January 28, 2013 Southern Alabama sight seeing

Checking out the sites in the area.

Outside of Elberta, Alabama this Bamahenge was by the highway in the woods. It is made out of fiberglass. They just installed it Dec, 2012.  Will look better when the grass etc grows back. Built by Mark Cline who also built the Foamhenge we went to in Natural Bridges, Virginia. I used a special effect called dramatic in my new camera for the second shot.

Further down the road in the trees off the highway we found a T-rex, and a stegosaurus.

A brontosaurus and a triceratops . All life sized and not together, just random,  like  dinosaurs in the wild.

All this belongs to a Mr. Barber who is a millionaire and has these on 10,000 acres he owns. We are at the Barber marina here. This fountain was really pretty. The giant spider was closing in on John.

But I intercepted it and got caught. I loved this other guy.

Soldiers in the woods. We had gone to see the lady of the lake. She was supposed to be floating in the Barber marina, but she is still in the parking lot. She was floated on foam, but it didn’t work out, so she came back to the parking lot. Mark Cline also built her. He probably built the dinosaurs-they are one of his specialties. , but it didn’t say anywhere.

Also at Barber Marina are these really nice restored outboard motors. Large pink flowers were blooming on bushes at the marina, and the black eyed susans are beach flowers from here at Gulf Shores.

Slash pines on a tree farm along the highway. Most of the empty land in the south is tree farms for paper. We went to the Spear hunting museum, but it is only open on weekends. Not only are the spears exhibited but also all the game the owner has killed with his spears.

When we got back I went for a bike ride, ended up at the beach for sunset. But there was too much fog so there was not really much to see.

John is converted the fluorescent  lights in the bus to led lights.

January 24-27, 2013 Gulf Shores Alabama

Pretty mellow here at Gulf Shores. High 60’s and sunny. John finished his 6 coats of wax on the roof. Today he smoked dinner. We have been  biking. I have been riding the lawn chair reading and working on the masterpiece.

Masterpiece coming along.  This meadow was burnt last time we were here a year ago. It was black. It now has the grasses coming back well. We were biking through it.

We were invited to happy hour down the street. We met our neighbors. They are all wintering here. From Vermont, Quebec and the rest I don’t know.  Moon rise in the sunset over the RV park. Not a wilderness park, but the sites are big-much nicer than say a KOA where you get a slot in a parking lot.

Sunset. Masterpiece a little farther along.

John smoking dinner. It’s a hard life. Full moon rising.

Further along. Sunset on the beach-fog on the horizon.

Sunset on the beach.

January 22-23 2013 Gulf Shores State Park, Alabama

We finally left Florida, we are heading west. We are 3 miles into Alabama. The park it nice, we were here last year on the way east. 496 spots, right across the street from the ocean, lots of bike paths thru the park, lots of open space. People come  here for the whole winter, they all know each other. John has been looking forward to coming here because they let you wash your bus. Most parks won’t.

The bus at Gulf Shores State Park. Ground on fire sunset.

2 personal pizzas. Multi-grain crust, tomatoe/pesto sauce, onions, peppers, garlic, almonds, celery,craisons, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Made by suep for dinner. John up bright and early washing and waxing the top of the bus. He says it will need 5 or 6 coats of wax.

I laid in the lawn chair and worked on the latest masterpiece. It is coming along. Sunset.

January 20-21 2013 St George Island, Florida

For some reason there was only one very low tide in the early am and then one high tide late in the evening. Usually there are two of both. I haven’t spent enough time around the ocean to get a handle on this tide thing. I went to see the low tide, John said the waves were gone. They were, and I walked for two hours on the beach. Came back got my lawn chair and spent the afternoon working on my new pine needle project. I am not sure what it is yet.

Low tide. Birds enjoying the  low tide.

New pine needle project so far. I am making it up as I go. We rode our bikes to the east end of the island. Well I did, John went part way and back. I spent an hour looking at shells and enjoying the solitude of the beach. Still not many waves today. I dilly dallied around till sunset, then rode back.

 

More sunset on the east end beach. Here is Jupiter to the left of the moon and a huge ring around the moon.

Heading west tomorrow to St Andrews beach state park.

January 19, 2013 Oyster cook off

The oyster cook off was in Apalachicola to benefit to volunteer fire dept. We couldn’t pass it up.

Apalachicola, fishing boats and seafood packing businesses.  John on his way to the oyster cook off

Oyster cook off poster. Oyster cook off T-shirt, oysters grilling, frying and raw. Oyster are in the silent auction, oyster salsa and oyster bloody Mary's.

 

We went to the historic Owl Bar for fried oysters and craft beers. The lines were long at the cook off and it was pricey.

Beer Heaven, no crap on tap!! John with his oysters and a beer at the Owl bar.

John waiting for sunset. Young boys swimming in the sound in their underwear.

sunset