Typical Destin Weekend

Sunshine Cindy and I had what you could say was a typical Destin fall weekend. It started out Thursday evening. We decided to head to Hogs Breath for a while. It was a beautiful evening sitting at the outside bar. Cam was working the bar and a bunch of locals were there. With most of the tourist gone the locals dominate the bar stools now. The big news around town Thursday was a huge gator that was caught and brought down to the docks to get weighed. The gator was 11 feet long and weighed 333 pounds. Our friend Jonelle was there when it was brought in. She came into Hogs and told of the excitement on the docks. It drew a crowd from seemingly nowhere to get a look at it.

Jonelle and the gator

We had a fun time at Hogs Breath talking to old friends and making new ones. We got to talking to Andy and his wife Nancy. He owns a heating/air and appliance repair company. Sunshine Cindy used to work for competitors of his in both areas so they had a lot to talk about. A little excitement was the police pulling over a car in the parking lot. With blue lights flashing and a couple more cop cars pulling up it tended to scare off business. LOL

Friday was a day to run errands before we headed to KC’s Sandbar in Ft. Walton Beach for a Parrot Head party. Jan and Kenny provided the music. A good crowd of folks were there as we had another perfect night. Mike and Bev, the owners of KC’s always put on a great party.

That was one  big gator

Saturday was supposed to be a laid back kind of day. We had no plans so we decided to go to the harbor and Harry T’s for brunch. Well Sunshine Cindy and I had brunch and then started an impromptu harbor crawl. We went to Crab Island Cantina, AJ’s, The Boathouse, Shark Shack, Fishheads and finally to the village for a songwriters showcase. We ran into friends every step of the way. We watched football on the new big outside TV at AJ’s. We talked to Matt as he was booking fishing charters. And we met a Nashville music executive who was helping with the songwriters show. She was one of the emcee’s. Pretty cool. We ended the night at Waffle House. We never expected a long day like that but that is what happens in Destin sometimes.

Sunday was a day to relax as it was drizzling most of the day. Julie, Loujean and Jan tried to get us to join them at Miller’s Ale House but Sunshine Cindy and I needed to chill after the past three days. I did order some pizza and wings from Landshark Pizza but that was the extent of our day.

Jan and Kenny at KC's

We are only about four weeks till we have our special Phlocking Raffle Drawing. The drawing will be held during our “Crab Island Mambo Welcome to the Island Party” at Dante’s in Key West on Oct. 29th and you don’t have to be present to win.

You can win a prize package that includes a Canon 16 MP digital camera with 8x zoom and a 4 GB SD memory card. The prize package also includes a Nautica 19” Duffle Bag and a Coleman Tailgater package. The prize package is worth over $500. Here are the details. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/2015-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful-raffle-page.html  Help us put on the Trop Rock Event “Phlocking of the Phaithful” by purchasing some raffle tickets!

Canon Camera

Have a great week! See ya Thursday!!!

Not PBR too

I was reading this week that Pabst Blue Ribbon beer has been bought out by a Russian company. Say it ain’t so. PBR is one of the iconic American Brands that in recent years has made a big comeback. Now it is going the way of Bud, Miller and Coors who are all owned by foreign companies. Thankfully I still have my American owned Yuengling!

Mambo and Yuengling Light

It has been a quiet week around Destin. Work has been busy so we have not ventured out yet. We did miss a birthday celebration for Kenny at KC’s Sandbar last night. I have seen a few pictures and it looks like it was a lot of fun. Sorry we didn’t make it Kenny.

I first moved to Destin in 1999. There was a street that I drove all the time, Kelly Street, which is an east/west road that has the elementary school on it. Back in 1999 Kelly Street was rough and in need of repaving. Here we are 15 years later and the road has never been worked on. It is in really bad shape now. I think this road was last paved when horses were the main mode of transportation. LOL  Well, this stretch of road is finally going to be reworked. I kind of hate to see it change as I think of the history that road has seen. But all the cars won’t mind it being modernized.

