Here comes Spring

It was a great week in Destin. The weather was nice, the birds are singing, fish are biting, and everyone is getting ready for the Spring Break crowds. This week kicks it off. It was noticed by a lot of us how many people had sun burns after this weekend.

Some of that could have been caused by the Mardi Gras parade in Harborwalk Village. Thousands of people lined the harbor to cheer on the marchers and to scream for beads. The Parrot Heads marched in the parade and we had a blast. Most of us met early at Harry T’s for a few warm up drinks. Red was working the bar and Dan made sure we were well taken care of. With this being a short parade we had plenty of time for fun before and after.

When we finished I walked over to The Crust Pizzeria to see if Charley was there. He was and we had a chance to catch up. Charley is selling his small place in Mary Ester but still has this Destin location and his newest place in Ft. Walton Beach. The hole in the building that was caused by a truck going through the wall is now a new window. You would never know there was a problem. As he started to fill up after the parade I walked down to Brotula’s where the Parrot Heads were gathering to listen to Flash Flood Duo.

We must have had about 20 of us there enjoying their music. I stayed for a while then walked down to the Cantina. Alan and Jackie were there. We talked to Carlos and got the scoop on Southern Drawl Band’s upcoming show this Thursday. No one was sure of the time so Carlos called Mike Nash and got it pinned down to 5-9 pm. It is going to be a fun show. I walked over to Harry T’s with Alan and Jackie then I headed home. Sunshine Cindy had stayed home to get some things done at home and we relaxed the rest of the day.

Thursday evening Sunshine Cindy and I headed to AJ’s Oyster Shanty on the island. BT was playing and he was surprised to see us. We stayed for his entire show. Folks were walking over from the condo’s and people were staying to listen and party with BT. A wedding party from Minnesota was there and of course Sunshine Cindy had to talk to them. LOL  It was a fun time that we finished at the Waffle House for some late night food.

On Sunday we took Chaos to the harbor to listen to BT again at Crab Island Cantina. As we walked up BT hollered on the mic…”Chaos is here! Come here Chaos!” No greeting for us but our pooch got a great welcome! LOL  Alan and Jackie came and later Julie also showed up. We talked with several of the tourist there and of course Chaos was a center of attention. When we left we stopped at Landshark to get a pizza to bring home. Chaos was worn out and sleep most of the rest of the night.

The only news from around town is there is finally a sign on the empty lot on Hwy 98 in Ft. Walton Beach where PMI used to be is going to be a Holiday Inn Express. It took about a year to tear down the buildings so no telling how long it will take to build the hotel.

Be sure to come out to the Cantina this Thursday for Southern Drawl Band. You will love these guys! See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Big city problems in small town Destin

This past week showed here in Destin we are not immune to the violence that plagues big cities. In the span of a few days there was a shooting in a parking lot by Bric a Brac. The authorities found shell casings and blood but not victims. Then on Valentines day someone placed a pressure cooker on a curb by McDonalds. The authorities didn’t take any chances. They had a bomb squad come from Bay County. Hwy 98 was shut down and McDonalds was evacuated. Traffic was a nightmare as you could imagine. Glad to say it was not a bomb but there is some sicko out there trying to make some kind of point I guess.

Finally on Friday night sheriff’s deputies shot and wounded a guy who pointed a gun at them. It was reported the guy wanted to die by cop suicide. Another sick person. Now the deputies have to live with this.

Ok, enough of that. Sunshine Cindy and I had a lot of fun “playing” the last few days. Thursday Sunshine Cindy went to our CPA to drop off our taxes. Since she was in Fort Walton decided to meet at AJ’s Oyster Shanty after I got off work. BT was going to be playing on the deck. It was a cool evening but we had a good time. Wayne came for a while then Kenny and Tommy also came and joined us. Many snowbirds came out and a good time was had by all.

Friday we went to Crab Island Cantina to enjoy a nice day. We got to talking to some tourist who were in town for a week. They are from Illinois and said they love coming this time of the year. Bobby was taking care of us and the others at the bar. Our friends from Atlanta, Fred and Georgia were in town and came down and joined us. It was great seeing and talking to them.

Then we had our friends Alan and Jackie come down with their daughter and son-in-law Kistin and Jeff. It was great catching up with them. They all headed to the Ramada on the island and we went to join them. But before we could get to our car we ran into Judie and Kelly. They were with one of their sons enjoying the harbor. As we talked to them Glen walked by. He was on his way to Harry T’s to smoke a cigar. It was cool running into our different friends.

When we got to the Ramada we got a big table and had popcorn and pizza. Alan and Jackie go to this bar all the time and they know everyone that works there. Jeff nicknamed Alan “The Godfather” of the Ramada. The name fits as it seemed like the staff came by to get some words in with him. LOL  Sunshine Cindy and I had fun hanging with them.

