A tie is better than a loss!

The NFL season kicked off and the Browns did not lose. They didn’t win either but ended up tied with the Steelers. So this season is already better than last year! LOL

Sunshine Cindy and I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the game on Sunday. Bobby joined us wearing his new Browns jersey. Don and Bob were there watching their teams play. Steve and Becky came in and sat with us for a while. They were waiting on some family to get there. Landshark was packed for the early games. As the Browns game got exciting a big crowd keep coming over to watch the game with us. Everyone was pulling for the Browns. It was a fun atmosphere even if the game ended in a tie. Next week we have the Saints.

The big news last week was Tropical Storm Gordon. It came ashore in Alabama. We ended up with some rain but not much wind and no damage. The remnants of Gordon soaked the Mid-West including raining during the entire Browns game. This week everyone is watching Florence as it is aiming for the Carolina’s. Stay safe everyone who’s in the path.

Sunshine Cindy and I got out a few times last week besides Sunday. We had a ECPHC Board meeting on Wednesday. It was held at O’Quigleys and we have the rest of the Parrot Head year planned out.

Friday was a beautiful day so we headed to the harbor for a while. Now that the tourist season is done we wanted to stop in at some of our favorite places. I figured since Harborwalk is not charging for parking we could just pull right into the parking garage. Well I figured wrong. You still have to pull into the main isle and go past the booth even though you don’t have to pay. Then you have to work your way back to garage. I always like to park on the bottom level so I can walk right out and be outside Harry T’s but this meant I had to drive down three levels since they blocked off the entrance by Crab Island Cantina. Geeze, what a pain in the ass just to get parked. That will be the last time we do that.

Once we got parked we walked down to the Cantina first. Johanna was working the bar. A decent crowd was eating lunch. We were surprised at how many folks were actually walking around and taking out jet skis and pontoon boats. We then stopped in at Harry T’s. Red was working the bar. Susan came in before we left to start her shift. Dan saw us and came over and gave us a big hug. He was glad to see us locals there.

We had some lunch and enjoyed being back there. Everyone on the harbor is glad to catch their breath now that the season is done. I guess all the places had a record breaking season.

On the way home we made a last stop at Cash’s Lounge. Karen the bartender remembered our names from last week. Wow, I couldn’t remember hers. I guess we made an impression. When we got home we spent the evening by the pool. It was a fun day and night.

Saturday we took it a little easier. I did some work outside cleaning up the pool deck. Chaos gets mud on her feet in the backyard and she leaves marks on the pool deck. I got it all cleaned up as well as doing some yard work. Then in the afternoon I went to Landshark to watch some of the Ohio State football game and get a pizza. Sunshine Cindy didn’t want to go so I went by myself. Brian was working the bar. A good crowd was in there watching the various college games. My pizza was excellent like always. Ohio State was rolling so I went home in the third quarter.

Not much new around town. The Dock on the Island bar and restaurant on the island seems to be getting a good crowd for football games. I have seen pictures from friends who have gone and they all seem to like it. We are planning to get over that way soon.

The Parrot Heads will be meeting at Landshark Pizza this Friday starting at 5:30 pm. Come out and help us “Party with a Purpose.”

Last but not least I am not going to mention our beach cleanup’s again since I can’t seem to get it right on dates or locations. LOL

Have a great week. See ya next Monday with more Living and Playing in Destin!

Destin Steve

Poof…Summer is gone…

And just like that the Destin Summer season has come to an end. Of course the calendar says we have almost three more weeks but in our hearts we know it’s over. The kids are back in school. The tourist have gone home. The days are getting shorter. College football is back in full swing. The pros have set their rosters and start back up on Thursday. Yep, put on bow on this Summer I am sorry to say.

But since we live in Florida we can still pretend it’s Summer. The temps are still almost 90 and there is a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf. We can use our pool and drive with the top down. Now just keep this storm away from us!!!

Sunshine Cindy and I got out a few times this week. On Thursday we met an old friend at Tailfins. Jerry and Gayla were in town for a night having spent a few days in Port St. Joe. Jerry and I go back to when I joined the Parrot Heads. He lived in Panama City Beach and we became good friends. One day he went to a class reunion, fell in love with an old class mate and they got married. Jerry moved to Virginia and we only saw each other when he had me be his best man in the wedding. A couple years ago they moved to Canton, Mississippi to be closer to family. It was great seeing those two again. We had a nice visit while listening to BT play music.

Friday I took off work and we ran some errands. We picked up a cookie tray for a pool party on Saturday then we went to Landshark Pizza for some brews and a pizza. Brian was working behind the bar. As we walked in Tony and Amy were just leaving. They had a friend from Ohio with them, Rick. We all chatted for a few minutes. Down the bar was Scotty. He runs a beach service so this was the first time we had seen him in months. After we finished with our pizza (Jason made it and it was one of the best we have had in a long time) Glen came in and joined. About the time we were leaving James came in. It was like a locals reunion! LOL

On the way home I needed to stop at Cash’s. We decided to go in the lounge too. Cash’s is a very local spot that is a throwback bar to an older time. They don’t serve food. They allow smoking. People order shots and beer. Yep, my kind of place. We stayed for a couple of drinks and headed home but not before we talked to just about everyone in the place.

Saturday was Buz and Brenda’s pool party but we had something come up and we could not go. Now we have three dozen cookies sitting in our kitchen just waiting to be ate.

The only thing we did on Sunday was make a trip to Home Depot to get some fertilizer for our yard. I put it down since we should be getting some rain this week from the tropical storm.

It was one year ago this weekend we closed on and moved into our house. We have done a ton of work in that year on the house. It is really now our home. Of course there is still more we want to do but we have put our stamp on the place. Sunshine Cindy is amazing in how she can visualize what she wants done and then make sure it happens. Her decorating ideas should be highlighted in an HGTV show. She is that good at it. The Chaos Oasis is awesome and we spend most of our time outside. We are not regretting the move at all.

This Saturday is the fourth and final Parrot Head beach cleanup of the year at Beachwalk #2 on Okaloosa Island. Come out at 9:30 to help us leave our beaches a little cleaner than we found them and of have a beach party afterwards.

See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Parrot Heads, beach and pool weekend in Destin

It was a fun laid back week in Destin last week.  With most of the tourist gone our traffic is back to a more normal level so getting home from work is a breeze now.

Sunshine Cindy and I did get out and about a few times. Thursday I went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Browns preseason football game. The pizza was good as usual and the Browns won the game so that was all good. Michelle was working the bar and took good care of me. But Wednesday night a person was hit and killed right in front of Landshark. Michelle was working and said it happened about 8 pm. The restaurant was packed and everyone saw it happen. She said people screamed in horror. A couple customers were nurses and they ran out to help and perform CPR but the guy didn’t make it. Michelle said everyone was in shock. She went from table to table to help the folks cope with what they just saw. She was still shaken up on Thursday talking about it.

The person hit was a local who had a bad hip. His girlfriend said it gave out on him and he fell into the street. What a sad time for everyone involved.

Friday night we had a Parrot Head phlocking at O’Quigley’s across from the Commons. O’Quigley’s was temporarily shut down the previous week by the health department. The board voted to keep our phlocking there. We did that because the health department went back and said everything was back up to code and we felt that this restaurant would now be the cleanest one in town. Sunshine Cindy and I talked with Charley the owner and he was embarrassed and said it was the only time in his career he has had a problem like this and he said it will be the last time too.

We had a fun time with music by Jeff and the Camaro’s from Panama City playing for us. The club made a check presentation to Alaqua Animal Rescue in the amount of $2000 from our May party. Alaqua does great work. That’s where we got Chaos from and we are glad we can help them with this donation.

Saturday the Parrot Heads had another beach cleanup on Okaloosa Island. The cleanup went well and then we had a fun beach party. The Gulf of Mexico was calm and there was no seaweed or jelly fish. It’s always fun on the beach.

On Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I spent the day at our pool. I cooked out and we had a nice relaxing day.

Around town the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant at the Outlet Mall closed on Tuesday. This was a fun place when they first opened but the word I’m getting is the corporation that owns this chain never followed through on their plans to expand the brand and basically let it die.

