Turning up the summer heat in Destin

Last winter when it was freezing I said I would not complain about the heat this summer. I am not complaining but it has gotten hot in Destin. We have been in the 90’s the last few days with our usual high humidity. Last night it was still 89 degrees at 9:30 pm. But this is summer in Florida and I love the heat so no problem!

Margaritaville Destin

It was a busy weekend for Sunshine Cindy and I. Friday night I was stuck in a traffic jam getting home from work. The traffic was backed up all the way across the island. When I got home we decided to head to the harbor for a while. We went to Margaritaville for dinner. After that we made a stop at Fishheads. It turns out it was Melissa’s birthday and they were having a party for her. We wished her well and chatted with Tom and Becca who were both working.

From there we walked down to The Boathouse. We ran into a bunch of friends including Chris, Missy, Scott and Tony. Courtney was working the bar. Gigi was there and we had a chance to talk to her for a while. Jason was playing inside as a good crowd was hanging out. We left there and made one last stop at Rotten Apple on the way home. Rose was there. We have not seen her in a while. They have fixed up the place nice. They should be serving food soon.

Kelly Byrd at The Boathouse

On the way home we got stopped at a DUI checkpoint. I still find it hard to believe random stops with no probable cause can be legal in this country.

Saturday we had our 2nd Crab Island Mambo and ECPHC beach cleanup of the year. Once again the beach was in great shape. We did our usual cleanup and then enjoyed the perfect day. The Gulf water was refreshing. There was a lot of June-Grass seaweed in the water but that did not deter anyone. The party broke up about 3 pm as a group was heading to Pensacola to listen to Southern Drawl Band at Landshark Landing. Sunshine Cindy and I decided to stay home. The sun had done it job draining the energy out of the body! We watched a movie and relaxed.

Beach Cleanup

Sunday had the Southern Drawl Band playing in Destin at Crab Island Cantina. The show started at 5 pm. Sunshine Cindy and I got there about 3:30 for some lunch. The guys were already there. Mike Nash, the lead singer, said he got to the Cantina by Jet Ski. He had been staying in Navarre. He and some friends from there all jet skied to Crab Island and hung out for a while. They then dropped Mike off at the Cantina. Not a bad way to get to a gig.

Barb and her homemade fan on the beach

A huge crowd packed the Cantina. Tourist, locals, Mambo’ians…they were all there. The guys played on the inside stage. That was a good call as the sun would have been beating down on them outside. Paul, Larry, JD, David and Mike put on a hell of a show. People were dancing from the start all the way through their encores. They will be back at the Cantina on July 13th. Make plans to be there.

This is a short work week thanks to the holiday coming up. Get out and enjoy the summer heat. LOL  See ya Thursday!!!

Sharks in the Destin News

It seems like sharks are in the news around here a lot lately and I am not talking about lawyers. This week a couple of brother showed off some pictures of them with two sharks they caught. There have been some other sharks sighted in the area too with several of the charter fishing boats bringing in sharks. And of course it seems like everyone is following Katharine the Great White Shark who is swimming out in the gulf and being tracked by a GPS tag.

Sharks are around

For some reason sharks always seem to invoke a lot of interest. I guess when you are swimming where there might be something that can eat you it tends to make you notice them a little more. But in reality shark attacks are very rare. It has been many years since the last attack took place in the Destin area. When you think of all the people that are swimming in our waters every day, you really don’t need to worry about having a shark attack.

I actually saw a shark up close and personal about 8 years ago. I was sitting at the edge of the surf. It was a week day and there was nobody else around. I saw a fin about 2 feet out in the water heading my way. I thought that was pretty close to shore for a dolphin to be swimming. I stood up and I could see it was a 8 foot Hammerhead Shark slowly cruising in the shallow water. I took one step back and the big guy swam right in front of me. That was really cool.

SDB

Wednesday night Sunshine Cindy and I went out to discuss some Mambo business. We went to Island Wings. On the way over Wayne called to ask what we were doing. He said he might join us with a couple of the Southern Drawl Band guys. Sure enough they came to join us. Paul and JD were with Wayne. It was a great time catching up with the guys and hearing some of their stories from the road. We look forward to hearing the band this weekend. They are at Juana’s in Navarre on Thursday, Land Shark Landing on Pensacola Beach on Friday and Saturday night and at Crab Island Cantina in Destin Sunday afternoon. They put on a great show. You should try and see them if you can.

