Blues and Greens

                               


                           A few photos of the water over in Destin - just gorgeous!!

Here are friends after we paid them a hospitality check.

A Snapshot of the Day I Turned 50!

An early breakfast and A portrait with the boys

a quick geocache

craw fish, beer and zydeco

                                                        
                                                            carnival food too

a show :-)

some fine dinning with some dear friends

a tiny birthday cake

a little Elvis

a 6 story guitar

and some rock and roll

                                           
                                              a close encounter with Steven Tyler

         
                                                                and Elton John

                                                           a little casino fun

                                                   and swirled under art glass lighting.

                                                                                                                              

Historic Home Tour with the Azalea Trail Maids.

A few weeks ago Leslie and I crossed the Bay over to Government Street in Mobile. The street is lined in parts with lovely homes and churches, and we were going on a tour. 

We started at The Bee Hive - a very ornate Methodist Church....getting the nickname Beehive, due to the hive of activity centred around it in the community over the years.

Outside is very ornate, but inside very simple, clean lines and calming, all the better to show off an amazing rose stained glass ceiling. 

Moving on to another stained glass window in a ceiling, this one in a large home.

                                      Our tour took us to an Italian style Villa too....

The homes were all lovely, the decorating inspiring.....but I was getting distracted....

everywhere we went we were greeted by Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids.

They were getting all my attention.

Pictured above between the two Trail Maids is an Oakleigh Belle. The "Oakleigh Belles" started in 2008, are a group of young high school girls who represent the Historic Mobile Preservation Society and the community as ambassadors of southern history, culture, and hospitality.

(The Oakleigh is a large historic southern mansion)

Each year 50 of Mobile's finest senior high school girls are selected as Azalea Trail Maids to represent the city - as ambassadors. A programme that started in 1929. The original girls would introduce visitors to the annual azalea trail through the old neighbourhoods of the city, (Azalea planting was encouraged and the trail was a tour of the plantings) today they do a lot more.

Fabrics are purchased in bulk to ensure consistency of colour and each girl was required to have her own dressmaker, each dressmaker worked with the girls to design an individual gown.

The girls delighted in showing us what was underneath!!

The pantaloons were where the girls are able to have a little extra fun and add something more personal, by adding a quote or design to the front leg pockets.

" It's kind of fun to do the impossible" Walt Disney

Being such a hot day, at first glance I decided this trail Maid had melted!!

But really she had to leave her skirt in the corner so she could fit behind the desk.

After the tour we headed off to a favourite lunch spot, where we finished off our meal with Turkish coffee and cardamom flavoured rice pudding.  Was a lovely yummy day!

A Spring Baby

Late last August we all watched and waited, and nothing happened. The little spot of grass was not disturbed....the baby turtles were staying put in their soil nest and hibernating over the winter.
Winter moved into spring, we had stopped watching the spot by the time the the evergreen oaks dropped their old leaves and made way for the new.
 It was while we were cleaning and gathering endless bags of leaves that I noticed a tiny dark speck, just an inch in size, one little turtle. This little guy must be from another nest closer to our backyard fence, he was just inside the fence and much to far from the front yard nest we saw in July.

We carefully picked him up, measured and admired him....his preference was to hide in his shell, but soon we were rewarded with the little head and open eyes. James was given the honours  of relocating him to the woods, not far from the same spot the mummy turtle headed for.

A Bike, a Sunset and Some Music

A perfect Sunday evening, warm temperatures and the slightest breeze,  took a little bike ride, with a folded chair slung over the shoulder, and headed a few minutes from home down to the Daphne bay front park.

 there was a small crowd, some even anchored in kayaks, all gathered for a Baldwin Pops Band concert.

there were chairs and benches

and there were picnic blankets and tables set for a small feast with wine & beer.

 there were military marching tunes, some Fiddler on the Roof and a Lion King tune and then there were Children marching.

                                    all ending with a perfect sunset....and a happy ride home.

A Soft Opening

                              Daphne has a new Zaxby's - opening in 2 days....
                                     tonight we got an invite to the soft opening.

Inside, nice and new, the theme is Daphne - all very well done.

we sampled the real chicken, it was good.

Christopher, one of the managers, took a break from training the staff and stopped by our table to say hello.