In the never ending parking drama at Harborwalk Village, they have announced they will stop charging for parking after Labor Day except on peak weekends like the Seafood Festival and New Year’s Eve. There is no way in hell the snowbirds would pay $10 to park there. And I know most of the locals have stayed away so this was really the only thing they could have done to keep some crowds coming down.

With this coming weekend being Labor Day weekend, we will get one more big tourist weekend. But this will be a come in on Friday and leave on Monday kind of weekend. So get out and enjoy everything Destin has to offer. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

And that’s a wrap…

Another summer tourist season has come to an end. Sure there are still a few stragglers hanging around but we can now drive around our town without having to worry about how backed up it might be. We will be busy on the Labor Day weekend but it’s time for the locals to come back out and enjoy our slice of paradise.

Sunshine Cindy and I had a pretty quiet week. Friday when I got off work we headed down to the harbor and Tailfins to watch the Browns preseason game and to listen to BT play. It was a beautiful night with a nice breeze keeping things comfortable. Jesse was working the bar and Rayleen took good care of us. Johnny stopped by and chatted with us for a while. BT had the crowd up and going as usual. When he started there was no one on the docks but by the time he was about an hour into his show the docks and tables were all full. Johnny has already hired him for next year playing Wednesday through Sunday again. BT has found a good home at Tailfins.

Saturday we ran a few errands and on Sunday we had a few friends over for a cook out and pool party. One nice part of the day was a toast we made to Kenny. I have had a bottle of Bud that we have been waiting to open. We felt Sunday was the perfect day. Cheer's to Kenny!!!

It was all in all a nice relaxing weekend.

Around town parking in the harbor district continues to be a major topic of discussion and discord. Now the city is exploring building one or two parking garages on the north side of Hwy 98. In a story in the Destin Log, preliminary estimates for a garage with about 531 parking spaces at the Marler Street lot might cost about $13.6 million and a garage with about 613 spaces at the Zerbe Street lot might cost about $18.7 million. That’s a lot of money but it would be worth it. The only other thing they need to do is build a skywalk over 98 so people can easily move across the highway without having traffic always stopping.

Destin is also exploring having an emergency corridor on the beach so emergency vehicles can get through. We have many places where it wall to wall people on the beach and they can’t get trucks through. Of course I wonder what all the rich folks and condo owners will say about losing some of their precious beach front. The same beach front they don’t want any of us commoners using!

Okay, this weekend is the Parrot Head beach cleanup. It really is! LOL  Saturday morning stating at 9:30 am we will be at beachwalk number two on Okaloosa Island. The Parrot Heads will also be meeting this Friday evening at O’Quigley’s across from the Commons. Come out and help us Party with Purpose!

Have a great week. A full recap will be coming next Monday.

Destin Steve

Destin’s summer season is coming to an end…

Local schools start back up today, other regional schools went back last week…yep, our tourist season is coming to an end for another year. Traffic last week was much better. And I expect this week to be back to normal.

Speaking of traffic…HarborWalk Village Chief Operating Officer Paul van Leeuwen must think everyone who lives in Destin is a moron. Ever since they instituted the paid parking, traffic is worse because cars back up onto 98 as they try to get into the parking lot to pay. But you would not know it to listen to him. Here is an excerpt from a Destin Log story last week and they quote the COO.

“I don’t wanna indicate that that traffic doesn’t back up, what I am told is that it doesn’t back up any worse than historically it has as the flows of people have increased into our lots over the years in recent years,” he said. “We’re mindful of it, we’ve had the Sheriff’s (Office) come visit, we’ve had the Highway Patrol come visit ... we’ve taken a look at all of our gate operations.”

This clown must not ever get out to look at it himself. He’s “told” it’s not any worse? How about standing out by the road and watch as cars block the intersection as they can’t pull in due to cars backed up from the tent where they pay the fee. I drive by there every day. I can personally attest to the fact they are causing traffic to be worse because of what they have instituted. I don’t begrudge them from charging to park. I would have done it long before now but don’t try and tell us with a straight face it’s not hurting our traffic issues. Figure out a way to get the cars into the Harborwalk lot quicker is what they need to be concentrating on.

It was a hectic week for Sunshine Cindy and I. Her mom had some surgery on Tuesday and went home on Sunday. So Sunshine Cindy was back and forth. Wednesday we had a Parrot Head board meeting. A big Thank You to Trish and John for hosting our meeting at your lovely home. Thursday I stopped at Landshark Pizza on the way home to watch the first half of the Browns preseason game. They actually looked pretty good for a preseason game and won too! Paige was working the bar. Sue and Colleen sat with me. Rose was there to watch the Saints game. It’s been a long time since I have seen her. It was a nice evening there.

Friday Sunshine Cindy was back to the hospital. I ran a bunch of errands then went to the Parrot Head meeting at Landshark. Paradise Bayou played and we had about 70 people show up for a fun time as we raised money for our current charity. Saturday I went to the hospital with Sunshine Cindy. We stayed for several hours. The hospital is in Gulf Breeze, about an hour drive so it was an all-day thing. When we got back to Destin we stopped at Tailfins for some late lunch.

The people watching from Tailfins is awesome. The amount of rental pontoon boats out on the water is amazing. In the late afternoon when they all are coming back in it is like rush hour in Atlanta. We witnessed two different incidents. The first one was a sheriff’s boat alongside a rental. They drifted out of sight down the harbor. Then a personal boat pulled up to Tailfins dock with a FWC patrol boat right behind them. There were 3 officers on who got out and they were all looking at the guys boat. Then a Luther’s employee came down to look too. We surmised a Luther rental must have hit this guys’ boat. The officers were watching and checking the Luther’s boats as they came back in. Eventually they handed the guy some papers and he took off. We didn’t see them id the boat that probably hit him.

Just as all that was ending we saw the sheriff’s boat going back out of the harbor. We could see a person in handcuffs in the back of the boat. More than likely they got the captain for drunk boating. Yep, never a dull moment on the harbor.

When we left Tailfins we headed home for the evening. Sunday I did some yard work, washed Badass and then we spent the afternoon in the pool. I grilled out and we had a nice relaxing day.

Around town Paula Deen and Destin Commons have announced plans to open a Paula Deen Family Kitchen family-style restaurant at Destin Commons. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2019 on South Street by Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl & Grill.

This weekend the Parrot Heads will have a beach cleanup on Okaloosa Island. The cleanup starts at 9:30 am at beachwalk number 2 followed by a beach party. The theme for this cleanup is wings. Bring your best recipe and see if you can win the title of best wings.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Destin’s tourist season is winding down…

It was pretty obvious last week that some school systems have already got back in session. The traffic was much better getting home from work each night. Even with a lot of rain all week it was still pretty easy on 98. This week should be even better as more schools get back to it.

Speaking of rain…we had four days of it. I heard of some rain gauges that showed over 10 inches in just one day with other days being almost as bad. Thankfully our sandy soil drains fast so there were no flooding problems.

Sunshine Cindy and I got out on Friday evening. We went to Tailfins to listen to BT perform. Wayne and Ron joined us and we had a fun night. BT did his usual fun show. Jessee took good care of us. A nice breeze made it comfortable. The harbor stayed pretty busy too.

Saturday we went to Niceville to celebrate Sunshine Cindy’s moms birthday. It was a nice relaxing day. We cooked some Brats on the grill. Frank and Shelia who live a few houses away came over for a while. All in all a nice birthday for her mom.

Sunday I made a stop at Landshark Pizza for some wings. Sue was working the bar. Colleen was also there helping out on the floor. A guy sat next to me. I have seen him there from time to time but this was the first time I actually talked with him. Van is a big sports fan. We talked about all kind of sports. He has recently retired and is taking a month long trip to California. Good for him.

It was a good sports day for me. I watched the Indians beat the Angels. And Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR race of his career. He has finished second 8 time but finally got over the hump. Chase is Bill Elliott’s son. Bill was always my favorite driver so it’s good to see his boy doing well.

