4th Annual Oyster Cook-off at the Hangout

40th Annual National Shrimp Festival

I love the annual Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, AL.  It runs Thursday through Sunday the second full weekend in October.  The weather is great, and the festival is usually the only time I can find those yummy cajun pistols.  I like to grab one of those while checking out the art booths along the beach boardwalk.

Hangout Music Festival 2011 Hipstamatic Highlights

Annual Nautical Night of Lights Boat Parade

View from Wharf Marina of a boat passing under Foley Beach Express.

The best spot to view the boat parade is at The Wharf  in Orange Beach.  We usually find a place close to the marina to check out the decorated boats as they travel along the Intracoastal Waterway from Lulu's to Zeke's Marina. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants to duck into when the weather gets cold or wet.

3rd Annual Oyster Cook-off at The Hangout

One of my new favorite local events is the Annual Oyster Cook-off at the Hangout in Gulf Shores.  It's held in early November and it's a great way to taste the local flavor only steps away from the beach.

A great day to fly a kite...

It has been a year since I lost my Father to lung cancer. It seems like only yesterday we were flying a kite on the beach at the Alabama Gulf State Park. It was actually Spring Break 25 years ago, and my family's first visit to Gulf Shores. I can remember it so vividly, because it was one of the happiest times of my life.
                                                        
My parents, my sister, my cousin, and I camped in a tent, cooked out at the campsite (feeding the raccoons the crock pot macaroni we did not want to eat), took the wooded nature paths to the beach, and played in the ocean. It was a marvelous experience, and one that I will never forget.

My Dad loved the beach, and so do I. That love of the beach is one reason why I moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast. It is also a beautiful place to experience some of the things I think are really special in life. People and nature.

Today is the perfect day to fly a kite. I think that is how I would like to honor my Father today. He would like that.