Most sports fans are happy football is back but I am really happy that hockey is back this week with training camps open and pre-season games being televised. Hockey is the fastest sport and is great to watch. Tampa is going to have a real good team this year. They surprised a lot of folks last year with a bunch of young guys playing great. This year should only be better…I hope!

Hockey in Florida

Registrations continue to come in for our Trop Rock event in Ohio next year, Phlocking of the Phaithful. Remember you don’t have to be a Parrot Head or member of any club to attend. Everyone is welcome. Click the link for all the details: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-presents-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful.html

Sunshine Cindy and I don’t have much on the agenda for this weekend. We do have a Parrot Head meeting on Friday at KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach. That will be a fun time as always. The rest of the weekend is wide open. No telling what chaos we might get into too! See ya Monday!

Last day of Summer

Tuesday is the first official day of Fall. Where did Summer go? It seems like we were just talking about Spring ending and looking forward to the best time of the year and now it’s over. If you can’t tell, I love Summer.

Well, we tried to keep the Summer party going this past weekend. Friday night Sunshine Cindy and I took Tiffany out to McGuire’s to eat. We sat upstairs and enjoyed a nice breeze and great view of the bay and harbor. The food and drinks were good as usual. Even with the main tourist season being over McGuire’s still had a line waiting for tables by the time we left.

Tiffany and the sunset from McGuire's

From there we went down to the harbor. We walked down to Fishheads. It was national “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and there were many folks dressed up on the harbor. Melissa and Tom, the owners of Fishheads were there and we talked to them for a while. Ken was there with his Great Dane “Baby Girl.” This dog is the size of a small horse but she is so gentle. Josh also had his Great Dane there too. Melissa and Tom are big supporters of the Destin Dog Park so their place is natural for dog owners to congregate on the harbor.

We hung out there for a while people watching and talking to Ken. Sunshine Cindy and I decided to walk down to the Boathouse to see what was going on there. Courtney was behind the outside bar. We got a drink and went in where we saw Kenny, Tommy and Cajun Mike. A little while later Kerby came in. We listened to Jason Clark play and chatted with the guys before heading home for the night.

Ed and Barb on the beach for the cleanup

Saturday was our Crab Island Mambo and ECPHC beach cleanup. It was breezy with nice waves in the Gulf of Mexico. There were tons of folks surfing. We don’t get a lot of good surfing days so they were taking advantage of the conditions. We had a good turnout of people to help with the cleanup and the beach party that followed. The weather was perfect with some clouds that helped keep things cooled down a little. We got home in the late afternoon and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Sunday was a perfect day weather wise. No clouds, low humidity and temps in the upper 80’s. You could not ask for a better day. Sunshine Cindy and I ran several errands in the morning. In the afternoon we went to Landshark Pizza to watch some football. The place was packed but we found some seats at the bar. Jason was working and he introduced us to a friend of his, Lisa. She is from Panama City and is a new Parrot Head member over there. She asked if we knew someone who worked for a car dealership. I knew right away she was talking about our friends Steve and Debbie. That is cool she knows them too.

Crab Island Mambo on the beach

Brian had a special of Brats and Cheese Curds. Sunshine Cindy got the special and loved it. It came with sauerkraut and she was in her glory. It was a fun time at Landshark even if my Browns lost a heart breaker. Oh well, maybe next time. We got home and sat out on the back porch as the sun went down. Our neighbors dogs were out running around so we got to play with them. It was a nice way to close the weekend.

We are getting the 2015 Phlocking of the Phaithful at Put-in-Bay, Ohio registration into full swing with many folks already getting registered for the big party next year. You can join in the fun too. Here is all the information: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-presents-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful.html   We are also accepting sponsors for the event. This is a good way to get some publicity for your business while helping us make the 2015 Phlocking a big success.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!!!

Water Spouts in the Gulf

The Emerald Coast had some unusual weather on Tuesday. We were forecast to have rain all day but it turned into several strong storms hitting the entire coast. These storms spawned several huge water spouts. Water spouts are tornado’s that are over water. There were many photo’s and video’s taken of big water spouts in the Gulf of Mexico off of Navarre and one near Pensacola.

