February 2024 – Home2 with Roger and Susan

December was nice in Alabama. The weather appears to us to be like October and November at home. 50s and 60s are common daytime temperatures. Mostly 40s at night with an occasional 30s. When the winds are from the north it is cooler, from the Gulf, more humid and warmer, and rain chances go up.

During our three months here we have had 3 or 4 nights a bit below freezing. More days than that in the low 70s. A few storms have moved through. Mostly the bad weather slides up the west side of Mobile Bay and over the top of Mobile at the North end. We have had a few overnight thunderstorms, and a couple periods of 2-3 days with on-and-off rain. Even in those periods, there will be dry periods between showers. Pretty easy to deal with.

One particularly windy night Maggie discovered she could indeed jump up on the bed in the coach. It is 36” high and not much room so she just leaps up. We let her stay for a few hours until the wind calmed and things quieted down. She is a bit of a bed hog.

Maggie got a raincoat before we left. She has used it several times when we go out for those important tasks. I have a new raincoat as well, finally one that doesn’t leak.

All ready for a wet walk.

Bike Riding

We brought our three-wheeled bikes with us. I added an electric assist to mine last June. Susan’s bike was electric assist when we got it. These bikes make it easy for us to get out and keep moving. We can do several miles without even leaving the RV park or follow the short connector trails to Gulf State Park where there are more than thirty miles of paved bike trails. The electric assist lets us ride more often, longer, and at least for me, faster. A 17-20 mile ride for me is usually about 2 hours. When we ride together we usually go 12 or 13 miles at the same time. The slower pace is just as much fun and we get to ride together.

I managed to ride 126 miles since I added the electric assist at home before we left. My broken ribs paused riding for about 6 weeks. My goal while we are here in Orange Beach is 600 miles. Last week in mid-February I passed 600 miles. I will get some more in but am pretty pleased to have made this goal.

Susan doesn’t go on my power rides but we do more leisurely rides into and around the state park. But she estimates her rides add up to more than 100 miles. One of the nicer destinations is the Woodside Restaurant at the West End of the park.

We usually split something so we don’t have anything to bring home, and usually because it is enough. Everything tastes great, maybe it is just because we have been riding.

And Maggie gets out when we ride as well. She trots along beside the bike. We ride about 5 miles an hour, just fast enough to get in a good trot by not breaking into a run.

Maggie is pretty good at letting us know if she needs to stop and we are getting pretty good at recognizing the signs.

Susan got me a high visibility rain and windproof jacket. It is warm and makes a bike ride possible when it is cold and windy. It will be a nice jacket for Habitat work in the early spring and late fall.

If I put it on or my high visibility T-shirt, Maggie expects a trot/ride.

Going Fishing

We really didn’t go fishing although the fishing here in the lakes in the State Park is reported to be very good. I brought my fishing gear but focused more on bike riding this year.

But we did go to Joe Patti’s fish market in Pensacola three times to reel in a tasty catch.

Royal Reds are premium gulf shrimp found 60 miles offshore at 800 to 1,500 ft deep. You can buy them in many sizes, with or without shells or heads. We like shell-on headless large (10-12/lb) Royal Reds. They will steam them for you when you check out. All are packed in ice for the trip home.

Marinated and grilled make them a great dinner.

You walk in and there is this very long counter. Near the mid-point, an older fellow sitting on a stool hands out numbered tags. When your turn comes up a counter person helps you through the whole process of getting whatever seafood you want. Our last visit got us number 40. By the time we were checking out they were helping numbers in the 80s.

Five checkout lines (usually more busy than shown here) keep the people and fish moving.

Dining Experiences

We like to go out to lunch once or twice a week. Prices are more friendly and portions fit our appetites better. Last year we heard about the Tin Top in Bon Secour on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay.

It was really good, we went twice. Once with John and Cheryl Purcell. John and I work together at Habitat for Humanity in St Paul and they are in Orange Beach as well this winter.

My cousin, Sue, and her husband, Lloyd, we also here in Orange Beach during February. We tried many of the breakfast places on our list and some lunch spots as well. Another Broken Egg got high marks.