The only other thing I wanted to mention was last week Lebron James opened a school in his hometown of Akron. His foundation and the city of Akron public schools have opened this special school for at-risk kids. Right now they have 3rd and 4th graders but will be adding other grades as well. If the kids graduate they will be guaranteed a scholarship to Akron U. The kids will be fed and their school day will last longer than the traditional classes. This is a fantastic thing Lebron is doing to try and end the cycle of poverty and helplessness. He got a lot of help along the way when he was young and he is giving back. It sickens me to see Trump attack Lebron. He should be holding him up as an example of what people in power and influence can do.

Nothing really new happened in Destin this week. This Friday is our monthly Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza. Come out and help us party with a purpose!

See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Shark Week

This has been shark week on the Discovery Channel. Of course every week is shark week in Destin. My own personal experience with sharks was a few years ago. I was on the beach at Topsail. It was a middle of the week day and the beach was deserted. I was sitting in the water’s edge when I saw a fin coming towards me a few feet from the sand. I stood up and I saw a 8 foot Hammerhead shark just cruising up the coast. I took a step back and watched as this big guy swam a few feet from me. I felt pretty secure on the beach. LOL

Sunshine Cindy and I had a busy day on Friday. She had an appointment in Pensacola first thing in the morning. We got there early but had to wait as the doctor was running late. 2 hours later we were still waiting. The doctor had an emergency so they canceled the appointment. It was frustrating but we understand you have to take care of the emergencies.

We drove back and met her parents at the new Props in Niceville for lunch. This place is in the old Helen Back location. It’s a nice sports bar. The food we had was good and the craft beer is excellent. We all then went to 3rd Planet Brewing Company. They have a new building and have many great beers they brew. It was nice as they don’t have TV’s or WiFi and people were actually talking to each other. They do have a food truck and they even encourage folks to bring food from home if they want to.

From there Sunshine Cindy and I stopped at LuLu’s. We have not been there in a long time. We sat at the outside bar and enjoyed the breeze. A plane that could land on water came and went a few times while we were there. I’m wondering if LuLu’s gives rides on this plane. We thought about going to the Parrot Head meeting at the new Village Door but decided instead to stop at The Craft Bar to let the traffic die down a little. We had a big pretzel and some drinks before heading home where we spent the rest of the evening in the pool.

Saturday was spent doing things around the house. I made a grocery run but otherwise it was working outside and some more pool time.

Sunday I had to get my pizza fix from Landshark Pizza. Paige was working the bar and Renee was waiting on the tables. The place was pretty busy with families coming and going. The pizza was as good as always. I should be good for a couple weeks now.

Around town things were kind of quiet. We had the usual traffic and tourist to contend with but nothing out of the ordinary for this time of the year. I did hear about a new bar that has opened on the harbor. Next to Tailfins is a house. Tim owned this house and the land that Tailfins was built on. I saw Tim about a year ago and he said the noise and traffic from the harbor was so bad he couldn’t spend time in the house on the weekends. I then heard he sold the house/land to Dewey Destin.

Dewey was going to do some kind of restaurant but can’t get it approved. So they do what everyone does in Destin, they opened a bar on the back patio. We have not stopped there yet but we will soon to check it out.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Summer in Destin

Well let’s see, this past week was hot and humid with a lot of tourist around and some thunderstorms…yep a typical week in Destin in the middle of summer.

I got back home last Tuesday from my trip to Ohio to help move my Mom. Hence there was no blog last week.

Since I got back, Sunshine Cindy and I went out on Saturday for a while. We had some errands to run and then headed to the harbor. We could not make the Parrot Head beach cleanup due to some morning appointments so we decided to get out later. We went to Tailfins. Victoria was working the bar and Bernadette took care of us. One of our local friends Ken was at the bar. We had not seen him in months. Turns out he lost his wife’s mom and dad in a month span and then his own mom passed. He has had a rough few months but it was good talking to him.

Tailfins stayed pretty busy with a lot of folks coming and going from the pontoon rentals. It was probably the hottest day of the year for Destin but we had a nice breeze. Tony was walking the docks and he came and hung out with us for a while. It’s always fun catching up with Tony.

Sunshine Cindy and I decided to go to The Boathouse before heading home. We sat at the outside bar where old friend Cam took care of us. It’s been a few months since we last saw Cam. Rusty was playing inside and a lot of folks were there. Very typical for The Boathouse! We probably headed home about 5 pm.

We found out the next day it was at that time a 18 year old got sweep out of Crab Island by a strong current. A couple of folks tried to rescue him but they almost died trying. Unfortunately this young man drowned and his body was recovered the next morning. This was an unfortunate accident but it’s something I’m surprised does not happen more often. That current when it is going out is very strong. People who don’t know the water can get in trouble fast. Please be careful at Crab Island.

Sunday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Callahan’s for brunch. It was nice and sunny when we got there but within 15 minutes we could see it was pouring down rain. My windows were cracked but we got lucky as the rain was straight down and no water got inside. We had a nice meal then went to check out a new Cajun meat market. Hebert’s recently opened just down from West Marine in the Gulf Shores shopping center. They have a ton of good looking food with boneless chickens being their specialty. It all looked great. We know where we are going for food for our next party.

Speaking of local markets…Sunshine Cindy stopped in at Destin Ice Seafood market on Friday and picked  up a pound of steamed shrimp. It was awesome! I love our local fresh seafood.

I heard a new Italian restaurant is opening up at The Commons. It will be in the old LaFamila location. Several years ago LaFamila burst on the Destin food scene and had a big local following. They were in the spot where Landshark Pizza is at now. They tried to expand by moving to the place above Crab Island Cantina. For a while they had both harbor locations open. Then they closed the original place and opened up at The Commons where Hard Rock used to be. Now all of the places are closed. Too bad because they had great food. I think they overextended themselves.

It was announced a new waterfront restaurant is going to be built and opened in downtown Fort Walton Beach next to The Landing. This is the continuation of the growth of downtown Fort Walton Beach. Our friends Mike and Bev from KC’s Sandbar has had a lot to do with this revitalization.

I saw this week where a familiar face down on the docks has passed away. Jimmy was always helping out on the boats or at some of the bars where he could make some money. You never saw Jimmy panhandling but instead he worked for his money. I don’t know where he lived but you could always find him on the docks. I heard cancer got him. RIP Jimmy…

Okay, one more week of tourist season and then it should start to slow down as schools prepare to reopen. We can do this!!!

The Parrot Heads are meeting this Friday at the new Village Door in Seascape. Come out and Party with a Purpose. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

4th of July Destin style…

We survived another Fourth of July holiday celebration in Destin. Sunshine Cindy and I were on the go the entire time. I worked Monday and Tuesday but took off the rest of the week. Sunshine Cindy’s daughter Tiffany flew into town on Wednesday. Our trip to the airport took us across the island and through Fort Walton Beach. I was amazed at the number of cars parked along the side of 98 on the island. It must have been a half mile back where people were parking. And of course Crab Island was packed in like sardines.

We picked Tiffany up at the airport and hit the ground running. First stop was to the grandparents to say hi. Then we went home to get freshened up before heading to the harbor for the fireworks display. We went to Tailfins. They were charging $20 to park but we understood it was for this special event. They have not charged any other time we have been there. Even with charging we got one of the last spots.

BT was playing and Wayne joined us. Ken was cooking up a shrimp boil. The crowds were huge. By the time the fireworks were ready to go off it looked like a Seafood Festival type of crowd with people everywhere. It was a good display and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We hung around about 30 minutes then headed home. The roads were gridlocked but we managed to get to a side street and made the three miles to our house in about 20 minutes. Not too bad!

Thursday and Friday Sunshine Cindy and Tiffany did mother/daughter things. They went shopping, got their hair done, did some shopping, bought some shoes, did more shopping etc. I did some work around the house and spent a lot of time in the pool.

Saturday we back to Tailfins. I wanted to watch the Croatia / Russia World Cup soccer match. It was a great game with Croatia winning on penalty kicks. I didn’t know it but our bartender, Victoria who is someone we have known for years is Russian so we had a friendly back and forth. After Russia lost she joked that I would not be getting served again. LOL

After the game we walked the harbor to Crab Island Cantina. It’s been a while since we were there. Johanna was working the bar and was glad to see us. Korin was just getting off and saw us and gave us a big hug. Geraldo was working too and stopped to say hello. It was good seeing them all again.

