Ready for 2016 in Destin

Was Santa good to you this year? We had a good Christmas celebration in our household. Of course Sunshine Cindy cooked too much food. Chaos enjoyed her first Christmas with us. All in all it was a good day.

There has not been too much else going on. I did stop in at Landshark Pizza a couple of times. The first time was when I got off work on Wednesday. I am now off till January 4th too. Then I went back to watch the Browns game on Sunday. They lost again but played better. Other than that, we didn’t get out much due to the holiday.

It was announced today the Emerald Coast Parrot Head club will be holding their monthly meeting at Landshark Pizza starting in January. I think this will be a good marriage between the club and Landshark.

There were a lot of tourist in town for the holiday. I guess a lot of folks want to come to the beach. Our weather has been warm and humid. I know around the country the weather has been strange due to El Nino but I am not complaining about warm weather. We actually have had our air condition running and I had the top down on BadAss3 the other day. Alas all good things must come to an end and we will be back to more seasonal weather by the end of the week.

To all of our friends…Crab Island Mambo wants you to "Embrace the Chaos" but have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve celebration. Sunshine Cindy and I hope your 2016 is the best year yet for you!!! See ya next Monday with a recap of the week.

Merry Christmas!!!

Sunshine Cindy and I want to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas. We hope the holiday season brings you peace and joy.

It was pretty slow around Destin this past week. Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza Friday night for a while but that was about it. I did help Sunshine Cindy mix up about a ton of Trail Mix. It turned out very good too.

There continues to be a lot of new construction around Destin. The extended stay hotel by restaurant row is quickly going up. Same with the new condo on the beach on restaurant row. The other big condo project by Henderson is shaping up as well. This is going to be a huge complex.

There is a new building going up next to the new Goodyear Tire shop in front of Home Depot. It is a new Wendy’s. The original Wendy’s in Destin is old and outdated. This new place is going to replace the old one.

A few years ago a Dolly Parton owned company bought up a bunch of land in Destin off Commons Drive. There were reports a possible dinner theater was going to be built there. That all fell through and the land went back up for sale. This weekend I noticed the land is now listed as “contract pending.” I am curious as who might be looking at this land now. It is a big parcel that could become a major type of attraction. We shall see what develops.

Last week there was a big power outage in Destin. Something blew on a power pole across from Coyote Ugly. The traffic light at the Grande was out and there was no power all the way down to about Hogs Breath. Since the power trucks were taking up the inside lane on the westbound side of 98, the traffic backed up all the way past Big Kahuna’s. I was glad I was going the other way. All the places along the harbor had to close down. It was a weird sight not seeing any lights along that stretch of road.

We had a few days of colder temps but now it’s warming back up. We are projected to be at 78 for Christmas. I will take it!

Everyone have a good holiday. See ya next Monday!!!

Christmas season in Destin

Christmas time in Destin is one of best times of the year. This is small town living at its best. We have snowbirds in town and but it’s mostly locals that are now out and about. This past weekend was the Destin Christmas parade. The entire town turns out for this fun event.

The parade runs from the parking lot at Old Time Pottery west down Hwy. 98 to Stalman Ave. by Whataburger. It’s a long route running almost two miles. The sheriff’s office does a good job moving traffic to the east bound lanes of 98 with the parade going down the west bound lanes. With almost 100 different groups in the parade it takes almost two hours to complete.

Sunshine Cindy and I took Chaos and went to Landshark Pizza to watch the parade. We sat on the front patio giving Chaos a front row seat. One of the funny things that happened was early in the parade. There was a big gap between groups. We could see up the road it looked like a vehicle was having a problem. It turned out it was our friends with the Parrot Head club. They had Jan playing music but there was a problem with the inverter they used for power from the vehicle. So Jan ended up walking along with everyone else. He even took a seat with some of the folks watching the parade at one point. Jan knows how to work a crowd.

When the Parrot Heads went by Landshark, Bobby and Mike ran across the street dodging cars to give us beads. That was funny as everyone at Landshark got a kick out of it. The rest of the parade was a typical small town parade with marching bands, politicians, local businesses and of course Santa coming up the rear in a fire truck.

Sunday was the Destin Boat parade. Each December in the harbor dozens of decorated boats run along the harbor for crowds along the boardwalk and in the restaurants. This year they added a fireworks display at the end of the boat parade. This type of parade honors our waterfront location. It was a fun evening on the harbor.

After the Saturday parade Sunshine Cindy and I stayed at Landshark. Some of our Parrot Head friends came and joined us. Chaos was like a princess holding court on the patio. The weather was perfect. It was in the 70’s and the sun was shining. In fact, it was warm for many days. We actually turned our air conditioner on at home. I loved it.

Friday night we had a Parrot Head meeting at LuLu’s. The club announced the volunteer of the year award will now be dedicated to and called the Capt. John Gardner award. Debbie and Ron were this year’s winners. We lost Capt. John this year but his big heart and generosity will live on with this yearly award.

Yes, I went to watch the Browns again on Sunday at Landshark. But this week they actually won. Johnny Football is looking like a real quarterback now. We might have some light at the end of this tunnel yet. LOL  While I was there Brian and Glen joined me for a while. Glen had some smoked venison he let me try that was really good. A big crowd was there watching all the various games.

The rest of our week was spent with Chaos. She is growing so fast. It seems like almost every day we can see her get bigger. She is a sweet puppy that likes to play like most puppy’s do. Hard to believe we have only had her for a couple of weeks. It seems like she has been a part of our family forever.

There’s not much else new happening in Destin right now. This is a slow time where the locals can come out and play. Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

All Chaos all the time in Destin

Since we picked up our new puppy Chaos, it has been all about her. Chaos is really a smart puppy. She is already learning how to wrap Sunshine Cindy around her paws! LOL  Okay, me too. It is really different having her around the house. We have to keep an eye on her all the time as she is in the chewing stage that all puppies have. Chaos is getting better about letting us know when she needs to go outside so that’s cool. Now I am waiting for when she actually will sleep all night and we will have it made.

We don’t want to leave Chaos home alone yet but we did sneak away for a couple of beers at Landshark Pizza Friday afternoon. When we got back home she was fine and had not destroyed anything. We keep her in the master bathroom with all the doors closed and her bed in there. So far so good. We will see how she does if we have to go for more than an hour or so.

Sunshine Cindy took Chaos down to see our neighbors Saturday afternoon. They have a lab that Chaos has become friends with. Our other neighbors also came and brought their two dogs. It was like a doggy party. We are pleased with how good Chaos is with other dogs.

Sunday I made the mistake of going to Landshark to watch the Browns game. Landshark was fine but the Browns sucked. They looked as bad as I have seen them in a long time. All the beer in the world could not make watching that game bearable. Landshark had a good crowd watching the other various games. The new place seems to be a hit.

I don’t want to jinx anything but we have not had to turn our heat on yet this season. This sure helps the electric bill. The next 10 days look good too with temps about 70 during the day and in the 50’s at night. Even with this I am ready for summer!!!

This weekend is the Destin Christmas parade on Saturday and then the lighted boat parade on the harbor on Sunday. It is always a festive time of the year with these parades. I will say Destin does know how to throw a party!

