Rain, rain and more rain for Destin…

This past week it rained in Destin. It rained Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Finally on Sunday about 5 pm it stopped and the sun came out. Just in time to end the weekend. Ugh!

Thursday when I got home from work our neighbors were out in the rain looking for their dog. Hoss was missing so I changed and grabbed an umbrella and started going through the hood. After I got back home I found out they found Hoss hiding under the bed. I guess the storm was scaring him. Oh well, I didn’t get struck by lightning so it was all good.

Friday the Parrot Heads had a meeting at KC’s Sandbar in Ft. Walton Beach. It rained all day but finally stopped before the meeting as KC’s is an outdoor spot. Sunshine Cindy and I were running late so we decided to stay in Destin and make a stop at Landshark Pizza for some dinner. The bar was packed so we got a table. The University of Wisconsin was playing in the NCAA basketball tournament and the game was getting ready to start. The place was packed with Wisconsin fans watching the game.

Our friends Steve and Ida came in and sat at the pizza bar. Sunshine Cindy and I watched a family come in (with Wisconsin shirts on) looking for a table so they could watch the game. About this time a couple of seats at the bar opened up. We offered the father of the family our table while at the same time Steve offered the mom their seats at the pizza bar. They ended up at our table and Steve, Ida, Sunshine Cindy and I sat at the bar so it worked out for everyone. The family was nice and they even bought us a beer for giving up the table.

Next to us at the bar was a young couple. They had a daughter who was about 4 or 5. The mom was taking her to play some of the video games they have then they played the one at the bar. The little girl was having a blast. It turns out this guy is one of the members of the Leinenkugle Beer family. He is like the great grandson of the founder and an active member of the company. He knew Landshark sold a lot of Leinenkugel beer and he wanted to see for himself as they were in town on vacation. Brian got to talk to him and hopefully will be able to get more of their brews.

The night at Landshark took a tragic turn when about 9:15 pm a guy was hit and killed trying to cross Hwy 98. All of a sudden we could see the traffic stopped and cop cars pulling up with people running to help. It was a sad scene as folks from Landsharks who went outside to see what was going on could see the body lying in the street. Everyone knew it was not good. It was a 62 year old guy who was wearing dark clothing. The driver of the car was not impaired I am glad to say but that person will never be the same. Something needs to be done as this will keep happening until they get a traffic light or even better a pedestrian bridge or two.

Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Hogs Breath to listen to Rob Roman perform. It was Rob’s first time playing at Hogs and he was excited. We sat at the end of the bar. Rikkie was working the bar and Cam was at the inside bar. Alan and Jackie joined us and then Mark and Stephanie did too. The weather turned nasty as the rain was blowing in off the gulf. But they had the plastic down so we stayed dry. The bar filled up and everyone enjoyed Rob’s show. He hopes to get invited back. I am sure he will be!

On Easter Sunday it was…wait for it…raining. Sunshine Cindy and I got out in it and had decided to stop at McGuires for brunch. Our timing was bad as it was about 12:30 pm and the church’s had recently let out. You could not get into the parking lot there were so many cars pulling in. Time for plan B.

We went by The Pankakery but it was packed. Ditto for Another Broken Egg Café and the Destin Diner. We had talked about Olive Garden so we headed there. It was busy but we were able to get in and not have to wait. The Destin Commons is across the street from Olive Garden. We had thought about going to one of the places there but I am glad we didn’t. The parking lot was packed so I am sure all of the places were crowded too. We enjoyed our meal then headed home to dry out!

When in Destin you need to watch Beach TV. It is channel 23 on Cox. I am not sure what it is on Dish or Direct. The commercial for Crab Island Cantina is now playing. Sunshine Cindy, Alan, Jackie, Larry and I are all in it. We are stars! It actually is a cool commercial for the Crab Island Cantina complex which includes Carlito’s Deli and Charley’s BBB Bar. Check it out.

Around Destin the Caribbean Café (the old Malibu Jack’s) has not reopened. I am not sure what happened but the big awning is down and the entire patio has been tore up where it is only dirt now. I don’t know what is going on there. I will have to see James and ask him.

One last note about the Destin housing market. I have been hearing it is picking up but it is now red hot. Places are getting multiple offers the first day they go on the market. I have heard this from several folks. I don’t know what has changed but it seems like everyone wants to live in Destin!

This will be the last big week of Spring Break. It has been pretty calm due to the crackdown on underage drinking. The word is out for sure. A lot of kids are coming to Destin on vacation and going home on probation.

Have a great week. Check back next week for a full wrap up of the week’s news, updates and fun times.

Destin Steve

Crazy week in Destin

This past week just seemed to fly by. Sunshine Cindy brought her daughter Tiffany down from Atlanta for the week so we were on the go. It really started on Wednesday as Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany went to The Pointe with Chaos. It was a beautiful day as they enjoyed getting some sun while Chaos dug in the sand. Wednesday evening our musician friend from Port Charlotte was in town playing at LuLu’s in Destin. Paul Roush put on a good show. Wayne, Alan and Jackie were there to enjoy the music. I was a little late getting there as Spring Break traffic was bad with a wreck on the island.

Speaking of Spring Break…the cops continue to clamp down on underage drinking with 10-20 arrest being made each day. As I have mention previously, they are taking them to jail and making them post bond to get out. That has been a good deterrent as the word is getting out.

It’s the same thing in Panama City Beach where they don’t allow alcohol on the beach. Crowds and the drunken rowdiness is way down in PCB this year. Kids over there are saying they will never come back to PCB but I think most of the locals over there are okay with that except for a few bar owners.

Back in Destin on St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday, it was a party all day long. We dropped Tiffany off at McGuires where the biggest party takes place. Sunshine Cindy and I then went to Landshark Pizza to get ready for a pub crawl that was going to take place on the east end of the harbor. BT came in and we talked for a while then we all went to Duck Duck where the crawl was starting. There we met up with Mike and Suzanne. A big crowd was forming for the crawl.

The second stop was back at Landshark. We were running into friends left and right…and everyone was dressed in green! The next stop was The Boathouse. Rusty was playing and a festive crowd had fun. Stop #4 was Tailfins. A rock band was playing as the crowd partied on the top deck. Last stop was AJ’s. We were upstairs where they have rebuilt the tiki bar after the fire. You would never know they had a fire only a few weeks ago. It has been completely rebuilt and looks great.

After AJ’s we decided to head to Waffle House for some food before heading home. It had been threatening rain all evening but it held off till we were in the Waffle House. It poured and we made a mad dash to the car after eating but we were glad it didn’t happen earlier.

On Friday morning news was circulating of a boating accident that took place about 5 am in the pass. The reports said a boat with 11 people on board crashed into the jetties. 10 people were rescued and one was still missing. Friday afternoon I went to Landshark pizza for some wings and I got the story of what happened. A group of folks were at the Rotten Apple and at about closing time they decided it was a good idea to take a boat for a joy ride. They didn’t have permission to take the boat and they had all been partying all night long. They obviously made a bad decision. Some of the 10 folks that were rescued where hurt pretty bad and the Coast Guard is still looking for the missing lady. While searching for her they found another body. He was a deck hand that just a few months ago was honored for saving two people that were caught up in a strong tide. I guess the people on board didn’t even know how many were on board. All in all it was a somber afternoon as the word spread.

Sunshine Cindy, Tiffany and I spent Friday evening at The Craft Bar having dinner. We were all still wore out from Thursday so we took it easy the rest of the night.

On Saturday Wayne and I volunteered to help Carlos at Crab Island Cantina for the Taco and Tequila Festival that was being held in Harborwalk Village. Carlos had us manning the margarita/beer tent. That’s like the fox guarding the hen house. We had a blast. It was busy and we made a lot of money for the Cantina. We sold over 15 gallons of margarita’s alone. The festival looked like it was a big success. After we were done we met up with Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany at Hogs Breath. Rikki was behind the bar and we saw some friends there too. We had some good food and a few cold brews.

