Sunshine Cindy and I hope all of our friends had a safe and joyous Christmas. In Destin the town filled up while the weather was nice and warm. It was a perfect holiday.
There was actually a Christmas miracle happen on Saturday. The Cleveland Browns won! Yes, they actually beat another team in the game of football! Sunshine Cindy and I watched the first half of the game at Hogs Breath then we went to Landshark Pizza to watch the second half.
Landshark was packed with Packer fans but a table opened up at the TV that had the Browns game on as we walked in. That should have told me a miracle was coming. As the game wound down the bar was getting into the game. As the last second ticked off the clock and the Chargers missed a field goal that would have tied it the bar erupted like they won the Super Bowl. Finally I had a chance to cheer! It felt great!
The rest of the weekend was spent with Sunshine Cindy’s family. We went to their house after the game for Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas day. Tiffany flew in from Atlanta so the whole gang was here. Even Chaos enjoyed running around the yard and going to the dock. It was a nice holiday celebration.
There was not much else going on during the week as Sunshine Cindy spent most of the week cooking. As I mentioned the town started to fill up but early in the week it was dead. I did have a scare driving home on Monday. I was on 98 and almost in front of Landshark Pizza when a homeless guy walked right out in front of me. It was dark and he was wearing dark clothes. It was lucky I could make him out with all the headlights coming towards me. I had to almost come to a dead stop to keep from running him over. I am glad the guy behind me also was alert and didn’t hit me!
Happy New Year to all of our friends from Destin! Be safe and have fun. We will see you again in 2017!
Destin Steve
Monday, December 26, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Destin
The holiday season is in full swing in Destin. You can’t turn around without seeing a Santa or two! Sunshine Cindy and I went up to Niceville on Saturday to celebrate her Dad’s birthday. It was a nice day as we sat outside and gave her Dad a proper birthday celebration.
When we headed back to Destin we decided to stop at Hogs Breath for a while. We were sitting at the outside bar. Rikki was working and a good crowd was there. We were sitting by Bill who is a parrot head. We didn’t know Bill was 85 years old. He is always out and enjoying himself. Good for Bill.
We also got to talking to Robert and his wife. In the “it’s a small world” category we found out Robert was the person who originally was going to by the house we now live in. Sunshine Cindy got it when Robert backed out because of a fence that was going to be built. It was a new build and we have a lake right behind us. For safety purposes a fenced was going to be built. Robert was told it would be a solid 8 foot fence which would have blocked the view of the lake. So when he backed out Sunshine Cindy jumped in and they ended up putting in a small fence. That was wild talking to them about it.
Sunday Funday saw us at Charlie’s inside Crab Island Cantina to watch football. The Browns lost again. Nothing new there. Ken, Donny and Chad joined us. At least their team won. Brian, Julie, Alan and Jackie all showed up too. We had a fun time. Christmas carols were sang, jokes were told and everyone had a blast.
Saturday morning I took a bike ride. I rode over 9 miles. Come along for the ride.
I pulled out of our sub-division and rode up Commons Drive and then up to Hwy 98 at the roundabout by Home Depot. I crossed over 98 and headed east to Matthews Blvd. The new Henderson Resort is open. They are doing more building both north and south of the resort. It looks like some townhomes or something similar is going in. Now I turned east down Scenic 98 and headed towards the Crab Trap. The wind was hollowing and blowing right in my face so I cut into the Crystal Beach area and started to loop back.
Now I was heading west on 98. As I got to Restaurant Row I passed the new Home Suites hotel. They have also just opened. They actually built this place pretty fast. I stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the Gulf of Mexico watching the waves pound the shore. Some brave paddle boarders were out riding the waves. I crossed back over 98 at The Track and headed to Airport Road. I rode by Beach Liquor and went to Commons Drive.
I rode into the shopping center with Beals and then onto the Wal Mart center. There is still the big hole in the Beals center where Dick’s Sporting Goods was going to open. Last I heard the shopping center was sold and no one knew if Dick’s was still coming in. It sad because businesses were closed to make room for Dick’s and now they sit empty with For Lease signs on them. What a waste.
From there I headed back home. The entire trip took a little over an hour and I got a lot of fresh air and exercise!
Sunshine Cindy and I want to wish all of our Blog Friends a Merry Christmas. We hope Santa is good to you! See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
When we headed back to Destin we decided to stop at Hogs Breath for a while. We were sitting at the outside bar. Rikki was working and a good crowd was there. We were sitting by Bill who is a parrot head. We didn’t know Bill was 85 years old. He is always out and enjoying himself. Good for Bill.
We also got to talking to Robert and his wife. In the “it’s a small world” category we found out Robert was the person who originally was going to by the house we now live in. Sunshine Cindy got it when Robert backed out because of a fence that was going to be built. It was a new build and we have a lake right behind us. For safety purposes a fenced was going to be built. Robert was told it would be a solid 8 foot fence which would have blocked the view of the lake. So when he backed out Sunshine Cindy jumped in and they ended up putting in a small fence. That was wild talking to them about it.
Sunday Funday saw us at Charlie’s inside Crab Island Cantina to watch football. The Browns lost again. Nothing new there. Ken, Donny and Chad joined us. At least their team won. Brian, Julie, Alan and Jackie all showed up too. We had a fun time. Christmas carols were sang, jokes were told and everyone had a blast.
Saturday morning I took a bike ride. I rode over 9 miles. Come along for the ride.
I pulled out of our sub-division and rode up Commons Drive and then up to Hwy 98 at the roundabout by Home Depot. I crossed over 98 and headed east to Matthews Blvd. The new Henderson Resort is open. They are doing more building both north and south of the resort. It looks like some townhomes or something similar is going in. Now I turned east down Scenic 98 and headed towards the Crab Trap. The wind was hollowing and blowing right in my face so I cut into the Crystal Beach area and started to loop back.
Now I was heading west on 98. As I got to Restaurant Row I passed the new Home Suites hotel. They have also just opened. They actually built this place pretty fast. I stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the Gulf of Mexico watching the waves pound the shore. Some brave paddle boarders were out riding the waves. I crossed back over 98 at The Track and headed to Airport Road. I rode by Beach Liquor and went to Commons Drive.
I rode into the shopping center with Beals and then onto the Wal Mart center. There is still the big hole in the Beals center where Dick’s Sporting Goods was going to open. Last I heard the shopping center was sold and no one knew if Dick’s was still coming in. It sad because businesses were closed to make room for Dick’s and now they sit empty with For Lease signs on them. What a waste.
From there I headed back home. The entire trip took a little over an hour and I got a lot of fresh air and exercise!
Sunshine Cindy and I want to wish all of our Blog Friends a Merry Christmas. We hope Santa is good to you! See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, December 12, 2016
Christmas in Destin
It was a festive holiday week in Destin and along the Emerald Coast. It was supposed to start on Monday with the Fort Walton Beach Christmas parade but rain and wind postponed the parade till Tuesday evening. A big crowd enjoyed the parade that night.
The city of Destin held it’s Christmas parade on Saturday. The parade started about 10:00 am and went till almost noon. Then on Sunday there was the lighted boat parade in the Destin harbor. A couple dozen boats got decorated and cruised up the harbor where a fireworks display ended the evening. Well, the fireworks almost ended the evening.
The fireworks are shot off from a barge in the East Pass. Somehow the fireworks started a fire in the parking lot at White Trash Beach. This is the parking lot at the southwest corner of the Destin bridge. Pictures show a big brush fire but the local fire departments were able to get it out. That’s the first time that has happened.
Sunshine Cindy and I took Chaos to the parade on Saturday. We went to Landshark Pizza to watch it. One of the first places we ever took Chaos last year was to the parade. She was barely 10 pounds. Today she is a big strong 60 pound plus bundle of energy. Chaos had a good time. Wayne, Loujean and several others were there to watch the parade and drink Bloody Mary’s. After the parade many Parrot Heads showed up to keep the party going. We ended up heading back home about 3 in the afternoon. Chaos was a tired puppy!
On Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark. BT provided the music and had everyone up and dancing. Elections for the 2017 board of directors was held. I am actually going to be on the board next year as the club secretary. An ugly sweater contest was held and a check to a church charity for $1000 was presented. For the year our club has donated about $12,000 to various charities.
We didn’t go to the boat parade on Sunday night but I did go to Charlie’s BBB Bar in the harbor to watch the Browns lose again in the afternoon. Josh was working the inside bar, Mike was outside and Carlos was wondering around too. Brian came and joined me as we watched the Browns try hard again but still fall short. Jose came by and told me to hang in there. He’s a 49er’s fan so he knows my pain! LOL
When I left I saw Alan and Jackie sitting at the bar. I stopped and talked with them for a few minutes when the old GM of the Cantina, Judy came in. She moved to Louisiana early this year. I have not seen her since and it was nice talking with her for a few minutes.
I have been talking about how dry it had been in Destin until we got some rain last week. I looked and it was dryer than I had thought. We had NO rain in September and only .7” in October. That’s less than one inch in two months. But in the first seven days of November we had received 8.8” so we are back to normal around here.
The Destin Log reported last week the widening of Hwy. 98 will begin. They will be adding a lane in each direction from Airport Road east into Walton County. It will take several years to complete. Get ready for even worse traffic while they do this work but it should help in the end.
The route of the Destin Christmas parade was right down 98. It started in the parking lot of Old Time Pottery at Main street. Then it was about 2 miles down to Stalhman Ave. at Whataburger. The west bound lanes were shut down and all traffic was directed onto the east bound side. The city and the sheriffs were very efficient in getting the route set up and then back to normal. There were thousands of folks lined up along the highway with the kids scooping up candy and beads.
In addition to Landshark Pizza having a viewing party there was also big crowds at Hogs Breath and Mama Sherry’s. The weather was good…cool but sunny and dry. And of course Santa came up at the end riding in the bucket of the high rise fire truck. It is a lot of fun living in a small town and see how everyone comes together for an event like this parade.
Less than two weeks till Christmas. I hope you are ready! See ya next week!!!
Destin Steve
The city of Destin held it’s Christmas parade on Saturday. The parade started about 10:00 am and went till almost noon. Then on Sunday there was the lighted boat parade in the Destin harbor. A couple dozen boats got decorated and cruised up the harbor where a fireworks display ended the evening. Well, the fireworks almost ended the evening.
The fireworks are shot off from a barge in the East Pass. Somehow the fireworks started a fire in the parking lot at White Trash Beach. This is the parking lot at the southwest corner of the Destin bridge. Pictures show a big brush fire but the local fire departments were able to get it out. That’s the first time that has happened.
Sunshine Cindy and I took Chaos to the parade on Saturday. We went to Landshark Pizza to watch it. One of the first places we ever took Chaos last year was to the parade. She was barely 10 pounds. Today she is a big strong 60 pound plus bundle of energy. Chaos had a good time. Wayne, Loujean and several others were there to watch the parade and drink Bloody Mary’s. After the parade many Parrot Heads showed up to keep the party going. We ended up heading back home about 3 in the afternoon. Chaos was a tired puppy!
On Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark. BT provided the music and had everyone up and dancing. Elections for the 2017 board of directors was held. I am actually going to be on the board next year as the club secretary. An ugly sweater contest was held and a check to a church charity for $1000 was presented. For the year our club has donated about $12,000 to various charities.
We didn’t go to the boat parade on Sunday night but I did go to Charlie’s BBB Bar in the harbor to watch the Browns lose again in the afternoon. Josh was working the inside bar, Mike was outside and Carlos was wondering around too. Brian came and joined me as we watched the Browns try hard again but still fall short. Jose came by and told me to hang in there. He’s a 49er’s fan so he knows my pain! LOL
When I left I saw Alan and Jackie sitting at the bar. I stopped and talked with them for a few minutes when the old GM of the Cantina, Judy came in. She moved to Louisiana early this year. I have not seen her since and it was nice talking with her for a few minutes.
I have been talking about how dry it had been in Destin until we got some rain last week. I looked and it was dryer than I had thought. We had NO rain in September and only .7” in October. That’s less than one inch in two months. But in the first seven days of November we had received 8.8” so we are back to normal around here.
The Destin Log reported last week the widening of Hwy. 98 will begin. They will be adding a lane in each direction from Airport Road east into Walton County. It will take several years to complete. Get ready for even worse traffic while they do this work but it should help in the end.
The route of the Destin Christmas parade was right down 98. It started in the parking lot of Old Time Pottery at Main street. Then it was about 2 miles down to Stalhman Ave. at Whataburger. The west bound lanes were shut down and all traffic was directed onto the east bound side. The city and the sheriffs were very efficient in getting the route set up and then back to normal. There were thousands of folks lined up along the highway with the kids scooping up candy and beads.
In addition to Landshark Pizza having a viewing party there was also big crowds at Hogs Breath and Mama Sherry’s. The weather was good…cool but sunny and dry. And of course Santa came up at the end riding in the bucket of the high rise fire truck. It is a lot of fun living in a small town and see how everyone comes together for an event like this parade.
Less than two weeks till Christmas. I hope you are ready! See ya next week!!!
Destin Steve
Monday, December 5, 2016
Tornado’s in Destin
We have not had any rain in Destin in many weeks. For the last couple months we have only had a sprinkle here and there. All that changed last Wednesday. The same system that brought much needed rain to the Smokey Mountains also hit Destin with strong storms. The storms were coming in right off the Gulf of Mexico. There were waterspouts spotted in several locations along the coast.
Waterspouts are tornado’s on the water. One of those waterspouts came ashore in Mary Ester just a few blocks from my office. It caused some minor damage to some homes but no one was hurt. About the same time a bigger waterspout was in the gulf in Destin. It too came ashore but was in an area that was not inhabited. It made its way to the bay where it finally dissipated. All in all we got some much needed rain and no one got hurt.
Sunshine Cindy and I mostly stayed home and did some things around the house this past week with the exception of Friday when we headed to the harbor to meet up with Mike. We walked into Harry T’s about 3:30. Susan and Carlos were behind the bar. I recognized a co-worker who was sitting at the bar. We were chatting with Hotch when Alan and Jackie came in to join us. Not too much later Mike came in too. It was a good time as talked about some Parrot Head stuff.
As our friends left, Sunshine Cindy and I struck up a conversation with a guy who was sitting just down from me. He was a Marine who was in town on some training. He heard me say something about the Browns and he is a Steeler fan so we had to talk. He was a very interesting guy (even though he liked the Steelers…lol). Sunshine Cindy and I thanked him for his service to our country.
On the way home we decided to stop in at the American Legion. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot but the place was not too busy. Karoke was going on. Robin, John, Tony all were there. It was good catching up with them.
The rest of the weekend was spent at home. I walked Chaos each morning. She loves her walks. We watched some football but otherwise we were just doing some things that we had put off.
The Destin Log reported this week the reason the Funky Blues Shack and Graffiti’s closed was their lease was not renewed. They are reporting an AutoZone is supposed to go into that location. The owners of Funky Blues Shack are looking for another location to open back up.
Another building has been torn down in Destin. The building that was between Club Destin and Alvin’s Island is gone. The land is graded and it looks like something is going to be built there. I have not heard what it is but I am betting another strip center. The 692 strip centers we currently have in town are not enough. We shall see.
This coming weekend is the Destin Christmas Parade on Saturday and the Lighted Boat Parade in the harbor on Sunday. These are both fun events. Destin does know how to throw a party! We hope to see you at one or both events!!!
Destin Steve
Waterspouts are tornado’s on the water. One of those waterspouts came ashore in Mary Ester just a few blocks from my office. It caused some minor damage to some homes but no one was hurt. About the same time a bigger waterspout was in the gulf in Destin. It too came ashore but was in an area that was not inhabited. It made its way to the bay where it finally dissipated. All in all we got some much needed rain and no one got hurt.
Sunshine Cindy and I mostly stayed home and did some things around the house this past week with the exception of Friday when we headed to the harbor to meet up with Mike. We walked into Harry T’s about 3:30. Susan and Carlos were behind the bar. I recognized a co-worker who was sitting at the bar. We were chatting with Hotch when Alan and Jackie came in to join us. Not too much later Mike came in too. It was a good time as talked about some Parrot Head stuff.
As our friends left, Sunshine Cindy and I struck up a conversation with a guy who was sitting just down from me. He was a Marine who was in town on some training. He heard me say something about the Browns and he is a Steeler fan so we had to talk. He was a very interesting guy (even though he liked the Steelers…lol). Sunshine Cindy and I thanked him for his service to our country.