Not much new around town except the new Dick’s Sporting Goods store should be starting construction soon. Wendy’s Kitchen has had to close for a few months as they relocate further down the shopping center. I have heard good things about Wendy’s Kitchen as they cook up and sell homemade meals to go. They are targeting reopening early February 2016.

And last but not least we are having a super special sale on our Crab Island Mambo tee shirts and tank tops. From now through the end of the year all shirts are 2 for 1 and we are holding the special $15 price. For just $15 you can bring home two of our “Embrace the Chaos!” shirts. http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html  Please be sure to email us before ordering to ensure we have what you want as we are selling out of some colors and sizes.

Have a great week. We hope to see our friends out and about this weekend and we will have a full report next Monday!

Destin holiday season

It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend in Destin. We get a lot of folks come to the beach from places like Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham and many other towns that are a day’s drive away. Traffic was heavy from Wednesday till Sunday when the tourist headed home. This is a far cry from when I first came to Destin in the mid-90’s. I was in town on a Thanksgiving day and could not find any place to eat. The town was deserted. It’s not like that today.

Sunshine Cindy and I spent Thanksgiving at her parent’s house. We had a nice visit as her daughter Tiffany came from Atlanta for the day. The weather was perfect as it was the entire holiday weekend. Mid to upper 70’s during the day with lows at night about 60. Now if it would just stay this way till it warms up again in the spring.

Our big adventure over the holiday happened on Friday. We went to Alaqua to pick up our new puppy. “Chaos” is the latest edition to our family. She was frightened at first but it did not take her long to warm up to us. Feeding and petting her won her over! Lol   Alaqua is a rescue facility and we highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get a new pet for the family. They do a fantastic job saving animals that are unwanted or neglected. Donate to them if you get the chance!

With Chaos becoming a member of the family, a trip to Petsmart happened. I think there is still some merchandize left in the store but not much. We spent a fortune but Chaos is worth it.

We pretty much stayed home the rest of the weekend except for Saturday afternoon. I made a trip down to the harbor. My first stop was at Charlie’s BBB Bar inside Crab Island Cantina. Carlos was there and we had a chance to talk some crap about the Ohio State/Michigan game. Carlos is a Michigan guy and I am OSU. I stayed till halftime and left with the Bucks winning. Charlies is a comfortable bar that will be great when it gets a little colder out.

From there I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the rest of the game. Paige was behind the bar and a good crowd was in the bar area. I ended up talking to a couple of Cajun’s who were in town for the holiday. They are big fans of Landshark and LSU football. It was fun talking to them. The rest of our time was spent with Chaos but we did visit with our neighbors as all the neighborhood dogs were there. We can now fit in. lol

I saw where AJ’s is now serving sushi. I have not heard of anyone who has tried it but it does not surprise me that they are now doing it. Funny but a few years back I remarked to Sunshine Cindy that there was no place on the harbor to get sushi. That seemed strange to me considering we are a fishing village. Not long after that it seemed like one sushi place after another has popped up. Now there are plenty of options for sushi on the harbor.

Whole Foods is on track to open at the Destin Commons next June. They will be in direct competition with Fresh Market just a mile or so away. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as Fresh Market has that niche market to itself right now.

The Donut Hole in Destin is closed for a few weeks. They usually shut down right after Thanksgiving for a few weeks and they are doing it again this year.

Time for a reminder about our Crab Island Mambo Tank Tops and Tee Shirts that we have on sale. You can “Embrace the Chaos” with our American Made shirts for only $15 each. Bring a little bit of Destin to your home to warm up the cold winter days! They make great Christmas gifts too!!! Click here for all the details: http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Getting a new member of the family…

Sunshine Cindy and I are adding to our household. We are getting a puppy. It has been about a year and a half since we had to put down our old pooch and we feel the time is right to now take on a new fur baby. Last Friday we went to Alaqua in Freeport. This is an animal rescue facility and a first class operation. Alaqua is run by mostly volunteers. They take in unwanted, neglected or stray animals. They bring them back to good health and then adopt them out to worthy folks. For us to get a puppy they did a background check on us and even contacted the prior vets we used. If you are ever in the giving mode, please consider donating to Alaqua to help them continue to provide this much needed service.

Thursday evening Sunshine Cindy and I went to O’Quigley’s for some dinner and to watch some hockey. While there we started discussing names for our new puppy. It became comical when I suggested we use a friends last name (Asbell) for the name of the dog. I was not serious and Sunshine Cindy would not do it anyway but I got a good Facebook discussion going about it including the namesake piping in agreement on the name. We will officially unveil the name next week after we pick up our pup.

Brian at the new Landshark Pizza

Friday before we went to Alaqua we stopped in at Hurricane Wings for some lunch. They have good food and Niceville prices. That’s a good combination. After we left Alaqua we stopped to start to buy puppy stuff like a bed and toys. Then we went to check out the new Landshark Pizza on the harbor. They were having a soft opening in a couple of hours but we got a pre-tour from Sue. We said we would be back.

We went down to the Boathouse. We talked to John the manager and found out there is not any remodeling going on at the Boathouse but they are working on the old Dockside next door. It will be opening soon as The Boathouse Upper Deck. It will be a craft beer/sports bar. He said it will be a little nicer and more comfortable than the Boathouse. He is not sure when it will open though.

The Helen Back crew has opened Duck Duck where the old KJ’s used to be. We didn’t stop in yet but it looks interesting. We will stop there next time.

Wayne joined us and we went back to Landshark Pizza. The place was almost full with others checking it out like us. The staff was trying to figure out where everything was at but they were able to get pizza and wings made and drinks served. Just about everyone who ever went to the old Landshark was there. The place is great with a big horseshoe bar in the middle of one room. The pizza ovens are off to the side. Doors take you into more of a dining room. TV’s are everywhere. Big TV’s hang over the bar. They plan to put in a small game room off the main dining area. They have done a fine job with the place. A grand opening should be announced soon.

Jackie and Alan

We actually made one more stop before we headed home. We went to the Legion. While there Kenny came in. That was a surprise. We saw more friends there too.

Saturday was more laid back. I did go back to Landshark. I wanted to see how they were doing on their second day and a football day at that. The place was pretty crowded. Paige was working the bar and keeping everyone in drinks and food. I had a pizza to take home and it was as good as previous ones. From there Sunshine Cindy and I spent the evening at home where I watched the Lightning finally play a good game as they beat the Ducks. Sunday we stayed home to get to-do’s done around the house. Every so often you need a day like that.

When we were in Key Largo a few weeks ago we bought some Code Rum. We know the guy who owns the company that bottles this rum. It’s Made in American and it’s really good. I talked to my friend Bill at Beach Liquor and asked if he could see about getting it. I am glad to say they did. Head to the Destin Beach Liquor at Airport Road and get your bottles. You will be supporting American Made rum!

The Destin Diner is closed for the season. They will be reopening in February. So far it’s only the Diner and Gilligan’s that has closed for the season.

I saw construction equipment next to the new ABC liquor and next to Eglin Federal Credit Union working on some new projects. I have not heard what’s going in either location yet. Pretty soon their won’t be any open land in Destin.

We just had our first cold snap of the season. It got down into the low 40’s last night in Destin. I am ready for summer to come back!

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. See ya next Monday!

We’re Back!

