to talk to them as she could tell they were from Minnesota. We ended up chatting with them for a good while. They were fun people. We were home by 9:30 and watched all types of items drop down to welcome the New Year.

Some old harbor shots to warm up the day

New Year’s Day we visited with Sunshine Cindy’s parents and watched the hockey Winter Classic outdoor game. We were able to sit outside and enjoy some fresh air. It was a nice visit then we headed home for the night. Nothing too exciting for the first day of 2014.

I have heard of a few things happening in Destin. I understand Old El Paso Mexican restaurant and the head shop next to Hogs Breath are both closing. We never saw a lot of people in the Mexican restaurant and a head shop in Destin does not make sense. I don’t know what might go into those locations.

Harbor shot

West Marine in the Shoreline Village shopping center is expanding. They are doubling their size. This is all part of the makeover of that shopping center. Rumors have it a sushi place might be going into the old Crazy Lobster location in Harborwalk Village. I have always thought a sushi restaurant should be down on the harbor but this seems like a big building for that kind of restaurant. Another rumor is Alan Laird (owner of AJ’s) might be looking at the building. Again, neither of these are confirmed.

I also heard the place O’Quigley is wanting to build on the harbor might be a big restaurant/club type of place. He might want to rival AJ’s. And finally, Margaritaville is getting closer to opening. The bars are going in and the place is shaping up. Looks like February for an opening.

Sunset reflecting off the Yacht Club building

Nothing much planned for the weekend. We are supposed to meet some friends as they pass through town. Of course football as the playoffs start. See ya Monday!