Water Spout

In the 15 plus years I have lived in Destin I have seen water spouts about 7 or 8 times. A couple years ago a water spout formed in the gulf, crossed over Okaloosa Island and went into the bay where it finally dissipated. Most of the time water spouts do not cause any damage and that was the case on Tuesday but they were close to land so there was some anxious moments.

Another Water Spout

On Wednesday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Crust Pizzeria for dinner. Charlie and Brenda were off on a mini vacation so we missed them. Nick took care of us. He had a Saints tee shirt on so I had to give him a hard time about the last two weeks where my two teams beat them. He was good natured about it. I told him my Browns don’t win often so I have to gloat when I can! LOL  The food was good as usual as we had a chance to relax a little.

Last week I mentioned hearing Fisherman’s Wharf was going to close. I saw a report in the paper that said the owners of the property confirmed that on Nov. 1st the Wharf will close and they are not sure what they will do with property next. They mentioned another restaurant or possibly a hotel. I would bet on a restaurant.

Beach party

This is the time of the year we start to see more festivals around our area. This weekend is a BBQ festival at The Landing in downtown Fort Walton Beach and a Latin festival at the Conference Center on the island. In two weeks is the Destin Seafood Festival. They will start to come one right after the other now.

This Saturday we will be hosting a beach clean-up and beach party at Beachwalk #2 on Okaloosa Island with the ECPHC. Everyone is welcome to come out and help us clean up and then party with us the rest of the day. It starts at 9:30 am and goes till whenever we decide to call it quits sometime in the late afternoon. We hope to see a lot of our friends out on the beach. Most of the tourist are gone so this is a perfect time for the locals to come out and play. We will have our Crab Island Mambo Phlocking of the Phaithful raffle tickets with us for anyone that wants to take a chance on winning the $500 plus prize package. See us on the beach for your tickets! http://www.crabislandmambo.com/2015-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful-raffle-page.html

Raffle Ticket

I will have a full report on the weekend fun on Monday. See ya then!!!

Chasin’ The Sun

Sunshine Cindy and I had a great four days on Panama City Beach for the “Chasin’ The Sun” music festival. This was a Trop Rock/Parrot Head/Beach music party. We were able to party with our friends from all over the country. It started out Thursday afternoon at Runaway Island Bar & Grill. The Trop Rock Junkies were playing for the early arriving folks. Sunshine Cindy and I got into town and checked into our room then headed over to the club.

Trop Rock Junkies at Runaway Island Bar and Grill

The place ended up being packed out with partiers. We saw way too many friends to try and name them all. Suffice to say we had a lot of fun. The Junkies did a great show. The food and drinks were good. It was a good start to the weekend. Sunshine Cindy and I ended up at Tootsies for a while. We have been going there since they opened about 5 years ago. The place is always packed now.

Friday was the day everyone was getting into town. We met a bunch of our Destin friends for lunch as they were getting in early. The music was starting at 4 pm. About 3:30 we all decided to head over to the venue at Pier Park. Kenny said he would take us all over in his mini-van. We put 11 people in the van. We were crammed in like sardines. It had to look like a clown car when we all piled out.

Jerry Diaz and Hanna's Reef

The venue was fantastic. It’s a big amphitheater and the sound was perfect. We had VIP tickets so we were right up front. The three musical acts included our friends Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef. It was hot but the sun was going down so that helped. Part of the VIP package included food, a couple free drinks and a cash bar that served strong drinks for a reasonable price. Needless to say a great time was had by all. After the show we went back to the hotel and had a party by the pool until security broke us up.

Saturday started out at Margaritaville with a show by Jerry Diaz. Bud was with him playing the conga’s. It was a good time that included a conch blowing contest lead by the Queen of Conch, Mary Lou. For once Margaritaville actually had some specials for the Parrot Heads. That was nice. I had drove BadAss over with the top down. As the show was ending Joe mentioned how dark it was getting. This was to the east where I could not see it from my seat. I walked out and sure enough it looked like we were going to get a bad storm soon so I put the top up. About 20 minutes later we drove back to the hotel right as a monsoon hit. It did cool things off for a while.

Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band

About 3:30 we headed back to the venue. It was now drizzling a little but it felt good. As Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band were playing it got dark again and we saw lightning off in the distance. We knew that was not good. Sure enough, about an hour into his show they stopped it because of the lightning. We saw the radar and it did not look good for the night. About 10 of us decided to walk to Tootsies to wait it out. Well the storms were all around and they ended up calling off the rest of the nights music. That was a bummer as it was going to be fun with a Jan and Dean and Beach Boys show.

We stayed at Tootsies and had a great time there. I thought I recognized the drummer. During a break I talked to him and it was Thumper who we had meet in New Orleans previously at Tropical Isle. He was playing with a guy that was on the road but he is now the house drummer at Tootsies. His wife was there too they both remembered Sunshine Cindy and I. That was a lot of fun. Thumper is a cool guy. We got back to the hotel about 11 and hung out with our friends till almost 1 am.

Fun at Tootsies

Sunday everyone was moving slow. We had to check out and the music was not starting till noon. We got a late checkout then went to Pompano Joe’s for lunch. It was a HOT day. The sun was beating down. Everyone was looking for some shade to stay cool. I was able to meet Mike Miller. Mike will be playing for us at Phlocking of the Phaithful next year in Put in Bay. We look forward to having Mike and his band on the island. If you want to register for this fun four day Trop Rock event you can do so here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-presents-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful.html

Sunshine Cindy and I stayed till about 2:30 and decided to head home. We missed hearing Mac McAnally. He closed the festival. Our friend Loujean told us she was able to get Mac to autograph her Crab Island Mambo tee shirt. I told her I need a picture of that.

The music festival was a lot of fun. They announced they will do it again next year. They also announced the headliner will be Alan Jackson. How cool will that be. Kudos to the organizers and to the Panama City PHC for making this happen.

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Dollywood to Destin???

Monday was our big debut on the Island Time Radio program. Sunshine Cindy and I were interviewed by DK and Amo and we had a great time. We got to talk about our 2015 Phlocking of the Phaithful Trop Rock event that will be held in Put in Bay, Ohio next June. Island Time Radio has been a big supporter of Phlocking over the years and they continue to help promote the event. Sunshine Cindy and I truly appreciate all they do. You can listen each Monday night at 9 pm EST for the best of the Trop Rock world. http://itrshow.com/

Amo and DK with Dani Hoy

We had a chance to talk about the musicians we have scheduled to perform and how everyone can register for the good times. Put in Bay, Ohio is a unique island but it is perfect for a Trop Rock party. The Phlockers have been partying there for 20 years. Everyone is welcome to register and join Sunshine Cindy and me for this fun four days! You can visit us for information here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-presents-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful.html

Meanwhile back in Destin I have been hearing of more changes. The big plot of land that was bought a couple of years ago by a company owned by Dolly Parton has some activity on it. They have brought in some heavy equipment and are tearing down some buildings. The reports in the paper said the company is tight lipped about any future development but folks that have been to Pigeon Forge recently said the workers up there are talking about the new Destin location. This is a big plot of land and would be perfect for the dinner theater that has been rumored. Is Dolly coming to Destin? We will have to wait and see.

Fisherman's Wharf

I also heard a rumor that Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant down on the harbor is going to close November 1st. If that is true, that would be another old Destin standby shutting down. That is a prime harbor front location so I am sure there are plans in place for something else if the Wharf does shut down.

Also down on the harbor, the new Johnny O’Quigley’s project is underway. Pilings are going into the ground and a lot of work is taking place. This will be a three story building with three distinctive themes on each floor. A lot of money is going into this project. It should be open by the spring. Now if we could just get some parking and an easy way to cross Hwy. 98 without taking our life in our hands we will have it made.