Sunshine Cindy and I are back from our trip to the Keys. We had a great time spending a few days in Key Largo then a week in Key West. We got back to Destin late Tuesday evening and I was back at work and reality on Wednesday morning. While we were gone the episode of Red Tide that was hitting Destin dissipated. It was nasty in Destin when we left with a lot of dead fish and some issues breathing. Glad to say it’s back to normal now.

Destin also got hit with a lot of rain while we were gone. There was some flooding but nothing too serious. I am glad to say since we got back it has been beautiful with warm temps during the day and not too cold at night. I have even had the top down on BadAss3 a few nights coming home from work.

Around town Gilligan’s has closed for the season. They are one of the few restaurants that still close for the winter season. When I first moved to Destin almost 17 years ago just about everyone closed but we are now more of a year round destination so almost no one closes.

Down on the east end of the harbor we have some changes taking place. Landshark Pizza will be moving into their new location next to the Red Door Saloon this week. They will have a soft opening with a grand opening in a week or two. This will be a big place with plenty of TV’s to watch the games while enjoying good pizza, wings and good drinks. They will even have liquor now too.

We have not been to The Boathouse since we got home but I hear they will be closing for some remodeling soon. I will have to get down there to get the scoop. I also understand they have opened the old Dockside Bar with a new remodeled interior but the same good food from The Boathouse. I will have to check this out too.

The old KJ’s building just across from The Boathouse is either open or about to open as Duck Duck (I think that’s the name of it.) Chris from Helen Back is opening this concept. When I first heard about this in the spring he was going to have a food truck outside with drinks inside. I don’t know if that’s still the plan or not. It took them a lot longer to get permits for this location. They tore down the building that was there and built new from the ground up. Someplace else we have to check out. Geeze, we were only gone for 11 days and all kinds of things have changed.

In downtown Fort Walton Beach new owners have taken over the old Luxe Sports Bar. It is now called Buffalo Chips Sports Bar. Their hook is real Buffalo burgers on the menu. I have never had Buffalo and will need to try it.

Back in Destin at the corner of Restaurant Row and Hwy 98 the new extended stay hotel is starting to come out of the ground. It looks like they are not wasting any time and it might be open by the spring judging from the progress they have made.

Sunshine Cindy and I did get out a little this weekend once we got our bearings straight from our trip. Friday night was a parrot head meeting at LuLu’s. We have a full slate of candidates for the parrot head board for next year I am glad to say. The meeting was fun as we relived our trip to MOTM with our friends. We were one of the last ones to leave continuing our tradition of last man standing. LOL 

Saturday we had Sunshine Cindy’s parents over to the house. We had a nice visit with them. We were able to try some Code Rum we brought back from Key Largo. We know the owner of the company who makes this rum and it is really good. I hope we can get it stocked here in Destin at one of our local liquor stores. I have talked to Bill from Beach Liquor and he going to see what he can do. I hope he can get it here in Destin.

Sunday we went to Tailfins to watch some football. We got our usual spot and our friends Ed, Ken, Becky and Don came and joined us. The Browns sucked but we still had a good time. We went to Landshark Pizza after the game and had a chance to talk with Brian about the upcoming move. He is excited but also nervous as this is a big undertaking. Just after we got there Alan and Jackie came in. They are our snowbird friends from Illinois. They got into town the day we left for the Keys so this was our first chance to see them. They are good friends and we are glad they are back!

That’s about it for now. Enjoy your week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Happenings

Sunshine Cindy and I had a quiet few days in Destin. We did get out a little though. Friday afternoon we headed to The Back Porch restaurant for lunch. Julie joined us as we sat outside overlooking the water. It was a gorgeous day with the aqua blue water contrasting with the blue sky. The food was excellent as usual. We were surprised how crowded the place was for a late afternoon. There are still a lot of tourist in town I guess.

When we left we decided to stop in at the bar at the Palms to see what was going on there before heading home. There was one guy sipping on a beer at the bar but it started to fill up as residents were getting off work. Tommy came in and we talked to him. He told us Daniel and his girlfriend JoJo were back in town. Daniel is the percussionist for the Zac Brown Band and we had met him a few weeks earlier. They did come to the bar and greeted us like long lost friends. Daniel just finished a leg of the ZBB tour and he was now spending a week in Destin. It was great seeing them again.

Shannon came in. We asked her if the Sand Bar on the beach was still open as she manages it. She told us this weekend was the last weekend they would be open. We almost stopped in too.

There was a couple from New Orleans at the bar that we talked with. They own a few units at The Palms and were enjoying a weekend in Destin. They were nice folks.

Speaking of folks from Louisiana…A major brew-ha-ha erupted during the week about some LSU fans not being seated at Harry T’s for the Florida game the previous week. It had something to do with Harry T’s being the home to a Florida alumni association and those people not wanting LSU fans in their area. Anyway, this blew up into a major PR disaster for Harry T’s when someone in management went on Facebook and blasted LSU fans. That was not a smart thing to do. Harry T’s tried to minimize the damage but it was too late. People from Louisiana come to Destin in droves and right now Harry T’s is on their “stay away” list! Textbook case of how not to run a business.

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t do too much. She went to get her nails done we did breakfast at the Waffle House but other than that, I spent most of the day doing some computer work and watching sports. Ohio State looked as good as they finally played up to their potential with J.T. at quarterback. The Tampa Bay Lightning had a tough overtime loss to Chicago. We just can’t seem to beat those guys.

Sunday I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns game. I should have saved my time and money…they sucked. But Brian had the smoker going and smoked a bunch of wings. They were fantastic too. Sunshine Cindy stayed home getting ready for our trip to the Keys. We head south next weekend. Can’t wait…

I talked to Sue about when the new Landshark Pizza will open. She said it looks like sometime in the middle of November. They have extended their current lease for one month so they should be good to go with the move. Sue is excited as she is meeting her sisters in New Orleans next weekend for Halloween. They will have a blast for sure.

This is the last week of the fishing rodeo and soon the snowbirds will start to come to town. Our friends Alan and Jackie get here next week. We are looking forward to seeing them when we get back from the Keys!

I will most likely not publish a blog next week but will be back on track the following week with a full update on our trip. See ya then!

Cooler temps invade Destin

I know some parts of the country had some snow over the weekend so I won’t make a big deal out of it but we had some low temps in the 50’s Saturday and Sunday mornings. Yes, I am complaining. I don’t like cold weather. I want Summer to come back!

There was a lot going on in the area this past weekend with the Mullet Festival in Niceville, Southern Drawl Band in the area and a craft beer fest at Baytowne Wharf in San Destin. Sunshine Cindy and I took it easy though. Friday evening we stayed in hanging out on our back porch listening to Trop Rock music while having a few beers. Our neighbors came over for a while too. It was a gorgeous night and very relaxing. 

On Saturday afternoon we headed to the harbor and The Red Door Saloon. We wanted to get out for a while. A big crowd of locals had the bar full. College football was on and the beer was cold. We had some food and enjoyed the atmosphere at the bar. When we left we went back home and ended up watching some football and hockey on the TV. Both Tampa in hockey and Ohio State in football won their games.