You can get all the news on things to do over the weekend by reading my Crab Island Mambo Weekend Update here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html

After the guys left I thought I recognized Henri at the bar. It was him and we talked for a good while. We had not seen Henri for several months. He works at Millers Ale House and the Legion. He is now also working at Rick’s Crab Trap on Saturday’s. This is the Rick’s on Scenic 98 next to Majestic Sun. We will have to go see him there some time. He said Brandy is now doing karaoke there on Saturday’s too.

After the beach cleanup is a party

The other bit of news from this week was the closing of Hard Rock Café in Destin Commons. This really does not surprise me. This location has lost its luster. It was expensive and they didn’t have any kind of specials for the locals. Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in there once this past winter. I think there were only a couple of other people in there. The place has been open for 10 years but I think they didn’t keep up with the area with all the competition that is now here.

A lot happening this weekend. Get out and enjoy it. See ya Monday with a full report!

Tourist Season in Destin

It is officially tourist season in Destin. All the locals I have talked to are remarking about how crazy the traffic is already and we have just got started. A case in point was last Thursday evening. I got home a little early due to an appointment with my chiropractor. I knew Sunshine Cindy was really down about Precious so I wanted to get her out of the house for a while. We decided to stop in at Chips (the old Sago) at the Palms condo which is literally right across the street from us. What would normally take less than a minute to drive ended up being 10 minutes.

Landshark Pizza of Destin

What made matters worse was when we got there the place was closed for a private party. Now we were back on the road and went to Landshark Pizza. When we finally got there Sunshine Cindy was able to relax and forget about Precious for a while. There was a good crowd there with a mix of locals and tourist. I had a pizza. They have some of the best in town and I had missed it. I think it helped Sunshine Cindy getting out for a while.

Friday started with Sunshine Cindy having to go to the doctor. She has an infection under her eye. She got some medicine and was told to take it easy for a few days. Meanwhile I was out running some errands during the day. First stop was a haircut. I go to a place in Destin that has been around for over 25 years. It’s a real locals place. Then I took a load of our Crab Island Mambo t-shirts down to Harbor Gifts. They have been selling some so we got them some additional inventory.

Kenny and Jan at Crab Island Cantina

Then Friday afternoon I was back on the harbor at Crab Island Cantina for our “Embrace the Chaos! Trop Rock Music Series” show. Jan Patton started at 5 pm and did a great show. We had a big group of Mambo’ians show up along with many tourist who were there. The music and fun went till well after 9 pm. We always have fun at Crab Island Cantina.

Saturday was a laid back kind of day. I did a lot of Mambo work while Sunshine Cindy mostly took it easy. In the late afternoon I had the itch to get out for a while. Sunshine Cindy told me to go (so she could relax without me bugging her…lol) so I went to Landshark. Brian, Austin and Sue were all working. Tommy and his dad, Capt. Browning were there. I had a chance to talk to Tommy for a while about Chips. He said the restaurant part, The Brick and Spoon will open this week. He hopes they all make it.

Our friends from Illinois joined us too

Ken came in and sat next to me at the bar. He had not heard about Precious. We talked about dogs and how much they mean to people. Glen also came in for a while. It didn’t take long for the place to start to fill up with the evening dinner crowd. People were watching soccer, golf, baseball….all the sports were on. This was about the time I left. Back home Sunshine Cindy was doing better.

Sunday was more of the same. I did more Mambo work while Sunshine Cindy also did some computer work. Wayne asked if we wanted to meet him on the harbor in the afternoon. Once again Sunshine Cindy was not up to it so I met Wayne at Fishheads. As I walked up I saw an old friend Dave. He joined us. Melissa and Becca were working keeping everyone happy. There were several people that rappelled down the tower. A lot of hooting and hollering accompanied each person as they came down. Kyle and his girlfriend stopped and saw us. I have not seen Kyle in a few months. The sun was out and it was hot. We moved on to the Shark Shack for more shade.

Kelly Byrd at The Boathouse

Tom from Harbor Gifts was there talking to Pam. We talked about the shirts I dropped off on Friday. I made a mistake in the count. I guess it took Sandy a while to figure it out. I understand she had a few choice words for me…LOL…  Matt came over and talked to us. He was ready to get off work. Matt was his usual funny self cracking jokes left and right. By now we heard thunder rumbling. The top was down on my car so headed in that direction so I could put it up. We then continued to the Boathouse.