We then stopped in at the top bar at Margaritaville. Landshark Lookout is a place we have not been to in a long time. We were surprised to see a musician playing up there. I was even more surprised to see it was Bob Cushing. Bob is playing for the parrot heads in September. The view is still awesome up there as you can see way out into the Gulf.

Our last stop was back at Tailfins to listen to BT play some more. He is now playing Wednesday through Sunday there. Johnny loves him and so do the tourist.

Sunday we had a cookout at the house with Sunshine Cindy’s parents. I grilled up some ribs and corn. We ate and swam and just had a relaxing day to wind down the holiday weekend.

This is the biggest weekend of the summer season in Destin. The crowds around town showed that many folks still have money to travel. I heard it took about an hour a half to get into Destin from Fort Walton on Thursday. Everyone we talked with said it was even busier on Thursday on the harbor than for the Fourth. All in all it was a typical summer holiday in Destin.

One incident that happened was Thursday evening. About 10:30 pm someone was shooting off firework at White Trash Beach on the west side of the Destin bridge. Something happened and a brush fire was started. It burned about one and half acres before the various fire departments got it under control. Same thing happened last year at this spot when a firework from the display misfired and started a fire. Maybe next year have a tanker truck sitting there.

One last thing I noticed from our wanderings this past week. The Destin City Council has some members who claim Crab Island looks like a “carnival” out there. I beg to differ…the real carnival is in Harborwalk Village from Margaritaville to AJ’s. This stretch has more county fair type vendors from kettle corn to dogs to fries. It’s no different than a real carnival other than the carny workers. I don’t have a problem with this other than the city trying to say Crab Island is out of control when this is going on.

I will be traveling to Cleveland this weekend to help with a moving sale at my Mom’s house. She has moved into an assisted living place so her house needs to be cleaned out. Any Cleveland peeps, come out to Strongsville Friday and Saturday as I will be selling everything.

Have a great week. See you next Tuesday after I get back.

Destin Steve

Good times in Destin

It was another good week of Living and Playing in Destin. It started on Thursday evening when I got home from work. It was a hot evening so I got in the pool for a while. Sunshine Cindy and I saw some storms were heading our way but we didn’t pay it too much attention as they were far north of us. It seemed to only take a few minutes but these storms were moving quickly and we started to hear thunder. After another couple of minutes the sky was turning black. We got out of the pool as more thunder was booming. A big thunderstorm blew through but it was not much different from other storms for us.

But down on the harbor it was a different story. The wind really kicked up and there was even a water spout form in the harbor. Several folks got video of it. It actually went right over a small boat that could not outrun it. That had to be scary in that boat. That was enough excitement for one night!

Friday Sunshine Cindy and I went to the harbor and Tailfins to listen to BT play. It turned into one big party as about a dozen friends all came out to party with him. We even saw Jenn. It’s been a while since we last saw her as she is not working at the Boathouse anymore. Also saw our friend Ken. He is going to be doing a shrimp boil each Saturday and Sunday at Tailfins. He does a great job with his boils. Head down and get yourself a plate. You won’t be sorry.

Saturday we spent it around the house getting ready for a visit from Tiffany this coming week. Our friends Fred and Georgia were in town from Atlanta. They stopped over for a while. And they brought fresh shrimp that we boiled up. It was fantastic. I think the shrimp were swimming in the bay the previous night! It was nice catching up with Fred and Georgia.

Sunday was more work around the house. Finally in the afternoon I headed to Landshark Pizza to get me a pie and bring home some stuff for Cindy. Paige was behind the bar and the place was pretty busy because it was raining and folks were off the beach. The pizza was great as usual and it was a nice end to the weekend.

With all the tourist in town for the Fourth of July, this is going to be a crazy week. Traffic will be a nightmare. This is always our worse week of the year.

Some sad news last week…An Uber driver was killed on the Island by an ex cabbie who had a grudge against Uber and Lyft drivers. He said they were taking all his clients. What I don’t understand is this guy had two previous DUI’s and dozens of unpaid toll violations. How can you get a cabbie license with DUI’s??? This is the main reason these ride share companies are successful. I would bet this guy tried to become an Uber driver but was turned down because of his DUI’s. So their screening process worked if that was the case.

Around town The Red Door Saloon is starting to get some bad press lately. First they refused service to a person with a Service Dog. It used to be you could sit outside with your dogs but now they are not evening doing that and I guess they are being pretty rude about it. Then they were part of the Slacker .5K fun run a few weeks back. Part of the entrance fee was drink coupons from the sponsors. Red Door did not honor those tickets. That is pretty lousy. They had all this publicity and then don’t follow through. I hope they get their act together as we like stopping in there from time to time.

Have a great holiday as we celebrate America’s birthday!!! See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Summer in Destin

Officially Summer arrived last week but really we have been in “Summer Mode” in Destin for many weeks now. This past week we had awesome weather. I guess that is because our friends Alan and Jackie were in town. LOL  It was hot, humid and sunny all week. Our pool went from 82 degrees to 89 in just a few days. I love it!

It was a fun weekend for Sunshine Cindy and I. Friday night the Parrot Heads had our monthly Phlocking at Hooters of Destin. We had about 80 of us show up. Bo Adams played music and we raised money for our charity. We were on the outside deck and there was a worry that it would be too hot to have a good time but we got lucky as a nice gulf breeze was blowing keeping us comfortable.

Saturday morning I took Chaos for her walk. With the high temps and humidity, I have shortened the walks for both her health and mine. When I got home I went to work on doing some weeding. It didn’t take long for me to be soaking wet from sweat. It was time for a dip in the pool to cool off. After cleaning up Sunshine Cindy and I decided to head to the harbor.

We went to Tailfins. Surprisingly they were not charging to park…at least not yet. We sat at our usual location on the lower level. Victoria was behind the bar. The place was very busy. A group was watching the World Cup soccer game that was on. Victoria told us for the Mexico game that started at 8 am, the place was packed with people watching it. Good for them. We had a few drinks and some food. Our friend Tony was walking by on the harbor and saw us. I was surprised to see him. He is the captain of the Caddywampus catamaran. He had an unusual day off. It was good catching up with him.

When we left the harbor, we decided to stop in at Hogs Breath. The outside bar was open with five people there. We knew them all! Miss Norma was there. We didn’t know she is working at Hogs in the tee shirt building. It is always great to see her. She is a Destin legend. The others at the bar are folks we know from around town…The postal worker, Capt Bill, Bob and Rickki behind the bar. We had a couple of brews and then headed home to spend the rest of the evening in the pool.

Sunday we were lazy. I washed the car and did some watering but that was it. The rest of the day was spent around the pool.

One thing I have noticed this season…The traffic in the mornings is getting heavier than I have seen in previous Summer seasons. I leave for work about 6 am. Most of the year there is not a lot of traffic. Mainly folks who work on the bases. But this summer season has changed. More and more folks are on the road. I believe it is a combination of people coming and going from Destin and people going on the charter boats. Add all the new businesses that have employees on the road and you have more folks on the road earlier.

No plans for this week other than a Fourth of July party at a friend’s house. Time to go with the flow! Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Parking problems in Destin

This past week saw us break in our “Chaos Oasis,” have enough rain to almost overflow our pool and see tourist season get into full swing but the biggest news in Destin was about parking.

Between the City of Destin and Harborwalk Village, they are in a race to see who is the biggest a-hole. The City went and put up no-parking signs on a side street behind McGuire’s. The problem is the signs went up at 3 pm and there were cars from McGuire’s employees already parked there. You guessed it, they came by and ticketed those cars that parked legally when they got there but became illegal after the signs went up. McGuire’s management paid the fines but that was about as low as you can get by the City.

Then last Friday, Harborwalk started charging $10 a car to park in their lot and parking garage. There was no warning to the public. At least the local businesses were aware this was going to happen but it sounds like many of their employees were not notified and were surprised to have to pay. I have heard that Harry T’s is going to discount folks if they show their receipt for parking so some of the shops are getting proactive.

Parking is a big problem in that area. I fully understand charging to park as many of the private lots already do that. But at least let people know ahead of time. And what the City did was ridiculous. So I guess they get the award for biggest a-hole. What all this is doing is run off more of the locals that want to come to the harbor.