On the way home we decided to stop in at the American Legion. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot but the place was not too busy. Karoke was going on. Robin, John, Tony all were there. It was good catching up with them.
The rest of the weekend was spent at home. I walked Chaos each morning. She loves her walks. We watched some football but otherwise we were just doing some things that we had put off.
The Destin Log reported this week the reason the Funky Blues Shack and Graffiti’s closed was their lease was not renewed. They are reporting an AutoZone is supposed to go into that location. The owners of Funky Blues Shack are looking for another location to open back up.
Another building has been torn down in Destin. The building that was between Club Destin and Alvin’s Island is gone. The land is graded and it looks like something is going to be built there. I have not heard what it is but I am betting another strip center. The 692 strip centers we currently have in town are not enough. We shall see.
This coming weekend is the Destin Christmas Parade on Saturday and the Lighted Boat Parade in the harbor on Sunday. These are both fun events. Destin does know how to throw a party! We hope to see you at one or both events!!!
Destin Steve
Monday, November 28, 2016
The Holiday Season is upon us…
Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Destin saw a big influx of tourist for the holiday. Heading home from work on Wednesday the traffic on 98 was heavy but moving.
Thanksgiving day saw Sunshine Cindy and I take Chaos to Cindy’s parent’s house for dinner. We had a nice dinner then spent time down at the dock. Chaos loved running in their big back yard and looking over the side of the dock into the water. We have not had any rain in many weeks so the water was crystal clear. Chaos kept us entertained. By the time we got home about 7 or so Chaos was a tired puppy and slept all night.
Black Friday was a special day for us. It was one year ago on Black Friday 2015 that we brought home Chaos from Alaqua. She was an 8 pound pup who didn’t know what was happening. Now one year later she is over 60 pounds and is the princess of the house!
We took Chaos down to the harbor as she loves to sniff all the smells down there. The harbor was packed with folks. Charter boats were coming in from a day on the water, sunset cruises were getting ready to go out and the restaurants and bars were busy. We parked by The Boathouse and walked towards Harborwalk Village. We stopped at Fishheads for a beer. Melisa was working and staying very busy as a steady stream of people were stopping and buying drinks.
Our next stop was at Crab Island Cantina. We got our usual spot at the outside bar. Bob was working the bar. Chaos was the star as folks were coming up and petting her and saying how beautiful she is. You really can meet a lot of folks when you have a dog.
We planned to walk back towards the car but at Hooks on the Harbor we saw Kerby and David. We stopped to chat with them and next thing you know we are there for an hour. Scotty was there and Tony stopped by too. We got some sad news there. Hooks was having their last day on Sunday. Their lease was not renewed as that prime land will be sold. We heard Alan from AJ’s might be getting it but we are not sure. Hooks was a good locals hangout. We don’t have many of those left anymore.
Sunshine Cindy, Chaos and I then headed to Duck Duck. Passing the Boathouse I saw Jack at his usual spot at the bar. I stopped in to say hello. Jack is a good guy and a fixture on the harbor and at the Boathouse. We got to Duck Duck and saw the sunset. It was another wonderful day. This was another night where Chaos got home and slept all night.
On Saturday I wanted to watch the Ohio State / Michigan football game at Charlie’s inside the Cantina. Carlos is a Michigan guy so one of us would be crying in our beer. Sunshine Cindy and I got there in the middle of the first quarter and stayed for the entire game. It was a great game as Ohio State won in double overtime. It was a lot of fun watching the game there as Carlos has changed things up a little. They have a 2 for 1 happy hour all day long as long as you order some food. That’s one of the best deals going. They are also now doing pizza on the weekends and it really looked great. I would be having one real soon!
After the OSU game we stopped at Landshark Pizza to hang out for a while. A big crowd was there watching the Bama / Auburn game as well as Wisconsin / Minnesota. We had fun talking to a couple of airmen who were sitting next to us. It was a nice end to the day.
So on Sunday I wanted to torture myself and watch the Browns play. Sunshine Cindy and I went back to Charlie’s. Wayne joined us. Josh was working the inside bar and took good care of us. Sunshine Cindy and Wayne both ordered one of their signature burgers. And yes, I got a pizza. It was really good. It was big and tasty. I highly recommend it. Having it helped with the pain of watching the Browns! LOL And with that the holiday weekend came to a close.
Around Destin the construction of the “Baby Grande” is getting ready to get started. It is supposed to include a hotel, condo, retail and restaurant space. They have to do something before the end of the year or their permits will run out. So I expect to see some dirt moved and some type of small structures built.
The Donut Hole is having their usual December closure. They will reopen right before Christmas. And on the harbor across from Sexton some old buildings have been torn down. I understand there will be some type of condo going up there too. The building boom in Destin is not slowing down.
Have a great week. I will have a full Destin report next Monday!
Destin Steve
Thanksgiving day saw Sunshine Cindy and I take Chaos to Cindy’s parent’s house for dinner. We had a nice dinner then spent time down at the dock. Chaos loved running in their big back yard and looking over the side of the dock into the water. We have not had any rain in many weeks so the water was crystal clear. Chaos kept us entertained. By the time we got home about 7 or so Chaos was a tired puppy and slept all night.
Black Friday was a special day for us. It was one year ago on Black Friday 2015 that we brought home Chaos from Alaqua. She was an 8 pound pup who didn’t know what was happening. Now one year later she is over 60 pounds and is the princess of the house!
We took Chaos down to the harbor as she loves to sniff all the smells down there. The harbor was packed with folks. Charter boats were coming in from a day on the water, sunset cruises were getting ready to go out and the restaurants and bars were busy. We parked by The Boathouse and walked towards Harborwalk Village. We stopped at Fishheads for a beer. Melisa was working and staying very busy as a steady stream of people were stopping and buying drinks.
Our next stop was at Crab Island Cantina. We got our usual spot at the outside bar. Bob was working the bar. Chaos was the star as folks were coming up and petting her and saying how beautiful she is. You really can meet a lot of folks when you have a dog.
We planned to walk back towards the car but at Hooks on the Harbor we saw Kerby and David. We stopped to chat with them and next thing you know we are there for an hour. Scotty was there and Tony stopped by too. We got some sad news there. Hooks was having their last day on Sunday. Their lease was not renewed as that prime land will be sold. We heard Alan from AJ’s might be getting it but we are not sure. Hooks was a good locals hangout. We don’t have many of those left anymore.
Sunshine Cindy, Chaos and I then headed to Duck Duck. Passing the Boathouse I saw Jack at his usual spot at the bar. I stopped in to say hello. Jack is a good guy and a fixture on the harbor and at the Boathouse. We got to Duck Duck and saw the sunset. It was another wonderful day. This was another night where Chaos got home and slept all night.
On Saturday I wanted to watch the Ohio State / Michigan football game at Charlie’s inside the Cantina. Carlos is a Michigan guy so one of us would be crying in our beer. Sunshine Cindy and I got there in the middle of the first quarter and stayed for the entire game. It was a great game as Ohio State won in double overtime. It was a lot of fun watching the game there as Carlos has changed things up a little. They have a 2 for 1 happy hour all day long as long as you order some food. That’s one of the best deals going. They are also now doing pizza on the weekends and it really looked great. I would be having one real soon!
After the OSU game we stopped at Landshark Pizza to hang out for a while. A big crowd was there watching the Bama / Auburn game as well as Wisconsin / Minnesota. We had fun talking to a couple of airmen who were sitting next to us. It was a nice end to the day.
So on Sunday I wanted to torture myself and watch the Browns play. Sunshine Cindy and I went back to Charlie’s. Wayne joined us. Josh was working the inside bar and took good care of us. Sunshine Cindy and Wayne both ordered one of their signature burgers. And yes, I got a pizza. It was really good. It was big and tasty. I highly recommend it. Having it helped with the pain of watching the Browns! LOL And with that the holiday weekend came to a close.
Around Destin the construction of the “Baby Grande” is getting ready to get started. It is supposed to include a hotel, condo, retail and restaurant space. They have to do something before the end of the year or their permits will run out. So I expect to see some dirt moved and some type of small structures built.
The Donut Hole is having their usual December closure. They will reopen right before Christmas. And on the harbor across from Sexton some old buildings have been torn down. I understand there will be some type of condo going up there too. The building boom in Destin is not slowing down.
Have a great week. I will have a full Destin report next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, November 21, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving!
The 2016 holiday season is opening up in Destin with Thanksgiving this Thursday. I remember back in the mid 1990’s when I first came to Destin you could not find a place open to have Thanksgiving dinner. Before I moved here I remember coming to Destin and the only place open for dinner was a Shoney’s. My how the times have changed. Now there is probably a couple dozen places that do a special Thanksgiving dinner.
This past week we did a lot of things around the house. I was finally able to wash Badass as it was caked with dirt from our trip. Sunshine Cindy got the garage cleaned up and we threw away a lot of junk that was collecting dust. I took Chaos out for a walk each morning as she loves to get out. We also visited her parents one afternoon. It was a weekend to get caught up on things.
We did go watch football on Sunday at Landshark Pizza. The Browns took another beating but I had a couple strangers commend me on being a true fan. Someone has to do it I guess. LOL We had a good group there. Ken, Cheryl, Donny, Bob and BT joined us. The Ravens and Cowboys were playing so a spirited rivalry was taking place between Donny and Bob. It was a fun afternoon being with our friends.
BT told us he is planning to release a CD of original music this spring. The title of the CD and title song will be our “What Happens In Destin” song that I helped write. BT has a lot of original songs and parody’s that are a lot of fun. This should be a cool CD when he gets it done.
When we left I decided to head to Crab Island Cantina and see if Alan and Jackie were there. We walked down the hill and saw them at the bar. We surprised them as they didn’t expect to see us. Mike and Bob were working the bar. It was not too busy on the harbor.
As with most of the country, Destin also cooled way down this weekend. It was down in the 40’s which for us is freezing. It can warm back up now!
The original Funky Blues Shack / Graffiti’s restaurant in Destin has closed. They got new owners in the past year or so but I guess they could not recreate the magic the place once had. Not to be confusing but the other Funky Blues Shack that closed in Baytowne and planning to reopen near the Commons in the old Chili building is still going forward. I believe this is owned by the original owners…I think.
The new five star hotel/resort The Henderson opened on Thursday. Sunshine Cindy and I was sitting on our back porch in the evening when a fireworks show started. It was from the grand opening. This is supposed to be the only five star hotel between Jacksonville and New Orleans. It will be interesting to see how it does.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
This past week we did a lot of things around the house. I was finally able to wash Badass as it was caked with dirt from our trip. Sunshine Cindy got the garage cleaned up and we threw away a lot of junk that was collecting dust. I took Chaos out for a walk each morning as she loves to get out. We also visited her parents one afternoon. It was a weekend to get caught up on things.
We did go watch football on Sunday at Landshark Pizza. The Browns took another beating but I had a couple strangers commend me on being a true fan. Someone has to do it I guess. LOL We had a good group there. Ken, Cheryl, Donny, Bob and BT joined us. The Ravens and Cowboys were playing so a spirited rivalry was taking place between Donny and Bob. It was a fun afternoon being with our friends.
BT told us he is planning to release a CD of original music this spring. The title of the CD and title song will be our “What Happens In Destin” song that I helped write. BT has a lot of original songs and parody’s that are a lot of fun. This should be a cool CD when he gets it done.
When we left I decided to head to Crab Island Cantina and see if Alan and Jackie were there. We walked down the hill and saw them at the bar. We surprised them as they didn’t expect to see us. Mike and Bob were working the bar. It was not too busy on the harbor.
As with most of the country, Destin also cooled way down this weekend. It was down in the 40’s which for us is freezing. It can warm back up now!
The original Funky Blues Shack / Graffiti’s restaurant in Destin has closed. They got new owners in the past year or so but I guess they could not recreate the magic the place once had. Not to be confusing but the other Funky Blues Shack that closed in Baytowne and planning to reopen near the Commons in the old Chili building is still going forward. I believe this is owned by the original owners…I think.
The new five star hotel/resort The Henderson opened on Thursday. Sunshine Cindy and I was sitting on our back porch in the evening when a fireworks show started. It was from the grand opening. This is supposed to be the only five star hotel between Jacksonville and New Orleans. It will be interesting to see how it does.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, November 14, 2016
Back home in Destin
Sunshine Cindy and I made it back from our trip to the Keys. We had a great time spending a few days in Key Largo, a week in Key West and a night in the Everglades where I fed many mosquitoes! Going on vacation is nice but it wonderful to be back home in Destin.
Our weather continues to be perfect in Destin. Actually we could use some rain as it’s been well over a month since we had any significant rain here. Our highs have been in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s. I will take it for this time of the year.
We got out and about a little this past weekend. Friday night was our Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. I went but Sunshine Cindy stayed home to recover from our trip. It was a fun time with the Rowdies playing music for us. A good crowd was there enjoying the music and Veteran’s day as we celebrated the Vet’s we have in the club.
Saturday morning we stopped at IHOP for breakfast. This was actually the second time in a week we went to an IHOP after never being in one before. We stopped at one in Lake City for lunch on our way home. It was so good we stopped at our IHOP in Ft. Walton Beach for breakfast. They serve some of the biggest omelet’s we have ever seen. Be warned if you decide to have breakfast there!
Saturday afternoon we met up with Alan and Jackie at Crab Island Cantina. A wedding was going to take place in the main area. We sat at the bar and had a ring side seat for the ceremony. It was an interesting time at the Cantina with the wedding and some of the folks that were at the bar. Specifically there were three older ladies and the oldest got hammered on margarita’s. It took the other two a couple hours to get grandma sobered up enough to get her up the hill. We also had one of the bartenders, Mike bring out to us some BBQ wings and ribs he had made the day before. They were fantastic. We were so glad he shared them with us. He got a big tip from us for sure! lol
Sunday we had to make a couple of stops. On the way home we stopped at Hogs Breath. B was sitting at the bar. We have not seen him since Steve passed away. We got the entire story of what happened. It was a sad story. There was also some New Orleans Saints fans watching their game. The Saints lost the game in a way I only thought the Browns lost games. A blocked extra point returned for the winning points. Ouch!
Changes continue in Destin. When we got home and drove down Commons Drive we were shocked to see all the trees gone and the land leveled were the new apartment complex is going to be built on the land where Dolly had thought about building a theater. They are wasting no time on the construction as the site work should be done in a few weeks as fast as they are going.
The new strip center on Commons by Kelly Plantation is moving along quickly too as the Atlanta’facation of Destin continues. They are building on every available strip of land. The other new strip center by Eglin Federal Credit Union is also moving along. I can see some of those places opening soon.
Over in Sandestin a long time favorite, Busters has closed. I understand the rent was going up too much for the owners to handle. Gilligan’s has closed for the season. They will reopen in February. It looks like Charley is keeping The Crust Pizzeria closed for the season. They still have to fix the building where a car crashed into it a few weeks ago.
It’s almost time for the Snowbirds to start and descend on Destin. As our friend singer/songwriter Brent Burns sings about this time of the year, “If a car from Michigan passes you…it’s stolen!”
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Our weather continues to be perfect in Destin. Actually we could use some rain as it’s been well over a month since we had any significant rain here. Our highs have been in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s. I will take it for this time of the year.
We got out and about a little this past weekend. Friday night was our Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. I went but Sunshine Cindy stayed home to recover from our trip. It was a fun time with the Rowdies playing music for us. A good crowd was there enjoying the music and Veteran’s day as we celebrated the Vet’s we have in the club.
Saturday morning we stopped at IHOP for breakfast. This was actually the second time in a week we went to an IHOP after never being in one before. We stopped at one in Lake City for lunch on our way home. It was so good we stopped at our IHOP in Ft. Walton Beach for breakfast. They serve some of the biggest omelet’s we have ever seen. Be warned if you decide to have breakfast there!
Saturday afternoon we met up with Alan and Jackie at Crab Island Cantina. A wedding was going to take place in the main area. We sat at the bar and had a ring side seat for the ceremony. It was an interesting time at the Cantina with the wedding and some of the folks that were at the bar. Specifically there were three older ladies and the oldest got hammered on margarita’s. It took the other two a couple hours to get grandma sobered up enough to get her up the hill. We also had one of the bartenders, Mike bring out to us some BBQ wings and ribs he had made the day before. They were fantastic. We were so glad he shared them with us. He got a big tip from us for sure! lol
Sunday we had to make a couple of stops. On the way home we stopped at Hogs Breath. B was sitting at the bar. We have not seen him since Steve passed away. We got the entire story of what happened. It was a sad story. There was also some New Orleans Saints fans watching their game. The Saints lost the game in a way I only thought the Browns lost games. A blocked extra point returned for the winning points. Ouch!