Saturday we met up with Alan, Jackie, Kistin and Jeff on the harbor. We started at The Boathouse. There was a big crowd for the middle of the afternoon. Our next stop was The Red Door Saloon. As we walked in Scott was there and he gave us a big hug. He was riding his bike with a friend enjoying the nice afternoon.

Our next stop was Duck Duck. Walking over there we were wondering what was being built where Woody’s used to be. A crane was there and some major construction is underway. As we walked over there we saw three guys standing on the ledge up the hill. They hollered down at us wondering where we were all from. It turns out they are the people building the place we were wondering about. They plan to open a seafood restaurant in about 6 months or so. They also are thinking of putting a Dat Dogs in there. This is a NOLA hot spot. They still don’t have a name for their new restaurant. Sunshine Cindy suggested “Chaos on the Harbor.” They seemed to like it. I will not be surprised if that’s what it ends up being.

At Duck Duck a guy who lives on a sailboat in the harbor brought over some ribs that he smokes. Alan bought a plate from him. They were fantastic. His name was Clancy and he looked like a typical Destin character. Our next stop was AJ’s. The entire bottom floor of AJ’s is being remodeled. It looks like it is going to be a nice place. The bar is being moved and it will be easier to get around. Our next stop was Harry T’s. We sat upstairs and had a fantastic sunset. As the Illinois crew headed back to the island Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at Landshark for a pizza and beer. It was a fun day.

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I took a road trip. We hit Waffle House for breakfast then headed to Panama City Beach. We wanted to check out the Reef where we will be staying during Rendezvous. The Reef is right next to Sharkey’s where the event will be held. It’s a great location. After checking out the motel we went to Runaway Island. The holiday crowd was big and the place was understaffed. But we had a beer at the bar so it was all good.

We headed back to Destin and took 30A to see if we could find someplace to stop. The 30A area is now home to many wine bars, yuppie types and one development after another. We could not find a dive bar. Seaside was packed with people. We pulled into the Grayton Beach area but could not find a parking spot to go to the Red Bar. So we continued towards Destin and went to Old 98 to cruise up along the beach. We stopped at the Surf Hut. They had all the windows open and a nice breeze from the Gulf was blowing through. While there we saw an old friend. Ruth is someone we used to see all the time. We heard she had some type of medical issue a while back. It must have been a stroke or something similar as she could not talk but she had a tablet to write to communicate. Other than not being able to talk she seemed to be in good health and spirits as she sipped on her wine.

We got a message from Cathi and Wayne to come join them at Whale’s Tail for sunset. They always have a big celebration there. It took three passes before we found a parking spot but it was worth it. A lot of folks were there and we had a good time with Cathi and Wayne. The sunset was awesome! From there we stopped at Funky Blues Shack for some dinner and to listen to music. It was a perfect end to a great day.

Spring Break is right around the corner. The slower pace of the snowbirds will be replaced by young’uns having a good time. Bring it on! lol  See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

A normal week in Destin

The weather was a big story in Destin this week. It started out last Monday with heavy fog. It was so bad on Okaloosa Island in the morning you could barely see a couple car lengths in front of you.

Wednesday we got hit with some strong storms. About 3 in the afternoon a line moved through that had some of the strongest winds I have seen when it was not a hurricane. It looked like some small tornados were imbedded in the line as some areas sustained a lot of damage while other areas only had limbs down. The Elks Lodge and Helen Back on the island both had their front doors blown out. A roof was blown off of an apartment on the island while in Destin the roof to McGuire’s was damaged to the point they had to close for the day. Luckily no one was killed or injured.

By the weekend it was nice and warm. On Saturday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Niceville to take her parents out for their 56th wedding anniversary. The weather was so nice we were able to ride with the top down on Badass all day. We went to The Boathouse Landing in Val-P for a relaxing lunch/dinner. We sat overlooking the water and the sun was actually warm. We were looking for shade! It was a nice time. Congrats to Jim and Pam and we hope for 56 more years!

Sunshine Cindy and I had a Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza on Friday evening. It was a special Valentine’s themed party with Mike dressed up like Cupid. Coconut Radio supplied the music and we had over 100 folks show up to help us “Party with a Purpose.” There was a kissing booth with Buz and Brenda trying to see who could raise the most money. Of course Brenda did! LOL 

I brought some special Mardi Gras beads to sell to raise money for our charity, Alaqua Animal Rescue. I had clamped beer caps onto the string of beads. They really looked cool. I had about 20 or so of them and sold them all at $2 apiece. All the money went to the charity.  Thanks to everyone that bought one.

Sunday was spent around the house doing chores and playing with Chaos. She loves her walks in the morning and she also loves to play in the yard with a ball. She burns off a lot energy this way. We didn’t want to cook so I went to Pepito’s to bring home some Mexican food. I had a few beers at the bar talking to the bartender. He was not too busy so we were able to solve a lot of the world’s problems! When I got home the food was good as usual.