On Sunday we finally got to see our friends with Southern Drawl Band perform. They had been playing in Pensacola and Navarre but on Sunday they were back at Crab Island Cantina. Opening for Southern Drawl Band was Kitty Steadman and Melanie Howe. Kitty is an up and coming country music star. Melanie is one of the most versatile percussion players in the business and they did a great show. Folks were stopping and staying at the Cantina to listen to them.

Then Southern Drawl Band did another one of their fantastic shows. These guys are so much fun and fantastic performers. We had a good crowd there to party with us. Folks were up and dancing from the first song to their last song. The band is heading south this week with shows in Tampa, Punta Gorda and then to Key West for almost a month of shows. Be sure to check them out!

Speaking of Crab Island Cantina…They will be closed for about two weeks starting November 1st. Above their kitchen is The Veranda. This space is being turned into several condo units. The construction will impact the kitchen as new piping will need to be run so the Cantina will be temporarily closed a couple weeks.

We also noticed the Harbor Shack is closed. Harbor Shack is next to the Boathouse. Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in there on several occasions this past year. It had been fixed up nice, they had the Big Red Truck selling food in the parking lot and it was a great people watching spot. I don’t know if they are closed for good or just for the season. It sure looks like it is closed for good though.

It was nice seeing Barry this weekend. Barry is a longtime friend of Wayne’s from Cincinnati who came down to Destin for a visit. We have not seen Barry in about 3 years. I think one of these days he might move to Destin. He loves it here.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Tourist still in Destin

Destin had another busy week with plenty of tourist still in town. It must have been Fall Break in some areas as there were a lot of families with kids here. As an example I stopped in at The Crust Pizzeria to talk to Charlie. There were two big groups of families in there eating pizza and pasta. You can tell they were tourist as they were talking about going to play putt putt and walk along the beach. Destin is becoming a more year round destination now.

Speaking of Charlie and The Crust, he has opened another location in Mary Ester next to the mall. He said they are doing well as that location caters to local residents in the area. With his satellite location outside AJ’s and this new place, Charlie is starting to put together a pizza empire!

Friday night the ECPHC held its monthly meeting at LuLu’s in Destin. A big turnout of almost 100 parrot heads partied with a purpose. We packed out the inside bar area but the rest of LuLu’s was also full. They seem to be doing very well since they opened.

On Saturday I wanted to go watch the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game. They had a day game that started at noon. I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the game and Sunshine Cindy joined me a while later. Glen was being trained as a new cook. Both Brian’s were there and Austin came in about the time the game ended. The Lightning won too! Plenty of college football games were also on. Having so many sports to choose from is a guy’s dream! LOL

We hung around Landshark for a while sitting outside. Brian sat with us and we talked about the new Landshark. They are about a week behind schedule on the build out but that’s not too bad. They should be opening in their new location around the end of this month. It’s an exciting time for Landshark as they are hiring new cooks and servers as they prepare to make the move to this bigger place. They will have a full bar too so they are also hiring bartenders. It will be cool to have them on the harbor.

On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I decided to go to Tailfins to watch the Browns game. We have some friends who are Ravens fans and that was the team the Browns were playing. We knew they would be there and we would have a fun time rooting back and forth. They did show up and we all had a fun time. The Browns actually won so I had bragging rights. I don’t get to gloat too often. We also saw a bunch of friends there. Cheryl was our server, Wayne, Tommy, Kerby, Rhett and others were there watching games. The view is perfect at Tailfins and it’s a fun place to watch the games when you have a nice day.

Don’t forget we still have our Crab Island Mambo tee’s and tanks on sale. Get your own slice of Destin before they are gone! http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Stay-Cation in Destin

This was a wild and crazy week in Destin. It started with a monsoon. Last Monday it rained in Destin. I mean it REALLY rained…like 12-14 inches of rain in about a ten hour span. It had been pretty dry around here but that was ended quickly. We received some rain in the early hours of Monday morning but it was mostly dry as I drove to work. Then about 10 am it started to rain. Heavy rain would be followed by monsoon rain then back to heavy rain. By the time I left for home from work there were reports of flooding all around. The normal areas that flood were once again under water like in front of the new Holiday Inn on the island. But then I saw places like the parking lot for the Gulfarium under water and ponds overflowing I knew it was bad.

Driving across the island was an adventure. At times I could not see more than a few feet in front of me the rain was coming down and blowing so hard. I stayed on Hwy. 98 all the way to Airport Road figuring it would be better than getting on some of the back roads. It was a great strategy until I had to turn left onto Airport Road. The intersection was flooded but I was committed and made it through.

From the Destin Log

The next problem I knew was going to be my sub division. We flooded out two years ago and I figured it to be bad this time. I made it home but the streets were underwater. At least it was not onto the sidewalks yet. About a half hour after I got home the water was rising. It got about half way up our driveway before the rain stopped about 9 pm. If I had been coming home that half hour later I would have had to park at the office complex and walk in the water and rain home. Glad I didn’t have to do that!

I also saw some pictures posted on line about 8 pm showing the Airport Road intersection completely flooded out and cars stuck. It was a rough time but Destin survived! When I left for work Tuesday morning it was actually dry on the road in our neighborhood. Wow!

I did see the funniest thing on my way home during the storm. I was sitting on the downslope of Brooks Bridge stopped for the light when a big blow up shark came blowing across the road. It blew away from Alvins Island but it looked real as it was dodging cars and just kind of “swimming” along! Lol It must have ended up at High Tide.

This past weekend was the annual Destin Seafood Festival. This festival has grown into one of the largest in the area. Over 70,000 people visit the festival during the three days. The entire area along the harbor from Crab Island Cantina to the Yacht Club is crowded with vendors and musical acts. Our friends the Southern Drawl Band was the Saturday night headliners for the festival. But the band also had other shows in town.

Friday night they were at KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach. The weather was cold (okay, cold for us Floridians) with temps in the 60’s and the wind blowing hard. But we still had a fun time. The show they did on Saturday at the festival was off the hook. They played for two hours and that time flew by. The guys made a lot of new fans that night. Then on Sunday they were at Crab Island Cantina for a show. The festival was winding down as they did another fun show. Check them out when you can…Southern Drawl Band.

Our mini Stay-Cation actually started on Thursday evening. Sunshine Cindy and I went to World of Beer for a benefit for Alaqua animal rescue shelter. Rob Roman’s was playing for the benefit. Two dollars from each beer sold with a dog in the name went to Alaqua. This was our first time getting to hear Rob and we really enjoyed his music. We had some good beer, good food and was able to help raise some money. That made it a nice evening.

One of Destin’s great attractions is the Legendary Marina building at the foot of the Mid-Bay bridge with the whales painted on the building. This was painted by world famous artist Robert Wyland. There are only 100 of these large scale marine life murals that Wyland has done around the world and Destin has one. Wyland is back in Destin refreshing the five acre mural and adding to it. A little known fact is Wyland painted a giant American Flag on the top of the marina so the pilots from Eglin AFB can see it every time they go out for training missions. That’s way cool.

In the small world department, a friend of Wyland’s who came up to Destin with him from Punta Gorda is also a fan of the Southern Drawl Band. She was at the show at KC’s on Friday and at the seafood festival on Saturday. Yep, a small world indeed.

Over in Fort Walton Beach the city has bought the building that housed the Brooks Bridge BBQ. The city is always looking to add parking to the downtown area and bought this property when the owners decided it was time to retire. They will raze the building and add more parking in the next few months.