Harbor Gifts

Kelly Byrd was playing. Courtney was behind the bar. Gigi came by to say hello and of course she came bearing jello shots! A lot of folks were coming and going. A co-worker of mine came in. The Boathouse is the place to be on the harbor. But alas, Sunday Funday gave away to the reality of work on Monday. I got home and we watched some TV the rest of the night.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Sad Week in Destin

This has been a tough week for Sunshine Cindy and me. When we got home from our trip, she picked up our dog and found our she had taken a turn for the worse. She was getting old and had health issues including cataracts. Well, in just a couple of days before we got home the cataracts got worse and worse to the point she was basically blind. Add to that her other health issues and we had to put her to sleep. It has been a hard couple of days for us and will be going forward. She will be missed terribly.

Precious enjoyed her trips to the Tipsy Turtle

That situation has consumed us so we have not been out at all since we got home. But that does not mean things are not continuing to happen around town. More restaurants continue to open. Pretty soon there will be one restaurant for each person in the city at the rate we are going.

A couple of brothers from Niceville have opened a late night restaurant in the second floor of the Coyote Ugly building. They will serve the late night crowd. That is a good idea as that type of place is lacking in Destin.

Stampeder and Jane at Coyote Ugly

Also in Destin a new food truck is operating. This place is open early on the harbor for the fishermen and then again for lunch on Calhoun Ave. This also seems to fill an underserved market in town.

Last but not least a new Texas BBQ joint is opening in Mary Ester. Several BBQ places have tried in that area so it will be interesting to see if they make it.

Over on the island they are finally going to build on the lot next to the Elks Lodge. It was going to be a Hilton but now it will be some other brand with a marina. Condo's are also in the plan but not right away. This land used to have Dock of the Bay bar. I never made it there but I hear it was a locals hangout. It will be a couple of years before they get this done.

This is why the tourist come to Destin

It looks like the tourist season in Destin this year is going to be the biggest yet. The traffic is already terrible and the busiest time is yet to come. Maybe all of those restaurants will have people to fill them up. But what will they do in the off season? The 12000 people who live here year round won’t be enough to support them all.

They need to get the locals to make it. Landshark Pizza is a perfect example. They continue to grow their business despite all the competition. Each Wednesday for the last few weeks they have set records for their wing night because they take care of their local customers. I know all the places say they will but you have to prove it. Harry T’s is another place that takes care of their local customers. You have to do that to survive in this town.

A Landshark Pizza "Pizza"

Friday night we will be at Crab Island Cantina with our Crab Island Mambo "Embrace the Chaos!" Trop Rock Music Series. Jan Patton will be playing for us. Join us from 5-9 pm on the Destin Harbor for this fun time.

A full report of the weekend will be presented on Monday. See ya then!

Back home!!!

Okay everyone. We have made it back home. It was a long day today of travel but we are home in Destin. We had a fun trip to Cleveland seeing my family and then Sunshine Cindy and I went on to Put in Bay, Ohio to catch up with our Phlocker family.

This island in the middle of Lake Erie is one of the most unique places in the country. It is accessible only by boat or plane but it is a party mecca. We will be running the event next year so you will be hearing more about this vacation and party spot.

Destin does not seem to be any different in the 10 days we were gone! LOL  I will be back to my full blog back on Thursday. Sorry for missing the last couple but I had a hard time getting a work station set up.

Back to the grind….See ya Thursday!

Ready to travel

This week we got prepared to travel to Ohio. I hope all the ice is off the lake. LOL We will be visiting family and then partying with the Parrot Heads in Put in Bay. It’s always a good time on this island in the middle of Lake Erie.

Put in Bay, Ohio Phlocking of the Phaithful Parrot Head party

Tuesday night it took me a while to get home. There was a wreak on the Destin bridge so I went the long way through Niceville. I made great time till I got back into Destin. A couple more wreaks on Hwy 98 had the road gridlocked. So I made the smart choice and pulled into Friday’s for a few beers! Turns out Ken and Suzanne were there. I talked to them and enjoyed my beer. When I was done the road was clear and easy sailing home. Yeah!