Destin Harbor

Wednesday evening while Sunshine Cindy was packing for our upcoming weekend trip to Panama City Beach I went to Landshark Pizza for a while. Paige, Jason and Austin were working. The place was full with folks enjoying the Wednesday Wing special. I got my fix of their wings and talked to Brian, Bruce, Glen and B. It was a nice relaxing dinner.

Panama City Beach

When I got home Sunshine Cindy was done with the packing. We are going to listen to Trop Rock Music for three days. They will have some of the best in the Trop Rock world plus many members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer band. We have a lot of friends going. It will be a great time on the beach with good friends and good music.

Have a great weekend. I will have a full report on our escapades on Monday!!! See ya then…

Football is back

The sports bars are happy now that football season is in full swing. Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in at Chip’s. This is the old “Sago” in the Palms condo. They have been advertising football game day specials. The NFL had their first game of the season so we stopped in. We saw Mike the manager when we walked in. We also saw big TV’s all around the inside of the place. It was looking pretty much like it did when it was Sago. Mike joked that they have come full cycle now.

We sat at the outside bar. Stephanie was working. She told us she was moving to Colorado in October. Her husband was transferred there. We will miss her. She is a good bartender. There were a few folks sitting at the bar. We talked to a couple from Louisiana who were in town for a few days. They were nice. Sunshine Cindy and I watched some of the game then headed home.

Kenny playing on stage with Jason at The Boathouse

Friday night we went to the harbor. We had a bite to eat at The Crust Pizzeria. Charlie was not there but we did talk to him on the phone. They will get their pasta dishes back on the menu soon. In the summer they just do pizza due to the crowds wanting to get in and out quickly. They have great pasta so we can’t wait for that to come back. From there we walked to Harry T’s. We went upstairs to watch the sunset. As we sat there a couple sat next to us and asked if we were Cindy and Steve. Turns out they are friends with Jim and Betty. They are on the Mambo mailing list so they know all about us. Steve and Becky are from Oklahoma and we enjoyed talking to them.

We then walked down to the Boathouse. As we walked in Kenny and some friends were there ordering. I also ordered some drinks. We looked over and Wayne, Therese and Tommy were at a table. We joined them. A little later Steve and Becky also came and joined us. It was a fun night at the Boathouse as usual. Jason was singing and he even had his little son sing some songs. He might be 5 or 6 and was cute singing with his dad. As we left we saw Rob was playing at Coach’s. We thought about stopping but it was late and I was tired. I talked to Rob the next day and he was out till 3 am. I am glad we went home.

Jason son Dylan playing

Saturday was a boating day. We loaded up BadAss and drove to Sunshine Cindy’s parents. Tiffany and her friend Sara were with us. All six of us loaded into the boat. We planned to cruise for a while then stop for lunch somewhere. Of course it takes forever to get everyone loaded. We backed out into the bayou and started to motor up towards the state park. Jim noticed the temp gauge was climbing. About the same time I could smell something hot coming from the engine compartment. We headed back to the house as the temp gauge was redlining.

Back into the boat house we unloaded everyone and all the stuff. We then checked to see if we were getting water through the engine. We were not. Something is wrong with the impeller. Oh well, that was one of the shortest boat rides ever. We did drive over to The Boathouse in Val-P for lunch. It was really good. Prices over there are much less than Destin. So that part of the day was nice. When we got back home Sunshine Cindy and I went to our pool and hung out for a few hours. It was nice and relaxing.

Sunset over the Destin Bridge

Sunday was a football day. We went back to Chip’s to watch the Browns game. Most of the place was filled up with Saints fans watching New Orleans and Atlanta play. Julie and Loujean also joined us. We had a nice time watching the games and enjoying each other’s company. The Browns got way behind early, came back to tie the game but lost it on a last second field goal. At least they fought back. Meanwhile the Falcons won a nail bitter. It was a great back and forth game. The Falcons are my second team since I lived there for 20 years. It was a good game and I was glad to see them win.