The Emerald Coast Parrot Head Club is looking for a place to have our Phlocking at the end of the month. It was all set to be at Bric a Brac on Holiday Isle. They informed us last week we would have to pay for a bartender. Now let me get this straight…they have a restaurant and a bar. We will be bringing in over 100 people to eat and drink and this “business” wants to charge a non-profit organization for a bartender so the business can make money. Let me say they will never see me or Sunshine Cindy set foot in there if that’s how they run their business.

Spring Break starts in a few weeks. With Easter not till the third week of April this year the break will be longer but more spread out. The zero tolerance policy against underage drinking will continue this year in Okaloosa County and Walton County. Over in Panama City Beach they will again not allow alcoholic drinks on the beach during the Spring Break time. That policy has pretty much killed the rowdiness and lawlessness that had been going on PCB I am glad to say.

With March around the corner that also means Cobia fishing will start soon. The fishing fleet is prepping their boat for the season with many in dry-dock. Destin has the largest charter fishing fleet in the state of Florida. They are a huge economic engine for the area.

Saturday night when Sunshine Cindy and I got home from visiting with her parents our neighbors were out in their driveway having just finished a crawfish boil. Our neighbor Rhett’s dad is a world renowned heart surgeon and he was visiting. I got to meet him. What a nice guy who has pioneered some of the most cutting edge techniques. This is who I would want working on my heart if I ever had an issue. 

It looks like a great week coming up in Destin. Get out and enjoy it. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Chili and football weekend in Destin

There are times you can cram a lot into a two day weekend. This was one of those weekends for us. We actually started out slow on Friday evening. As I headed home from work traffic came to a stop in downtown Ft. Walton Beach. There was obviously something happening up ahead as no cars were on the westbound lanes and we were crawling along eastbound. The problem was a five car pileup on top of the Brooks Bridge. Someone stopped and the cars behind didn’t. They were mangled up pretty good. With rescue vehicles blocking the road no one was getting by going west. One of our lanes was blocked too but at least we were moving.

It took me an extra 25 minutes to get home but that was easy compared to those stuck westbound. It was already backed up halfway across the island and it was not long before it was backed up into Destin. What a mess. When I got home we decided to stay there. LOL

Saturday was the Emerald Coast Parrot Head clubs Chili Cook-off in Harborwalk Village. This is one of the clubs largest fund raising events of the year. 19 restaurants and individuals cooked up their best chili to try and get bragging rights as the best. I was one of the judges and it was fun trying to decide which chili was the best. We didn’t know who made the chili we were tasting. One by one they brought up cups for us to taste. Yes, we had all 19.

They were all good but of course some were better than others. After we were done we were told the order they brought up the samples. My personal favorites were Landshark Pizza’s, Margaritaville and Crab Island Cantina. The other judges had similar scores. It turned out Crab Island Cantina won first place, Margaritaville was second and Harry T’s and Landshark tied for third. Some of the samples came with beer so that was cool. It didn’t change our votes but we loved the thought!

After we were done I walked around for a while then headed to the Cantina as BT was getting ready to play. BT played from 2-6 pm and the Cantina stayed packed the entire time. The weather was perfect and folks were enjoying the music and sunshine. We meet a fun Parrot Head couple from Minnesota. They had helped form the Minneapolis club years ago. They are in Destin for a couple months. I am sure we will see them again at one of our meetings.

I also talked to a couple from Marblehead, Ohio. BT did a Pat Dailey song for me so they asked if I knew Mad Dog Adams. Mad Dog plays at The Roundhouse in Put in Bay, Ohio and he does a fun show. We talked for a while. They were nice folks.

When BT finished I headed home. We still had Super Bowl Sunday coming up! Sunshine Cindy and I watched the game at Landshark Pizza as we paid for the special they were running. We had 12 of us at our table and we were all rooting for the Falcons. The Falcons had an epic collapse. They were up 28-3 in the third quarter and lost in overtime. Dam that hurt. But we had a fun time. Brian took care of us. Sunshine Cindy got a round of peach schnapps for our table and we put a close to this football season. We took Uber home and got ready for the work week.

I am on the board of the Emerald Coast Parrot Head Club. We had a board meeting last Wednesday. Now that the chili cook-off is complete we have plenty of other fun activities coming up. The big one is our “Tailgates Down, Phriends All Around” event that will be held may 20th at the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Center in Destin. It’s going to be a big time. I will have more details as we get closer.

Around town I saw the DOT is going to do work on Hwy 98 between Airport Road and Holiday isle. Sewers will be replaced as they are leaking and causing big dips in the road. The work is supposed to be done by the end of June. It is long overdue.

The Starbucks in Harborwalk Village has closed and a small local coffee shop is moving into that location. I like to see local owners instead of a big corporation. I hope they do well.

The various winter concert music series are in full force now. You can find music at The Market Shops, Harborwalk, Baytowne and probably a few other places too. Then you have musicians like Rusty and BT playing for the snowbirds too. Check out BT on Wednesday’s at Crab Island Cantina from 4-7 pm. He does a fun show.

No more football…What will we do with our Sunday’s now??? We will come up with something! See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve