Our life in the Lark: Feb. 9, 2015 Catching up....Dauphin Island

Can't believe we are so busy that I've not had a quiet time to journal. And we thought this could get boring...not so.

If you have never been to a Mardi Gras parade...put it on your bucket list. One would probably be enough...but the fun is worth the list. What did we know...many towns around New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras in a big way. Mobile, Alabama has at least 8 parades and balls in the month of February. We stayed for the parade in Fairhope, Alabama and what fun!

Eze gets "door step" for the parade

Night Falls and Fairhope lights up!

Scary Masked Men on floats......

A family affair, from the youngest to oldest and everyone in between. You stake out a sidewalk spot and bands play and giant floats go by loaded with Mardi Gras surprises!

Not just beads, but stuffed animals, light sticks, flowers and Moon Pies to name a few. Seriously scary masked men fling and throw handfuls of prizes and you need to pay attention or you will get beaned. Much competition.

Add about 15,000 participants to the mix with hands waving in the air and hooting and hollering and waiting to grab a prize. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was really great fun. Bags full of colored beads are the "biggies"...I grabbed quite a haul. No idea what you do with them, expect send to granddaughters to play princess. That was not the point....more was definitely better.

After the parade, it seemed every citizen of Fairhope walked by the Lark for the "ball"....dressed in long gowns and tails....we didn't have an invitation, but then Ed didn't bring a tux! Partiers were about until midnight......It was crazy fun. Who knew....

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We were up at dawn and Ed left the Lark to forage for coffee. He came back quickly for me to join him for an early breakfast at a sweet little cafe that had been serving breakfast since 1948. Such really gracious people in Fairhope. Hated to leave, on the way out we stopped at their beautiful Bay front park and walked out a very long public dock.

Two older gentlemen were walking by and stopped to talk...as everyone seems to do here. Asked us the usual: where you'all from?

I said Cleveland Ohio and the retort was "Oh, by the mistake by the Lake"..... I smiled, made an O and mentioned how we are 1st in the Nation...right to the face of a Crimson Tide. He smiled and said "touché" you beat us fair and square. We all got a good laugh. You don't fool around with college football here. Serious business. :)

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On the Road Again

We arrived at our western most destination, Dauphin Island, west side of Mobile Bay at the entrance to the bay. This was scheduled as our last stop and would be a stay of one month.

Beach on Gulf: Less tourist...more natural and more our style.

Or not. It seemed to be when we booked it a strange little outpost. A small private camp at the edge of no place. That is is. As we pulled in, it looked way to crowded with rigs to be a place we would like. Ed was looking glum. We decided to roll through and did find our site was on the very end and private (just like I'd planned from Google Earth). Gulf beach on one side, an Audubon Forest of 60 Acres, Mobile Bay and enough biking to keep us rolling. We have a harbor and a ferry to another island and deep sea fishing charters.

Our ferry boat and 1st time we have seen oil rigs from the shore, closer to beach than I thought.

Alabama has been so eye opening. So beautiful and friendly and nothing like what we expected. However, this camp was so classic. Two days deposit was required at $32.00/night. A weekly rate is $200.00/per week. Or buy a month for $380.00. That's $12.66/day: all the water/electric and hot showers and free wifi you can use. Hmm.. bad arithmetic...very Alabama. :)

Osprey Lunch

So we signed up for a month...figured we can tour the area and even stay out for a week and come back and still be ahead. Face timed my girls in SF...Life is good.

We are a little early for Northern Migration :( however still enough species to start a Dauphin Island list.

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Ft. Gaines on Dauphin Island is closed for the next 5 days as a movie is being produced. Rumor has it a Sci Fi (see costumes) with Nicholas Gage... Info unreliable. It seems to be a legitimate project, lots of equipment, costumes, extras and mobile dressing rooms, etc. It is just around the corner from us. Never been on location before!