Ray Fogg...a Put in Bay legend

Wednesday Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in at The Crust Pizzeria. We sat outside. It was a wonderful evening. Charlie was coming and going making some deliveries. Liz waited on us. We both had pasta dishes that were fantastic. We really enjoyed them. Charlie sat with us for a while too until he had to make another delivery. Turns out it was in our sub division. We joked that we would take it for him. The place got kind of busy as the dinner time rolled on. He is doing well so far.

It’s a short blog today. Hopefully I will have access to send out the next few blogs. If you don’t see them then you will know I could not get the access I needed. Have a great weekend. See you Monday….hopefully!

Summer in Destin

I love summer. It is because I love warm weather and summer in Destin is warm and humid. With the heat and moisture we get some strong thunderstorms blow through. One such storm hit Destin on Friday evening. Sunshine Cindy and I were sitting at the outside bar at Chips. (The old Sago Sports Bar) We could see dark clouds building coming in off the Gulf. It did not take long for the storm to hit. Strong winds whipped around and rain was pounding down.

Great sunset from Crab Island Cantina

Stephanie was working the bar. She lowered all the storm shelters and we were fine. It lasted for about 20 minutes then it was hot and steamy. Sunshine Cindy and I talked about our upcoming Crab Island Mambo projects. Now that the wedding is behind us we can start to plan for future Mambo events. Stephanie also filled us in on the changes at the bar. The restaurant will now be called The Brick and Spoon. It will be open for breakfast and lunch. Chips is the bar part of the place and will have bar food served till late in the night. Currently they have ½ price drinks all day every day for locals. We will miss Sago but this should also be a good place.

Saturday was a nice laid back kind of day. We had a surprise birthday party for Suzanne. It was held at Julie’s. We swam in the pool, Capt John cooked dogs and burgers on the grill. Jan broke out his guitar later in the evening. It was a fun day and night. Suzanne really appreciated it and she enjoyed herself.

Pool Party

Sunday was a harbor kind of day. Sunshine Cindy was out with Tiff but Wayne met me. We started out at Crab Island Cantina. Greg was working the bar and Blake was getting ready to play on the outside stage. While we were there Kenny and Becky came by and joined us. They had been on the harbor for a while. We had a couple of beers there and moved on. Kenny and Becky were going to Landshark Pizza for some lunch.

Next stop was Harbor Gifts. Sandy was working. They have a new sign that is really neat looking. They have sold a few more Mambo shirts. We will restock them this week. They are also doing coffee and some sundry items early for the boaters now. It makes for long days for them but this is the season.

Harbor Gifts new sign and some Mambo merch

We then headed to The Boathouse. On the way there we saw Tim from Blue Heron Watersports. I talked to Tim for a while then we kept moving on. At The Boathouse Paige took care of us. Being the middle of the afternoon, the place was not too busy. While we were there Maynard came in. Maynard works with me. He had been in Germany on business. He was glad to be home. It turns out Maynard knows as many people as I do. Courtney came out and said hi to all of us as she was just starting her shift.

Next stop was going to be Fishheads but as we passed the Shark Shack we saw Glen, Bruce, James and Brian sitting there. So of course we had to join them. A nice breeze was blowing in off the Gulf helped keep things cooled down a little. Sunshine Cindy called and she was coming to join us. Wayne and I finally made it to Fishheads and Sunshine Cindy was right behind us. Melissa and Becca were working. Melissa thanked us for the write up we did on Fishheads in last month’s Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper. (You can read the article here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-May-2014-edition.html) Al was playing the sax and entertaining the crowd that was walking by. Fishheads is a nice relaxing place.

Wayne and Sunshine Cindy at Margaritaville

We were getting hungry now. We planned to go to Margaritaville. On the walk over we saw Carlos whiz by in his golf cart. He asked if we were going to the Cantina so we said we would meet him there. We had not talked to Carlos since the wedding. We wanted to thank him personally for all he and his staff did for us. We got the chance to do that. I know we helped make for a good week at the Cantina because of the wedding.

Now we made it to Margaritaville. Steve was behind the bar but was just getting off. I had some boneless wings with Jerk sauce on them. It was really good. A decent crowd was coming in for the evening dinner time. With a nice sunset and great views they get a lot of folks in there. Finally it was time to head home and get ready for the work week.

Al and Sunshine Cindy at Fishheads

Most schools are now out and the tourist will descend on Destin in earnest now. It will be twelve weeks of insanity around here. Okay, enjoy your week. See ya Thursday!