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