Changes continue in Destin. When we got home and drove down Commons Drive we were shocked to see all the trees gone and the land leveled were the new apartment complex is going to be built on the land where Dolly had thought about building a theater. They are wasting no time on the construction as the site work should be done in a few weeks as fast as they are going.
The new strip center on Commons by Kelly Plantation is moving along quickly too as the Atlanta’facation of Destin continues. They are building on every available strip of land. The other new strip center by Eglin Federal Credit Union is also moving along. I can see some of those places opening soon.
Over in Sandestin a long time favorite, Busters has closed. I understand the rent was going up too much for the owners to handle. Gilligan’s has closed for the season. They will reopen in February. It looks like Charley is keeping The Crust Pizzeria closed for the season. They still have to fix the building where a car crashed into it a few weeks ago.
It’s almost time for the Snowbirds to start and descend on Destin. As our friend singer/songwriter Brent Burns sings about this time of the year, “If a car from Michigan passes you…it’s stolen!”
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Beach Bonfire
Reason number 638 why we love living on the beach is over in Walton County you can have a bonfire on the beach. All you need to do is get a permit, pay a fee and make sure you clean up before 7 am or so the next morning. Each fall the Parrot Head club sponsors a bonfire. This year we had it on Friday evening. Almost 60 folks showed up. Capt Ron brought the wood, Mango Mike tended to the fire, folks brought food to share and a boom box provided the Trop Rock tunes.
It was a perfect night too. There was not a cloud in the sky. After the sun went down there was an orange glow that lasted almost an hour. It was magnificent. Mother Nature in all her glory. The party went deep into the evening as we all enjoyed the night. Too bad Okaloosa does not allow bonfires but I’m glad Walton does.
On Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I headed across the Mid-Bay bridge to drop off some tee shirts at a friend’s house and then go spend time with her parents. It was a nice visit.
Saturday evening was a surprise birthday party for Darla. Bobby rented the American Legion hall for the party. Amazingly Darla was surprised as about 60 folks were there. Trying to get that many people to keep a secret is hard but we pulled it off. Happy Birthday Darla!
We had committed to the party months ago so we had to miss a celebration of life for our friend Steve who recently passed away. It was held at Landshark Pizza as that was one of Steve’s favorite places. Steve will be missed…
Sunday I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns. Donny, Ken and Cheryl joined me and we had their Ravens game on next to the Browns. Both of our teams lost…again! But it was a good time no matter. Courtney was behind the bar and took good care of us.
Most of the week was spent preparing for our trip to the Keys that is coming up next week. Sunshine Cindy is in full packing/prepping mode. We are looking forward to our yearly trip to the end of the road. It will be another fun time!
This past week was the Mullet Festival in Niceville. I know a lot of folks went there for that festival. There was also Thunder Beach in Panama City Beach. This is a biker rally that draws thousands of bikers from around the country to the beach. The Harley dealer in Fort Walton Beach piggy back’s on to the festival by having events here too. There were bikes everywhere and I’m glad to day I didn’t hear of any major accidents.
With us heading south, there will not be a blog update for a couple weeks. See everyone on the other side!
Destin Steve
It was a perfect night too. There was not a cloud in the sky. After the sun went down there was an orange glow that lasted almost an hour. It was magnificent. Mother Nature in all her glory. The party went deep into the evening as we all enjoyed the night. Too bad Okaloosa does not allow bonfires but I’m glad Walton does.
On Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I headed across the Mid-Bay bridge to drop off some tee shirts at a friend’s house and then go spend time with her parents. It was a nice visit.
Saturday evening was a surprise birthday party for Darla. Bobby rented the American Legion hall for the party. Amazingly Darla was surprised as about 60 folks were there. Trying to get that many people to keep a secret is hard but we pulled it off. Happy Birthday Darla!
We had committed to the party months ago so we had to miss a celebration of life for our friend Steve who recently passed away. It was held at Landshark Pizza as that was one of Steve’s favorite places. Steve will be missed…
Sunday I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns. Donny, Ken and Cheryl joined me and we had their Ravens game on next to the Browns. Both of our teams lost…again! But it was a good time no matter. Courtney was behind the bar and took good care of us.
Most of the week was spent preparing for our trip to the Keys that is coming up next week. Sunshine Cindy is in full packing/prepping mode. We are looking forward to our yearly trip to the end of the road. It will be another fun time!
This past week was the Mullet Festival in Niceville. I know a lot of folks went there for that festival. There was also Thunder Beach in Panama City Beach. This is a biker rally that draws thousands of bikers from around the country to the beach. The Harley dealer in Fort Walton Beach piggy back’s on to the festival by having events here too. There were bikes everywhere and I’m glad to day I didn’t hear of any major accidents.
With us heading south, there will not be a blog update for a couple weeks. See everyone on the other side!
Destin Steve
Monday, October 17, 2016
Destin in the Fall
The weather in Destin could not be better. We are having warm days and cool nights. It has not rained in a few weeks either. This is perfect for the fishing rodeo. The captains are able to get out each day. The rodeo is drawing big crowds down to the docks at AJ’s as folks want to see what is being brought in. Add the families in town for Fall Break and the town continues to be busy.
Last Tuesday I headed down to The Boathouse to hear BT perform. He took a poem I wrote and turned it into a song. The song is “What Happens In Destin.” BT did a great job with taking the crux of the poem and making a cool song out of it. Once he gets it down I will record it and share it with everyone. We had a good group at The Boathouse enjoying the night and music. The only down side is having to get up at 5 am to go to work in the morning. Ugh!
Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy and I got there early to grab a bite to eat before the crowds got there. Jason took good care of us. Brian had just got back in town and was there too. It was another fun evening. Rusty played for us. Surprisingly, it was the first time he played for the Parrot Heads. He had the crowd dancing and singing. Mike and Suzanne had some fun games and a lot of money was raised for charity.
Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I got up and headed to Publix for a few things. We planned to stop at the new breakfast place next door to Publix but there was a line out the door. We decided on Plan B which was to go to Harry T’s for brunch and of course Bloody Mary’s. We know many of the folks that work there because of Tiffany having worked there. Rusty (a different Rusty from the night before) greeted us at the door. Mama D waited on us. Michelle saw us and gave us hugs and talked to us for a few minutes. It was like a homecoming. We even saw Lou as we were leaving. A co-worker of mine, Maynard was there too and chatted with us for a while. It is fun living in a small town.
The rest of Saturday we spent at home relaxing. I watched the Indians win game 2 of the ALCS. Then I watched the Tampa Bay Lightning win their hockey game. And finally I saw some of the Ohio State football game where they beat Wisconsin. The only thing missing was a basketball game! lol
Sunday had Sunshine Cindy and I back at Tailfins for Sunday Funday football. Donny, Brian, Justin, Bobby, Steve and Dottie all joined us. We had a fun time even if the Browns lost…again! One interesting thing to note. While I was in the bathroom to make room for some more beer, the house sound system had a song playing by Homemade Wine. This band had a couple great CD’s of original Trop Rock music but they disbanded about 1 ½ years ago. It was wild hearing one of their songs there.
After the game we made a stop at Hogs Breath. Cam was working the bar and a good group of folks were there watching the afternoon games. Hogs has great football specials including $2 domestic’s and $5 appetizers. It’s always fun at Hogs.
When we got home our neighbors were out in the driveway talking to other folks from the neighborhood. We let Chaos out and we ended up talking for another hour or so. Chaos had a fun time running around visiting with everyone.
We received some real sad news this weekend. A friend of ours passed away. Steve and I got to know each other from the early days at Landshark Pizza. He was one of the regulars who would be at the bar enjoying a few beers and telling stories about his life in West Virginia. Sunshine Cindy and I got to be good friends with Steve and his wife Ida. A few weeks ago Steve went in for either hip or knee surgery. Something went wrong and he never really came out of the anesthesia. He was awake but didn’t know anyone. He went into a coma a few days ago and passed away. We will miss Steve and we pray for Ida and his family. Sail on my friend…
RIP Steve
Around town this week someone tried to make a new door at The Crust Pizzeria. A drunk driver crashed into the building Thursday night knocking a big hole in the side of the building. It was late and they were closed so no one was inside. This is something else to keep Charley busy as he works to fix this while getting his new location in Fort Walton Beach up and running. Never a dull moment around Destin.
Have a great week. See ya all next Monday!
Destin Steve
Last Tuesday I headed down to The Boathouse to hear BT perform. He took a poem I wrote and turned it into a song. The song is “What Happens In Destin.” BT did a great job with taking the crux of the poem and making a cool song out of it. Once he gets it down I will record it and share it with everyone. We had a good group at The Boathouse enjoying the night and music. The only down side is having to get up at 5 am to go to work in the morning. Ugh!
Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly meeting at Landshark Pizza. Sunshine Cindy and I got there early to grab a bite to eat before the crowds got there. Jason took good care of us. Brian had just got back in town and was there too. It was another fun evening. Rusty played for us. Surprisingly, it was the first time he played for the Parrot Heads. He had the crowd dancing and singing. Mike and Suzanne had some fun games and a lot of money was raised for charity.
Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I got up and headed to Publix for a few things. We planned to stop at the new breakfast place next door to Publix but there was a line out the door. We decided on Plan B which was to go to Harry T’s for brunch and of course Bloody Mary’s. We know many of the folks that work there because of Tiffany having worked there. Rusty (a different Rusty from the night before) greeted us at the door. Mama D waited on us. Michelle saw us and gave us hugs and talked to us for a few minutes. It was like a homecoming. We even saw Lou as we were leaving. A co-worker of mine, Maynard was there too and chatted with us for a while. It is fun living in a small town.
The rest of Saturday we spent at home relaxing. I watched the Indians win game 2 of the ALCS. Then I watched the Tampa Bay Lightning win their hockey game. And finally I saw some of the Ohio State football game where they beat Wisconsin. The only thing missing was a basketball game! lol
Sunday had Sunshine Cindy and I back at Tailfins for Sunday Funday football. Donny, Brian, Justin, Bobby, Steve and Dottie all joined us. We had a fun time even if the Browns lost…again! One interesting thing to note. While I was in the bathroom to make room for some more beer, the house sound system had a song playing by Homemade Wine. This band had a couple great CD’s of original Trop Rock music but they disbanded about 1 ½ years ago. It was wild hearing one of their songs there.
After the game we made a stop at Hogs Breath. Cam was working the bar and a good group of folks were there watching the afternoon games. Hogs has great football specials including $2 domestic’s and $5 appetizers. It’s always fun at Hogs.
When we got home our neighbors were out in the driveway talking to other folks from the neighborhood. We let Chaos out and we ended up talking for another hour or so. Chaos had a fun time running around visiting with everyone.
We received some real sad news this weekend. A friend of ours passed away. Steve and I got to know each other from the early days at Landshark Pizza. He was one of the regulars who would be at the bar enjoying a few beers and telling stories about his life in West Virginia. Sunshine Cindy and I got to be good friends with Steve and his wife Ida. A few weeks ago Steve went in for either hip or knee surgery. Something went wrong and he never really came out of the anesthesia. He was awake but didn’t know anyone. He went into a coma a few days ago and passed away. We will miss Steve and we pray for Ida and his family. Sail on my friend…
Around town this week someone tried to make a new door at The Crust Pizzeria. A drunk driver crashed into the building Thursday night knocking a big hole in the side of the building. It was late and they were closed so no one was inside. This is something else to keep Charley busy as he works to fix this while getting his new location in Fort Walton Beach up and running. Never a dull moment around Destin.
Have a great week. See ya all next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, October 10, 2016
No hurricane in the panhandle
Obviously the big news last week was Hurricane Matthew. This was a big and powerful storm that at one time was a Cat 5. It weakened only slightly to a Cat 4 as it headed up the east coast of Florida. The good news is it mostly stayed just off the coast but the storm surge was huge and there were spin off tornado’s. All in all it could have been a lot worse.
I saw some film of some weathermen who were out of control. One guy (I don’t know what city he was from) was telling people on the air that if they didn’t evacuate they would die. No if’s, and’s or but’s, you will die. Yes, this was a storm that demanded respect but saying things like that just gets people to tune out. You can only cry wolf so long.
Over here in Destin we had no effects from the storm at all. Our weather was picture perfect. In fact the only thing that happened in Destin was some of the evacuees who didn’t want to die came to town till the storm passed. Destin was slammed with folks. Friday it was like a summer day with so many people here. It was a problem because businesses were not staffed to handle the crowds.
Sunshine Cindy and I were busy this week. On Monday we headed to Pensacola as our friends the Southern Drawl Band were featured on WSRE TV’s show “StudioAmped.” This is a Austin City Limits type of show. They taped it with playback to be in the Spring. It was a lot of fun. They had about 8 camera operators so they got a lot of great footage. The guys did an hour of their original music. It was really cool.
A touching and emotional moment came at the end of the show. They had time for one more song and Mike Nash decided to sing “Numbered” for the first time since their lead guitar player David Crow was killed in a motorcycle accident. The song is about how all of our days are numbered but we don’t know what number we are on. There was not a dry eye in the house. Mike held it together for the song and it turned out to be a great tribute.
Friday was my off day. I did some things around the house then made a run to Publix. The store was super busy. You could tell they were not prepared for the crowds as they only had a couple checkout isles open. Publix is great about having enough staff on hand but they were surprised by this.
After my running around was done I stopped at Landshark Pizza for a few Props craft beers and some Boudin Balls. Sue was working the bar. Bill came in for lunch and we solved some of the world’s problems.
Saturday we had Wayne come over to the house to help us with things that needed to be fixed. We checked everything off the list with only one trip to Home Depot needed. Chaos was supervising the entire time too. Sunshine Cindy made her famous mac and cheese as that’s Wayne’s favorite. Then we all headed to the harbor to enjoy the beautiful day.
We first stopped at AJ’s upstairs. Again, the place was packed in the middle of the afternoon. The fishing rodeo is going on the entire month of October with the weigh in’s taking place at AJ’s. We saw them weigh a huge Mako shark. It was about 8 feet long and had to weigh over 500 pounds. It was a big one! On the way out of AJ’s we saw Tommy. He was watching football and getting ready to head home.
Next stop was at the outside bar at Tailfins. That was a great people watching spot. Turtle stopped to get a drink with Ashley and their little girl. I can’t remember her name but she is growing up fast. We then headed to Duck Duck. There were only a couple folks there so we were enjoying the peace and quiet. But that didn’t last long. A group of about 25 folks came in on some kind of pub crawl. They all ordered frozen drinks. The bartender was running ragged. Then as quick as they came they all left. Most were riding bicycles too. That could be interesting after a few more frozen drinks.
Our last stop was at Landshark Pizza for yep, a pizza! They also had a big crowd there. When Sunshine Cindy and I got home we went to visit with our neighbors who moved a few doors down. That was nice.
Sunday Funday we went to Tailfins to watch the Browns lose another game. It is a necessary but painful season as they get new talent up to speed. Mike, Suzanne and Brian all joined us. We had a great time. Brian let me listen to his new song that I kind of helped co-write. He took one of my poems and made it into a song. Come to the Boathouse on Tuesday night and he is going to debut it. It’s really good.
There was a Pat’s fan there giving me a hard time about the Browns. At least I was able to throw the Indians beating the Red Sox in the first two playoff games back at him. So there! lol
It is going to be another great week in Destin. Don’t forget to read my Crab Island Mambo Weekly Update for all the information about what’s going on around the panhandle. http://crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
I saw some film of some weathermen who were out of control. One guy (I don’t know what city he was from) was telling people on the air that if they didn’t evacuate they would die. No if’s, and’s or but’s, you will die. Yes, this was a storm that demanded respect but saying things like that just gets people to tune out. You can only cry wolf so long.
Over here in Destin we had no effects from the storm at all. Our weather was picture perfect. In fact the only thing that happened in Destin was some of the evacuees who didn’t want to die came to town till the storm passed. Destin was slammed with folks. Friday it was like a summer day with so many people here. It was a problem because businesses were not staffed to handle the crowds.
Sunshine Cindy and I were busy this week. On Monday we headed to Pensacola as our friends the Southern Drawl Band were featured on WSRE TV’s show “StudioAmped.” This is a Austin City Limits type of show. They taped it with playback to be in the Spring. It was a lot of fun. They had about 8 camera operators so they got a lot of great footage. The guys did an hour of their original music. It was really cool.
A touching and emotional moment came at the end of the show. They had time for one more song and Mike Nash decided to sing “Numbered” for the first time since their lead guitar player David Crow was killed in a motorcycle accident. The song is about how all of our days are numbered but we don’t know what number we are on. There was not a dry eye in the house. Mike held it together for the song and it turned out to be a great tribute.
Friday was my off day. I did some things around the house then made a run to Publix. The store was super busy. You could tell they were not prepared for the crowds as they only had a couple checkout isles open. Publix is great about having enough staff on hand but they were surprised by this.
After my running around was done I stopped at Landshark Pizza for a few Props craft beers and some Boudin Balls. Sue was working the bar. Bill came in for lunch and we solved some of the world’s problems.
Saturday we had Wayne come over to the house to help us with things that needed to be fixed. We checked everything off the list with only one trip to Home Depot needed. Chaos was supervising the entire time too. Sunshine Cindy made her famous mac and cheese as that’s Wayne’s favorite. Then we all headed to the harbor to enjoy the beautiful day.
We first stopped at AJ’s upstairs. Again, the place was packed in the middle of the afternoon. The fishing rodeo is going on the entire month of October with the weigh in’s taking place at AJ’s. We saw them weigh a huge Mako shark. It was about 8 feet long and had to weigh over 500 pounds. It was a big one! On the way out of AJ’s we saw Tommy. He was watching football and getting ready to head home.
Next stop was at the outside bar at Tailfins. That was a great people watching spot. Turtle stopped to get a drink with Ashley and their little girl. I can’t remember her name but she is growing up fast. We then headed to Duck Duck. There were only a couple folks there so we were enjoying the peace and quiet. But that didn’t last long. A group of about 25 folks came in on some kind of pub crawl. They all ordered frozen drinks. The bartender was running ragged. Then as quick as they came they all left. Most were riding bicycles too. That could be interesting after a few more frozen drinks.
Our last stop was at Landshark Pizza for yep, a pizza! They also had a big crowd there. When Sunshine Cindy and I got home we went to visit with our neighbors who moved a few doors down. That was nice.
Sunday Funday we went to Tailfins to watch the Browns lose another game. It is a necessary but painful season as they get new talent up to speed. Mike, Suzanne and Brian all joined us. We had a great time. Brian let me listen to his new song that I kind of helped co-write. He took one of my poems and made it into a song. Come to the Boathouse on Tuesday night and he is going to debut it. It’s really good.
There was a Pat’s fan there giving me a hard time about the Browns. At least I was able to throw the Indians beating the Red Sox in the first two playoff games back at him. So there! lol
It is going to be another great week in Destin. Don’t forget to read my Crab Island Mambo Weekly Update for all the information about what’s going on around the panhandle. http://crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html
See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, October 3, 2016
Destin Seafood Festival
It was a big weekend in Destin with the Seafood Festival taking place from Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon. This has become the biggest event of the year in Destin. It is free and runs the length of the boardwalk which is about a mile long. Probably close to 80,000 people show up for the event.
The charter boat association took over the planning of the event a few years ago and it has been growing ever since. The biggest thing they did was do away with a fee to enter and they went away from big name musical acts and instead concentrated on local talent. The only exception to this was our friends with Southern Drawl Band who were invited back to headline the Friday night show.
Sunshine Cindy and I headed down to the harbor about 3:00 Friday afternoon. We took Uber for the first time and we loved it. This is the way of the future. No parking hassles and I could have a few beers without worrying about driving home.
On the harbor our first stop was at Crab Island Cantina. A new bartender, Bobby was learning the ropes as the more experienced staff was gearing up for the long weekend. We talked to some tourist folks as we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon. Next stop was at Harry T’s. Red, Mike, Susan were all working. Lou came by and gave us hug. Cajun Mike and Terry stopped in for a drink. The harbor was starting to get busy.
We headed to Hooks as Rob Romans was playing. While there we ran into Jim and Marcy. I hung out with Jim at Landshark the previous Sunday watching the Browns game as they are from Cleveland. While at Hooks Scott stopped there then Tony also stopped there. Rob was doing a good job getting the early crowd going. Off to Tailfins we went. Julie joined us there. The crowds were really getting bigger now on the harbor. I decided to head to Landshark for a pizza but Julie and Sunshine Cindy stayed at Tailfins.
By the time I got back to Tailfins Ronnie was playing and you could hardly move on the harbor. It was time for us to head to the big stage as the Southern Drawl Band bus was pulling in. They had to wait as a car had the entrance blocked and when they went to move it the keys got locked in. After a locksmith was called they got unloaded. Then a Parrot Head lady fell and was hurt bad. They had to get the firetruck and paramedics down to her. She is in the hospital with several broken bones but should be fine when she heals up.
That also delayed the show too but they went on stage about 9 and had a huge crowd rocking to their music. These guys are fantastic. Look them up and catch them when they come to your town. You will not be disappointed.
After their show we hung out with the band for a while then Sunshine Cindy and I walked across the street to Waffle House for a late night greasy food fix. Steve, Becky, Judy and Kelly were there already. It was a good time. When we left and as we waited for our Uber driver there were blue lights and cop cars going different directions. I’m not sure of all that happened but we heard there was a car on its side by the Red Door Saloon. Yep, I’m glad I was not driving.
Saturday we relaxed around the house watching football and hockey. The Tennessee / Georgia game was one for the ages. TN was winning, GA scored with 10 seconds left, TN hit a Hail Mary to win the game as time ran out. Wow.
Sunday I went to O’Quigley’s to watch the Browns game. They lost again but it was another game they could have won. One or two breaks and maybe a couple more good players and we are right there! lol I met another couple down from Cleveland on vacation sitting behind me. We talked about how one of these days the Browns will get it going again.
Earlier in the week on Wednesday Sunshine Cindy and I went to LuLu’s. Our friend from Port Charlotte Paul Roush was performing there. Mark, Stephanie, Wayne and Karen all came out too. It was a fun evening with everyone.
Down on the Island The Gulf opened this weekend. I heard the place is really nice. We will check it out soon. There is also a lot of construction taking place next to the Elks Lodge. They are building a marina that will have 144 deep water slips. They also plan to build a restaurant and a ship store. Down the road plans call for a resort hotel to build there.
Thursday night several of our friends went to AJ’s on the Bayou to hear BT perform. They had a good time. AJ’s has announced they will be opening another location. This time they are going to the 30A area and will take over the old Pandora’s Steakhouse in Grayton Beach. They expect to be open in the spring of 2017. AJ’s continues to grow!
The weather continues to be perfect in Destin. The fishing rodeo is in full swing. Come to Destin and “Embrace the Chaos” with us! See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
The charter boat association took over the planning of the event a few years ago and it has been growing ever since. The biggest thing they did was do away with a fee to enter and they went away from big name musical acts and instead concentrated on local talent. The only exception to this was our friends with Southern Drawl Band who were invited back to headline the Friday night show.
Sunshine Cindy and I headed down to the harbor about 3:00 Friday afternoon. We took Uber for the first time and we loved it. This is the way of the future. No parking hassles and I could have a few beers without worrying about driving home.
On the harbor our first stop was at Crab Island Cantina. A new bartender, Bobby was learning the ropes as the more experienced staff was gearing up for the long weekend. We talked to some tourist folks as we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon. Next stop was at Harry T’s. Red, Mike, Susan were all working. Lou came by and gave us hug. Cajun Mike and Terry stopped in for a drink. The harbor was starting to get busy.
We headed to Hooks as Rob Romans was playing. While there we ran into Jim and Marcy. I hung out with Jim at Landshark the previous Sunday watching the Browns game as they are from Cleveland. While at Hooks Scott stopped there then Tony also stopped there. Rob was doing a good job getting the early crowd going. Off to Tailfins we went. Julie joined us there. The crowds were really getting bigger now on the harbor. I decided to head to Landshark for a pizza but Julie and Sunshine Cindy stayed at Tailfins.
By the time I got back to Tailfins Ronnie was playing and you could hardly move on the harbor. It was time for us to head to the big stage as the Southern Drawl Band bus was pulling in. They had to wait as a car had the entrance blocked and when they went to move it the keys got locked in. After a locksmith was called they got unloaded. Then a Parrot Head lady fell and was hurt bad. They had to get the firetruck and paramedics down to her. She is in the hospital with several broken bones but should be fine when she heals up.
That also delayed the show too but they went on stage about 9 and had a huge crowd rocking to their music. These guys are fantastic. Look them up and catch them when they come to your town. You will not be disappointed.
After their show we hung out with the band for a while then Sunshine Cindy and I walked across the street to Waffle House for a late night greasy food fix. Steve, Becky, Judy and Kelly were there already. It was a good time. When we left and as we waited for our Uber driver there were blue lights and cop cars going different directions. I’m not sure of all that happened but we heard there was a car on its side by the Red Door Saloon. Yep, I’m glad I was not driving.
Saturday we relaxed around the house watching football and hockey. The Tennessee / Georgia game was one for the ages. TN was winning, GA scored with 10 seconds left, TN hit a Hail Mary to win the game as time ran out. Wow.
Sunday I went to O’Quigley’s to watch the Browns game. They lost again but it was another game they could have won. One or two breaks and maybe a couple more good players and we are right there! lol I met another couple down from Cleveland on vacation sitting behind me. We talked about how one of these days the Browns will get it going again.
Earlier in the week on Wednesday Sunshine Cindy and I went to LuLu’s. Our friend from Port Charlotte Paul Roush was performing there. Mark, Stephanie, Wayne and Karen all came out too. It was a fun evening with everyone.
Down on the Island The Gulf opened this weekend. I heard the place is really nice. We will check it out soon. There is also a lot of construction taking place next to the Elks Lodge. They are building a marina that will have 144 deep water slips. They also plan to build a restaurant and a ship store. Down the road plans call for a resort hotel to build there.
Thursday night several of our friends went to AJ’s on the Bayou to hear BT perform. They had a good time. AJ’s has announced they will be opening another location. This time they are going to the 30A area and will take over the old Pandora’s Steakhouse in Grayton Beach. They expect to be open in the spring of 2017. AJ’s continues to grow!
The weather continues to be perfect in Destin. The fishing rodeo is in full swing. Come to Destin and “Embrace the Chaos” with us! See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, September 26, 2016
It’s still hot in Destin
Even though the calendar says it is now Fall, the temps are not reflecting that. We had another week of near record highs as we were in the mid 90’s all week. We should start to cool down to more normal temps this week if you can believe the weatherman.
Sunshine Cindy and I actually took it kind of easy this week. Friday was my regular Friday off. I got some errands run and even made stop at Barbary Coast for a haircut. Tim the barber started Barbary Coast over 20 years ago. I have been going there for several years. It’s a place for guys. I have never seen a lady in there except for the ladies who work there. About a year and half ago Tim had a stroke. He was bouncing back from that when he got another one. Tim is not doing well from that stroke. I found out one of the ladies, Kelly is buying the business and will keep running it as it is now. I hope Tim will get well enough to stop back in from time to time. And good luck to Kelly.
When I got back home Chaos and I washed and cleaned BadAss3. Actually I did most of the work while Chaos sniffed around the yard. But she was right there if I needed her! lol
The Parrot Heads had a meeting Friday night at KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach. Sunshine Cindy didn’t get home from work till almost 6 so we ended up missing the party. Oh well, next time.
Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I loaded Chaos into BadAss3 and we went to make a few stops. We hit Home Depot, Pet Smart and Destin Ice Seafood. Chaos loves riding in the car especially with the top down. But it was hot out and she was glad to get back home and into the air conditioning.
Later in the afternoon I headed to Crab Island Cantina and Charley’s BBB bar to watch some football. Johanna was working the bar. She got called in as they were shorthanded and had to bring her daughter with her. All I can say is kids can sleep anywhere! Charley’s has Edamame and it is so good. I had it with a few brews while watching some games. Carlos came by and we chatted for a few minutes. I have not seen Carlos in a few months so it was good catching up. I headed home and watched some hockey in the evening as Canada beat Russia in the World Cup semifinal game.
Sunday Funday had me going to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns. Brian had sent me a message saying a couple guys from Cleveland down on vacation were coming in to watch the game. Jerry and Jack were great guys. Typical Cleveland guys. They love the Browns and love to party. It was fun hanging out with them. They stayed till the middle of the third quarter before they had to go back to their condo. The wives were wanting them back!
The Browns almost won. If our kicker had made a field goal we would have but it was not meant to be. As the game was ending B came and joined me. He told me Steve is in the hospital and not doing well. He had some surgery and did not wake up properly. They don’t know if he had a stroke or what but B said he can’t recognize people and does not remember even talking to folks right after having a conversation. That is so sad. He is a great guy who is well known in Destin. I pray for his wife to have strength at this time.
Things continue to happen on the Island. Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone is planning an expansion. The addition proposes a wide range of family amusements, including electric Go-Karts and bumper boats.
The other big news from the Island is the owner of the Ramada is planning to tear down the Ramada and replace it with a Hard Rock Resort. Immediately people were crying about this proposed development. I doubt many of them read or heard the plans instead jumping to conclusions that this was going to be built on vacate land adding to the traffic problem and removing more beach from public use. I would like to see a slowing of the development around here too but this is just a wash as we replace one resort for a newer one.
It is going to be a busy crazy week in Destin. The Seafood Festival is this weekend with our friends The Southern Drawl Band performing on Friday night on the main city stage. The fishing rodeo kicks off this weekend too. Fall is in full swing in Destin.
Have a great week. I will have a full report next Monday.
Monday, September 19, 2016
The best time of the year in Destin
Without a doubt this is the best time of the year in Destin. Temps are down slightly, traffic is not a problem, the Gulf of Mexico is warm and the locals are out and enjoying all that Destin has to offer.
Friday evening Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza for a bite to eat and to hang out for a while. Julie joined us for a nice relaxing evening. We were surprised at some heavy traffic. We think there might be some “fall breaks” taking place as there were a few more tourist than usual for this time of the year plus a bunch of limo’s going up and down Hwy 98. Jason and Paige were taking care of us. Pops was there and Landshark filled up pretty good. I have been getting a small pizza with fresh jalapeno’s on it that is to die for. The jalapeno’s gives it just the right amount of heat for me!
Saturday the Parrot Heads had plans to go out to Crab Island on the Sun Venture. We had about 45 people sign up. We woke up Saturday morning to thunder and lightning and heavy rain. It did not look good as we were supposed to head out at 11 am. It looked like it might clear up a little about noon so the start time was pushed back to 1 pm. Surprisingly the weather did clear and we ended up having a fun time at Crab Island. There were only handful of boats out there so we almost had the entire area to ourselves.
We had several folks bring their own boats out there. Kenny and Becki kayaked over too so we had a big group. The tide was coming in so the water was crystal clear. There were a few Moon Jelly Fish but nothing too bad. It was a typical Crab Island kind of afternoon. On the ride back to the dock we went to East Pass. There were dolphins playing and jumping. They were swimming in our wake and have a blast showing off for us.
As we got back into the harbor we passed a guy on a catamaran who was struggling to get back to shore. The captain and mate maneuvered our boat to push him to shore, then the mate got off to help secure the catamaran on the shore. That was a perfect example of boaters taking care of boaters! When we got back to the dock a group of us headed to Duck Duck for some cold drinks. No one was in the place so the bartender was happy to see us! It was the perfect end to a fun day that didn’t look like it would happen.
Sunday Funday had us at Tailfins to watch some football. A big crowd of folks were there to watch the various games. We met Donny and some of his friends to watch the Browns/Ravens game. A big group sat at the table right next to us watch the Bengals/Steelers game. Tony and Amy stopped in with some friends to watch the Browns game too. Amy is from outside Cleveland and their friends are from Cleveland so we had a mini cheering section. The Browns lost but at least they played a good game. They are trending in the right direction.
After the game we stopped in at Landshark for a while. It was not too busy but folks were starting to come in for the Packers game that was coming on later. We ran into Tony and Amy and their friends there too. Then Sami and Barry and some friends came in. Finally Judi and Richard came in with some friends too. It was a nice ending for Sunday Funday. When we got home we took Chaos out for a walk and we got ready for the upcoming work week.
A lot has been happening around town recently. The new breakfast, brunch and lunch place called The First Watch is open next to Publix in Destin. It looks like a nice place. We will be trying it soon. Also in Destin at Fudpuckers their new late night bar called “The Down Under” is open. This place opens about 10 pm and goes till 4 am. Definitely a place for the younger folks. In Ft. Walton Beach “The Spot” is open in the old Staff’s building. This is a jazz club. It looks like they have done a lot of work to the building. Staff’s was in business for close to 100 years so it is a historic location. We will have to go check it out.