Rain, rain and more rain fell last week in Destin. I feel bad for folks that were here on vacation. We had over an inch of rain one day, a half inch a couple of days with lower amounts all the other days. I am glad to say we are finally starting to dry out.

This past weekend we had our musician friend Brent Burns come over from Alabama to play a couple of days at the Chaos Oasis. Luckily the rain stopped in time. The pool temp was down to about 82 degrees due to all the rain but we still got in the water…for a short dip or two! LOL  It appeared everyone had a great time as we showed off our remodeled Casa and partied to Brent’s original music!

Sunday was Father’s Day. Sunshine Cindy’s Mom and Dad came over and I grilled filet mignon steaks for each of us. We actually bought them at Destin Ice Seafood house. They carry Buckhead Beef and it is some of the best beef around. It was a great day celebrating with her Dad.

One of the cool things about living here on the coast is all the wildlife we get to see. Over the last few months there have been several Osprey nest show up on the top of power poles along the open stretch of highway between Fort Walton Beach and Destin on the island. In one of the nest I have been able to see small heads pop up but now those heads are getting bigger. It looks like they are close to leaving the nest. Just this morning I saw 3 or 4 other Osprey’s just hanging out in some of the other nest. Pretty cool.

I see the old Panini Pete’s next to the Waffle House is going to become an Executive Car Wash. This is like the third one in a few months to be built around here. Do we really have that many dirty cars in Destin?

This Friday the Emerald Coast Parrot Head club will be meeting at Hooters in Destin. The phun starts at 5:30. Come out and Party with a Purpose with the Parrot Heads. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

Rainy Season in Destin

Summer time in Destin means from now till September we will have a 50% chance of rain every day. Hot, humid and afternoon thunderstorms are the norm. Like this past Sunday, we had a hellacious storm hit about 4:30. Lightning was hitting all around us and we probably got almost an inch of rain in about 30 minutes. Just another typical Destin afternoon.

It was a busy week for Sunshine Cindy and I. Wednesday evening we hosted a parrot head board meeting at our house. It was a chance for us to show off all the hard work we have done to the house while we got some parrot head business done. We had a fun and productive meeting.

Friday evening was our monthly parrot head meeting at Landshark Pizza. Dean Sadowski provided the music and everyone had a fun time. The club also made a check presentation to, “Take Stock in Children.” This is an excellent local charity that helps under privileged kids earn college scholarships. Our club continues to Party with a Purpose.

Saturday the club had our first beach cleanup of the year on the island. I didn’t make it as I had some things I needed to do but once again the club left the beach in better shape than when they got there. Later in the day we met up with our friends Dottie and Steve to help them celebrate their wedding.

Sunday morning Sunshine Cindy and I made a Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond run. After we were done we stopped in at World of Beer for brunch. We enjoy stopping there and getting there early on Sunday was perfect as not many tourist were out yet. After brunch we went home and worked on the outside bathroom getting it all fixed up and ready for guest. We got done with a little time to spare before the thunderstorm hit.

Something I had not seen before in Destin was a truck driving down our street spraying for mosquito’s. It was Tuesday evening when they went by. I thought that was only something that was done in the Keys.

Around town the new FUBAR on the island is not getting good reviews. I heard from a friend who has been there and said the service is slow and the people working there are not friendly. That’s not good for a place trying to change the image from the old Helen Back days.

Speaking of Helen Back…Their old location in Niceville is being taken over by Props. The craft beer guys from Props are really growing.

Also in Niceville Ernie’s Dockside Café and Oyster Bar is closing. This seems to be Ernie’s MO. Stay open in a place for a couple years then shut it down and open somewhere else. The location is nice so I bet someone else will take over the building.

My poor Cleveland Cavaliers took it on the chin in the finals. They gave away game one with a JR Smith mental blunder despite LeBron having the game of his life. Oh well, maybe next year.

And speaking of LeBron…Last week I saw a post on Facebook where people were ripping him for stating his views on the state of the country saying he is only a BB player and no one cares about what he has to say. Whether I agree with LeBron or not he has the right to voice his opinion just like anyone else. Our country is turning into a, “I only want to hear what you have to say if you agree with me” country and that is sad. :-(

Our Southern Illinois friends Alan and Jackie come to town this weekend with their family for a visit. It will be great to see them all again!

Have a fantastic week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

“The Season” has started in Destin

The next two months will be traffic, people, hot and humid weather, thunderstorms, tourist…in short it is the summer season in Destin!

It began this past weekend. The normal Saturday influx of tourist had traffic on the Mid-Bay bridge connector backed up to Hwy 20. It was much worse in Ft. Walton Beach because of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival. It was gridlock trying to get over the Brooks Bridge. I’m sure folks that were trying to get to their condo on Okaloosa Island were very frustrated. But like I always say, most of these tourist are from towns like Atlanta where a little traffic is a normal everyday occurrence.

I can almost hear BT Turner singing, “What Happens in Destin Leaves on Saturday!”

Sunshine Cindy and I spent the entire weekend finishing up projects around the outside of the house. Temps were around 90 each day with heat index over 100 degrees. We are so glad we have the pool to jump in and we did many times to cool off.

The only time I got out was on Friday when I stopped in at Landshark Pizza to get a pizza. Cindy decided to stay home and relax. Paige was working the bar. Right after I sat down Tom came in and joined me. I have not seen Tom since he bought out Melissa to become the sole owner of Fishheads. Tom has a great sense of humor. He had Paige and I cracking up. My pizza was fantastic as always. I have not had a Landshark Pizza since we got back from Costa Rica so I was having withdrawals. LOL

Other than that, I cranked up the grill on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We were able to wind down after working in the heat and humidity. BTW…The yard and decorations are all looking awesome.

The big news in Destin this past week was the start of Red Snapper season on Friday. Nothing fills up the charter boats with anglers like Red Snapper season. Paige said it looked like every boat in the fleet was gone on Friday. Destin has the largest charter fleet in the state so that is a lot of boats out fishing. I have seen some pictures and there are some huge fish coming in. Red Snapper is one of the best eating fish and everyone wants to catch them. The season is usually very short so the captains plan as many trips as possible.

Last week I mentioned the Ramada Inn on the island is now called, “The Island.” I heard from our friend Alan that the lobby bar has been expanded during the extensive remodeling they recently completed. Sunshine Cindy and I have spent many an evening at the old lobby bar with Alan and Jackie so we will be interested in seeing how much fun the new bar is.

Here is something off topic but since when did the “Dark Web” become a thing? You can’t watch TV anymore without a commercial imploring us to buy some type of software to make sure your personal info is not on the Dark Web. A year or so ago you never heard of this nebulous place. Now it is something to keep us up at night worrying about bad actors getting ahold of our most sensitive data. Personally I think the Dark Web is just another great marking campaign concocted by some nerd in an office in Silicon Valley. But that could just be my disbelieving self of all things you see. Now if this software was promoted on Facebook I would have to believe it because as you know, everything on Facebook is real!!! LOL

This week we have a Parrot Head meeting at Landshark Pizza on Friday evening. Saturday morning is our beach cleanup on the island so we have a full weekend coming up. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

“The Season” has started in Destin

Back home in Destin

Sunshine Cindy and I had a fantastic trip to Costa Rica. We met new friends, we explored a wonderful country and had a chance to relax and recharge our batteries.

But now we are back home and back to reality. We got home after midnight on Tuesday night /Wednesday morning and I was back to work on Wednesday. The big news around town is the Tropical Storm that is bearing down on us. All that we have seen so far is some light rain. I guess the wind will pick up a little but this is not a big storm…No matter what the Weather Channel says. LOL

Sunshine Cindy and I didn’t do much after we got home. We both were fighting some type of the Costa Rican crud. We missed a Parrot Head meeting on Friday night at the Rotten Apple and Bobby and Darla’s annual Memorial Day party. Sunday  we did go to Tailfins for a while to get out and get some fresh air. A big crowd was on the harbor despite the weather forecast.