In Destin at the Commons they have announced a new hotel will be built. They didn’t say who was going to operate it but construction is to start soon.

Don’t forget we still have our Crab Island Mambo tee’s and tanks on sale. Get your own slice of Destin before they are gone! http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

No Super Moon over Destin

The entire country was excited to see the Super Moon on Sunday evening but it was not to be in Destin. We had scattered clouds all day but by the time the moon was rising (no, it was not a bad moon rising either) the clouds were thick. We had about a five minute period where the moon was visible but that was all. It was impressive for that five minutes though.

Sunshine Cindy and I had a laid back kind of weekend. Friday evening we went to KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach for the parrot head phlocking. Jan was playing for us and we had a good time. It was good seeing Matt and Tia behind the bar keeping everyone stocked up on drinks. Steve, Dottie, Mark, Stephanie, Ann, Cajun Mike, Terry, the Linda’s…and a cast of dozens more were there having a good time.

The KC’s complex is adding a new establishment. TASTE Tapas & Wine Bar is going into the old Fokkers location. Fokkers has moved across Hwy. 98 so that opened the location for Mike and Bev to take it over. TASTE will be doing a soft opening this week. Mike let us tour the new place and it’s awesome. This will not be a highbrow kind of wine bar but more like your living room. When added to the Sandbar, the sports bar and Tapworks for craft beer the KC’s family of establishments has all the bases covered for your eating and drinking fun.

I started out Saturday with a relaxing bike ride. The beach was beautiful and the water was calm. What a great way to start a day. In the afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza. I needed to get my pizza fix taken care of. We watched the Ohio State game while others were watching various other games. Pop and Jenny were there. Glen came in and sat with us. Jason, Brian, Ryan, Hailey and Jeanette were all working. The place stayed busy.

We had a tourist lady from Mississippi come in and sit next to us. She was asking about the LSU game (they won) and enjoying a weekend away in Destin. She left and a couple of tourist from Atlanta took over those seats. This time of the year everyone talks college football and they were no different. It’s a fun time of the year.

Sunday we went to Sunshine Cindy’s parent’s house to watch the Browns game. We should not have wasted our time. They didn’t play good at all. Oh well, there is always next week.

We had a bunch of our friends go to Panama City Beach this weekend for Chasin’ the Sun music festival. Saturday night Alan Jackson was the headliner. Our friends all had a great time. They did remark how Margaritaville was closed by 10 pm when the concert was letting out. No wonder the Margaritaville chain is having problems.

Our friend Charley is opening a second Crust Pizza location. This one will be in Fort Walton Beach next to the mall by McDonalds on Page Bacon Road. Sunshine Cindy and I love going to the Crust location in Destin. They have great pizza and pasta dishes. I know the new Crust will be just as good. I will check it out and give a full report soon!

Down on the Destin harbor the old Electric Cowboy (and Capt. Dave’s before that) two story brick building will be re-opening this week. Harbor House Destin is a restaurant / bar / nightclub / live music venue that will feature New Orleans style cuisine and cocktails. They will have a soft opening this Thursday with Robert Wayne playing then Friday Ron Adams will be on stage. It will be interesting to see how another big club does in this town.

This weekend is the big Destin Seafood Festival. The entire harbor area will become the place to be with over 70,000 people converging there to eat, shop and listen to music. Our good friends, the Southern Drawl Band will be playing the main festival stage on Saturday night starting at 8 pm. Get there early for a good spot to watch SDB rock the festival.

Southern Drawl Band will also be playing at KC’s Sandbar on Friday night starting at 9 pm and at Crab Island Cantina on Sunday starting at 5 pm. Check these guys out. They are great!

We still have plenty of Crab Island Mambo tee’s and tank tops plus the three long sleeve shirts still on sale. “Embrace the Chaos” with your own Crab Island Mambo shirts!!! http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday with a full recap of the good times.

Destin Florida - Living and Playing Blog

Wow, what a great week Sunshine Cindy and I had. It started out last Monday evening at Crab Island Cantina’s new bar, Charley’s BBB. (Beer, Burgers and Bourbon!) You can add sports to that too as they have tons of TV’s and the sports packages. They were having a soft opening and we got invited to attend. Julie joined us for a fun evening. We tried some burgers that were great as well some of the other appetizers they have. With many different types of bourbons and craft beers, this place is going to be a big hit. Charley’s is the inside bar at the Cantina. Go check them out.

Friday night we went across the bay to visit Sunshine Cindy’s parents. They had returned from a trip to Minnesota. They had a good time visiting family and friends but they were glad to be back home in paradise. It was a nice visit we had and they had some fresh apples for us too.

Saturday was a typical Destin day down on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy and I started out at the Red Door Saloon. They have upgraded their menu at the Red Door. They used to only have hot dogs but now have a full range of bar food. It’s good and the beer is still some of the cheapest in town. Kyle was behind the bar taking care of us. We got to talking about football. Kyle is originally from Cincinnati so we had fun with me bring a Browns fan.

Wayne joined us. He had been in Cincinnati a few weeks before and promised to bring us a can of Skyline Chili. Everyone in Cincy loves Skyline Chili. Well, he had the can with him so I had to show Kyle what we got. He joked we better not turn our back or he would take the can…he loves that chili that much. LOL  While at the Red Door we saw some biker friends we have not seen in many months. We also talked to Bruce who is the weighmaster for the fishing rodeo. The rodeo runs the entire month of October and Bruce is there every day. He is ready!

Now this is where the typical harbor crawl part begins. We decided to walk down to Charley’s. On the way we talked to Jonelle who was working a charter booth. Then we ran into Missy who was also hanging out. At Charley’s we got “our” table and enjoyed some food and drinks. Carlos came out to see us and he made us some Enamine. It was really good. I will have it again. We watched some football and enjoyed being in air conditioning as it was pretty warm out.

As we left Charley’s Renee was having dinner at the Cantina. Her husband is now the chef for the Cantina. Good for them. As we walked back down the harbor we noticed Shark Shack and Hooks were both closed. Turns out they didn’t have any water. What a tough day to be closed as there was a lot of people walking the harbor. We went on and stopped at the outside bar at Tailfins. A lot of people were inside watching college football but we pulled up a couple of chairs to enjoy the fresh air.

As we sat there Bobby walked by. Bobby is a Cajun who was celebrating the LSU victory. Not too much later Skip and Brenda also walked by and talked to us. Wayne joked that is seemed like we knew almost everyone that was out on the harbor. And that’s what makes it a typical Destin harbor stroll day.

From there Wayne headed home and so did Sunshine and I. But we decided to make one final stop at The Palms to see what the bar situation was like now that Brink and Spoon was closed down. The inside bar was not open but the outside back bar was. A big crowd of regulars were there. Tommy, Shannon and others we knew by sight but not name were all there having a good time. Now we know we can still get a drink there if we want to.

Sunday was a little more subdued but not by much. I wanted to once again watch the Browns game. We went back to Tailfins to watch the game and had the same table as we had the previous week. The view of the harbor makes watching the game from Tailfins so cool. You have the water and boats on the harbor and the football game at the same time. You can’t beat that. And the Browns won too! That was icing on the cake. As the game was winding down Ken and his lady came to watch the Ravens game that was coming on next. We stayed for a while with them then headed home so I could be ready for the upcoming work week. All in all we had another great week in Destin.

