Wet and Wild Weekend in Destin

What a crazy few days we had here in Destin. It started on Thursday night. Sunshine Cindy and I planned to get out for just a short while to relax. We stopped at Sago Sports Bar but it was closed for a private party. It turns out Roy Jones Jr., the boxer was performing there with his band. So we headed to Landshark pizza instead. There was a crowd building to watch the Wisconsin basketball game. As the game started Sue and Brian came in. Sue joined us and the party was on. We stayed for the entire game then the four of us walked down to Cash’s for a while. We finally headed home pretty late.

The best caption I saw about this photo from the storm: "Go home Shed. You are drunk!"

Friday about noon we had a major line of thunderstorms blow through our area. It was one of the most intense storms we have had in a long time. Wind gust were measured at over 75 mph. Trees and poles were down, power was out and debris was everywhere. The big canopy at Harborwalk over the stage collapsed in the middle of the storm. Good news is no one got hurt.

We had to go to Fort Walton to drop our taxes off with Tommy. The storm had been over for a few hours but the cleanup was still going on. When we got back to Destin we passed The Crust Pizzeria. The back of the building looked like their awning came down and they were closed. We stopped at Fisherman’s Wharf for some late lunch. They didn’t have any damage there. I ordered a happy hour appetizer of Buffalo Shrimp. I expected a small plate of shrimp. What I got was a big plate with a heaping mound of shrimp. It was delicious.

Jan and Kenny at Groovy Grouper

Friday night was a Parrot Head meeting at Groovy Grouper in the Destin Commons. Jan and Kenny were playing. Despite the fact it was still raining on and off, we had a good crowd show up for the party. We ran into our old neighbor Stephan who was working there. It was a fun night but time to head home after it was done.

Saturday did not turn out like originally planned. We were supposed to go to Niceville to hear Southern Drawl Band play in the evening. We got a call from Dottie about noon saying she heard the show was cancelled. We made some calls and found out the venue had the wrong date for the show and they were not set up for it. Oh well, that’s showbiz sometimes I guess.

Tom and Sandy's "Harbor Gifts" shop

Sunshine Cindy and I headed to the harbor instead. The plan was to talk to a few folks about Crab Island Mambo, have some dinner and head back home. Wayne was going to join us. Sunshine Cindy and I met Wayne at the Shark Shack. I wanted to talk to Tom and Sandy to make sure they were going to be there on Sunday as we would drop off our shirts they are going to carry in their store. Sandy was there and everything was a go for Sunday. The Shark Shack had a good crowd of fishheads hanging around like usual.

We then headed up the hill to The Crust. I wanted to see how Charley was doing after the storm. It turns out they took a big hit. The awnings over the outside seating area blew off and took out the power lines into the building. A bunch of their furniture from outside ended up blowing down Hwy. 98. They ended up having to close all day on Friday. They were back in business when we stopped. Again, at least no one got hurt.

 Wayne and Sunshine Cindy at The Crust Pizzeria

From there we walked over to AJ’s and then to the Lookout Bar at Margaritaville. Great views from both places. We decided to head to the Boathouse for some food but we made a stop at Fishheads first to talk to Melissa and Tom. They appear to be doing great with their place. Walking over we ran into James and Jonelle. We also saw Ken and his big dog Baby Girl. Finally at the Boathouse we got a table inside while the band Gunner was playing on the outside stage. We could hear them perfectly inside.

Jacey waited on us. She was pretty new there but she has a fun personality and fits right in with the others. Gigi came by to give us hard time about not being there for a week or so. They miss us! Bree and Courtney both came by to say hello and give us a hug. It’s like family in there. We were getting ready to leave when we heard the band say they had a special guest that was going to do a few songs with them. It turned out the drummer for the rock band AC/DC was there and he did a few songs. That was so cool. We ended up with an autographed drum stick and some pictures. It was then finally time to go home!

Hanging with Phil the drummer from AC/DC

And on Sunday we did not rest! Not with the Southern Drawl Band playing in Destin at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I got down to the harbor about 1:15 for the 3 pm show. The band was already there setting up. It was great seeing Mike, Paul and Larry again. We were also introduced to the newest members of the band, JD and David. While they were setting up I ran a couple dozen Crab Island Mambo tee shirts to Bob so they can set them up in their gift shop. Look them up just west of AJ’s next to the Shark Shack. They have a lot of cool stuff besides our shirts.

