Surviving at the Shore

It is 72 degrees and a bright sunny day as we arrive at our campsite in Gulf State Park.  Our bodies, already accustom to cold weather, are hot.  The sun is relentless and we are scrambling to get out the awning.
But the forecast is ominous!  A deep freeze is coming and we will not be able to escape.  Tomorrow will be our best chance to get out in the kayaks….we have a rule…if we carry a toy with us, it must be used!  And I have no intention to paddle  in 40 degree wind chills!        
There are 3 lakes at Gulf State Park separated by canals.  We decide to start in one of the canals.


 

After a couple of hours we are ready to quit….and, with the sun setting at 4:55 PM, dinner must be grilled while there is still daylight.
The next morning I get up and take a shower! (not my normal routine while camping)… Preparing for a special day! This is the day we will meet up with Carla and Jerry,  blogging friends that I have never met in person!
While walking from the bathhouse a big truck passes, I look in the window and there they are…..recognizing her face from the two years of reading the blog!
We immediately start talking and can’t quit!  They offer to show us around town and we head for the beach.






After a tasty lunch and a quick trip to see their lovely fifth-wheel home, we say good bye….knowing we will meet again somewhere down the road.  Maybe we will get in another visit before we head north!
The promised rain arrives the next morning.  We make plans to eat lunch with our egg group.  There are now two other Casitas, one Escape and an Egg Camper just a few sites away.  This is not an accident but the sharing of plans at a rally last month.  Two couples had reservations at Gulf Shores in November.  The rest of us just thought it an excellent idea!

Boardwalk to gulf….just across from park.
The survival part of the trip starts right after the rain!  We are not winter campers!  Except for lower Florida and Arizona! 
There is full bright sun which makes the cold a bit more bearable but the wind is merciless.   We decide to check out Fort Morgan, not realizing that the breezes are gale-force out on the point.



Nothing is very pretty….don’t enjoy taking photos of ugly…but anything historical is educational.  Fort Morgan guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay during the Civil War.  This is where Admiral Farragut made the famous quote “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”  (At that time, a mine was called a torpedo.)
The Gulf is blustery and cold.

Today is another cold day with plentiful sunshine!  We may ride our bikes…many, many bike trails lead out of the park.  Tomorrow it will be warm again but rain and cold are heading back soon.  Thinking it will be time to leave before another round of survival-type weather.

Spring Snow: Ten Good Things!

 

I’m sitting at the kitchen table watching the snow flakes meander through the back yard.  I can’t believe my eyes but, outside, the bitter howling wind tells me it’s real though it’s been spring for a week.

Surely Mother Nature had something positive in mind when she refused to admit Spring!  Can I think of anything good about this?

1. Lovely to look at, snow contrasting with new green grass.
2. My fuzzy new winter coat will get to be worn.
3. This dose of winter will make us appreciate the warmth when it comes…if it comes!
4. Can’t wash the Casita!
5. Lots of time to prepare the taxes as there is no desire to go outside.
6. Can look forward to a tasty meal of Wendy’s chili tonight….chili is better when it’s cold outside.
7. The cold will help kill the bugs…..(heard this all my life and hope it’s true).
8. Reminds me why I am glad to be a southerner.  Can’t fathom 14 inches…(better you than me, Carla!)
9. Lesson learned!  If you are somewhere warm, stay there until April!
10. And, the best thing, it will be gone soon!

Desperately clutching at straws here!

One more wintry day before the temperature starts climbing toward the 60’s.

BACKTRACKING……

Last Monday night, while still at Miller’s Ferry, a huge storm hit us with lightening, rain, wind and hail.  The new antenna was lowered and we hunkered down, watching the hail pile up outside and weathering our first storm in a long time. 

A few days later we are heading to the fiberglass egg rally at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL. 

 

This is a great place for a rally!  The park had electric, water and sewer hookups, an enclosed pavilion with a fireplace and was located on a lake.  Sounds like a great egg gathering!

But it was 26 degrees Thursday morning and we wimped out, leaving after 24 hours of fighting the brutal wind.  I was ready to be home, out of the cold. 

Florence, Alabama friends’ egg.

No plans to travel for a few weeks…it’s time to work around the house and yard…..when we can!