I did hear some news about a new chain store that is coming to Destin. The shopping center that has Bealls and Bealls Outlet will soon have a Dick’s Sporting Goods store. This is supposed to be a 50000 sq ft store. The shopping center will undergo a major rebuild to accommodate Dick’s. Several of the retail outlets that are currently there will either move or be bought out of their lease. The Vietnamese restaurant will be closing. I don’t know what is going to happen to Wendy’s Kitchen. They seemed to be doing well. There is also a car rental and gulf cart place that I don’t know about either. The dentist is being relocated by Dollar Tree. Yep, more changes for Destin.

Don't forget we have our Crab Island Mambo tee's, tank's and long sleeve shirts on sale. Here's all the details and how you can order your own piece of Destin! http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Cooler temps come to Destin

The Destin weather has turned to a more fall like situation. Saturday we had a front come down from the north dropping our low temps into the 60’s and lowering the humidity too. It really felt chilly Sunday morning as I went for a bike ride. I rode over 11 miles enjoying the lack of humidity.

There was a lot going on this past week. Labor day I went down to the harbor to hang out for a while. Wayne joined me. The first stop was Crab Island Cantina. I wanted to see if they had their new sports bar, Charley’s, open yet. It was not open but Judie let me go in and look around. It’s going to be a nice place to watch the games. They are going to have the three B’s…Beer, Bourbon and Burgers! The official grand opening is Tuesday September 15th.

Wayne and I then walked down to Tailfins. He had not been there yet. We sat at the downstairs bar. Johnny the owner came by and we talked to him for a while. It was a nice time there. We made one more stop at Harry T’s. Red was just finishing up behind the bar but I got to say hello.

Thursday night was a fun evening. We had our friend Jerry Diaz from Texas playing at LuLu’s. He had Mark and Bobby join him. Mary also came with Jerry. We had a big crowd show up with over 50 people there eating, drinking and dancing. I hope LuLu’s brings in more of our Trop Rock musicians. While there Sunshine Cindy and I ran into Rick and Jane. We have not seen them in over a year. They moved to Kelly Plantation and seemed to fall off the radar. It was great seeing and talking to them again.

Friday was a kind of laid back day. Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza in the afternoon. I needed to get my wing fix! Sue was working with Bryan. Pop and Jenny were there and we got to talk to them for a while. As it started to get towards dinner time Paige, Courtney, Austin and Ryan all came in to work. They are all like family now. “B” came in and sat with us then finally Steve also came in. Landshark is like our own Cheers! Oh yeah, I got the wings with a Cajun dry rub and they were awesome!

When we left Landshark we decided to stop in at The American Legion for a short while. Kathleen was working the bar. There was only one other couple there. Her name was Cindy but I can’t remember his. They are boaters who will be cruising down to Key West in a few weeks. We plan to look them up when are down there in November. It was fun talking to them.

Julie lives right across the street from the Legion. She came and joined us. We all sat around solving the world’s problems. LOL  We left as karaoke started and the place was filling up. Sunshine Cindy and I spent the rest of the evening on our porch enjoying the night.

Saturday was our last Crab Island Mambo / ECPHC beach cleanup of the year. Well that cold front that came through brought rain and wind so I had to cancel the cleanup. So Sunshine Cindy and I ended up staying home all day relaxing. It’s nice to do nothing once in a while!

Sunday was the first big NFL game day. Sunshine Cindy and I went to Tailfins to watch the Browns. We wanted to be someplace outside where we could enjoy the beautiful day but still have the games and other fans to interact with. We had a fun day at Tailfins even if the Browns sucked. While there Kelly came through then later Sheri also came through. It’s fun catching up with friends. As the second games started Ken and his wife joined us at our table to watch the Tennessee game. At least their team played well and won.

We made one more stop at the Rotten Apple before we headed home. Tommy was there and Traci was working the bar. All in all it was a great Sunday.

The new condo that is going up by Henderson Park just down from the bowling alley is starting to take shape. It’s going to be a big complex just steps to the beach.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Holiday weekend in Destin

Destin had its last big tourist weekend of the summer season. The town was packed out again but this time it was only for a couple of days. Today, most everyone is heading back home and the locals will come back out of hibernation.

Sunshine Cindy and I stayed very active with friends and family. Friday Sunshine Cindy and Tiff went to Landshark Pizza for a while. They had some wings and talked to Brian and Sue. Sue was celebrating her birthday that evening at Harry T’s. A big party helped her get over the shock of turning 50. LOL 

Saturday was the yearly pool party that Julie throws. The weather was threatening but the Destin Dome held. Thunderstorms were all around but they would break up at they got to Destin. The party was a lot of fun as usual.

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Hogs Breath in the afternoon to hang out for a while. Cam was working the outside bar. It was good seeing him again. We had some dinner, a few beers and watched the traffic on 98. It’s amazing what you see sometimes.  At one point a guy in the backseat of a car was waving a beer out the window toasting those of us at the bar. Okay, an open container is one thing but showing it off will get you in trouble. Lucky for him there were no cops around.

Then we saw a car stopped in the traffic when the driver got out to get something out of the truck. I don’t think it was a beer. Finally a group of 5 bikers decided to not sit in the traffic and rode on the sidewalk to get to Hogs. Granted it was only the sidewalk in front of the building and no pedestrians were there but again…something you don’t see every day.  But we had fun as it was mostly locals there.

Sunday evening we were home and got to listen to the concert from the Mattie Kelly Arts Center. The Heather Hayes Experience band was performing and we could hear them like we were front and center. Heather is the daughter of Isaac Hayes. It was a good show. Sunday evening was also the last fireworks show of the season at the harbor. We heard at Hogs Breath the fireworks barge broke free and ran into a sail boat and a couple other boats during the day. That must have been like trying to corral a semi-truck. No one was hurt and the fireworks went off as planned. 

It will be back to work for a few days this week then a big weekend of fun is planned. Jerry Diaz and his trio will be playing at LuLu’s this Thursday evening from 6-10 pm. The parrot heads will be back at LuLu’s on Friday night. And Saturday is our Crab Island Mambo and ECPHC last beach cleanup of the season on the island at beachwalk #2. Come out and join us!

Don’t forget we still have our special on Crab Island Mambo tees, tank tops and a couple long sleeve shirts. Any size or style just $15! Click here for all the details: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

No hurricane in Destin this week

It’s been ten years since the last hurricane hit Destin. We have more hurricane free days ahead of us too I am glad to say. Tropical Storm Erika fizzled out over Cuba. The last track had it coming right up Main Street in Destin but we all know how those things change. Anyway, RIP Erika…glad we didn’t get to know you!

Sunshine Cindy and I had another good week. Thursday I went to see the best chiropractor in Destin, Dr. Payne. I have been going to see him for years and I always leave feeling great. Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I sat on our back porch listening to Trop Rock music and having a few beers. Life is good in Destin. 

Friday Sunshine Cindy went to World of Beer with her Mom and Tiffany. While they were enjoying some lunch and beers, I headed out for some errands. Buy some booze at Beach Liquor, check. Get some groceries, check. Stop in at The Crust Pizzeria to see Charlie, uncheck. Charlie was not there but I still had a slice of pizza and a beer. Charlie is busy getting ready to open a new location in Mary Ester by the mall. Charlie has great pizza. I hope he does well.