Signed drum sticks

I ran into Matt while I was making this trip along the docks. He is working in the Marler charter boat rental booth. We are planning to do something to help drive some traffic to The Crust Pizzeria. Not sure what but something!

Back at the Cantina the crowd was growing as the weather was perfect. We probably had over 50 Mambo’ia

We were not done when they finished playing. Jan and Kenny were playing their regular gig at The Boathouse. So a big group of us ended up there to end Sunday Funday! It was quite the weekend in Destin!!!

It looks like we are going to have a good week weather wise. Southern Drawl will be playing at Juana’s in Navarre Wednesday through Saturday nights. We hope to get over there to catch another show or two! Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Where’s Spring?

The calendar says its Spring time in Destin but Mother Nature seems to have a different opinion. Tuesday night as I drove home from work I had the top down. When I hit the Island the wind was blowing about 800 mph (or so it seemed) directly out of the north. The bay had white caps and Badass was being pushed around. It was cold by the time I got home. That night the temp went down to about 40. Ugh! Wednesday it barely got to 60 degrees. At least it wasn’t snow!

Sandy and Tom

So far this week we have been working on Crab Island Mambo stuff. We signed up a new advertiser, real estate agent Mike Ryan. We are glad to have Mike aboard. We have also agreed with Tom and Sandy to have them carry our shirts in their store down on the harbor. They are right next to the Shark Shack just west of AJ’s. Check out all the cool stuff they have including the Mambo merch!

We are ready for more beach days!

The expansion at Destin Commons is moving forward. They hope to have a grand opening for the new stores and restaurants around the Fourth of July. One of the more unique places opening will be Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill. Uncle Buck’s is a spinoff from the Bass Pro Shop folks. This location will feature a 16-lane bowling alley, a seafood restaurant that seats more than 300, a 60-seat bar with a sunken ship display above it and a billiards room. It should be interesting.

The traffic in Destin continues to get worse. The area around Harborwalk Village is especially bad. They have added a big parking lot but it is across Hwy. 98 forcing people to become human froggers as they dodge cars trying to cross the street. I hope they think about some kind of walkover in this area. It is a dangerous spot. The authorities are also in the preliminary design stage of widening 98 from Airport Road east to the Walton County line. Anything will help I guess.

Southern Drawl Band back in Destin

This weekend from Nashville the Southern Drawl Band will be back in the Destin area. Saturday night from 6 – 10 pm the guys will be in Niceville at Dockside Oyster Grill (the old Giuseppe’s) on Rocky Bayou. Then Sunday they are back at their Destin home, Crab Island Cantina from 3 – 7 pm. You need to check out Mike Nash and the guys before you have to start paying a cover charge to see them. Yes, they are that good!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday! 

Trop Rock Junkies in Destin

We had another fun weekend in Destin. Friday night was the kickoff of the “Embrace the Chaos! Trop Rock Music Series at The Cantina.” Sunshine Cindy and I got down to the harbor about 4 pm. Wayne was already there helping the band navigate their way around. Crab Island Cantina had a couple of tables and a tent set up for us to display our merchandise and the bands CD’s. The sun was out and it was a beautiful evening.

Steve Tolliver and the Trop Rock Junkies

The band started a little after 5 and put on a great show. We had a big crowd of Mambo’ians show up for the party. At one point we had well over 50 people eating, drinking and enjoying the music. Tom and Sandy were there. They have a new kiosk on the harbor next to the Shark Shack. They are in a great location. We talked about them selling our tee shirts too. Hopefully we can make this happen. We also got to talk to some folks that were just hanging out at The Cantina. We met Mike who is a retired Vet and a real estate agent. He was a nice guy.

Cheers!

The show went to after 9 pm. Sincity Lisa and Deron came over from Panama City for the night. They walked the harbor after the show and came back to the Cantina as everyone was winding down. The steel drum player for the band, Allan (aka Frankendread) talked to us the entire time the band was tearing down. He lives in Key West and was a great guy. He had us laughing at his stories. We will definitely look him up when we get back down to Key West.

