Fairhope / Daphne

Today was one of those days when you feel like you just have to get out. When life deals you frigid temperatures you just bundle up and keep trucking. That is just what we did today. I needed to get my prescriptions renewed anyway so we decided to revisit the quaint town of Fairhope. We had already driven through this town earlier but today we wanted to further investigate.
Fairhope is located in Baldwin County along the shoreline of Mobile Bay. In fact you can stand on the shore and see Mobile across the bay. The cities of Daphne and Foley also are part of Baldwin County. Fairhope was founded in 1894 by a group of adventurous souls with a “fair hope of success.” Success is what they created when this experiment grew into the current community of Fairhope. This community claims home to authors, sports figures, musicians and actresses. Among them are such notable names as Upton Sinclair, Winston Groom (author, Forrest Gump), Fannie Flagg and Dave Stapleton (former Boston Red Sox).

In kinder weather you would see many roses and flowers planted and growing along the sidewalks and roads in the downtown area. We located one section of downtown called “The French Quarters.” Many of the buildings in this area have the open balconies that you would see in New Orleans. With the huge live oaks and moss hanging from many trees this area holds a certain charm only found in small town America.




Fairhope just seems to flow right into the city of Daphne. The two are much the same with a bit more chain shopping available in Daphne. One interesting fact about Daphne is it is called the “Jubilee City.” Now if you are like me, you might want to know what a Jubilee City might be?? It appears that a jubilee phenomenon occurs in Mobile Bay when aquatic animals such as crab, shrimp and other sea life suddenly wash ashore. It is believed this is due to the reduction of water oxygen levels and forces the sea life to the surface. Makes for a great catch. Interesting!

We finished the day with an ice cream social at the clubhouse at 6:00. I am beginning to understand what people mean when they say Escapees sure know how to eat.

A "Chili" Kind of Day

We woke up this morning to a bone chilling 20 degrees here 15 miles from Gulf Shores, Alabama. Boy, are we ready for the temps to get back to normal. We ran the furnace all night and managed to keep the basement a pleasant 44 degrees. It looks like we have two or three more rough nights ahead and then temps will start to moderate.

We had invited Gene & Judi over for lunch today, they are our first guests to eat with us since we started fulltiming back in August.


We obviously were excited to have them over. Gerri cooked a big pot of chili with toppings for the chili (sour cream, cheese, and Fritos). To go with the chili, she baked potatoes, cornbread and had brownies for dessert.

We ate and visited and before we knew it, half the afternoon was over. I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed having them over to “chat and chew”. We are truly blessed with such wonderful new friends.

We took a short drive just to get out and when we returned the sun was setting and the temps were quickly going down. We hunkered down for the night and decided to just stay warm inside our rig. As I look back on the day and our decision to fulltime, I am happy and content.

How blessed we are with the simple things in life.

Incredible Education

Last evening Gene and Judi Curp hosted a wonderful “chat and chew” at their beautiful fifth wheel. Gene and Judi had also invited Norm and Linda Payne as well as Don and Gloria Martin. Gloria is Norm’s sister and through the years they have traveled many miles together. It was such an enjoyable evening listening to these two fine couples telling stories of their travels. Coupled with that were the wonderful experiences Gene and Judi have had in their travels, hiking and backpacking. There was a wealth of stories to tell and adventures to share. Being that we just started full-timing in August Mike and I were the babies in the group.

If I ever had a doubt about why we chose this lifestyle it was erased last night. Listening to the experiences these folks have enjoyed during their 10 years of full-timing was overwhelming. What an education!! They have touched this country and experienced aspects of it that are never written in a textbook. They have enjoyed the cultures that make up this unique country we call home. They have seen incredible sunsets and sunrises and experienced the people. They watched bear in their native habitat and experienced the majestic mountains out west. They especially loved the Newfoundland and Nova Scotia areas. They experienced the mighty Mississippi River along the Great River Road and so much more.

Then there is Gene and Judi! These two have a vast array of experiences including travel and camping in a tent, pop-up and now their lovely Everest fifth wheel. Their passion is hiking and backpacking. They introduced us to Volksmarching. We were even going to go on one together in Pensacola but the weather has had other ideas. Not to worry, we have already gone on line and read about this activity and Mike and I plan to include this in our full-time adventure. They are an incredible couple that we are glad we have become friends with. As so many others have already said……you meet the nicest people full-timing.

This is an incredible lifestyle! I am a retired educator but after last night I realized that my (our) education is about to begin.

Another Day of Exploring

Yes, it was another rather chilly day at Rainbow Plantation. We have been having to disconnect our water hose every evening and making sure the furnace runs throughout the basement in order to keep those plumbing elements from freezing. We are hopeful that this cold snap will pass through in a few days and things will get back to normal temperatures in this area. It is all relevant because there are places that are just struggling with the low temps and snow. We are content to just take what we have and be thankful.