When I left the Crust I stopped in at Landshark Pizza. I wanted to make sure everything was good to go for our football party on Saturday. Brian and Sue had everything under control. I hung around for a while having a couple PBR’s and then headed home.

Sunshine Cindy got home about the same time I did. We decided to head to our pool for the evening. We could have gone to a parrot head meeting in Niceville but we were comfortable and wanted to relax by the pool. We had a good time swimming and our parrot head friends all had a good time too. They were at Dockside then a bunch of them went to the Boathouse in Val-P. It ended up with about 15 or so people there. You never know where a party might break out around here!

Our Crab Island Mambo football party at Landshark was a blast. Sunshine Cindy and I got there about 12:30 and we didn’t leave till almost 9 pm. Jan and Kenny played music, we had a the football drawing, Brian had brats and butts on the smoker….it was a fun day that was capped by a big group sitting outside with the Browns game on the TV. Oh yeah, the Browns beat up Tampa Bay for the win.

Sunday was one of those days where you have an unexpected good time. I started the day with a morning bike ride. The beach was beautiful. So when I got home, Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to Tailfins on the harbor for brunch. We were on the third floor with a great breeze. While there Tommy and his Dad, Capt. Browning came in. Capt. Browning has been a boat captain in Destin forever. He is one of the original’s.

Just as they came in, a couple of friends of Tommy also came in. It was Daniel de los Reyes and his lady. Daniel is the drummer for the Zac Brown Band. Tommy was helping them with reservations and such for their vacation. Daniel was a great guy. We all sat around and had a few beers for about an hour as Daniel asked questions about Destin and told stories from the road with the band and Capt. Browning told stories about life in Destin on the water. The hour seemed to go by in about 5 minutes. It was so much fun being a part of that. Like I said, you never know what to expect in Destin.

Daniel and his lady left to go on a helicopter ride. Tommy and Capt. Browning went down to the docks. Sunshine Cindy stayed back for a while. We were glad we did as our friend Larry came in. We chatted with him for a few minutes. Finally it was time to head home to put the weekend to bed!

Around town I noticed construction has started on the building at the corner of Restaurant Row and Hwy. 98. This is supposed to be some kind of extended stay hotel. The condo on the beach on Restaurant Row is starting to come out of the ground. This was one of the last open spaces on the beach. Oh well, progress I guess…

One more big weekend of tourist traffic coming up. Labor Day is the last big hurrah of summer. Then it’s time for football and cooler weather. Have a great week. See ya Monday!

Living in Destin

We had another great week in Destin. The weather is the same as it’s been all Summer….hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms. Our tourist season has ended which means traffic is now not a pain like it had been. It makes it so nice to drive home and not sit in traffic. We joke that now the locals are coming back out of hibernation.

I spent a part of the past week working on a new video project. Sunshine Cindy and I videotaped our last two Trop Rock Music shows at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy did the speaking and did a great job for her first time winging it like that. I had some tape of the musicians and of the Cantina. Here is the link to the YouTube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AuTJbRGNg

                                                                                                                                                                         
We plan to do more of these and I hope my video production skills improve. LOL  This is another way to show off our great area, the music and of course some of the fine establishments that we like to frequent.

Saturday night was a “girls night out.” Sunshine Cindy joined Julie, Brodie, Brenda, Kathy and a couple of other ladies for dinner then a play in Fort Walton Beach. They had dinner at Olive Garden in Fort Walton Beach where they said the food was good but the service sucked. I guess the server acted like she didn’t want to be there. They then headed to the Civic Center for a Stagecrafters presentation of “Nunsense.” They all had a good time.

While they were there I went to Landshark Pizza to hang out for a while. Ken was there getting 4 pizza’s to take home for a party he was having. Ken now has a second Great Dane. This is just a puppy but he said she is very well behaved. Ken must have a big house to have two Great Dane’s!

It was good to see Hailey back working at Landshark. She is back for the weekends. While there I had a small pizza and some PBR’s. That is a great combination!

Sunday morning I rode my bike to the beach. The Gulf of Mexico looked absolutely beautiful as the water was a vibrant aqua color. Seeing that makes me appreciate living here all the more.

I have received word about a new place opening called Fat Catz. I have not been able to determine where it’s going to be located yet but it will be somewhere on the harbor. I am thinking it might be in the old Capt. Dave’s building. As I get more info on it I will pass it along.

We want to invite everyone to come out this Saturday to Landshark Pizza to party with Crab Island Mambo and Landshark Pizza as we present our ATSHTF Football Drawing Party. It will be from 2-6 pm. Jan Patton will be playing music. We will also, for $10 each, let you do a random drawing to pull an NFL team name out of a hat. If your team goes no to win the Super Bowl you win the pot. It’s just a fun way to get into the football spirit. Brian is also firing up the smoker and will do brats to go along with their pizza and wings. We hope all of our friends come out and “Embrace the Chaos” with us.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Love living in Destin…

Sunshine Cindy and I love our life in Destin. There is never a shortage of things to do around here. This past week was no exception.

It started on Friday afternoon. We stopped in at Landshark Pizza for a cold beer or two after running some errands. Both Sue and Brian were there. They have officially signed the new lease for their new location on the harbor. They are shooting for an October 17th grand opening. The new design is almost done and the contractors are ready to get to work. It’s an exciting time for Landshark Pizza!

When we left Landshark we headed to LuLu’s for a parrot head get-together. We had another big turnout of over 100 folks. It looked like we might get rained on but we only got a brief shower as we pulled up then it was beautiful the rest of the night. The only downer was LuLu’s only had two bartenders working and they were run ragged. When will establishments learn they are losing money by not having enough staff when the parrot heads show up. Oh well, we still had a blast!

Saturday was our third beach cleanup of the year. There were thunderstorms around as I headed to the beach but they stayed out over the Gulf of Mexico all day. It was actually a great day as the clouds kept the temps down and a nice breeze blew all day. It was very comfortable out there. A good group of almost 20 people showed up. We cleaned up the beach and then partied the rest of the day. It was fun as always relaxing on the sand.

Saturday evening Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in at Johnny O’Quigleys for some dinner. We got there before the dinner rush. We are stopping here more often. They have all the sports on dozens of TV’s, good food and cold beer! By the time we left, the place was pretty full with the dinner crowd. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home.

Sunday we went to Crab Island Cantina. We helped get Trop Rock musician Paul Roush booked for a show there. He played from 3-7 and put on a great show. We had a fun group of friends show up for the show too. The Cantina was real busy with folks coming and going. It looks like their sports bar, Charlies, will be opening next weekend. I am looking forward to checking it out.

When Paul was done with his show Wayne, Paul, Paula, Sunshine Cindy and I all went to the Boathouse. Rusty was playing to a packed house. There were some Ohio State fans there so Rusty did Hang on Sloopy, the unofficial OSU fight song. The fans were up doing the O,H,I,O routine. I was doing it from my seat and then the next thing I know they dragged me up to do it with them. I am glad I could provide some entertainment to everyone! LOL 

Destin has some of the best lifeguards in the country and they recently proved it by winning a national competition. They have a tough job with all the tourist we have but I am glad they are here. Here is the article from the Destin Log about them winning the competition. http://www.thedestinlog.com/article/20150812/NEWS/150819763

This week is the powerboat Poker Run along the Emerald Coast. In a few days we will have almost 300 high powered boats showing off in our local waters. For some reason Brent Burns’ song, “Big Boat, Little Johnson” comes to mind. LOL 

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin…The tourist season is almost over….