Around town the old Fud’s on the island has reopened as The Island. I think the Ramada Inn was also renamed The Island. They have been doing a lot of work on the place and it is looking good.

The city of Destin is trying to “tame” Crab Island. They want to basically run off all businesses because they said it looks trashy out there. Wow, have then walked down Harborwalk Village lately? It’s a state fair carnival now. If those businesses on Crab Island were not making money they would not open or stay open. Supply and demand is what is keeping them open. Leave them alone.

Flying can be a chore these days with something in the news almost every day about some issue on a plane. Well, we had four perfect flights on Delta. Every leg was on time and even getting through Customs was smooth. So nothing to see here…move along!

Okay, we are getting back into the swing of things. I will be back next Monday with my usual Living and Playing in Destin blog!

Destin Steve

Back home in Destin

The excitement never ends in Destin

Sunday morning Sunshine Cindy and I went to brunch at Harry T’s. We got there about 10 am and the place was packed. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. I don’t know where everyone came from.

Then the excitement started…Sunday afternoon, Sunshine Cindy left to go shopping and she got hit by a lady that ran a red light. She was fine and the car is still drivable but the passenger side headlights are all busted up and the door won’t open. Luckily a couple in a car behind Cindy stopped and waited for the cops to collaborate Sunshine Cindy’s story. I was in the pool, got changed and went up there. It happened at the corner of Airport Road and Commons. Sunshine Cindy had a left turn arrow and the lady ran the light.

When I got there a cop was there and starting his investigation. The lady that hit her was a 61 year old rich bitch from Mississippi. She was driving a brand new two week old Benz. Her husband is an attorney and she was going to the Destin airport to pick him up. Sunshine Cindy and the other couple told the cop they thought she might have been drunk. He agreed. He got some back-up and they put her through the roadside test. By this time her husband showed up but he didn’t say a word. She told the cop she takes a lot of medicines like Zanax. To make matters worse for her the car and plate was called in four days ago as a suspected drunk driver. Of course she had no idea why that would be.  She failed the test, was put under arrest and got a free trip to Crestview. Now we get the hassle of dealing with insurance. At least no one was hurt.

Saturday turned out to be another one of those surprise fun days. We ran a bunch of errands and headed to Tailfins about 2:30. I knew BT was going to be playing later so I texted him I was sure we won’t be still around for his show. Lo and behold five minutes later he shows up. He was on the harbor having got there early because of Cinco de Mayo. Anyway, we did see most of his show. He did a great show. At one point I looked down the harbor and the entire front of the lower bar area was wall to wall people singing and dancing. Johnny loves him too. BT has bounced back just fine.

On Wednesday we had a Parrot Head club board meeting. We met at Hogs Breath. They had a hostess who looked like she was about 12 out front. She told us we couldn’t move any tables and pull them together outside. Ok, we would sit in the bar area and pull some tables together. Nope, you can’t do that. So I asked the bartender if he minded us pulling some tables together and he sure, go for it. LOL  And Hogs did honor our locals card so I guess that is still good.

Friday was spent cleaning up our pool area. I then got in the water. I only made it in about half way but at least I got in! The water temp is in the mid-70’s but climbing fast. 

Around town Carlito’s Deli down in Harborwalk Village is now open. The What-a-Burger in Destin across from Harborwalk is being completely remodeled. It looks like a total gut job. And the new Autozone is now open. It seems like just a week ago they were putting walls up.

The next blog will be in a couple weeks. Sunshine Cindy and I will be traveling to Costa Rica to party with some good friends. See ya when we get back!

Destin Steve

Living and Playing in Destin

Sunshine Cindy and I did a lot of playing this past week. Thursday was her birthday. She is 29…again! We went to McGuire’s for dinner. The food and drinks were fabulous as always. The business McGuire’s does is amazing. The place stays packed.

When we left McGuire’s we stopped in at Landshark Pizza to watch the first few selections in the NFL draft. My Browns were picking first and fourth. The reward for a terrible season. I wanted them to take Baker Mayfield with the first pick and they did. I let out a big yell of approval. They then made another good pick with the fourth selection in an Ohio State cornerback. Hopefully this is the start of something good. Landshark’s had a big crowd for the draft. I guess everyone is ready for some football.

Friday evening was our Parrot Head Phlocking at Crab Island Cantina. We had over 100 folks show up on a beautiful night. The Dizzy Juke’s Band entertained everyone and the staff took great care of us. We once again raised a bunch of money for our current charity.

Saturday was spent at home as Sunshine Cindy’s parents came to visit for her birthday. It was a perfect day for us to celebrate.

Sunday we got a lot of stuff done around the house as we prepare for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica. I snuck off for a while to Landshark to get a pizza but that was it. Sue was working the bar and it was a relatively quiet day there. The weather was so nice most folks were probably on the water or at the beach. There was one couple in there with their kids. Sue said they come down once a month from Birmingham for the day and always end up at Landshark before they head home. It’s about a three hour drive but when you love the beach you do what you have to do!

Actually on Sunday it finally felt like spring. The temp got up to 86 degrees. It was awesome!

The old Helen Back on the island reopened this past weekend. The new owners have renamed it The FUBAR Pizza bar and grill. Their advertising is making a point to say the entire place is remodeled and the “smell” is gone! LOL

Our friend BT is back at Crab Island Cantina’s on Sunday’s now. And he will be playing at Tailfins each Friday and Saturday evenings for the season. With Ronnie leaving this left an opening and I am glad BT was able to fill that slot. He will do awesome there.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Living and Playing in Destin

It was a wild week in Destin

The biggest news of the week was a tornado hitting Ft. Walton Beach on Sunday. It started out as a water spout then came ashore on Okaloosa Island crossing the island, going into the Sound then hitting land again by The Original Crab Shack. It damaged a bunch of cars in their parking lot, hit city hall across the street then hit an apartment. Luckily no one was hurt as it could have been bad.

Sunshine Cindy and I had a busy week. Tuesday we went to the harbor to see our friends Alan and Jackie. They came into town for a few days. I am glad to say Alan is looking good after a health scare. We met them at Crab Island Cantina then we all went to Harry T’s. It was awesome catching up with them again. They will be back in June with the family.

Friday and Saturday we did more yard work spreading more stones. We are almost done with that project. Friday afternoon we went to The Crab Trap on old 98 for a late lunch. We had a good meal while enjoying the Gulf of Mexico. The water was a perfect blue. After eating we went to their beach bar. Old friend Glen was bartending. We have not seen him in a long while. We had a fun time talking to him and some tourist and locals that were at the bar.

Saturday morning Sunshine Cindy and I went to Harry T’s for brunch. We were amazed at the number of rental pontoon boats that were going out. Saturday evening our good friends Mike and Brodie got married. They rented a house on the beach in Destin Pointe and had a great day for their wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony that even had dolphins swimming by for a nice touch.

Sunday was a rainy day with storms on and off as witnessed by the tornado. Sunshine Cindy and I went to Tailfins for some lunch. Victoria was working the bar. It was a slow day because of the weather.

Here is another reason why I love my Parrot Head friends. Music on the Bay is an event in Tampa held each year. This year they presented to the Shriners Hospital for Children a check for $57,500!!! Since they started MOTB they have donated over $269,000! Parrot Heads sure do know how to party with a purpose!

Last Tuesday night / Wednesday morning the 112 year old Gulfview Hotel was moved. It will become a welcome center in downtown Ft. Walton. They threw a big party for the move since they had to shut down 98. The move went well and the hotel is now in its new location.

With Alan and Jackie in town I was able to get some news on things on the island. Last year it was announced a Hard Rock resort was going to go in at the Ramada Inn. Will I guess that has fallen through and it will stay a Ramada Inn. I suppose that is why they were doing so much renovation to the place.

I have been wondering what was up with the Fuds location on the island. They have been closed since the first of the year. It was reported they were remodeling but now I understand it was sold to the owner of the Ramada Inn and Jay Odem who plan to open a new restaurant there. I wonder that happened to cause Fuds to sell.

Back on the harbor, Carlos continues to expand his Crab Island Cantina empire. He is moving his Carlito’s deli from the little space in the Cantina to the old Tropical Smoothie location across from the big stage in Harborwalk. He will be doing breakfast too. It should be opening soon.