Wayne hung around with us till the end. Sunshine Cindy and I headed home about 11:30. We had a big day on the beach on Saturday coming up so we needed some rest.

Saturday was our Crab Island Mambo 4th annual First Saturday of Spring Beach Party. The weather in the morning was foggy but it burned off quickly and it turned into a perfect day. We got to the beach about 10:45 am. Wayne had just pulled in ahead of us. The small parking lot at the beachwalk was already filling up with tourist and Spring Breakers. We made our way to the beach and had our usual spot right in front of the flag pole.

Deron trying the moonshine

We ended up with about 30 people show up for the beach party. When the party was in full swing, a lifeguard rode by on his four wheeler and stopped to ask if we were locals. When we told him we were he laughed and said we had it going on big time. He joked that he could tell we were professionals! We had a big circle of chairs, food and music in the middle and drinks being passed around. At one point Kenny found the biggest Fiddler Crab we had ever seen. We named it our official Crab Island Mambo Mascot!

Big group of Mambo'ians on the beach

Once again it was Wayne, Sunshine Cindy and I as the last Mambo’ians standing. Sunshine Cindy and I headed back to Destin and stopped at Landshark Pizza for some wings. We figured that was about the best place for us to stop considering we had been in the sun all day. Holly waited on us. Jason and Travis was doing the cooking. A decent crowd was there and a ton of takeout orders were going out the door. We enjoyed our wings and headed home for some rest after a busy day.

Our new mascot

Sunday we stayed in. I worked on Mambo stuff all day. Sunshine Cindy did a little of this and that. We thought about going to the Boathouse to hear Jan and Kenny play but we decided to stay in for the night.

It should be a good week. See y’all Thursday!!!

Roland and Jackie…

We have made it. Today is the first day of Spring….finally! The temps are in the low 70’s so we are really feeling like it is Spring time.

The big thing Sunshine Cindy and I did this week was meeting up with Parrot Head friends Roland and Jackie. They were visiting with Mark and Stephanie for a couple of days. Roland and Jackie are from the St. Louis area but have been in south Florida for a few weeks. They stopped in Destin on their way to Star’s in Orange Beach, AL.

The crew at Margaritaville in Destin

We met them at Margaritaville down on the harbor for drinks and dinner. This was the first time any of them had been there. They were all amazed at the size of the place and the great views. We sat in the bar area next to windows that looked out at the Pass and the Bay. We had a perfect view of a fantastic sunset. The food was good and the drinks were cold so we were all happy. As we finished dinner Margaritaville was filling up. It looks like the Spring Break crowds are still flocking there. As we left Roland got in a picture someone was taking of a half dozen Breakers. We heard the picture taker say she could photo shop him out! Ouch!!!

 Mark and Roland at Crab Island Cantina

We all then walked down to Crab Island Cantina. Aaron was working the bar. Mike was the manager on duty. There was a decent crowd there too. A nice night brings out the people to the harbor. Sunshine Cindy showed everyone what the layout for the wedding will be like. Roland and Jackie are coming back to join us I am happy to report. They have become good friends who we see at Parrot Head events all over the country. Sunshine Cindy and I had to call it a night as I had to get up early for work but not before we all laughed so hard we had tears coming down our faces. All I will say is ask Jackie about the stainless steel toilet seat the next time you run into her.

Wendy’s Kitchen next to Beal’s has officially opened. They offer to-go meals. We are going to check them out soon as it sounds like they make some great dishes. http://wendyskitchentogo.wordpress.com/

Trop Rock Junkies

 
Crab Island Mambo has a lot of fun events planned for the next couple of weeks. It starts out this Friday down on the harbor at Crab Island Cantina with our “Embrace the Chaos! Trop Rock Music Series at The Cantina.” All the way from Tampa, FL the Trop Rock Junkies will be playing on the Cantina’s outside stage. Show time is 5-9 pm. See us for your special Mambo Member wrist band to get 15% off your entire bill that night. We will have our Mambo Member cards in about a week. We hope all our friends join us. Here are all the details. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Embrace-the-Chaos!-Trop-Rock-Music-Series-at-The-Cantina.html

Saturday we have our Crab Island Mambo “First Saturday of Spring Beach Party.” This fun time will be held on Okaloosa Island at Beachwalk #2 next to The Breakers Resort. We will get started about 11 am. Bring your beach toys and coolers. This is always a fun time as we show the Spring Breakers how the old farts party!

1st Saturday of Spring Beach Party this Saturday

And next weekend we have back by popular demand the boys from Knoxville, TN The Southern Drawl Band. These guys continue to get bigger and bigger with some of their songs now being played on several Sirius Satellite radio stations. They will be in Niceville on Saturday night at Dockside from 6-10 pm and at Crab Island Cantina on Sunday. Come and listen to this great band as the next time they might be at a coliseum with high priced tickets!

Have a great weekend. Hope to see everyone out and about. Full report on Monday.  

The weekend that was in Destin

Sunshine Cindy and I had a good weekend. It started out Thursday night when we went to Sago Sports Bar. Julie joined us for drinks and dinner. Tommy was there and we got a chance to talk to him for a while. Lilly took care of us and Stephanie was behind the bar. As always the food was good and the atmosphere was fun. We were surprised at how many Spring Breakers were staying there at the Palms condo. There seemed to be a full house of them. Sago stayed busy and we had a good time.

The Palms Condo

Friday we had a parrot head meeting at Harry T’s. Sunshine Cindy and I got down to the harbor early. We went by Steve’s Hawaiian Ice booth but he was closed. We hope all is well with Steve as he has not been open the last few times we were there during busy days on the harbor. Since Steve was not there we stopped at the Shark Shack and grabbed a beer. We then walked all the way down the harbor to the east end to check out anything going on at that end.

A new food trailer is opening next to Burrito del Sol. Other than that not much else new down there. As we passed by The Boathouse Jan was there. He was doing his plumber duties and installing new sinks. He was busy so we didn’t have a chance to talk to him. The old Freaki Tiki bar is opened again as a raw bar called Coaches. They have live music and will be another player at that end of the harbor.

Sunshine Cindy at Margaritaville's Lookout Bar

We walked back to Harborwalk Village and made our way up to the Lookout Bar at Margaritaville. The views are spectacular from up there. Old friend Steve was working the bar. People came and went taking in the fresh air and views of the harbor and East Pass. We stayed for a beer then headed to Crab Island Cantina. Carlos was there, Mike was working the bar and Judy was running around keeping everyone on their toes. A good early afternoon crowd was there enjoying a nice day. We hung around for a while then headed to Harry T’s.

Jet Man put on a show

The parrot heads were out in full force. We ended up staying for the entire meeting. We hung around with Mark, Stephaine, Dottie, Steve and others. The big crowd had a lot of fun as money was raised for a college scholarship. While there we saw the Jet Man put on a show right outside the windows. It was pretty awesome watching him. As the meeting ended we called it a night and went home.

Saturday we took a short road trip to Navarre and Juana’s Pagoda to listen to the Calypso Nuts perform. We picked up Wayne on the way. When we got there Mark and Stephanie were there. Shortly thereafter Dottie, Steve, Capt. John, Bobby and Darla all came in. Crazy Ray, Amy and Julia also showed up. It was a good crowd. Robbie and Lynley put on a fun show. Robbie even came up with a short Crab Island Mambo song on the spot. It was a fun evening on the beach.

Party at Juana's listening to the Calypso Nuts

Sunday was a stormy day in Destin. We had thunderstorms and monsoon rains with some places getting about 3 inches of rain. It made for a lazy day. We did get out to run a few errands and then stopped at Landshark Pizza for a few brews and some pizza. We got to let Jason know he was our Bartender of the Month in the Mullet Wrapper. He was really excited. That is so cool when we can make someone’s day like that. A good crowd was there including Jenny, Pops, Capt Todd and several other locals. It was a nice way to end the week.

Saturday I published the aforementioned Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper newsletter. It was another fine edition if I do say so myself. LOL  You can read the Mullet Wrapper here. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-March-2014-edition.html

Have a great week. See ya’ll Thursday!