Down on Okaloosa Island “The Gulf Okaloosa” is scheduled to open at the end of this month. This is a big place built on the bay back by the strip clubs. Their claim to fame is they use shipping containers for their building. It looks like a great place from the pictures I have seen. Yep, another new place for us to check out. Back in Destin Funky’s Blues Shack is moving from Baytowne and will be opening in the old Chili’s location near the Commons in January or February. And last but not least the 5 star resort, “The Henderson” is scheduled to open November 18th.
Over the past several months there has been a public spat going on between the owners of Tops burgers and their landlord. Tops is a greasy spoon type of burger that folks just love. They have been in Destin for several years just down from the Commons. They got an eviction notice from their landlord in the Summer and they had to close. Well, the landlord then opened a greasy burger joint called “Pops” that looked and felt just like “Tops.” That didn’t go over well. A war of words ensued. People boycotted Pops. Then last week it was announced they kissed and made up and Tops will be back in business at their old location. Go figure!
I want to give a shout out to Eastern Shipbuilders of Panama City. Last week they won a $10.5 billion contract to build Coast Guard Cutters. That was a great win for Eastern and Panama City as they beat out some big names. This will be a big boost to the economy of Panama City. Congratulations!
It looks like it is going to be another great week in Destin. See ya next Monday with a full report on the fun and games!!!
Destin Steve
Friday evening Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza for a bite to eat and to hang out for a while. Julie joined us for a nice relaxing evening. We were surprised at some heavy traffic. We think there might be some “fall breaks” taking place as there were a few more tourist than usual for this time of the year plus a bunch of limo’s going up and down Hwy 98. Jason and Paige were taking care of us. Pops was there and Landshark filled up pretty good. I have been getting a small pizza with fresh jalapeno’s on it that is to die for. The jalapeno’s gives it just the right amount of heat for me!
Saturday the Parrot Heads had plans to go out to Crab Island on the Sun Venture. We had about 45 people sign up. We woke up Saturday morning to thunder and lightning and heavy rain. It did not look good as we were supposed to head out at 11 am. It looked like it might clear up a little about noon so the start time was pushed back to 1 pm. Surprisingly the weather did clear and we ended up having a fun time at Crab Island. There were only handful of boats out there so we almost had the entire area to ourselves.
We had several folks bring their own boats out there. Kenny and Becki kayaked over too so we had a big group. The tide was coming in so the water was crystal clear. There were a few Moon Jelly Fish but nothing too bad. It was a typical Crab Island kind of afternoon. On the ride back to the dock we went to East Pass. There were dolphins playing and jumping. They were swimming in our wake and have a blast showing off for us.
As we got back into the harbor we passed a guy on a catamaran who was struggling to get back to shore. The captain and mate maneuvered our boat to push him to shore, then the mate got off to help secure the catamaran on the shore. That was a perfect example of boaters taking care of boaters! When we got back to the dock a group of us headed to Duck Duck for some cold drinks. No one was in the place so the bartender was happy to see us! It was the perfect end to a fun day that didn’t look like it would happen.
Sunday Funday had us at Tailfins to watch some football. A big crowd of folks were there to watch the various games. We met Donny and some of his friends to watch the Browns/Ravens game. A big group sat at the table right next to us watch the Bengals/Steelers game. Tony and Amy stopped in with some friends to watch the Browns game too. Amy is from outside Cleveland and their friends are from Cleveland so we had a mini cheering section. The Browns lost but at least they played a good game. They are trending in the right direction.
After the game we stopped in at Landshark for a while. It was not too busy but folks were starting to come in for the Packers game that was coming on later. We ran into Tony and Amy and their friends there too. Then Sami and Barry and some friends came in. Finally Judi and Richard came in with some friends too. It was a nice ending for Sunday Funday. When we got home we took Chaos out for a walk and we got ready for the upcoming work week.
A lot has been happening around town recently. The new breakfast, brunch and lunch place called The First Watch is open next to Publix in Destin. It looks like a nice place. We will be trying it soon. Also in Destin at Fudpuckers their new late night bar called “The Down Under” is open. This place opens about 10 pm and goes till 4 am. Definitely a place for the younger folks. In Ft. Walton Beach “The Spot” is open in the old Staff’s building. This is a jazz club. It looks like they have done a lot of work to the building. Staff’s was in business for close to 100 years so it is a historic location. We will have to go check it out.
Down on Okaloosa Island “The Gulf Okaloosa” is scheduled to open at the end of this month. This is a big place built on the bay back by the strip clubs. Their claim to fame is they use shipping containers for their building. It looks like a great place from the pictures I have seen. Yep, another new place for us to check out. Back in Destin Funky’s Blues Shack is moving from Baytowne and will be opening in the old Chili’s location near the Commons in January or February. And last but not least the 5 star resort, “The Henderson” is scheduled to open November 18th.
Over the past several months there has been a public spat going on between the owners of Tops burgers and their landlord. Tops is a greasy spoon type of burger that folks just love. They have been in Destin for several years just down from the Commons. They got an eviction notice from their landlord in the Summer and they had to close. Well, the landlord then opened a greasy burger joint called “Pops” that looked and felt just like “Tops.” That didn’t go over well. A war of words ensued. People boycotted Pops. Then last week it was announced they kissed and made up and Tops will be back in business at their old location. Go figure!
I want to give a shout out to Eastern Shipbuilders of Panama City. Last week they won a $10.5 billion contract to build Coast Guard Cutters. That was a great win for Eastern and Panama City as they beat out some big names. This will be a big boost to the economy of Panama City. Congratulations!
It looks like it is going to be another great week in Destin. See ya next Monday with a full report on the fun and games!!!
Destin Steve
Monday, September 12, 2016
Perfect weather in Destin
This time of the year is about as close to perfect as you can get in Destin. After Labor Day the tourist are gone but the weather is still great with the humidity down a bit and the temps a little lower too. The past week we had no clouds and postcard sunsets. This makes it paradise!
Sunshine Cindy and I got out and about a few times this past week. Tuesday evening we stopped in at The Boathouse to listen to BT. There was a good crowd of fun loving people there. BT always keeps the crowd engaged. He was retiring his beloved 12 string guitar as it is not able to be repaired. It was a party!
Thursday the Trop Rock world got more bad news. Our friend, David Crow who is the lead guitarist for Southern Drawl Band was killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday night. Some lady fell asleep and crossed the medium. David never had a chance. Thursday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza to toast David and share some memories. This was a hard time for us and all fans of SDB. It was a gut punch to lose someone so young and talented. Sail on David…
Friday I was off and ran some errands in the morning. Those errands took me to the shopping center where Island Wings is at. It was hot so I stopped in for a couple beers. Thursday when we were at Landshark Pizza I was paying $2 for a pint of Yuengling. The same pint at Island Wings was $4.25. Needless to say I won’t be back at Island Wings.
Friday night was our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. It was another fun time. Mike and Suzanne come up with some more fun games, the music was good and the beer was cheap. Lol The Parrot Heads continue to raise a lot of money for local charities too.
Saturday we were back on the beach for our last Crab Island Mambo / ECPHC beach cleanup of the year. We had about 40 people show up to clean the beach and then have a party on the sand. Mike did a shrimp boil and they came up with some more fun games. The weather was perfect. The Gulf of Mexico was calm. It was a perfect day on the beach. As Mike and Clyde were working on the shrimp boil our lifeguard came by and asked what we were having to eat. He has stopped by in the past and we always feed him. He said he would be back when it done and asked if his girlfriend could also come and have some food. Of course she could! Not only do we clean the beach but we keep the first responders fed too!
Football is back. Sunday I went to Tailfins to watch the Browns. Ken, Cheryl and Donnie came to watch the Ravens. We have our own spot we take over to watch the games. Sunshine Cindy had a baby shower to attend. She didn’t get to Tailfins till after the game was over. But she didn’t miss anything as the Browns were the Browns. They have a real young team and it will take time for them to grow up. Bobby also came and hung out with us and even BT came to hang with us. Even if the game was terrible we have the water, harbor and sand to look at which makes it okay! And BTW, the Ravens won so those fans were happy.
Around town it was announced what is going in where we thought Dolly Parton might build some type of entertainment complex. This land is just down from our sub division and they will now be building another apartment complex. This is another example of the “Atlantafacation” of Destin. That is you build an access road and then put so many businesses and apartments on it no one can move on that road either. Pretty soon Commons Drive will be nothing but one big traffic jam.
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Sunshine Cindy and I got out and about a few times this past week. Tuesday evening we stopped in at The Boathouse to listen to BT. There was a good crowd of fun loving people there. BT always keeps the crowd engaged. He was retiring his beloved 12 string guitar as it is not able to be repaired. It was a party!
Thursday the Trop Rock world got more bad news. Our friend, David Crow who is the lead guitarist for Southern Drawl Band was killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday night. Some lady fell asleep and crossed the medium. David never had a chance. Thursday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza to toast David and share some memories. This was a hard time for us and all fans of SDB. It was a gut punch to lose someone so young and talented. Sail on David…
Friday I was off and ran some errands in the morning. Those errands took me to the shopping center where Island Wings is at. It was hot so I stopped in for a couple beers. Thursday when we were at Landshark Pizza I was paying $2 for a pint of Yuengling. The same pint at Island Wings was $4.25. Needless to say I won’t be back at Island Wings.
Friday night was our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. It was another fun time. Mike and Suzanne come up with some more fun games, the music was good and the beer was cheap. Lol The Parrot Heads continue to raise a lot of money for local charities too.
Saturday we were back on the beach for our last Crab Island Mambo / ECPHC beach cleanup of the year. We had about 40 people show up to clean the beach and then have a party on the sand. Mike did a shrimp boil and they came up with some more fun games. The weather was perfect. The Gulf of Mexico was calm. It was a perfect day on the beach. As Mike and Clyde were working on the shrimp boil our lifeguard came by and asked what we were having to eat. He has stopped by in the past and we always feed him. He said he would be back when it done and asked if his girlfriend could also come and have some food. Of course she could! Not only do we clean the beach but we keep the first responders fed too!
Football is back. Sunday I went to Tailfins to watch the Browns. Ken, Cheryl and Donnie came to watch the Ravens. We have our own spot we take over to watch the games. Sunshine Cindy had a baby shower to attend. She didn’t get to Tailfins till after the game was over. But she didn’t miss anything as the Browns were the Browns. They have a real young team and it will take time for them to grow up. Bobby also came and hung out with us and even BT came to hang with us. Even if the game was terrible we have the water, harbor and sand to look at which makes it okay! And BTW, the Ravens won so those fans were happy.
Around town it was announced what is going in where we thought Dolly Parton might build some type of entertainment complex. This land is just down from our sub division and they will now be building another apartment complex. This is another example of the “Atlantafacation” of Destin. That is you build an access road and then put so many businesses and apartments on it no one can move on that road either. Pretty soon Commons Drive will be nothing but one big traffic jam.
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, September 5, 2016
Labor Day weekend in Destin
This past week in Destin the news was dominated by a tropical system. It was tracked for what seemed like a month as it crawled through the Caribbean never gaining enough strength to even be called a tropical depression. It finally worked its way into the Gulf of Mexico and finally became Tropical Storm Hermine. Early in the week it looked like we might get hit with the storm in Destin. But as the week went on the storm track moved it to the big bend area of the panhandle and that’s where it finally landed as a weak Cat 1 hurricane.
The storm made landfall late Thursday evening about two hours east of Destin. Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza. It was turning into a beautiful night with no wind or rain. The storm was a non-event in Destin I am glad to say.
Friday we had a gorgeous day. Clear blue skies and hot and humid temps. We did some things around the house and prepared for a party on Saturday. In the afternoon Sunshine Cindy didn’t want to go anywhere but I headed to The Crust Pizzeria for a pasta dinner. Charley was there and I got to find out how the new restaurant in Ft. Walton Beach is doing. The answer is fantastic! They have been open for 3 weeks now and they are slammed. I am happy for Charley as he put a lot of time and effort into getting the new place opened. My Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage was great as always. I love that dish as it is one of the best values in Destin.
When I got home Sunshine Cindy and I sat on the back porch long into the night watching a lightning show and listening to Radio Margaritaville. It was a relaxing evening.
Saturday was spent at Julie’s for her annual Labor Day pool party. Dean came from Louisiana and cooked up a storm. BT played his usual fun music and everyone had a good time. We had some clouds for most of the day so it was actually comfortable too. We can’t thank Julie enough for having us over!!!
Sunday it rained…and rained…and rained some more. This was what we expected with the tropical system! lol But the rain didn’t stop Sunshine Cindy and I from getting out. We went to McGuire’s and got lucky when a couple seats opened up at the bar. There were people waiting for tables so we were happy. We ran into James. He used to manage Malibu Jack’s. He said he sold out and Burrito del Sol is opening a new remodeled place there. They should be opening soon. Sunshine Cindy and I enjoyed good food, cold beer and popcorn! The bar was hoping with folks coming and going. McGuire’s is a gold mine but they know what they are doing. We enjoyed our time there.
When we left we stopped in at the Rotten Apple. Ed, Jimmy and one of the bartenders from McGuire’s were there getting ready to watch the Notre Dame/Texas game and the NASCAR race. Then a couple other guys who were sitting next to us at McGuire’s came in too. Finally Kerby came in. We have not seen Kerby in a few months. Kerby is a Destin character. He is a lot of fun to be around but he has no inside voice. I call him a human hurricane! We ended up hanging out there for a good while watching the action and talking to everyone.
This morning (Monday) we went to Asiago Skillet for breakfast. It was not too crowded. I know by next summer as the word gets out about their food the lines will be out the door like the other breakfast places in town but for now it is our secret! As we were leaving Joan and her husband came in. We have not seen them in forever. It was their first time at Asiago and we told them they would love it. When we got home we got Chaos and took her to the dog park. She ran and ran playing with the other dogs. She was wore out when we got back home.
Driving around Destin we noticed a new building going up behind the Goodwill store. I have no idea what that is going to be or if they are adding onto the Goodwill store. I will have to ask around to see if I can find out what it’s going to be.
Other than that, we are now in September which is one of the quietest months in Destin. The tourist are gone, the fishing rodeo is a month away and kids are back in school. We have the town to ourselves! It’s the locals time!
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
The storm made landfall late Thursday evening about two hours east of Destin. Thursday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza. It was turning into a beautiful night with no wind or rain. The storm was a non-event in Destin I am glad to say.
Friday we had a gorgeous day. Clear blue skies and hot and humid temps. We did some things around the house and prepared for a party on Saturday. In the afternoon Sunshine Cindy didn’t want to go anywhere but I headed to The Crust Pizzeria for a pasta dinner. Charley was there and I got to find out how the new restaurant in Ft. Walton Beach is doing. The answer is fantastic! They have been open for 3 weeks now and they are slammed. I am happy for Charley as he put a lot of time and effort into getting the new place opened. My Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage was great as always. I love that dish as it is one of the best values in Destin.
When I got home Sunshine Cindy and I sat on the back porch long into the night watching a lightning show and listening to Radio Margaritaville. It was a relaxing evening.
Saturday was spent at Julie’s for her annual Labor Day pool party. Dean came from Louisiana and cooked up a storm. BT played his usual fun music and everyone had a good time. We had some clouds for most of the day so it was actually comfortable too. We can’t thank Julie enough for having us over!!!
Sunday it rained…and rained…and rained some more. This was what we expected with the tropical system! lol But the rain didn’t stop Sunshine Cindy and I from getting out. We went to McGuire’s and got lucky when a couple seats opened up at the bar. There were people waiting for tables so we were happy. We ran into James. He used to manage Malibu Jack’s. He said he sold out and Burrito del Sol is opening a new remodeled place there. They should be opening soon. Sunshine Cindy and I enjoyed good food, cold beer and popcorn! The bar was hoping with folks coming and going. McGuire’s is a gold mine but they know what they are doing. We enjoyed our time there.
When we left we stopped in at the Rotten Apple. Ed, Jimmy and one of the bartenders from McGuire’s were there getting ready to watch the Notre Dame/Texas game and the NASCAR race. Then a couple other guys who were sitting next to us at McGuire’s came in too. Finally Kerby came in. We have not seen Kerby in a few months. Kerby is a Destin character. He is a lot of fun to be around but he has no inside voice. I call him a human hurricane! We ended up hanging out there for a good while watching the action and talking to everyone.