Sunday the temp started dropping and the wind was hollowing. Tiffany flew back home to Atlanta. Sunshine Cindy and I had a quiet late lunch at O’Quigley’s before we went home to prepare for the new week. The temps were actually in the low 40’s this morning (Monday). So much for the first day of Spring.

This week we have a parrot head Phlocking at KC’s Sandbar in Ft. Walton Beach on Friday and Rob Romans will be performing at Hogs Breath on Saturday from 5-9. Come on out and “Embrace the Chaos” with us this week. I will have a full report next Monday on the Chaos!!!

Destin Steve

Spring Break in Destin

Spring Break is now in full swing in Destin. In years past Spring Break in Destin would be a calm time with mostly families coming to town. All the wild and crazy antics were over in Panama City Beach. As it got more insane on PCB more kids were coming to Walton County, with the beach by Whale’s Tail getting overrun. The police got more aggressive last year in trying to maintain control having a command center set up. This was done for the safety of the local residents as well as the Spring Breakers.

This year PCB has cracked down hard after the lawlessness of last year where a student was raped on the beach, there were shootings and guns were confiscated. Drinking has been outlawed on the beach for the entire month of March. Add in a heavier police presence and the crowds are way down.

That brings us back to Destin. The authorities were worried the younger crowd would be coming over to Destin with the crackdown on PCB and in Walton County. The police here have instituted a zero tolerance policy when it comes to underage drinking. If you are not of legal drinking age and are caught you will go to jail. From there you have to post bail, have someone come get you and you even get your mug shot in the paper.

The police say they are not looking in everyone’s cups but will respond where there is a disturbance. Like the call they got at 11 am of some guys walking down the middle of a street hollering. Yep, 11 am and they were drunk. About 15 -20 arrest are being made each day. The message is being sent. I am not an old stick in the mud. As anyone who reads this blog knows I like to party but I do so with respect for others and I always clean up behind myself and don’t leave the beach trashed like a lot of Spring Breakers do. I also don’t puke at the Crab Island Cantina bar at 4 in the afternoon or in the elevator of Harry T’s at 5:00 like happened last week. Anyway, it looks like Destin and Okaloosa County is handling things well.

Speaking of partying…Last Friday night we had our ECPHC meeting at Landshark Pizza. Another big crowd of over 100 folks came out to listen to the music of Drop Dead Dangerous. Melanie Howe and Kitty Steadman are DDD. They had Paul and JD from Southern Drawl Band join them this weekend. What a great show they put on. The club raised money and everyone had a great time. Landshark took good care of us too!

Speaking of Landshark Pizza, they won the “Best in Destin” award for the best pizza in town. Congrats to Brian and Sue!

Saturday Sunshine Cindy drove to Atlanta to pick up her daughter Tiffany. Tiffany is on Spring Break and will be with us for a week. They drove back to Destin on Sunday. On Saturday I did a bunch of errands while Sunshine Cindy was gone. In the afternoon I headed to Landshark for a pizza. I got their El Diablo pizza. This is made with Buffalo Sauce, Habaneros and fresh cut Jalapeños. Yes, it’s hot but oh so good. LOL

Then on Sunday Drop Dead Dangerous was playing at Crab Island Cantina. Sunday was a perfect day weather wise. With the clocks turned up an hour we get that extra hour of sunshine in the evening now and I got my first bit of a tan for the year. DDD played from 1-5 with BT playing while they took breaks. They put on a fun show. DDD is touring the country. Check them out if they get to your area.

I am hearing that more businesses along the harbor will be charging up to $20 per car to park this season. I am afraid they are killing the golden goose along the harbor. It’s hard enough to get around in the summer as it is. If you can’t park people will stop going. And parking on the north side of 98 means you have to take your life in your hands to cross the highway. I can see a lot of businesses that will have a hard time staying open. Time will tell…

The new Wendy’s is open in Destin. They closed down their older restaurant and built this new place in front of Home Depot. The old Wendy’s building is undergoing renovations and will be opening soon as a Panini sandwich shop.