Destin is getting busy…

The light switch has been thrown and our town is once again busy. The influx of Spring Breakers and the hold over snowbirds is making it difficult to get around town. My drive home from work is taking a little longer now. It will get worse as more Breakers come into town. I am not complaining. Tourist are what keeps our town going.

 Destin Harbor

Weather has been decent for our visitors. Monday was beautiful with temps in the 70’s. We had a little rain Tuesday/Wednesday but not major. The night time temps were low last night down to about 40 but that will be short lived. With the first day of spring coming in a week, the temps will keep going up.

Trop Rock Junkies to be at Crab Island Cantina March 21st

Most of this week has been spent on Crab Island Mambo stuff. I will be publishing the Mullet Wrapper on Saturday. Sunshine Cindy has been working to get our Mambo Member cards printed before our first show on Friday March 21st. Anyone with a card will get 15% off their entire bill the night of the show at Crab Island Cantina. We will be giving the cards away for free. Just ask us for one! http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Embrace-the-Chaos!-Trop-Rock-Music-Series-at-The-Cantina.html 

Beach Party March 22nd on the Island

Not much else going on. Just the normal day to day stuff. This weekend the parrot heads will be at Harry T’s Friday down on the harbor. Don’t forget we will have our Crab Island Mambo First Saturday of Spring Party on Saturday March 22nd on Okaloosa Island Beachwalk #2. Everyone welcome!!!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Spring Breakers have arrived in Destin

It is obvious Spring Break is now in full swing. During our tourist season Saturday is the day people check out of their condo’s and the next wave checks in. This past Saturday the traffic in Destin was thick. It looks like it is going to be a busy break time.

Breakers loading up on beer and water at Wally World

Sunshine Cindy and I got out a little this past weekend. Friday night we went to Cuvee Bistro. We got their early enough to get a seat at the bar for their happy hour. Within about 15 minutes of us getting there the place was standing room only. They have a great happy hour that runs till 9 pm. People flock there for it. While we were there James from Malibu Jack’s came in. We had an open seat next to us so we got to talk to him for a while. Ron was behind the bar taking care of us. All the bartenders were constantly on the go. But they were a well oiled machine helping each other and making sure everyone was taken care of.

We had a different James sit down next to us on the other side. He was an interesting guy. He is in sales with his office in Washington, DC but he lives in Destin. Not a bad gig. We enjoyed out time at Cuvee. When we left we decided to stop at Rotten Apple. Matt and Mindy were playing. We went from the classy Cuvee Bistro to the red neck’ish Apple. One extreme to the other. We have not seen Matt and Mindy in a few months. It was fun as they called us out as soon as we walked in. While there Michelle and Jack came in. They were looking for a place to have a few beers. It was a good time talking to them. We even got to see Rose who manages the bar. It has been a while since we had seen her too. We played catch-up with everyone Friday.

Saturday morning we made a trip to the harbor to drop off some raffle tickets and money with Carlos for the Taco and Tequila festival. As soon as we walked out onto the village roadway he was coming by in his gulf cart. We got a ride in the cart. Next time I am putting on seat belts. He was whipping around! LOL  BTW, no one we knew won any of the prizes.

After leaving the harbor we went to Grand Blvd and Tommy Bahamas’s to look at shirts. We got some ideas then went to Silver Sands Outlet Mall to stop at Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch. Cheeseburger always has a fun feel to it. Britt took care of us while we enjoyed lunch.

 We were thirsty at Landshark Saturday night

While there plans were made to have a group of us meet at Landshark Pizza about 6 pm. We ended up with a big group including Jan, Loujean, Kenny, Julie, Mark, Stephanie, Wayne and Russ. Holly had the task of waiting on us. She did great. Jason and Austin were cooking and keeping up with the crowd. We had the Tampa hockey game turned on and we all rooted for Tampa. They lost in a shootout so I guess we needed to root harder. All in all it was a fun day and night.

Sunday was spent at home till about 4 pm. I worked on the computer and Sunshine Cindy did some work around the house. The weather was nice so we got back out for a while. The top went down on Badass and I made my way back to Landshark. Sue and Jason were working. Steve came in and we chatted. Steve is an interesting guy. Then B came in. Turns out he has been back in Georgia with his sick Mom. She does not have much time left. He was looking pretty fried. I hope B and his Mom both get some peace real soon.

Trop Rock Junkies will be playing at Crab Island Cantina March 21st from 5-9 pm

A big part of my weekend was spent getting the rest of our “Embrace the Chaos! Trop Rock Music Series at The Cantina” booked and the web page up and running. All eight months of the music series is now booked. Our “Mambo Member” cards are getting close to completion. Everything is coming together for these FREE shows. Each 3rd Friday of the month we will have a Trop Rock act play from 5-9 pm at Crab Island Cantina. All the details are here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Embrace-the-Chaos!-Trop-Rock-Music-Series-at-The-Cantina.html

It looks like a good week weather wise in Destin. I hope you have a great week too. See ya Thursday!

Where is Spring???

It has been a wet week so far in Destin. The weather for the first week of Spring Break was not kind to the Breakers as it was cold and wet. At least the weekend looks like it will be nice.

I did get out Wednesday evening for a while. I stopped to get my hair trimmed with Tim the barber. Sunshine Cindy and I first met Tim a couple years ago at the Tipsy Turtle. We have run into him from time to time ever since. Tim has been in Destin for 20 or 25 years. A long time. He used to have a band and actually knows my boss from way back. Yes, it is a small town!

Destin Harbor

From there I went to Crust Pizzeria in the harbor district. Charlie continues to advertise with us on the Crab Island Mambo web site. He is such a down to earth guy. His busy season is starting now with Spring Break. In the summer, you can’t hardly get in the door. Charlie also told me he was on TV the night before. Channel 3 did a story on businesses hiring for the season. They interviewed Charley and Tracy from AJ’s. Charlie did a good job in the interview even though he told me he was very nervous.

I made one more stop on the way home at Landshark Pizza. Wednesday is their “wingsday” special. Their award winning wings are only $.59 each. I had a taste for some so it was a perfect time to get some. Brian was there as was Jason and Paige working. Blake was there. I have not seen Blake for a while. He also sings on the side and he said he will be back at Hogs Breath soon. While I was there Glen and Bruce came in. I talked to them for a while. Then James and Ken came in and picked up the conversation. Landshark is definitely a locals place.

PB&J wings at Landshark

Around town the new BeachZone Palms retail plaza on Hwy 98 should be open in a few weeks. This place is located near Winn Dixie across 98 from West Marine. The building will be home to BeachZone retail beach wear, Executive Car Wash, and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. There is one spot that is still available that might end up being another small restaurant outlet.

Over on Okaloosa Island the new Holiday Inn Resort hotel is nearing completion. They plan to be open in a few weeks. This is amazing to me how fast they got this 152 room hotel built. Construction stated in Nov. 2012. As a point of reference the putt-putt golf course and arcade area almost across the street from the new hotel has been under construction almost as long!

Destin bridge from Crab Island Cantina

In Destin on Hwy 98 across from the harbor a new Big Ass Coffee Shop is opening. I am not a coffee drinker but the original location they have on old 98 always seems to be busy. With so many different joints opening up, it will be interesting to see if all these places can stay open.

This Saturday is the Taco and Tequila Festival on the harbor and at Crab Island Cantina. While we were at The Cantina last Sunday we were given some raffle tickets to sell for the festival. There will be a drawing this Saturday at The Cantina for three great prizes. One is for a signed guitar by Carlos Santana. (I would love to win that!) One prize is a trip to Mexico to tour a tequila factory. The last prize is tickets, lodging and limo transportation to a Carlos Santana concert in Tampa the end of April. Tickets are only $10 each with only 1000 being sold. You do not have to be present to win. Message me if you are interested in purchasing a ticket or two!

Check out our Crab Island Mambo web site: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/

Have fun this weekend. See ya Monday!

Destin Mardi Gras

Sunshine Cindy and I had a wild weekend in Destin. Let’s get right to it.