This morning (Monday) we went to Asiago Skillet for breakfast. It was not too crowded. I know by next summer as the word gets out about their food the lines will be out the door like the other breakfast places in town but for now it is our secret! As we were leaving Joan and her husband came in. We have not seen them in forever. It was their first time at Asiago and we told them they would love it. When we got home we got Chaos and took her to the dog park. She ran and ran playing with the other dogs. She was wore out when we got back home.
Driving around Destin we noticed a new building going up behind the Goodwill store. I have no idea what that is going to be or if they are adding onto the Goodwill store. I will have to ask around to see if I can find out what it’s going to be.
Other than that, we are now in September which is one of the quietest months in Destin. The tourist are gone, the fishing rodeo is a month away and kids are back in school. We have the town to ourselves! It’s the locals time!
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, August 29, 2016
Road Trip…
Normally folks road trip to Destin but this weekend Sunshine Cindy and I took our own road trip. We left Destin before the sun came up on Friday and headed to Punta Gorda, FL. On Saturday there was a celebration of the life and music of Jim Morris and we wanted to be present to pay our respects and to be a part of the celebration.
Jim was one of the pioneers of Trop Rock music. He had a legion of dedicated fans who would pack his shows. Sunshine Cindy and I even traveled to Costa Rica a few years ago with Jim and his fans for a week. He and his wife Sharon were great people. Jim was taken from us way too early so it was important we were there this weekend.
Wayne rode down with us and there were 6 others from the Destin area that also went down. We got there in the early afternoon and hit the ground running. Some of our friends had never been to the Nav-a-Gator so we headed there for some food and fun. Mona took good care of us as we had a blast telling stories and relaxing. As we were winding down a monsoon hit. It poured for a good 20 minutes. When it lulled we headed to the car walking in ankle deep water.
Friday night was spent at Hurricane Charley’s where we saw dozens of friends. It was great seeing everyone even if the reason we were all there was sad. I had a chance to talk with Jimi, the drummer from Jim Morris’s band and got the story of what happened to Jim. I also learned that they are keeping the band together and will continue to play Jim’s music. That’s good news. It was a long day of driving and partying and we about ready to head to our room when our friends Jay and Kathy came in. They have a second house in Punta Gorda and Jay had just flown in. We ended up talking to them till almost 1:30 am. Yep, a long day. LOL
Saturday was the celebration. It started at 12:30 pm. I guess there was close to 2000 people show up for it. They had quite a few musicians play and many folks shared stories. It was hot out there as the sun was relentless with very little breeze. About two hours in a monsoon drenched everyone but the party went on. It was a moving and emotional day.
As the party wound down Sunshine Cindy and I took Wayne, Kenny and Becki into town. We first stopped at Fisherman’s Village and found a spot to have a few beers. At one point we were all walking around when Kenny reached back to hold Becki’s hand but she had moved off to look in a store window. The lady whose hand Kenny had grabbed was sure surprised as was Kenny. We all had a good laugh at that.
We also made stops at The Ice House and Celtic Ray. It was a lot of fun. Back at the hotel the party was cranking up at Hurricane Charley’s. Sunny Jim and John Frinzi were leading a parade of musicians who performed. The time went by way too fast.
Then Sunday morning we were back in the car and headed home. 8 hours later we were back in Destin, got Chaos who was being watched by our neighbors and we caught our breath before we had to get ready for the new work week.
In Destin we missed seeing our friends Alan and Jackie. They came into town for the weekend and we hated that we missed them. Oh well, they will be back in a couple months for the winter.
This is last week of the Summer season. We have a tropical system that has had the Worry…I mean Weather Channel all in a tizzy. They have been reporting on this thing (that is still not named by the way because it is so weak) for what seems like a month. Yes, it might become a tropical storm and it will most likely drop a lot of rain but they are making it sound like doomsday is coming. I guess they need something to talk about.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. I will have a full report next Monday!
Destin Steve
Jim was one of the pioneers of Trop Rock music. He had a legion of dedicated fans who would pack his shows. Sunshine Cindy and I even traveled to Costa Rica a few years ago with Jim and his fans for a week. He and his wife Sharon were great people. Jim was taken from us way too early so it was important we were there this weekend.
Wayne rode down with us and there were 6 others from the Destin area that also went down. We got there in the early afternoon and hit the ground running. Some of our friends had never been to the Nav-a-Gator so we headed there for some food and fun. Mona took good care of us as we had a blast telling stories and relaxing. As we were winding down a monsoon hit. It poured for a good 20 minutes. When it lulled we headed to the car walking in ankle deep water.
Friday night was spent at Hurricane Charley’s where we saw dozens of friends. It was great seeing everyone even if the reason we were all there was sad. I had a chance to talk with Jimi, the drummer from Jim Morris’s band and got the story of what happened to Jim. I also learned that they are keeping the band together and will continue to play Jim’s music. That’s good news. It was a long day of driving and partying and we about ready to head to our room when our friends Jay and Kathy came in. They have a second house in Punta Gorda and Jay had just flown in. We ended up talking to them till almost 1:30 am. Yep, a long day. LOL
Saturday was the celebration. It started at 12:30 pm. I guess there was close to 2000 people show up for it. They had quite a few musicians play and many folks shared stories. It was hot out there as the sun was relentless with very little breeze. About two hours in a monsoon drenched everyone but the party went on. It was a moving and emotional day.
As the party wound down Sunshine Cindy and I took Wayne, Kenny and Becki into town. We first stopped at Fisherman’s Village and found a spot to have a few beers. At one point we were all walking around when Kenny reached back to hold Becki’s hand but she had moved off to look in a store window. The lady whose hand Kenny had grabbed was sure surprised as was Kenny. We all had a good laugh at that.
We also made stops at The Ice House and Celtic Ray. It was a lot of fun. Back at the hotel the party was cranking up at Hurricane Charley’s. Sunny Jim and John Frinzi were leading a parade of musicians who performed. The time went by way too fast.
Then Sunday morning we were back in the car and headed home. 8 hours later we were back in Destin, got Chaos who was being watched by our neighbors and we caught our breath before we had to get ready for the new work week.
In Destin we missed seeing our friends Alan and Jackie. They came into town for the weekend and we hated that we missed them. Oh well, they will be back in a couple months for the winter.
This is last week of the Summer season. We have a tropical system that has had the Worry…I mean Weather Channel all in a tizzy. They have been reporting on this thing (that is still not named by the way because it is so weak) for what seems like a month. Yes, it might become a tropical storm and it will most likely drop a lot of rain but they are making it sound like doomsday is coming. I guess they need something to talk about.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. I will have a full report next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, August 22, 2016
Slow week in Destin.
Now that most of the tourist have returned to Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas and all the other places they come from, things have slowed back down in Destin. The traffic is lighter, you can get into most restaurants and everyone who deals with the tourist crowd is catching their breath.
Sunshine Cindy and I stayed around the house for the most part this week as we are preparing for a trip to Punta Gorda next weekend for a celebration of the life of Jim Morris. Friday evening I did make a run to Landshark Pizza to get a pizza for dinner. Courtney was working the bar. Pops was there having a brew as I walked in. It was slow at first but it got crowded as the dinner crowd started to come in. The pizza was the usual excellent pie Landshark is noted for.
Saturday morning I took a bike ride. I ended up going almost 11 miles as I rode to the beach and around Destin. It was a beautiful morning. The Gulf was smooth as glass. We don’t see that too often. By the Back Porch restaurant folks were preparing for a series of paddle board races. I saw Skip there as he was volunteering. We talked for a few minutes before I continued my ride. It was a good ride.
The rest of Saturday was spent working around the house and running errands for things needed for the work around the house. lol
Sunday morning I took another bike ride. I got down to the Crab Trap on old 98 and it started to rain. A storm came up from nowhere. I got under a pavilion as it rained hard for a few minutes. When the rain stopped I saw blue sky back the way I was heading so I took off. Well, before I could get to the blue sky the rain came back. I got soaked but as least I was not hot! I ended up doing almost 10 miles on Sunday. It’s good exercise and I enjoy riding.
After I got home and took a shower Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Asiago Skillet for breakfast. This is a new place next to Landshark Pizza that has only been open a few weeks. They have an original location on Okaloosa Island next to Helen Back and I have heard good things about both locations. It was crowded but we were lucky and got a table. A big lined started to form after we got there. The food was great. I had shrimp and grits with a couple eggs on top of it all. The shrimp was fresh from the Gulf and the meal was really good. Sunshine Cindy had their ham and cheese omelet and a pancake. We also had potato cakes and sausage gravy. Everything was excellent. I highly recommend this place if you want breakfast. They are open from midnight to noon each day. We will be back!
Our friend Charley and his wife Brenda who own the Crust Pizzeria have opened a new location. They have taken over and totally remodeled the old Mama Rosa’s Pizza on Lewis Turner Blvd in Fort Walton Beach. This is now their third location around town. The Northwest Florida Daily News did a nice piece on them. You can read it here: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/business/20160818/new-pizzeria-opening-in-fort-walton-beach
The Emerald Coast Poker Run was held this weekend. It seemed like there was not as many boats around town as in previous years. The Parrot Heads manned a couple of the stops with the krewe at Juana’s getting voted the most fun stop. That is not surprising.
I have not done this in a while so let’s take a virtual stroll around the harbor area. We will park at The Crust and say hi to Charley and start with a cold beer to get the stroll off and running. From there we will walk the few steps to AJ’s. Something is always going on at AJ’s. Next we head to Tailfins. If you want a great view go to their open air bar on the third floor. Leaving Tailfins we will pass Dewey Destin’s and Brotula’s. Both place are great for fresh local seafood.
Continuing down the boardwalk we come to The Boathouse Oyster Bar. This is a Destin original dive bar that always has a good crowd. One more stop before we head up the hill is Duck Duck. This is more of a late night place but a good spot for a cold beer on a hot afternoon. Up the hill is The Red Door Saloon. This is another dive bar with great views and always a sea breeze to keep you cool. Go on Sunday’s when they have happy hour AND they do a 2 for 1. You can’t drink this cheap at home!
Back up along Hwy 98 is Landshark Pizza and Asiago Skillet. As you know I highly recommend both places. Across the highway is Bucks BBQ. Stop in here for some of the best BBQ in Destin. I hope you enjoyed this short stroll along the harbor. There are many more places within walking distance where you can go and have a drink and some food too. Keep reading this blog and I will take you on more trips around Destin.
Have a great week. See you next Monday!
Destin Steve
Sunshine Cindy and I stayed around the house for the most part this week as we are preparing for a trip to Punta Gorda next weekend for a celebration of the life of Jim Morris. Friday evening I did make a run to Landshark Pizza to get a pizza for dinner. Courtney was working the bar. Pops was there having a brew as I walked in. It was slow at first but it got crowded as the dinner crowd started to come in. The pizza was the usual excellent pie Landshark is noted for.
Saturday morning I took a bike ride. I ended up going almost 11 miles as I rode to the beach and around Destin. It was a beautiful morning. The Gulf was smooth as glass. We don’t see that too often. By the Back Porch restaurant folks were preparing for a series of paddle board races. I saw Skip there as he was volunteering. We talked for a few minutes before I continued my ride. It was a good ride.
The rest of Saturday was spent working around the house and running errands for things needed for the work around the house. lol
Sunday morning I took another bike ride. I got down to the Crab Trap on old 98 and it started to rain. A storm came up from nowhere. I got under a pavilion as it rained hard for a few minutes. When the rain stopped I saw blue sky back the way I was heading so I took off. Well, before I could get to the blue sky the rain came back. I got soaked but as least I was not hot! I ended up doing almost 10 miles on Sunday. It’s good exercise and I enjoy riding.
After I got home and took a shower Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Asiago Skillet for breakfast. This is a new place next to Landshark Pizza that has only been open a few weeks. They have an original location on Okaloosa Island next to Helen Back and I have heard good things about both locations. It was crowded but we were lucky and got a table. A big lined started to form after we got there. The food was great. I had shrimp and grits with a couple eggs on top of it all. The shrimp was fresh from the Gulf and the meal was really good. Sunshine Cindy had their ham and cheese omelet and a pancake. We also had potato cakes and sausage gravy. Everything was excellent. I highly recommend this place if you want breakfast. They are open from midnight to noon each day. We will be back!
Our friend Charley and his wife Brenda who own the Crust Pizzeria have opened a new location. They have taken over and totally remodeled the old Mama Rosa’s Pizza on Lewis Turner Blvd in Fort Walton Beach. This is now their third location around town. The Northwest Florida Daily News did a nice piece on them. You can read it here: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/business/20160818/new-pizzeria-opening-in-fort-walton-beach
The Emerald Coast Poker Run was held this weekend. It seemed like there was not as many boats around town as in previous years. The Parrot Heads manned a couple of the stops with the krewe at Juana’s getting voted the most fun stop. That is not surprising.
I have not done this in a while so let’s take a virtual stroll around the harbor area. We will park at The Crust and say hi to Charley and start with a cold beer to get the stroll off and running. From there we will walk the few steps to AJ’s. Something is always going on at AJ’s. Next we head to Tailfins. If you want a great view go to their open air bar on the third floor. Leaving Tailfins we will pass Dewey Destin’s and Brotula’s. Both place are great for fresh local seafood.
Continuing down the boardwalk we come to The Boathouse Oyster Bar. This is a Destin original dive bar that always has a good crowd. One more stop before we head up the hill is Duck Duck. This is more of a late night place but a good spot for a cold beer on a hot afternoon. Up the hill is The Red Door Saloon. This is another dive bar with great views and always a sea breeze to keep you cool. Go on Sunday’s when they have happy hour AND they do a 2 for 1. You can’t drink this cheap at home!
Back up along Hwy 98 is Landshark Pizza and Asiago Skillet. As you know I highly recommend both places. Across the highway is Bucks BBQ. Stop in here for some of the best BBQ in Destin. I hope you enjoyed this short stroll along the harbor. There are many more places within walking distance where you can go and have a drink and some food too. Keep reading this blog and I will take you on more trips around Destin.
Have a great week. See you next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, August 15, 2016
Rainy week in Destin
This past week saw a lot of rain along the panhandle but it was nothing like they got in Louisiana. We actually got lucky as only Friday was a total washout. Otherwise we had thunderstorms blow through but we had plenty of time between the storms.
The rain didn’t stop us from getting out though. Sunshine Cindy’s daughter Tiffany flew back to Atlanta on Saturday so on Friday we all went to Harry T’s for happy hour and some dinner. Tiffany’s last day as a server at Harry T’s was Wednesday so Friday many of her co-workers came by to say goodbye. Red was behind the bar but she was getting off and Mike and Susan took over. Lou also came by to give Tiff a big hug. Harry T’s has a great happy hour at their bar. It is half price everything from 11 am to 7 pm. It’s a great deal. Plus they have some good food specials.
From there we headed to Landshark Pizza for our monthly Parrot Head meeting. A big crowd was there as Jan and Kenny entertained everyone. There was even the longest conga line we have had in a long time erupt! Lol Our friends Steve and Becky were back in town and made the meeting. It was great seeing and talking to them. By the time we left Landshark to head home the rain had stopped and it was actually clearing up.
Saturday was our 3rd Crab Island Mambo / ECPHC beach cleanup of the summer on the island. Sunshine Cindy could not make it as she had to get Tiffany to the airport but I was there with almost 40 others. We did our usual good job cleaning the beach and then we had a fun beach party. The theme was chicken wings. Folks brought some and we had a contest. I was a judge and it was difficult to pick a winner but the judges agreed Mike’s were the best. He grilled them and added the right amount of spice. They were fantastic.
We had our usual assortment of drinks and good conversation. We even fed one of our lifeguards. She stopped to talk to us and she was grateful when we offered her some wings as she forgot her lunch. About 2 in the afternoon the skies darkened and we could see rain was coming. Everyone packed up about 3 and I headed home. As I pulled into our neighborhood it was dark and the rain was coming. I unloaded and within two minutes the sky also unloaded. I just made it.
That was different from Friday. I left Publix and the sun was out. Our house is about 3 miles away. By the time I got home it was raining. Later in the day I went to the post office. I walked in and it was not raining. I checked my PO box and walked out. Now it was a monsoon coming down. Go figure.
Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I made a run out to Santa Rosa Beach. On the way back we wanted to stop at one of the beach bars but all the parking lots were packed. We ended up at the harbor and Tailfins for lunch. While there we saw Julie was at the Cantina listening to BT so we walked down there to join her. Jan and Loujean also showed up. Jasmine and Marti took good care of us. It was hot and humid with no breeze but we still had a good time.
We ended the weekend at home visiting with our neighbors. The dogs all ran around and everyone enjoyed the summer evening.
Our tourist season is officially over for the summer. Traffic was its normal rate last week. I got home in about 25 minutes instead of 50 minutes that it had been running. Our local schools were back in session as were many of our neighboring states and cities schools.
I saw a new Emergency Room facility is going to be built at Emerald Lakes. They are going to have a ground breaking this week. I don’t know if this will be in addition to or replacing the current ER on Airport road.
Speaking of Airport road…the curve was busy collecting cars in the ditches this past week. When it rains people don’t slow down and they end up in the ditch. I saw two different cars in the ditch and Sunshine Cindy saw one. I don’t understand why people don’t slow down especially if they travel that road often and know how bad it is.
Have a great week. I will leave you with another poem I wrote.
Destin Steve
“What Happens in Destin Leaves on Saturday”
Patty came to Destin on Saturday to get away from the daily stress at work
She will put her feet in the sand and the hot guys she sees are just another perk
It’s a girls week at the beach as they leave Atlanta behind
As they check into their condo they are now in a relaxed Destin state of mind
Meanwhile the locals are heading to AJ’s to check out the new Saturday arrivals as they are hoping to score
They will be having beer and rum drinks while trolling the dance floor
With their flip flops and cargo shorts you can’t miss them as they come down the walkway
With the bay and harbor in the distance they are land sharks looking for their prey
You have airman to the left and fishheads to the right
Everyone is looking to make this a memorable night
Dougie comes each Saturday to scope out the club, there’s a cute girl here and a hot one there
At the bar sits Patty in a colorful sun dress with her shoulders bare
Patty and her girls are sipping their Jack on the rocks
Dougie decides to move in like a sly fox
Black Eyed Blonde is playing great music to dance to
Dougie and Patty start to dance as he says, “I like you”
Patty tells him she is not looking for “mister right” but just “mister right now”
After dancing and laughing all night Dougie can only say, “wow”
They hook up all week hitting Hogs one night and The Boathouse the next night
The week is slipping away but with each passing day it feels right
Cruising up and down Hwy. 98, renting a pontoon boat and taking a dolphin cruise they look like love birds
But the reality of Patty leaving on Saturday are the unspoken words
Friday night is epic as they promise to stay in touch and see each other often
But it was the blow of Patty leaving they were trying to soften
They said good bye with the memories of the week fresh in their minds
While they toasted the good times with one last glass of wine
What happens in Destin leaves on Saturday
Dougie went back to AJ’s Saturday night…he’s ready to play
Patty’s memory is so yesterday
He’s walking around the bar looking for his next hook up
With his Costa shades around his neck and a beer in a red solo cup
You have airman to the left and fishheads to the right
Everyone is looking to make this a memorable night
What happens in Destin leaves on Saturday
Steve Kesegich August 2016 ©
The rain didn’t stop us from getting out though. Sunshine Cindy’s daughter Tiffany flew back to Atlanta on Saturday so on Friday we all went to Harry T’s for happy hour and some dinner. Tiffany’s last day as a server at Harry T’s was Wednesday so Friday many of her co-workers came by to say goodbye. Red was behind the bar but she was getting off and Mike and Susan took over. Lou also came by to give Tiff a big hug. Harry T’s has a great happy hour at their bar. It is half price everything from 11 am to 7 pm. It’s a great deal. Plus they have some good food specials.
From there we headed to Landshark Pizza for our monthly Parrot Head meeting. A big crowd was there as Jan and Kenny entertained everyone. There was even the longest conga line we have had in a long time erupt! Lol Our friends Steve and Becky were back in town and made the meeting. It was great seeing and talking to them. By the time we left Landshark to head home the rain had stopped and it was actually clearing up.
Saturday was our 3rd Crab Island Mambo / ECPHC beach cleanup of the summer on the island. Sunshine Cindy could not make it as she had to get Tiffany to the airport but I was there with almost 40 others. We did our usual good job cleaning the beach and then we had a fun beach party. The theme was chicken wings. Folks brought some and we had a contest. I was a judge and it was difficult to pick a winner but the judges agreed Mike’s were the best. He grilled them and added the right amount of spice. They were fantastic.
We had our usual assortment of drinks and good conversation. We even fed one of our lifeguards. She stopped to talk to us and she was grateful when we offered her some wings as she forgot her lunch. About 2 in the afternoon the skies darkened and we could see rain was coming. Everyone packed up about 3 and I headed home. As I pulled into our neighborhood it was dark and the rain was coming. I unloaded and within two minutes the sky also unloaded. I just made it.
That was different from Friday. I left Publix and the sun was out. Our house is about 3 miles away. By the time I got home it was raining. Later in the day I went to the post office. I walked in and it was not raining. I checked my PO box and walked out. Now it was a monsoon coming down. Go figure.
Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I made a run out to Santa Rosa Beach. On the way back we wanted to stop at one of the beach bars but all the parking lots were packed. We ended up at the harbor and Tailfins for lunch. While there we saw Julie was at the Cantina listening to BT so we walked down there to join her. Jan and Loujean also showed up. Jasmine and Marti took good care of us. It was hot and humid with no breeze but we still had a good time.
We ended the weekend at home visiting with our neighbors. The dogs all ran around and everyone enjoyed the summer evening.
Our tourist season is officially over for the summer. Traffic was its normal rate last week. I got home in about 25 minutes instead of 50 minutes that it had been running. Our local schools were back in session as were many of our neighboring states and cities schools.
I saw a new Emergency Room facility is going to be built at Emerald Lakes. They are going to have a ground breaking this week. I don’t know if this will be in addition to or replacing the current ER on Airport road.
Speaking of Airport road…the curve was busy collecting cars in the ditches this past week. When it rains people don’t slow down and they end up in the ditch. I saw two different cars in the ditch and Sunshine Cindy saw one. I don’t understand why people don’t slow down especially if they travel that road often and know how bad it is.
Have a great week. I will leave you with another poem I wrote.
Destin Steve
“What Happens in Destin Leaves on Saturday”
Patty came to Destin on Saturday to get away from the daily stress at work
She will put her feet in the sand and the hot guys she sees are just another perk
It’s a girls week at the beach as they leave Atlanta behind
As they check into their condo they are now in a relaxed Destin state of mind
Meanwhile the locals are heading to AJ’s to check out the new Saturday arrivals as they are hoping to score
They will be having beer and rum drinks while trolling the dance floor
With their flip flops and cargo shorts you can’t miss them as they come down the walkway
With the bay and harbor in the distance they are land sharks looking for their prey
You have airman to the left and fishheads to the right
Everyone is looking to make this a memorable night
Dougie comes each Saturday to scope out the club, there’s a cute girl here and a hot one there
At the bar sits Patty in a colorful sun dress with her shoulders bare
Patty and her girls are sipping their Jack on the rocks
Dougie decides to move in like a sly fox
Black Eyed Blonde is playing great music to dance to
Dougie and Patty start to dance as he says, “I like you”
Patty tells him she is not looking for “mister right” but just “mister right now”
After dancing and laughing all night Dougie can only say, “wow”
They hook up all week hitting Hogs one night and The Boathouse the next night
The week is slipping away but with each passing day it feels right
Cruising up and down Hwy. 98, renting a pontoon boat and taking a dolphin cruise they look like love birds
But the reality of Patty leaving on Saturday are the unspoken words
Friday night is epic as they promise to stay in touch and see each other often
But it was the blow of Patty leaving they were trying to soften
They said good bye with the memories of the week fresh in their minds
While they toasted the good times with one last glass of wine
What happens in Destin leaves on Saturday
Dougie went back to AJ’s Saturday night…he’s ready to play
Patty’s memory is so yesterday
He’s walking around the bar looking for his next hook up
With his Costa shades around his neck and a beer in a red solo cup
You have airman to the left and fishheads to the right
Everyone is looking to make this a memorable night
What happens in Destin leaves on Saturday
Steve Kesegich August 2016 ©
Monday, August 8, 2016
Drunks and tragedy in Destin
This was a sad week in Destin as two separate incidents took two lives. The first was a small plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night after taking off from the Destin airport. The pilot was killed in the crash. No cause has been given but a medical emergency has been mentioned.
The second incident happened on Friday on Okaloosa Island. A beach chair/umbrella attendant was struck by lightning and killed. To make this worse he was the son of a lady who works for me. A severe thunderstorm blew through Fort Walton Beach Friday about 3 pm. This was a major storm with tons of lightning and driving rain. Unfortunately we have a young guy just trying to make some money over the summer who was caught in the storm. Many people are killed each year in Florida by lightning strikes especially on the beaches. Needless to say if a storm approaches get to some place safe to ride it out. RIP Zack…
This also seemed to be a week where we ran into more drunks around town than usual. The first one was about 6 am Tuesday morning. I was driving to work and near AJ’s a drunk was staggering across Hwy 98. Several of us had to dodge him as he was not making it across in a straight line. What makes it worse was he was at one of the new pedestrian lights but he didn’t activate it. He was lucky he was not killed…at 6 am!!!
On Thursday morning as I went to work part of 98 was closed by Hogs Breath as a truck hit a power pole about 4:30 am. Power lines were down in the street and traffic was diverted to Mountain Drive. I don’t know for sure but my guess would be a drunk driver. Thursday evening as I was going home I was on Mountain drive and a guy on a bicycle was hit by a car. From what I could see it looked like one of our homeless drunks. Some of them have bikes making them even more of a problem.
Friday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to The Boathouse for their grand opening of the Upper Deck bar next door to the Boathouse. We checked out the new bar which is real nice then we went to listen to Kelly and later Jason play. Mark and Stephanie joined us and then Kenny showed up too. At one point in the evening an ambulance pulled down there. There was a drunk guy that was in distress but he refused treatment. Some of his friends hauled him out. It was a fun night at The Boathouse. Kenny got up to play a few songs with Jason. Our neighbor Hayden was there. A bachelorette party came through…a good time was had by all.
Keeping the drunk theme going…Sunday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in to the Red Door for some lunch. A drunk guy with a couple girls was getting loud in the back corner. We were ignoring him but I was keeping an eye on him. For no reason he threw a drink at one of his friends but it mostly hit us and some folks next to us. Luckily the girls got him out of the bar before we kicked his ass. On his way out he must have been bumping into people as folks were hollering to get the drunk out of here. Then in the parking lot he face planted himself. He was down for a while but they finally got him back up and out of there. I guess Karma caught up with him.
Other than that we had a good time. The folks next to us were two Cajun couples. We ended up talking to them. Danny and his wife actually live in Santa Rosa Beach so we hope to meet up again in the future. Ken and his lady came in and we talked to them. Tony stopped in. He has been busy all summer as the captain of the Cattywomphus catamaran. Finally John came in and we chatted with him too. It was a fun time as we had a strong breeze keeping us cool.
Saturday was a laid back day for us. We went to see Sunshine Cindy’s parents as it was her mom’s birthday. We can tell the summer tourist season is coming to an end. Usually Saturday traffic north and southbound is a nightmare as it is the changeover day. It was not terrible this Saturday. There was a backup at the toll booth but it was gone by 6 pm and we flew through.
We have some restaurant openings and closings to mention. The Harbor House in Destin appears to be closed. There was a lot of money sunk into this place to try and turn it into a big club but only being open a few days a week it is tough to make enough to pay the bills. I also see the place in downtown Fort Walton Beach that was called Buffalo Chip’s then just Chips has closed after a short time being open. We never made it into either the Harbor House or Chips before they closed. Sometimes places are gone almost as fast as they come.
On the island, The Gulf Okaloosa construction is progressing. This place is on the bay back by the strip club area. They are using shipping containers for the building. They will a big place with about 5200 square feet of enclosed space, 3600 square feet of covered space and about 4800 square feet of uncovered decks. A ton of palm trees are going in now so they must be getting close to opening.
I also see a Dunkin Donuts will be opening in Destin in a new center almost across from Big Kahuna’s.
It looks like we are in store for a wet week. A small system is in the Gulf that will be bringing the rain. I hope it does not wash away some of our plans for the parade on Tuesday on the harbor and our beach cleanup on Saturday but we will see.
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
The second incident happened on Friday on Okaloosa Island. A beach chair/umbrella attendant was struck by lightning and killed. To make this worse he was the son of a lady who works for me. A severe thunderstorm blew through Fort Walton Beach Friday about 3 pm. This was a major storm with tons of lightning and driving rain. Unfortunately we have a young guy just trying to make some money over the summer who was caught in the storm. Many people are killed each year in Florida by lightning strikes especially on the beaches. Needless to say if a storm approaches get to some place safe to ride it out. RIP Zack…
This also seemed to be a week where we ran into more drunks around town than usual. The first one was about 6 am Tuesday morning. I was driving to work and near AJ’s a drunk was staggering across Hwy 98. Several of us had to dodge him as he was not making it across in a straight line. What makes it worse was he was at one of the new pedestrian lights but he didn’t activate it. He was lucky he was not killed…at 6 am!!!
On Thursday morning as I went to work part of 98 was closed by Hogs Breath as a truck hit a power pole about 4:30 am. Power lines were down in the street and traffic was diverted to Mountain Drive. I don’t know for sure but my guess would be a drunk driver. Thursday evening as I was going home I was on Mountain drive and a guy on a bicycle was hit by a car. From what I could see it looked like one of our homeless drunks. Some of them have bikes making them even more of a problem.
Friday night Sunshine Cindy and I went to The Boathouse for their grand opening of the Upper Deck bar next door to the Boathouse. We checked out the new bar which is real nice then we went to listen to Kelly and later Jason play. Mark and Stephanie joined us and then Kenny showed up too. At one point in the evening an ambulance pulled down there. There was a drunk guy that was in distress but he refused treatment. Some of his friends hauled him out. It was a fun night at The Boathouse. Kenny got up to play a few songs with Jason. Our neighbor Hayden was there. A bachelorette party came through…a good time was had by all.
Keeping the drunk theme going…Sunday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I stopped in to the Red Door for some lunch. A drunk guy with a couple girls was getting loud in the back corner. We were ignoring him but I was keeping an eye on him. For no reason he threw a drink at one of his friends but it mostly hit us and some folks next to us. Luckily the girls got him out of the bar before we kicked his ass. On his way out he must have been bumping into people as folks were hollering to get the drunk out of here. Then in the parking lot he face planted himself. He was down for a while but they finally got him back up and out of there. I guess Karma caught up with him.
Other than that we had a good time. The folks next to us were two Cajun couples. We ended up talking to them. Danny and his wife actually live in Santa Rosa Beach so we hope to meet up again in the future. Ken and his lady came in and we talked to them. Tony stopped in. He has been busy all summer as the captain of the Cattywomphus catamaran. Finally John came in and we chatted with him too. It was a fun time as we had a strong breeze keeping us cool.
Saturday was a laid back day for us. We went to see Sunshine Cindy’s parents as it was her mom’s birthday. We can tell the summer tourist season is coming to an end. Usually Saturday traffic north and southbound is a nightmare as it is the changeover day. It was not terrible this Saturday. There was a backup at the toll booth but it was gone by 6 pm and we flew through.
We have some restaurant openings and closings to mention. The Harbor House in Destin appears to be closed. There was a lot of money sunk into this place to try and turn it into a big club but only being open a few days a week it is tough to make enough to pay the bills. I also see the place in downtown Fort Walton Beach that was called Buffalo Chip’s then just Chips has closed after a short time being open. We never made it into either the Harbor House or Chips before they closed. Sometimes places are gone almost as fast as they come.
On the island, The Gulf Okaloosa construction is progressing. This place is on the bay back by the strip club area. They are using shipping containers for the building. They will a big place with about 5200 square feet of enclosed space, 3600 square feet of covered space and about 4800 square feet of uncovered decks. A ton of palm trees are going in now so they must be getting close to opening.
I also see a Dunkin Donuts will be opening in Destin in a new center almost across from Big Kahuna’s.
It looks like we are in store for a wet week. A small system is in the Gulf that will be bringing the rain. I hope it does not wash away some of our plans for the parade on Tuesday on the harbor and our beach cleanup on Saturday but we will see.
Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, August 1, 2016
Some days you don’t want to end…
And some weekends you don’t want to end either…okay, almost every weekend you don’t want it to end but this past weekend in Destin was more fun than usual. Sunshine Cindy and I were on the go from the beginning to the end.