The McGuire’s bus is back. The double-decker bus has been a landmark in front of McGuire’s since they opened. A few months ago a car crashed into the bus so it had to have repairs made. The repairs are done and the bus is back greeting everyone as they go to McGuire’s.

The city of Destin is talking about not allowing any commercial activity on Crab Island. First I don’t know that they have any jurisdiction out there. And second something should have been done a long time ago. Pretty soon you won’t be able to get any boats out there due to all the structures selling stuff. This will be an interesting fight.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Let’s keep the momentum going guys!

This Friday the Emerald Coast Parrot Head club will be meeting at Crab Island Cantina. The fun starts at 5:30. Come out and help us raise some money for our charities.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

It was a wild week in Destin

Another busy week in Destin

Sunshine Cindy and I had another busy and fun week. We spent another weekend of working in the yard as we continue to put down marble rocks. Two more pallets went down with one more to go. I guestimate I have moved about 33 tons worth of rock over the last couple weekends. Not bad for an old man! The yard is looking great. Sunshine Cindy’s vision is coming to life.

Tuesday after work I met Sunshine Cindy at Tailfins. BT is back in town and we were meeting him and Nicole there to welcome him back. It was great seeing him. He is booking gigs again. He starts at the Cantina on the 29th for his usual Sunday afternoon gig. It was fun hanging out at Tailfins. We saw several friends who were there enjoying a nice afternoon too.

Thursday evening we went to Landshark Pizza to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first playoff game. We had a great time. Josh was behind the bar taking care of us. Jason was working tables but he talked to us when he had time. Turns out his brother has season tickets to the Lightning’s games. That’s cool. I got to wear my jersey Sunshine Cindy bought me for my birthday too. And the best thing was they won!!!

Friday night we were supposed to join the Parrot Heads at Royal Palm Grill for a beach bonfire. We were both so tuckered out from working all day we decided to stay home and relax. The Parrot Heads had a great time but it was the right call to stay home.

On Saturday our friends Mike and Brodie had a pre-wedding reception at Crab Island Cantina. Their actual wedding is next Saturday but it is at a small place so they had this reception for all of their friends to help them celebrate. BT played and a ton of folks came out. There were friends from Panama City who we don’t see often enough who even came. We are so happy for Mike and Brodie and we were glad to help them celebrate!

Saturday night / Sunday morning we had a big line of storms pass through our area. By sunrise they were past us and the sun came out by 9:30 am. I was able to take Chaos out for her normal walk. She was happy about that! LOL  Sunshine Cindy and I went to The Fresh Market for breakfast. It was our first time there. The breakfast was only so-so but some of their sandwiches looked like they would be great. We might come back to try them.

When we left The Fresh Market we stopped in at Publix for a few things. I noticed they had signs up saying no beer/wine till 1 pm on Sunday. I thought that law was changed. I know Beach Liquor is open early on Sunday. When we left Publix we actually stopped in at Beach Liquor and found out that change was only for places in the city limits of Destin. So that only includes Beach Liquor, Cash’s and Winn Dixie. Except Winn Dixie is still not selling beer/wine early because they have not received corporate approval. No wonder Winn Dixie has declared bankruptcy. They are losing a lot of money because of this. This should be a no-brainer to make happen. Geesh…

Around town the last big parcel of land that was under contract to a Dolly Parton development company has been sold again. This is next to the new apartments on Commons. A bank that was on the property has been torn down too. I have not heard what is going in here yet.

The old Panini Pete’s building next to the Waffle House is being remodeled. I think some kind of vacuum place is going in there. I could not read the sign to well as I drove by. And if it is a vacuum place that makes no sense to me but hey, what do I know. LOL

Businesses on Crab Island are getting an early start this year. There are already 5 or 6 structures set up out there. I know the county is working on something to regulate it out there but I don’t think they will get anything done for this season.

The rebuild of The Pointe is coming along. We now have a mountain of sand at the end where they have extended it to pre-hurricane days. I hope we don’t get any hurricane’s this year as I can see all that sand back in the harbor entrance.

And last but not least the girls are coming back to town. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday Drop Dead Dangerous will be back at Juana’s in Navarre. It has been a while since we saw Kitty and Melanie. They are a great duo. Get out to see them if you get a chance.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Spring Break is over in Destin

Last week was the last hurrah of 2018 Spring Break in Destin. And it was probably our busiest week of the season. Traffic was heavy, wait times were long and chaperones were busted for throwing house parties for underage kids. Two different house parties were busted. The cops came because of loud music. You would think if you were giving underage kids booze and pot you would at least try to keep it down a little so you don’t draw attention to yourself. SMH…

It was another busy week at our house. We had a paver walkway installed from the driveway to the pool. It looks awesome. All Good Construction did the work. We highly recommend them. While that was going in Sunshine Cindy went to Home Depot (We should own stock in them we go there so often right now!) and ordered a pallet of Marble stones. They come in about 60 pound bags and a pallet holds 75 bags. It was delivered on Friday and we had it put down by the end of the day. Well, those 75 bags didn’t go too far. So she ordered another 3 pallets.

It was raining Saturday morning so we couldn’t work. Plus Sunshine Cindy had to go visit with some relatives. In the afternoon the sun came out and the pallets got delivered. I managed to put down another half pallet of the stones.

Sunday we got another pallet and a half down. Next weekend we plan to get the last pallet down. The stones look great. We have them in the flower beds and a big area alongside the house where our pool pump equipment is located at. They are a white stone with some hint of grey and they contrast the house perfectly. Now if we can get the grass to start growing! LOL

Because of the house work we didn’t get out too much. I ran to Landshark Pizza on Friday to get us a pie after we called it a day. Brian was working the bar. Pops came in and we chatted for a while. On Saturday while it was raining I got a haircut. I was supposed to go to the harbor on Saturday evening for a bachelor party for Mike but by the time I was done working I was pooped so I relaxed at home.

Around town the new shops by Publix are open. Starbucks, Panera Bread and the auto parts store are all open.

I hear there is a new GM at Hogs Breath. The word I got is they are not doing locals cards anymore and they don’t plan to cater to the locals. If that’s true that would be a big mistake. I know several people have left there. I don’t know if this is the reason but it could be. We have not been there in a month or so. We need to get back and see what’s going on.

BT is back! BT Turner is back in town after being gone for the winter season. Hopefully he will be getting back to some of his old gigs soon. We love going to listen to him play.

The Emerald Coast Parrot Head club will be meeting this Friday at Royal Palm Grill for their Friday night beach bonfire. It should be a lot of fun as we “party with a purpose.” Mike and Brodie are having a pre-wedding reception this Saturday. We look forward to this as we love them both.

Have a great week. See ya next Monday with another recap of “Living and Playing in Destin.”

Destin Steve

Atlanta comes to Destin

This week is Spring Break for many public schools in and around Atlanta. With Atlanta being the metro area that sends the most tourist to Destin that means this week is going to be crazy with Breakers and their families in town.

The onslaught began Friday and Saturday with inbound traffic looking like a summer weekend. Saturday afternoon, Sunshine Cindy, Wayne and I headed to Bluewater Bay and Ciao Bella Pizza shop to listen to music. A musician friend, Eric Stone was going to be in town and playing there. The traffic coming into Destin was bumper to bumper. From the toll booth at the Mid-Bay bridge traffic was backed up to Hwy 20.

Inside of Ciao Bella is a small bar called the Blue Bar. The owner of Ciao Bella is an old friend of Eric’s and hires him to play whenever he is in town. Even though it was last minute we had some friends show up. Mark, Stephanie, Cliff, Sharon, Paul, Debbie and Rob were all there. We had a fun time. Eric used to live in Destin and he would hang out on the beach with us back in the day. It was good catching up with him.

Last Wednesday we had a special ECPHC board meeting at Royal Palm Grill in Seaside Resort. This was a planning meeting for our upcoming “Phins for Phurry Phriends Deck Party” that will be held May 12th on the pool deck at Royal Palms. This should be a fun venue for our event. Check us out on Eventbrite for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/phins-for-phurry-phriends-deck-party-tickets-44508713761?aff=es2  Tickets are only $20 PP and all proceeds benefit Alaqua Animal Rescue. Everyone 21 and over is welcome.

