3rin's View…

I really can’t think of a better way to honor the life of Jimmy Buffett than being a member of a Parrot Head club. The funky term for his fans came out of a concert in Cincinnati back in 1985. Four years later, the first club was formed.

Parrot Head clubs earned Jimmy’s blessing by committing to volunteer and/or raise money for social and environmental charities. Each club hosts annual fundraisers, usually in the form of a themed musical weekend. Over the past 30 years, members have volunteered 4.5 million hours and donated close to $60 million.

Meeting of the Minds (MOTM), is the largest annual Parrothead gathering but it isn’t all just fun and games. Here’s a snippet from the Parrot Heads in Paradise recent email of what we accomplished in Gulf Shores this year:

“Parrot Heads literally bled for our new host city, donating 126 pints to the LifeSouth Blood Bank that will save 378 lives. And we donated $16,172 to Singing for Change, $3,000 to Bras Across the Causeway, $3,000 to the South Baldwin Community Theater, $3,726 plus 115 toys and 61 pairs of shoes to the Christian Service Center, $3,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, $3,000 to the Alabama Gulf Zoo, $2,000 to the Lone Palm Foundation, $2,000 to the Artist Relief Fund, and we raised $10,100 for the PHiP Scholarship Fund. We also had over 400 walkers/runners in the SKIPPIN’ & SIPPIN’ Breast Cancer 5k and walk that raised an additional $18,000 for Bras Across the Causeway!”

I love knowing that we are doing good while having a good time! Bubbles up! 🫧🫧

While the long MOTM weekend is centered on music (which I thoroughly enjoy), I find it’s the fun times with friends that I treasure most. It’s a chance to spend time with old pals from Texas, along with newer ones from Florida, as well as making fresh friendships with people from all over the world.

There’s always something interesting going on. I tell people, “If you’re bored here, that’s on you!”

After over 20 years in Key West, the Meeting of the Minds Parrot Head gathering moved to coastal Alabama. There were many factors that forced the move (affordability being one of them) but the timing couldn’t have been better.

Since Jimmy Buffett passed away this past Labor Day weekend, it seemed even more fitting to be celebrating his music and lifestyle in his old stomping grounds. The Hangout, Florabama, and Lulu’s (Lucy Buffett’s establishment) were the official host venues, but there was trop rock music in most every restaurant/bar from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach.

My eight hour drive (only an hour longer than to Key West) went smoothly and I arrived in plenty of time to catch the tribute show on Wednesday evening. It was a fantastic way to kick off the event as dozens of musicians (including members of his band, the Coral Reefers) covered some beloved JB tunes. I could already tell it was going to be a wonderful few days!

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?