Thursday evening we decided to head out for a while. Our plan was to stop at Cuvee Beach. Our friend Dominic is now bartending there and we have heard they have a good happy hour that goes till 9 pm. It must be good. The place was packed. We could not find a seat to sit at. We saw Dom, said hello and headed out to find someplace we could actually get a seat at. We decided to stop at Rupert’s which is in the bowling alley. So we went from the upscale Cuvee Beach to the blue collar crowd at the bowling alley.

Parrot Heads ready for the parade

There was a good crowd in there but we did find a seat at the bar. Folks who were bowling were making a steady stream to the bar too. One bartender, Ron, handled the entire bar himself. He did a great job. With the beers only being $2 each, it was a good deal. When we left we decided to stop in at Sago Sports Bar before heading home. My co-worker Maynard was there with some of his friends. Tommy was also at the bar. A good local’s group was there having a good time. Tommy and Sago will continue to advertise with us on Crab Island Mambo. Sago is a great place with cheap drinks. They were only $2 a beer there too Thursday.

Friday was a parrot head Phlocking night at Nauti Girls in Fort Walton Beach. We headed over a little early and made a stop at Fud’s on the island. I was hoping to talk to them about doing some advertising too but the folks I needed to talk to were not there that day. Oh well, next time I guess.

Nauti Girls Mermaids

Nauti Girls is in the old Fishlipz building under the Brooks bridge. I used to go there all the time when I lived on the island. It has not changed much since the Fishlipz days. They have some girls in mermaid outfits sit on the bar. You can get your picture taken with them. What a job. Sit on a bar and look pretty! lol  The Phlocking was a lot of fun. We had a good crowd show up. They had a band from Pensacola that rocked the house. A good group stayed till late into the night.

Saturday was the big Mardi Gras parade on the harbor in Destin. The weather was perfect with temps around 70 and no clouds. Sunshine Cindy stayed home to get some stuff done but I went down to the harbor about 11 am. Judie and Kelly were having some lunch at Margaritaville so I stopped in to sit with them. When they finished we went up to the Landshark Lookout Bar. It has a great view of the harbor and east pass. From there we made our way to the parade staging area. I was not going to march in the parade but they talked me into it.

Ready to march

By now the entire harbor area was getting packed with people. The parade started at 2 pm with over 120 entries in the parade. Thousands of people lined the parade route. I have never seen so many people down on the harbor. It was insane. The parade ended at Crab Island Cantina where I immediately ducked into. Several others joined me to let the crowd die down. A couple of hours later I headed home to get Sunshine Cindy. We went to Landshark Pizza to relax a little. Jason, Sue and a few new employees were working there. Many people who were at the parade showed up there. Plus Rusty also came in. He is heading back to Australia so this was a last stop for some good pizza.

On Sunday Jan Patton was playing at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I got there early to partake in their Sunday Brunch. OMG the food was fantastic! Jan with help from Kenny played from 1-5 pm. The weather was even better Sunday than it was on Saturday. The Cantina stayed crowded the entire time. The first wave of Spring Breakers have arrived and many were around. It was such a festive atmosphere the entire weekend. Yep, spring is in the air. It was a great time at The Cantina with good friends.

Kenny and Jan at Crab Island Cantina

When Jan finished Sunshine Cindy and I walked down to Fishheads. Al was playing his sax and wowing the crowd. Melissa the owner was there. We talked to her about her plans for the upcoming season. They are in a perfect spot and will do great. At one point we see Dave and Marilyn walking by on the docks. It has been months since we have seen them. They were upstairs at Margaritaville watching the sunset. It was nice catching up with them. Finally we called it a day and headed home to get ready for the coming week.

One final note: While we were at The Cantina on Sunday we were given some raffle tickets to sell. There will be a drawing this Sunday for three prizes. One is for a signed guitar by Carlos Santana. (I would love to win that!) One prize is a trip to Mexico to tour a tequila factory. The last prize is tickets, lodging and limo transportation to a Carlos Santana concert in Tampa the end of April. Tickets are only $10 each with only 1000 being sold. Message me if you are interested in purchasing a ticket or two.

Okay, y’all have a great week. See ya Thursday!!!

Sunshine Cindy and I had a wild weekend in Destin. Let’s get right to it.

Thursday evening we decided to head out for a while. Our plan was to stop at Cuvee Beach. Our friend Dominic is now bartending there and we have heard they have a good happy hour that goes till 9 pm. It must be good. The place was packed. We could not find a seat to sit at. We saw Dom, said hello and headed out to find someplace we could actually get a seat at. We decided to stop at Rupert’s which is in the bowling alley. So we went from the upscale Cuvee Beach to the blue collar crowd at the bowling alley.

There was a good crowd in there but we did find a seat at the bar. Folks who were bowling were making a steady stream to the bar too. One bartender, Ron, handled the entire bar himself. He did a great job. With the beers only being $2 each, it was a good deal. When we left we decided to stop in at Sago Sports Bar before heading home. My co-worker Maynard was there with some of his friends. Tommy was also at the bar. A good local’s group was there having a good time. Tommy and Sago will continue to advertise with us on Crab Island Mambo. Sago is a great place with cheap drinks. They were only $2 a beer there too Thursday.

Friday was a parrot head Phlocking night at Nauti Girls in Fort Walton Beach. We headed over a little early and made a stop at Fud’s on the island. I was hoping to talk to them about doing some advertising too but the folks I needed to talk to were not there that day. Oh well, next time I guess.

Nauti Girls is in the old Fishlipz building under the Brooks bridge. I used to go there all the time when I lived on the island. It has not changed much since the Fishlipz days. They have some girls in mermaid outfits sit on the bar. You can get your picture taken with them. What a job. Sit on a bar and look pretty! lol  The Phlocking was a lot of fun. We had a good crowd show up. They had a band from Pensacola that rocked the house. A good group stayed till late into the night.

Saturday was the big Mardi Gras parade on the harbor in Destin. The weather was perfect with temps around 70 and no clouds. Sunshine Cindy stayed home to get some stuff done but I went down to the harbor about 11 am. Judie and Kelly were having some lunch at Margaritaville so I stopped in to sit with them. When they finished we went up to the Landshark Lookout Bar. It has a great view of the harbor and east pass. From there we made our way to the parade staging area. I was not going to march in the parade but they talked me into it.

By now the entire harbor area was getting packed with people. The parade started at 2 pm with over 120 entries in the parade. Thousands of people lined the parade route. I have never seen so many people down on the harbor. It was insane. The parade ended at Crab Island Cantina where I immediately ducked into. Several others joined me to let the crowd die down. A couple of hours later I headed home to get Sunshine Cindy. We went to Landshark Pizza to relax a little. Jason, Sue and a few new employees were working there. Many people who were at the parade showed up there. Plus Rusty also came in. He is heading back to Australia so this was a last stop for some good pizza.

On Sunday Jan Patton was playing at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I got there early to partake in their Sunday Brunch. OMG the food was fantastic! Jan with help from Kenny played from 1-5 pm. The weather was even better Sunday than it was on Saturday. The Cantina stayed crowded the entire time. The first wave of Spring Breakers have arrived and many were around. It was such a festive atmosphere the entire weekend. Yep, spring is in the air. It was a great time at The Cantina with good friends.

When Jan finished Sunshine Cindy and I walked down to Fishheads. Al was playing his sax and wowing the crowd. Melissa the owner was there. We talked to her about her plans for the upcoming season. They are in a perfect spot and will do great. At one point we see Dave and Marilyn walking by on the docks. It has been months since we have seen them. They were upstairs at Margaritaville watching the sunset. It was nice catching up with them. Finally we called it a day and headed home to get ready for the coming week.

One final note: While we were at The Cantina on Sunday we were given some raffle tickets to sell. There will be a drawing this Sunday for three prizes. One is for a signed guitar by Carlos Santana. (I would love to win that!) One prize is a trip to Mexico to tour a tequila factory. The last prize is tickets, lodging and limo transportation to a Carlos Santana concert in Tampa the end of April. Tickets are only $10 each with only 1000 being sold. Message me if you are interested in purchasing a ticket or two.

Okay, y’all have a great week. See ya Thursday!!!