Friday afternoon Sunshine Cindy and I headed to the harbor and Tailfins for a late lunch. They have reopened the lower level after having to rebuild all the decking due to a fire. It was good to be back in our usual spot. Victoria was behind the bar and Jasmine took good care of us. We talked to Johnny the owner a little telling him they did a great job on the rebuild. We noticed they have added more docks and rental pontoon boats. They also moved the outside trailer bar a little to give more room to walk on the back side. All in all they did a good job and it was pretty busy.

After having our late lunch we decided to walk down to The Boathouse. They were just opening for the evening. We got a seat at the bar. The place quickly filled up. Jack came in. We had not seen him in a long time. He was looking good. We talked to a charter boat captain. He was an interesting person. I don’t remember his name but his dog was Ozzie. He was a cute pup who spent most of him time under the captain’s bar stool although he did wander a couple times to get petted by a pretty girl or two. Smart dog!

Our football watching friend Donny came in and we had a chance to catch up with him for a while. All in all we had a fun time.

We left and headed back towards Tailfins. Ronny was playing so we grabbed an outside table to listen to him and dance a little. Sadly this was Ronny’s last day in town. He has taken a job as a music director on a cruise ship. Good luck to Ronny but he will be missed. We saw several more friends while we were down there. James and Jonelle walked by and chatted with us for a few minutes. We had a good time but it was time to get home to Chaos.

Easter Sunday was spent at the Casa with the in-laws. The weather was perfect. I grilled baby back ribs and we had a nice relaxing day.

In the Gulf you never know what you might see. A Humpback Whale and a Great White Shark have been spotted in the last week in the Gulf. That is unusual for our area but not unheard of. But just remember, when you swim in the Gulf you are in the food chain!

Surprise surprise… Southern Living Magazine has named Destin’s beach the third best in the South. I think we should have been number one but I am biased.

Another Broken Egg restaurants in Destin and Grayton Beach have changed their name to “Cracklings.” The owners have parted ways with the Another Broken Egg franchise and gone out on their own. They have the same owners and management team, just a new name. They plan to keep most of the menu the same too. 

Have a great week. See ya next Monday.

Destin Steve

Spring yard work in Destin

Yes, the calendar has flipped over to Spring. So in Sunshine Cindy’s mind that means we have to get to work in the yard. The yard of our new house was a mess when we moved in. We have had the major items taken care of but now we are hitting the mess along the fence lines. Well, three full days of effort and it is looking much better. It better after we dumped 80 bags of mulch, moved big edging pavers blocks and ripped out what seemed like miles of vines.

BTW…each bag of mulch weighed 56 pounds. Considering I moved each bag at least twice that means I lifted over 8000 pounds in those three days in mulch alone. And that does not include the paver blocks. Yes, I am sore today! LOL

Sunshine Cindy and I did get out a couple times last week. Wednesday we went to Pepito’s for dinner. We always have a good meal there. I love Mexican food and they have some of the best in Destin.

Friday night was our monthly Parrot Head Phlocking. This month we were at Harry T’s. We got there a little early to get a bite to eat at the bar for happy hour. They have changed their happy hour. It used to be ½ price from 11 am to 7 pm. Now it is $2 off any drink till 6 pm. It is still a good deal. They have a busy bar with a lot of tourist who stop there. It’s interesting to talk to them and hear their stories.

The Parrot Head meeting was another great time. We packed the upstairs area. Dan and his team took good care of us. Flash Flood duo kept everyone up and dancing. Yep, another fun night as we Party with a Purpose.

Spring Break is in full swing. Again this year there is a zero tolerance to underage drinking. Each day a handful of underage drinkers are arrested. A couple years ago the police would give them a summons to appear but no one ever did. So as part of the zero tolerance they are now taking them to jail. There was a letter to editor last week from a mom how she is worried sick her kid might get arrested, carted off to jail and have her picture in the newspaper. Well mom, you know how not to worry about that? Tell your kid to obey the law! There are consequences for breaking the law. This is the real world. Besides when you look at some of the mug shots most of these kids are not taking getting arrested too seriously. You would think they are taking a class photo or something the way they ham it up. Since the crackdown here and over in Panama City Beach, I have not heard of any kids falling off a balcony and getting killed. I think getting your kid home safe should be your number one concern mom!

Around town in Fort Walton a new night club has opened where the old Bingo Castle was. Also…The new buffet restaurant in Destin is slated to open in April. They have their sign up and are hiring.

Enjoy Easter. See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve

It was a Southern Drawl Band weekend in Destin

The boys with the Southern Drawl Band were back in town this weekend playing Saturday night at The Boathouse and on Sunday at Crab Island Cantina. It has been many months since we last saw them and it was awesome to have them back again.

With Saturday being St. Patrick’s Day, you just knew it would be a wild time and it didn’t disappoint. Sunshine Cindy and I started out by going to Landshark Pizza. Some of the Parrot Heads were meeting up there before the show. Sunshine Cindy and I were dressed in our best St. Paddy’s day garb. We had a blast as almost 40 folks came to get the party started. Even our Oki friends Steve and Becky were back in town and came out. They are a lot of fun.

Landshark was also busy with other folks coming and going. A group that was not associated with the Parrot Heads actually bought some raffle tickets for our 50/50 drawing and one of them won. She even donated a portion back when she heard the proceeds were going to Alaqua. That was cool.

We kept hearing how crazy it was down the hill at The Boathouse but until we started walking down we had no idea just how crazy it was. Between The Boathouse and The Upper Deck, people were 15 or 20 deep. Walking around we ran into a bunch of friends. Ken and Cheryl were cooking crawfish. Jonelle saw us and took an epic selfie with us. It seemed like half of Destin was there. Add in the Spring Breakers and you have a big crowd.

The band put on a fantastic show. They did more of their country and southern rock songs that had the place jumping. JD, who has one of the most perfect country voices sang a lot and of course Mike was his usual great self. We managed to be right up front. Almost all of the Parrot Heads came too. It was a fun night.

Then on Sunday they played an acoustic show at Crab Island Cantina. This was more laid back…just what everyone needed after the wild night at The Boathouse. We again had over 40 members there. A couple rain drops didn’t slow them down either. And just after they finished it rained harder so the timing was perfect.

Our old friend Julie came to the Sunday show. She had been in Orange Beach, AL for STAR’s and came over to see everyone before heading back to St. Louis today. It was awesome seeing her again.

Sunshine Cindy and I did get out on Friday night too. We headed to O’Quigleys for dinner. The place was crowded with folks watching some of the March Madness basketball games and many Spring Breakers were there too. We found a spot at the bar. Not too long after we sat down, Brian came in. He was looking to watch some of the games and get away from Landshark so he could relax. Glen and Mike also came in so we had a good time as they joined us at the bar.

While at O’Quigleys I noticed a manger type walking around. I recognized him but could not place from where. He kind of looked at us with the same type of bewilderment. Then it dawned on me, he used to be a bartender at Crab Island Cantina. The next time he walked by he stopped as he also remembered us by then. Bobby had just started there as a manager and he was loving it. It was awesome seeing him again. I told him we stop in a couple times a month so we will be seeing him in the future.

Around town the Helen Back on the island has been sold. It will reopen in April as “The New Helen Back.” I also understand the group that bought this place is looking to buy the Navarre location too. I also heard Duck Duck was sold a few months ago to Damon. I’m sure he got a great deal on the place. It appears Chris was not paying his employees and vendors as far back as October and November. That is really sad as he had built up a vibrant business.

The road construction on 98 by Wal-Mart continues. They are adding a third lane each direction from Airport road east. This week traffic will be moved again. It is a nightmare in that area as more folks are using Commons drive. I’m so glad we moved so we don’t have to get on that road too much anymore.

A second Village Door nightclub has opened in Seascape. There is a location in the Village of Baytowne Wharf and of course the original is in NOLA.

This Friday night the Parrot Heads will be meeting upstairs at Harry T’s. The fun starts at 5:30 pm. Come out and help us “Party with a Purpose!”

See ya next Monday!

Destin Steve