Friday morning I took Chaos to the vet to get her nails cut and to pick up her heartworm and tick medicine. Chaos loves to ride in the car. I had the top down and she had her nose up in the air catching the breeze as we drove. She is now up to 57 pounds too. After the vet we stopped at the Destin dog park. It was extremely hot out so we didn’t stay too long but she got some running in with a few other dogs that were there. She was ready to get home and back into the air conditioning though.
I then ran a few errands then headed to Landshark Pizza for some wings for lunch. Sue was working the bar. Tommy and Pops came in right after I got there. Then Tom also came in and joined us. Tom had recently got back from Cleveland where he went for the Republican convention. He was impressed with my home town I am glad to say.
At one point during lunch we noticed a procession of police motorcycle cops and cars passing by on highway 98 followed by a bunch of bicycle riders and more emergency vehicles. It turns out a group of riders had left Naples several days before and rode across Florida in honor of our fallen officers. They stopped in five towns with Okaloosa County being the last town on their ride. That was an awesome honor for those officers and for our Deputy Myers who was killed a year ago.
Friday evening Sunshine Cindy and I went to our pool. We had it to ourselves. The water was as hot as bath water. That’s what happens when you have temps in the 90’s for a couple months in a row. But it was still a nice and relaxing way to spend the evening.
Saturday we did something we have not done in years. We went bowling. The Parrot Heads sponsored a bowling night at Hurricane Lanes. We had about 25 or so show up. It was a blast even though we all are now sore. It was a lot of laughs and drinking beer as no one took it too seriously. Then a big group ended up in Ruperts drinking more beer and shooting pool.
Sunday I went kayaking to Crab Island with Kenny, Becki and Wayne. I have been trying to get out there with them and it finally happened. It was a fun day. The water was beautiful and it was not to crazy out there. A big thunderstorm blew up over Niceville but the Destin Dome held and we had blue skies the entire day. Sunshine Cindy is not big on kayaking. She went to Crab Island Cantina with Julie to listen to BT play. When we finished with our excursion I joined them for the last hour of BT’s set. I finally got to meet Julio, the new manager and we also broke in a new bartender, Marti. The Cantina continues to be a fun place that we love to go to.
When it was time to leave I had a taste for pizza and they wanted Waffle House. We both got our way. I went to Landshark for my pizza and they hit the Waffle House. Everyone was happy! Lol Needless to say Sunshine Cindy and I were all pretty wore out and slept good Sunday night.
We have a great life in Destin. For years we have had a saying that we live where it does not suck. Well, I took that line and made a poem about Destin.
“Living Where It Does Not Suck”
The Emerald Coast is home to crystal clear water and sugar white sand
You can take a boat out to catch the big one or dance up a storm with a great Trop Rock Band
Head to the beach in a big ol Ford truck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Check out The Boathouse and Crab Island Cantina for some Patron and brews
Destin has hundreds of great places for you and your krewe
Do you like to shop and play golf, then you are in luck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Only in Destin can you have a funky place like Banana Bart’s
Or the upscale Grand Boulevard that will capture your heart
Let’s “Embrace the Chaos” bowling and drinking Fireball at Uncle Bucks
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Crust and Landshark are fantastic places for a pizza pie
In Destin you can also get sushi, BBQ and some great Thai
Tourist come in droves across our bridges in their SUV’s and trucks
Because they know we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Rob Romans and BT Turner are part of the Destin music scene who you must hear
Or you can ride a zip line through Harborwalk Village if you have no fear
Catch rays on our beautiful beaches where there is no muck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Fun bars like Baby J’s and Tipsy Turtle come and go
But this is our beach town and we know how to go with the flow
We have Crab Island as our playground where no one gets stuck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
The sunsets in Destin are awesome
You will love it no matter where you are from
Our life is better than your vacation
So don’t be a smuck
You too can be Living Where it does not Suck!
Steve Kesegich July 31, 2016 ©
I hope you enjoyed this short poem and that it gives you a little more insight on why I love my little (and not so sleepy anymore) fishing town. Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Friday morning I took Chaos to the vet to get her nails cut and to pick up her heartworm and tick medicine. Chaos loves to ride in the car. I had the top down and she had her nose up in the air catching the breeze as we drove. She is now up to 57 pounds too. After the vet we stopped at the Destin dog park. It was extremely hot out so we didn’t stay too long but she got some running in with a few other dogs that were there. She was ready to get home and back into the air conditioning though.
I then ran a few errands then headed to Landshark Pizza for some wings for lunch. Sue was working the bar. Tommy and Pops came in right after I got there. Then Tom also came in and joined us. Tom had recently got back from Cleveland where he went for the Republican convention. He was impressed with my home town I am glad to say.
At one point during lunch we noticed a procession of police motorcycle cops and cars passing by on highway 98 followed by a bunch of bicycle riders and more emergency vehicles. It turns out a group of riders had left Naples several days before and rode across Florida in honor of our fallen officers. They stopped in five towns with Okaloosa County being the last town on their ride. That was an awesome honor for those officers and for our Deputy Myers who was killed a year ago.
Friday evening Sunshine Cindy and I went to our pool. We had it to ourselves. The water was as hot as bath water. That’s what happens when you have temps in the 90’s for a couple months in a row. But it was still a nice and relaxing way to spend the evening.
Saturday we did something we have not done in years. We went bowling. The Parrot Heads sponsored a bowling night at Hurricane Lanes. We had about 25 or so show up. It was a blast even though we all are now sore. It was a lot of laughs and drinking beer as no one took it too seriously. Then a big group ended up in Ruperts drinking more beer and shooting pool.
Sunday I went kayaking to Crab Island with Kenny, Becki and Wayne. I have been trying to get out there with them and it finally happened. It was a fun day. The water was beautiful and it was not to crazy out there. A big thunderstorm blew up over Niceville but the Destin Dome held and we had blue skies the entire day. Sunshine Cindy is not big on kayaking. She went to Crab Island Cantina with Julie to listen to BT play. When we finished with our excursion I joined them for the last hour of BT’s set. I finally got to meet Julio, the new manager and we also broke in a new bartender, Marti. The Cantina continues to be a fun place that we love to go to.
When it was time to leave I had a taste for pizza and they wanted Waffle House. We both got our way. I went to Landshark for my pizza and they hit the Waffle House. Everyone was happy! Lol Needless to say Sunshine Cindy and I were all pretty wore out and slept good Sunday night.
We have a great life in Destin. For years we have had a saying that we live where it does not suck. Well, I took that line and made a poem about Destin.
“Living Where It Does Not Suck”
The Emerald Coast is home to crystal clear water and sugar white sand
You can take a boat out to catch the big one or dance up a storm with a great Trop Rock Band
Head to the beach in a big ol Ford truck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Check out The Boathouse and Crab Island Cantina for some Patron and brews
Destin has hundreds of great places for you and your krewe
Do you like to shop and play golf, then you are in luck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Only in Destin can you have a funky place like Banana Bart’s
Or the upscale Grand Boulevard that will capture your heart
Let’s “Embrace the Chaos” bowling and drinking Fireball at Uncle Bucks
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Crust and Landshark are fantastic places for a pizza pie
In Destin you can also get sushi, BBQ and some great Thai
Tourist come in droves across our bridges in their SUV’s and trucks
Because they know we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Rob Romans and BT Turner are part of the Destin music scene who you must hear
Or you can ride a zip line through Harborwalk Village if you have no fear
Catch rays on our beautiful beaches where there is no muck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
Fun bars like Baby J’s and Tipsy Turtle come and go
But this is our beach town and we know how to go with the flow
We have Crab Island as our playground where no one gets stuck
Because we are Living Where it does not Suck!
The sunsets in Destin are awesome
You will love it no matter where you are from
Our life is better than your vacation
So don’t be a smuck
You too can be Living Where it does not Suck!
Steve Kesegich July 31, 2016 ©
I hope you enjoyed this short poem and that it gives you a little more insight on why I love my little (and not so sleepy anymore) fishing town. Have a great week. See ya next Monday!
Destin Steve
Monday, July 25, 2016
Living and Playing in Destin
This past week has been more of the same in Destin…Hot, humid and lots of people everywhere. I don’t want to sound like a broken record but every day it is temps in the mid 90’s, high humidity making it feel like it’s 110-115 and a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. It will be this way at least till early September. Lol
Last week seemed to be the busiest week tourist wise so far this summer, especially in Fort Walton Beach. I had to take the backroads every evening as 98 was backing up through downtown Ft. Walton. We expect to start to see a slight slowing starting this week as many folks are getting their kids ready to return to school. In fact I believe our school system will be back in class on August 10th. That’s only two and a half weeks. The summer break seems to get less each year.
Sunshine Cindy and I stayed busy. Friday we had to take a trip to Pensacola for a routine doctors visit. As is par for the course nowadays we were in the office for well over 2 hours for an appointment that took about 5 minutes of time. Can you say “frustrating?”
After we were done we headed to Pensacola Beach. We ended up stopping at Flounders for lunch. Flounders sits right on The Sound with plenty of open air dining. We had a nice relaxing lunch sharing a shrimp platter that had 5 or 6 different types of fresh gulf shrimp. It was really good!
When we left we put the top down on Badass and took the beach road to Navarre. Well, we got behind some folks driving real slow. The sun was baking us in the car. We like it hot but this was like being in an oven. We had thought about stopping in Navarre for a drink but decided to head back to Destin. In Fort Walton I pulled over and put the top back up. The air conditioning felt sooo gooood. Lol In Destin we made a stop at the Rotten Apple. Tracy was working the bar. There were a few other regulars in there. By now we were sufficiently cooled down. So the top went back down and we went home.
There was a Parrot Head meeting at The American Legion that night. We got home about 5 and the meeting was starting about 5:30. We sat down and the next thing you know we decided to stay in as we were so comfortable. Sorry PH’s. We will be there next time!
Saturday afternoon we headed to the harbor and Tailfins for some dinner. We got our usual spot on the railing by the bar where we get some nice breezes. It was very relaxing there. Johnny the owner stopped by and chatted with us. He was lamenting how hard it is to get good help as many of the younger staff are just plain lazy. But we hear that from all the business owners in town. Rochelle is now working at Tailfins. She used to work at Landshark and always took good care of us. It was nice seeing and talking to her again.
We had our dinner then decided to stay and listen to Ronnie perform. Ronnie plays 6 days a week on the boardwalk. He does a good job and interacts with the crowds that walk by. I saw the next day our friend Sami and her husband Barry were there with some friends. They were down at some tables on the boardwalk and we never saw them. We ended up staying for Ronnie’s entire show. We had a great time listening to the music and people watching.
Sunday we were back down on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I went down and were surprised we could actually get into the parking garage. The girls went to Harry T’s to meet up with some of Tiffany’s co-workers and I went to Crab Island Cantina to listen to BT perform. BT had his son Jason playing the Cajon with him. Jason is very talented and you can see he has some of his dad’s talent. Sunshine Cindy joined after about an hour while Tiffany went on a pontoon with some friends to Crab Island.
BT’s parents and daughter showed up and sat with us. They are super nice folks. Jasmine took good care of us. The Destin Dome held as it looked like we might get some rain at one point. As we usually do we ended up talking to some other folks who were sitting around us. A couple from Ft. Walton, Christy and Steve were there with a friend having a good time. All in all another fun time at the Cantina.
We made one more stop before heading home at the outside bar at Jackacuda’s. Christy and Steve were there too plus a tourist couple from Texas. At one point we heard someone had hit several cars in the parking garage on the lower level where I was parked. I went and checked and didn’t see any issues. But when we left and pulled out of the garage there were cops and a damaged car in the parking area in front of the Grande. Hopefully no one got hurt.
The new pedestrian lights on Hwy 98 appear to be doing their job. We got stopped a couple times yesterday and the traffic gets backed up but then it was already backed up. It does make it safer to cross the road. It’s actually safer to cross there than at the intersections as you don’t have cars trying to turn with people in the crosswalk. I have seen an increase in traffic on the back roads though as folks try to avoid the madness of 98.
While we were down on the harbor we saw the charter fishing boats continue to bring in big hauls of fish. Red Snapper season is closed but there are still plenty of other species to give the anglers a fight and dinner later. Destin has the most charter fishing boats in the state of Florida and they are all busy this time of the year.
We don’t have any big plans this week other than working. Ugh… Have a great week. See ya next Monday.
Destin Steve
Last week seemed to be the busiest week tourist wise so far this summer, especially in Fort Walton Beach. I had to take the backroads every evening as 98 was backing up through downtown Ft. Walton. We expect to start to see a slight slowing starting this week as many folks are getting their kids ready to return to school. In fact I believe our school system will be back in class on August 10th. That’s only two and a half weeks. The summer break seems to get less each year.
Sunshine Cindy and I stayed busy. Friday we had to take a trip to Pensacola for a routine doctors visit. As is par for the course nowadays we were in the office for well over 2 hours for an appointment that took about 5 minutes of time. Can you say “frustrating?”
After we were done we headed to Pensacola Beach. We ended up stopping at Flounders for lunch. Flounders sits right on The Sound with plenty of open air dining. We had a nice relaxing lunch sharing a shrimp platter that had 5 or 6 different types of fresh gulf shrimp. It was really good!
When we left we put the top down on Badass and took the beach road to Navarre. Well, we got behind some folks driving real slow. The sun was baking us in the car. We like it hot but this was like being in an oven. We had thought about stopping in Navarre for a drink but decided to head back to Destin. In Fort Walton I pulled over and put the top back up. The air conditioning felt sooo gooood. Lol In Destin we made a stop at the Rotten Apple. Tracy was working the bar. There were a few other regulars in there. By now we were sufficiently cooled down. So the top went back down and we went home.
There was a Parrot Head meeting at The American Legion that night. We got home about 5 and the meeting was starting about 5:30. We sat down and the next thing you know we decided to stay in as we were so comfortable. Sorry PH’s. We will be there next time!
Saturday afternoon we headed to the harbor and Tailfins for some dinner. We got our usual spot on the railing by the bar where we get some nice breezes. It was very relaxing there. Johnny the owner stopped by and chatted with us. He was lamenting how hard it is to get good help as many of the younger staff are just plain lazy. But we hear that from all the business owners in town. Rochelle is now working at Tailfins. She used to work at Landshark and always took good care of us. It was nice seeing and talking to her again.
We had our dinner then decided to stay and listen to Ronnie perform. Ronnie plays 6 days a week on the boardwalk. He does a good job and interacts with the crowds that walk by. I saw the next day our friend Sami and her husband Barry were there with some friends. They were down at some tables on the boardwalk and we never saw them. We ended up staying for Ronnie’s entire show. We had a great time listening to the music and people watching.
Sunday we were back down on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I went down and were surprised we could actually get into the parking garage. The girls went to Harry T’s to meet up with some of Tiffany’s co-workers and I went to Crab Island Cantina to listen to BT perform. BT had his son Jason playing the Cajon with him. Jason is very talented and you can see he has some of his dad’s talent. Sunshine Cindy joined after about an hour while Tiffany went on a pontoon with some friends to Crab Island.
BT’s parents and daughter showed up and sat with us. They are super nice folks. Jasmine took good care of us. The Destin Dome held as it looked like we might get some rain at one point. As we usually do we ended up talking to some other folks who were sitting around us. A couple from Ft. Walton, Christy and Steve were there with a friend having a good time. All in all another fun time at the Cantina.
We made one more stop before heading home at the outside bar at Jackacuda’s. Christy and Steve were there too plus a tourist couple from Texas. At one point we heard someone had hit several cars in the parking garage on the lower level where I was parked. I went and checked and didn’t see any issues. But when we left and pulled out of the garage there were cops and a damaged car in the parking area in front of the Grande. Hopefully no one got hurt.
The new pedestrian lights on Hwy 98 appear to be doing their job. We got stopped a couple times yesterday and the traffic gets backed up but then it was already backed up. It does make it safer to cross the road. It’s actually safer to cross there than at the intersections as you don’t have cars trying to turn with people in the crosswalk. I have seen an increase in traffic on the back roads though as folks try to avoid the madness of 98.
While we were down on the harbor we saw the charter fishing boats continue to bring in big hauls of fish. Red Snapper season is closed but there are still plenty of other species to give the anglers a fight and dinner later. Destin has the most charter fishing boats in the state of Florida and they are all busy this time of the year.
We don’t have any big plans this week other than working. Ugh… Have a great week. See ya next Monday.
Destin Steve
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