It’s going to be another busy week in town. Paul Roush playing at LuLu’s on Wednesday…St. Paddy’s Day pub crawls…Taco and Tequila Festival on the harbor on Saturday…Yep, it’s going to be another fun time in Destin to “Embrace the Chaos!” Check out the Crab Island Mambo “Weekly Update” page for all the parties and hot spots to hit along the Emerald Coast. I update it each Wednesday. Be sure to bookmark it to follow the fun! http://crabislandmambo.com/Weekend-Update.html

Enjoy…I will have a full report next Monday!

Spring is in the air in Destin

Yes, Spring is in the air in Destin and so is the pollen. It does not take long after washing your car for it to turn yellow…like about 10 minutes.

With the coming of Spring we are now in the middle of Spring Break. We can tell the traffic is getting heavier and the restaurants are more crowded. On Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I took Chaos to World of Beer in the Destin Commons. We could hardly find a place to park and WOB was crowded too with families. It was fun there as Becca took care of us. We had not seen her in a while. We had a couple of good craft beers and Chaos had some ice cold water.

One of the issues with Spring Break is overcrowding of houses. In the Log today was a story of students from Georgia. They talked about how 30 of them were in one house. They rented the house with the help of one of the students Moms who is a real estate agent. She needs to have her license pulled. Nothing good can come from 30 students in one house.

Another sign of Spring Break is all restaurants are now open. The Destin Diner has opened back up and The Boathouse is now open 7 days a week. That is a sure sign of Spring!

An unfortunate aspect of Spring Break and the Summer season is some of the local establishments use this to drive away the locals. As an example Rockin Taco on the island have discontinued their happy hour. I have no problem with businesses trying to make as much money as possible but don’t ask the locals to keep you going in the winter but turn your back on us when it’s busy. I am sure others are doing this too but they were the one I heard about.

This weekend after we left WOB, Sunshine Cindy, Chaos and I went down to the harbor. We parked by Dewey Destin’s and walked down towards Harborwalk Village. Chaos was again enjoying all the attention. We saw the work they are doing at AJ’s to replace the upper tiki deck and bar. They are making great progress getting the new roof framing up. Every day they are closed they are losing money so they are in overdrive to complete it.

We finally stopped at the outside bar at Tailfins. This is in the spot of the old Tipsy Turtle. We sat there and had a couple beers, chatted with the bartender, a few tourist that stopped there and some locals that were also at the bar. It was a perfect day with no clouds and temps in the low 70’s. From there we walked down to Duck Duck. In the hour or so we were there three different people came in to retrieve credit cards they had left from the night before. It must have been a good party! We enjoyed our time there but decided it was time to head home.

Sunday I went out to rinse off Badass. Chaos wanted to go out with me. She always wants to get in the car so with the top down I put her in the front seat while I rinsed off the car. She loved sitting there watching me. Lol  Later we took her to the dog park for a while so she could run and play with other dogs.

Last week there was a big police K9 competition held in town. The officers and their K9 dogs were staying at the Ramada but each morning I would see a bunch of cop cars at The Donut Hole for breakfast. I guess that is appropriate. On Thursday when I was heading home from work as I passed the Convention Center on the island the entire parking lot was packed with cop cars. Many of them had their lights flashing. If someone didn’t know what was going on they would have thought we were under attack or something. It was an impressive sight I must say.

Also last week was a big Trop Rock event in Tampa called, “Music on the Bay.” We had many friends there enjoying three days of Trop Rock music. Friday afternoon while I was at work I was listening to Songwriters Island Radio. I didn’t know they were going to do it but they broadcast the entire Southern Drawl Band show live. So even though I was not in Tampa I was still able to enjoy the music of SDB!

Last but not least…Sealand Restaurant in downtown Fort Walton Beach is undergoing a complete remodel. They have been working on it for weeks. It should be nice when they are done. 

A lot is going on this week. Drop Dead Dangerous is playing at various venues around town. The ECPHC has a meeting Friday night at Landshark Pizza. We spring ahead on Sunday as we move the clocks up. And there will be several early St. Patty’s Day pub crawls around town. We hope to see you out and about. A full report next Monday!!!

Destin Steve