It is hard to get out and do much but Mike and I wanted to do a little exploring. We have already driven around Fairhope and so Wednesday we decided to explore Gulf Shores. We drove through Foley toward Gulf Shores. It is a straight shot to the gulf. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and collected ideas of things to do in this area. We then drove on and found a nice parking area near the beach so we stopped and got out and walked a little on the beach. The water was just beautiful and so clear. So clear in fact Mike actually got excited and took a picture of water….yes, you heard that right, a picture of water. Whatever excites him! We drove around spotting a few places we want to return to on a warmer day. One being the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and further down the way Fort Morgan. We also want to explore the birding trails in the area.

After leaving the Gulf Shores area we stopped by the Tanger Outlet mall. This is a huge shopping area and we managed to get by with only a small purchase of two large soup bowls to go with my dishes. It “pays” to have limited space! Almost across the street is a Wal-Mart so we stopped to pick up a few groceries, stopped to enjoy a coke together and then made our way back to the Plantation.

We didn’t do very much but it was a really good day. Thursday we have been invited to Gene and Judi’s rig along with Norm and Linda Payne and Don and Gloria Martin and do what full-timers do best….socialize. We look forward to getting to know these good folks better. Thanks Gene and Judi for the invitation.

Another Cold Day... but Warm

We woke up this morning to a whopping 22 degree cold sunny day. The high was to make it up to 42 today. We didn’t want to stay inside all day and it was too cold to do much outside walking/touring, so we got together with our new friends Gene & Judi. Gene had a great idea to go to Pensacola, stop by the visitor center and get other ideas for things to do. Actually, Gene already had some ideas and the lady at the visitor center confirmed his thoughts.

We started at the Pensacola Museum of Art. This was the last week for the John James Audubon’s “Audubon’s Birds of America” series. It included 40 prints drawn from his series as well as works by Alexander Wilson and Mark Catesby. It was an amazing collection. The museum used to be an old jail, and the jail doors are still in place as you walk through the museum. If you go on Tuesday, it is free.

From the Museum we walked across to the other corner of the street to the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum. Here you will find a treasure of historical artifacts and captivating exhibits. This building was built in 1907 and is a Spanish Revival building. It was well worth the tour. This too was a free tour.

After we left that museum, Judi got her trusted GPS out and directed Gene to find Hall’s Family Seafood Restaurant. We ate a grand lunch there with two great folks, Gene & Judi. Could the day have been any better other than being warmer?
When we got back to or rigs, Gerri took a nap and then we went to the clubhouse and “ate” again with the group at the campground. Afterwards, Gerri & I volunteered to help clean up. Then back to the rv to stay warm on another cold night.
What a wonderful day to share with friends and to eat with a group as warm and friendly as the Escapees group.

I stand amazed at how warm and friendly the folks we are around truly are!

Old Man Winter Comes South

Monday we woke up to 27 degree weather with a high of 40 and a 10-15 mile wind. Jeesh it is too cold. The local folks here say it is usually 15-20 degrees warmer this time of year. Oh well, we just bundle up a little more and make sure the basement stays warm for the water lines not to freeze.

Gerri and I drove to Fairhope, it’s a beautiful and quaint town. We went to the pier and walked out halfway, took a few pics and decided we would come back when it was a little warmer. We went to a few shops in Fairhope and did a driving tour of the town. We will revisit Fairhope again.

Later in the afternoon we went to the social hour at the Escapees club and met several people. Afterwards we lingered and talked with Gene and Judi and decided to get together Tuesday and do a little sightseeing together. After that we went back home, got the heater set and decided to stay in for the chilly night.

A good night for hot chocolate!

What a Great Day

After a couple of months in the Pine Mountain area visiting with our son for the holidays, we arrived at Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama Saturday afternoon. By the time we got set up, it was dark out so we went to the Waffle House and had an old fashioned supper.
We are squatting on Jerry & Linda Christie’s lot with full hook-ups. A lot of folks here who own property have full hook-ups on their land. Since we plan to be here for almost 2 months, this enables us to not have to move. In the Escapee’s campground, the rule is first in and first out when things get crowded.
Upon our return from dinner, Gerri and I had an invitation to meet a couple we had met over the internet following each other’s trip journal. We were invited over for coffee / muffins for mid morning. Gene and Judi Curp are such a wonderful couple and they are from my hometown area.

We spent a great deal of the morning and even into the early afternoon doing what full timers do—sharing each other’s stories and history. We thoroughly enjoyed our time visiting and getting to know the Curp’s. We hope to get together later in the week and do some things together. They have a beautiful cat that claimed them as his owners while they were in Gettysburg.

You can read about them and see some of their story on the blog www.mytripjournal.com/geneandjudisjourney_homepage
Later on in the afternoon, we were invited over to meet Glen and Sylvia Avery. We also got to know them on the internet and it was good to meet them in person.


We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting and sharing with each other. We met their two precious dog companions, they stole our hearts.


Sylvia and Glen shared some of the places they had been and visited and gave us ideas for future travels. It was a delightful evening and we send Sylvia our best wishes Monday morning when she sees the doctor for a severe back/hip problem. You can read about them on their blog http://gavery.blogspot.com/
Man, we really love this fulltime lifestyle… where can you go to be able to just drop over and visit in such a casual and warm environment and really get to know folks? How blessed Gerri & I are for the ability to open our hearts to other folks and listen and share with them from the heart. Gee, maybe this is what God had in mind for the human race all along.
What a great day!