The weather continues to be hot and humid in Destin. We are having heat indexes of 110 -112 most days. It is definitely the dog days of summer now. Schools around the southeast are going back into session. That means our tourist season is about over for this summer. I could tell a big difference in the traffic last week.

There was one day that traffic backed up in Destin though and it was because of a fire in Niceville. Tisa’s Lounge burned down Wednesday afternoon. Hwy 20 was down to one lane. Eglin shut down their Val-P gate too. With a huge traffic jam many folks came through Destin to get to the Mid-Bay bridge to make it over the bay. That jammed Destin up. Oh well, I have the Gulf and beach to look at while I am in traffic so I can’t complain too much!

Sunshine Cindy and I had a great time Friday night. Crab Island Mambo worked with Crab Island Cantina to sponsor a Trop Rock show with Jimi Pappas performing. There were some birthdays in the house including Wendy. She is the sister of the COO of Harborwalk Village. They are all nice folks. Jimi put on a fun show. Some thunderstorms just missed us too so that was nice. We had a good group of friends there for the show.

Jimi Pappas

The Cantina was busy with big groups coming in all night. We got to talk to Carlos and Mike about their new sports bar. Charley’s Sports Bar should be opening soon. It will be a burger bar with about a dozen TV’s. It should be a fun place. It’s located at the inside bar of the Cantina. Back in the day it used to be a Pat O’Brian’s sports bar but they never made it. With a successful Cantina, Charley’s will do great. We are looking forward to it opening.

We saw Stephanie who works for Carlos at the Cantina. She did all the decorating for our wedding last year. Stephanie informed us she is now engaged. I joked that I knew a good wedding decorator. Congratulations Stephanie!

We ended upstairs at Harry T’s for a while after Jimi finished playing. Flash Flood was playing. We had a chance to talk to Rusty for a few minutes. She told us Flash Flood is going back to being the house band at Harry T’s. They will be playing each Friday and Saturday nights going forward. They do a good job. It will be fun to have them back. 

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I went to the Red Door Saloon. On Sunday’s they have the cheapest beer in town with a great happy hour. We had some food and enjoyed a decent breeze blowing through the place. David and Kelly came in and sat with us for a while. We have not seen them in a while so it was nice catching up.

Sunshine Cindy outside the new Landshark location

We parked behind the soon to be new home of Landshark Pizza. It’s official, they are taking over the space that was La Familia plus a space next to it. They will have a nice big restaurant now. One thing they are still going to do is have a pizza oven in the open so folks sitting at the bar can talk to the folks making the pizza’s. That’s cool that they are keeping this. They should be open sometime in October.

Just when I think they can’t possibly put any other commercial business out at Crab Island then I am proved wrong. The Destin Log had pictures of a zip line that is being built there. It is actually a barge with a tower that will have line running down into the water. I keep saying it but eventually there won’t be room for any boats out there.

Zip line tower on Crab Island. Photo from Destin Log

Some of the hardest working people in Destin this summer has been the service industry people that have to work outdoor bars and restaurants. With the big crowds and the heat and humidity, they are wearing down. It’s hard enough to just be out in the heat but when you are running around making sure people are taken care of that just adds to the work load. They all deserve big tips for putting up with all of us!

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!!!

Destin “Brick and Spoon” is no more

We knew it was going to happen but we were surprised it took so long. The Brick and Spoon restaurant and bar in the Palms Condo complex has been shut down. Sunshine Cindy and I gave up on this place early this year when they totally bombed at a Parrot Head meeting they hosted. We went back one more time on a Sunday for brunch but when we were told it would be a couple hours to get food we threw in the towel and never went back.

Back when it was Sago Sports Bar, we loved going there. The crew from Sago did a great job running the place. Hopefully another person can turn this back into a nice sports bar again. It will be interesting to see what happens. Maybe they can get Wayne Toups back for a concert too!

The weather continues to be hot and humid…but then again it is Summer so we kind of expect that! LOL  Destin is still busy with tourist but it is slowing down as we get closer to school. Sunshine Cindy and I got out and about a little the last few days.

Friday we stopped in at Landshark Pizza in the afternoon for a Crab Island Mambo business strategy meeting. We are deep into the planning for the 2016 Phlocking of the Phaithful Trop Rock party. We had a good meeting over food and beer. Brian let us try a new appetizer they have…homemade pork rinds. They were really good too! Also Sue updated us on the status of the new location. They hope to have the final signed contract executed early this week. Build out of the new space and move in will hopefully be done by the end of October if everything works out. We wish the Landshark team well.

Landshark wings and PBR

Friday evening we stopped at Island Wings for some dinner. We had a BOGO coupon we wanted to use. The food was good and they had a guy playing music. Island Wings is a loud place with sound bouncing off the walls and tile floor but the guy was not blasting his tunes so that was good. Later we went to the American Legion. We wanted to have a drink in Capt. John’s honor. It was his birthday so we had to celebrate his life. It’s just not the same with Captain not there. Julie and Suzanne also came in to help celebrate.

Saturday Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I went to World of Beer. I tried several different craft beers. I had a Abita Restoration, a Back Forty Naked Pig and a Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale. All three beers were good. I loved the art work on the bottles from the craft brewers. There are some creative minds out there. WOB stayed pretty busy for the middle of the afternoon. In fact the whole Destin Commons was busy. Even a short storm didn’t slow down the crowds. I got the top up on Badass3 just before the heavy rains hit.

World of Beer

We left and headed to Lucky’s Rotten Apple. The Apple is a locals place. Courtney was outside and greeted us. Tommy and Kenny were at the bar. We have not seen Tommy in a few weeks so it was good catching up with him. Ed was drunk and doing his “show time” shout. And no, I don’t know what it means but I don’t plan to ask either.

We made one more stop on the way home at Caribbean Joe’s. This is the old Malibu Jack’s next to Hogs Breath. We ordered beers but were surprised to see they were $4 each plus tax! I guess we won’t be back there anytime soon.

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I wanted brunch so we went to Callahan’s. We have not been there in what seems like forever. They always had good food and that is still the case. I used to love their original location on Holiday Isle. It was funky with plastic chairs and tables. It felt like you were over at a friend’s house. They moved to their current location several years ago. The food is as good but it is a sterile feel to the building now. It’s like any other place. Oh well, you can still get their great food.

We ended up Sunday afternoon at our pool relaxing in the sun. Our friends Mark and Stephanie came over and joined us. That was a nice surprise. It was fun talking with them while we swam in the pool that had water temps like a bathtub! LOL

Jimi Pappas

This Friday we have Trop Rocker Jimi Pappas playing at Crab Island Cantina. He plays from 5-9 pm. Come out and enjoy great music, food and cold drinks with the best sunset views on the harbor! http://crabislandmambo.com/Happenings.html

Have a fantastic awesome week. See ya next Monday!