This was not my first visit to this area of the Alabama Gulf Coast. My previous trip was just overnight, a quick stopover during my move from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Sensing a trend? I’m admittedly in love with America’s Third Coast.

Thankfully, it was warmer and sunnier than my December stay. There were many similarities and I will admit that the sand there is whiter and softer than my sand in the St. Pete area but don’t worry, I won’t be moving (for many reasons).

Each morning, while my friends were recuperating from the night before I headed out to explore a different stretch of nearby beach. A relaxing and refreshing way for me to get ready for the long day of live music and fun.

Since it’s Halloween, I thought I’d share these two memes that I found on Facebook. Not only do they crack me up but they reminded me of an incident that happened this time of year, right after I bought my little house.

Three years ago, while I was landscaping my front yard, an older couple paused while walking their dog. I smiled at them but kept digging until the man asked me what all the holes were for.

Allow me to set the stage for you; I’d never met them before, I was standing knee deep in a large hole, I was a hot, sweaty mess, and I have an admittedly strange sense of humor.

I stopped working, looked up, and said the first thing that came to mind, “Well, I need somewhere to put all the bodies.”

They were shocked. You should have seen their faces! I laughed to ease the moment and explained that I was ripping out my lawn in order to plant a pollinator garden. That seemed to mollify them.

Fast forward a few years and my yard is full of flowering plants which are well-attended by bees and butterflies. I still occasionally see the couple walking their dog. Needless to say, they are very nice to me.

Donny Brewer’s performance of Bubbles Up, one of Jimmy Buffett’s last songs, during the tribute show at The Hangout tonight. Meeting of the Minds (MOTM), the largest of the Parrothead parties, officially kicks off tomorrow morning here in Gulf Shores. Looking forward to lots of music, laughter, and phun times with phriends! 🫧🦜🎼🎸🍺💖🫧

As I mentioned previously, this past Saturday my friends fished from their boat while I waded along the shore of a spoil island in Tampa Bay. The unnamed island is set aside for wildlife so no humans are allowed on land. As long as I kept my feet in the water I wasn’t breaking the rules.

I was looking for shells but movement around the bend of the beach caught my eye. I slowly approached, hoping to get a closer look at the animal and was absolutely amazed to find the largest Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) I’ve ever seen.

I’ve come across them before in Costa Rica and the Florida Keys, but this one was immense. His body was almost 3 feet long, with a tail close to 4 feet. This male was an absolute beast, incredibly colorful, and clearly eating well. I think he should be studied because he was definitely not your average iguana.

I was certainly not expecting to see one of these on the island. While they are native to Central and South America (and are common invasives in the Keys and southern Florida) they are quite rare up here.

I was thrilled to spend time watching him stroll along the beach. I think I have a good name for that place, Iguana Island!

Since the weather down here still thinks it’s summer, I went fishing in Tampa Bay with friends this past weekend. When I say fishing, I mean, I wandered around on the sandbars looking for shells and wildlife while they fished. I came across some interesting items (more about that in the next post), they caught a few fish, and a wonderful day was had by all.

There’s a house of worship in Madeira Beach, just up the road from me. Its official name is Church by the Sea but, for obvious reasons, locals affectionately refer to it as Chicken by the Sea. Based on the church’s own sign, they’ve embraced the nickname.

Personally, I think the chicken looks a little surprised. Makes me wonder if the architect did it on purpose.

These two businesses are on the same block of Central Avenue near my house. It cracks me up every time I drive by. Apparently while he was alive Bob had a flooring business but in his afterlife he opened up a little pub.

They are separated by a building that closed during the pandemic. It recently opened as a little coffee shop and I really think they missed the mark by not naming it after Bob.

Side note, I love Dead Bob’s, they have one of the best burgers around. Reminds me of the yummy burgers at Bob Dobb’s back in Tucson. What is it about Bob’s and burgers?

Palm trees, a fisherman, sunset, and a sliver of moon. What a lovely way to wrap up the day!

Saturday’s 85 degrees might have* been the last of our summer weather for the year. Fall might have arrived last night, as I woke up to a crisp 65° this morning (with hardly any humidity).

I let Westley out the back door as usual and stepped into the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. A moment later, I heard Westley come back in. As I turned around, I saw him dash to the couch and crawl under the throw blanket.

Apparently, Westley wasn’t prepared for the cooler temperatures! It’s finally sweater weather, y’all! (Well, at least in the morning, it’ll be up in the mid 70s by lunch). Oh, and don’t worry too much about poor Westley, it’s 70° now and he’s back outside.

*I say “might have” because it looks like another round of 80°+ days are coming next week.

It must be Friday the 13th – I spotted this while on my way to work this morning. 🧙🧹 I don’t know what happened here but I certainly hope your weekend starts off better than hers did! 😂