Tonight (Monday) Sunshine Cindy and I will be interviewed on Island Time Radio out of Cleveland, Ohio. We will be talking with DK and Amo about next year’s Phlocking of the Phaithful Trop Rock party. Here is the info on the Phlocking including a link to the Island Time show. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-presents-Phlocking-of-the-Phaithful.html  We will be on about 11:15 pm EST. We hope everyone tunes in tonight and also gets registered for Phlocking.

See ya on Thursday with a report on the interview!

Quiet week in Destin

What a difference a week makes. With Labor Day in our rearview mirror Destin is now back to a sleepy fishing town for a while. Condo parking lots that were full of cars with out-of-town plates now sit empty. The crew at Harry T’s in Harborwalk Village had a celebration on Monday night to mark the end of a good summer season. Now we can all catch our breaths for a while.

HarborWalk Village and Harry T's

The only notable thing I have heard about in town this week is the opening of a new beer garden. This is actually an Airstream Travel Trailer with beer taps. It is located on the harbor behind some buildings that house a water sports rental place and it’s next to Harbor Docks. They will do bar food and have a patio type of area to sit at. We will check it out soon.

Sunshine Cindy and I have been staying in this week so far. I published the Crab Island Mambo Weekly Update. We still have a lot of fun activities taking place in our area. Check it all out here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html

Crab Island Cantina

The biggest thing in the news this week is whether the city should take over a private road because it is in disrepair. Not sure who would agree to that other than the owners of the road who don’t want to pay for the upkeep. Yeah, it’s been a slow news week.

This weekend is the start of the NFL season. College games started last week. All the sports bars will be in full swing. I am sure we will find a watering hole to watch the Browns on Sunday. On the bright side the Browns are currently tied for first place! LOL

No plans for the weekend but somehow we will find something to do. See ya Monday!

Labor Day Weekend in Destin

Well, the weatherman had it all wrong this weekend. All week they were calling for a total washout in Destin with an 80% chance of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We got nothing but sunshine….not that I am complaining! LOL

No rain in sight

Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza. The Browns were on TV so we went to grab some dinner and to watch the game. Steve came in and sat with us. Ryan and Jason were cooking. The place stayed busy. We watched the first half and then caught the rest of the game at home. The Browns looked pretty good too so that was nice.

Friday we spent getting ready for two weekend pool parties. Cindy was cooking up some stuff to take with us while I worked on the Crab Island Mambo monthly recap. Here it is: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/August-2014-Crab-Island-Mambo-recent-events.html

I did make a trip to Julies to drop off a canopy for her party. Dean and Tim were getting a pig prepped for the pig roast. It looked like a great party was in store.

Pig is roasting

Saturday was the pool party at Julies. The weather was perfect. When the forecast was calling for a washout Julie had to cancel a musician she had scheduled. With nice weather Jan set up and played for us. The pig roast was fantastic. Dean can sure cook up some good food. Arrie also came over and made his Jambalaya. Arrie and Dean are real deal Cajuns. It was so much fun getting to see these guys again. The party got off to a great start when Bobby walked in with a blow up rubber ducky around his waist, big blue flippers and a floppy hat on proclaiming he was ready to party. The party was fun and went long into the night.

Bobby is ready for the party!

Then on Sunday we had another pool party. This was at Buz’s house. Another great time was had by everyone at Buz’s too. It was a nice relaxing way to spend the day. This was a laid back party that also went into the night. We have great friends!

Destin was packed this weekend. When we drove over the Destin Bridge on Sunday Crab Island was packed. There had to be a couple thousand boats out there. Cars were everywhere. Folks were having a good time. When we drove home Sunday the crowd around the Emerald Grande and Harborwalk was packed in. People were walking everywhere. The city still has to do something to make this area more pedestrian friendly. It’s only going to get worse. 

Loujean passing around the jello shots

Today the tourist headed home and we will have our city back. I always love this time of the year. The weather is still warm, the water is perfect and you can get around without too much problem. It is locals time again!

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!