Thursday 28th September 2017

Today is Labaron’s birthday.  We began the celebrations by lunching at ‘Dauphins’ – a posh restaurant on the top of the Trustmark Bank Building which has a spectacular panoramic view of Mobile [pronounced Mo-Beel] Bay. We were amazed by the view as we stepped out of the lift and Labaron pointed out many of the landmarks to us. We were treated to soup and spinach salad with goats cheese, pecan nuts and strawberries. It was most delicious.  Labaron’s birthday surprise was chocolate bonbons that were presented  in a bowl with dry ice. Most spectacular!

We were then introduced to the ‘Moon Pie’ shop and we all indulged in one just to see how close to ‘Wagon Wheels’ they tasted. Although they looked the same they were not similar at all, but tasty nevertheless.  The significance of ‘Moon Pies’ lies with Mardi Gras where they are thrown from carnival floats during the procession.

We were then taken by Janie and Labaron to ‘Gator Alley’ in Daphne [or NO Gator Alley as we re-named it on account of seeing no gators].  Due to over hunting Gators were on the brink of extinction, so in the 1970’s they were put on the endangered species list. Due to significant conservation efforts and laws, the gator populations have been restored to a point where many states now have gator hunting seasons.

5. Alligator Alley 28th Sept (5)

Our entertainment continued with a visit to the ‘Bass Pro’ Shop.  This was housed in a large building and contained everything you would need to camp, fish, hunt, kayak, hike and stay camouflaged.  Apart from the merchandise it contained many stuffed animals like coyotes, deer, boar, fish and bear all displayed and posed in naturalised environments.  We both became familiar with guns and camouflage clothing which kept us all amused.

Our next treat was a ride on Labaron’s Harley Davidson motor bike. He drives an Electra Glide Ultra Classic 1690cc.  Julie rode first on the way out to our evenings entertainment and Jacqui rode on the way home.  It was amazing how quiet the engine was, how much there was to smell and how much unleashed power it had.  We were both entertained with music through the speakers and Labaron pointed out interesting things along the way. We both enjoyed this fantastic experience and would like to thank Labaron for allowing us to pillion his motorbike.

Our entertainment continued with a ‘trivia night’ at Rotolo’s pizzeria.  The quiz was all electronic. The quiz master simply read the question which appeared on a television screen and contained four possible answers.  Our team leader highlighted our answer on our own teams ipad, and within a very short period of time the answer was announced. At the end of each round our position in the competition was displayed. It’s a great way of organising a quiz as there is very little work needed from anyone. Our team was ten members strong and there appeared to be ast least another ten teams taking part. We won the quiz overall and were presented with an ’emoji poo’ for our troubles. We also indulged in a Calzone pizza each which was lovely.  We had a great time.  There was a lot of Camaraderie between the team members and we all enjoyed each others company. Winning was the icing on the cake!

Friday 29th September 2017

Today we are being treated to a sailing trip with John, a friend of Janie’s. We sailed in ‘Dagnabit!’ from Fairhope, across Mobile Bay, under Dauphin Island Bridge and into Dog River on the other side of the bay. A small motor was used to clear the yacht of its mooring and then the two sails were hoisted by Janie [with a small amount of help from us] and off we went. The journey across the bay took 2.5 hours.  We spent the time chatting with John and Janie and sitting up high on the gunwale [gun-ul] – the upper edge of the side of the boat.  This is the best place to get the best view and also to help balance the boat when the wind hits the sails.  We also took turns steering the boat with the tiller making sure we stayed on track towards a landmark on the other side of the bay.

We pulled up alongside ‘The River Shack’ where we were to have lunch.  Jacqui and Janie had Flounder, Julie Catfish and John prawns, all washed down with iced water.  Sailing back took a little longer as the wind speed had reduced significantly.  This was our first experience of sailing and we both had a very relaxing, yet exhilarating time.  We would both like to thank John for his kindness and for making us feel welcome and extremely safe in his care.

In the evening we were taken to an American Football match between two highschool teams [Saraland Spartans and Murphy Tigers].  We arrived late and took our seats in the stand.  There was much to see: the game players, the extra players [there are 45 players in all divided up into teams – offensive, defensive, kickers and receivers] the band, flag bearers, baton twirlers, cheerleaders, fans and all the people who were there but just for the social aspect. The little girl in the picture was dressed head to foot in her teams colours. We had a great time. Our team – Saraland Spartans – won by just three points in the last few minutes.

Saturday 30th September 2017

We visited ‘Bellingrath Gardens’ today. Mr Bellingrath was Mobile’s first Coca-Cola bottler. The gardens contained many plants and shrubs and we were provided with a list of all the flowering plants for us to find and name and we had great fun trying to name each one.

 

 

Labaron cooked his speciality for us tonight – boiled chicken and dumplings.  It was traditional southern fayre which was very much appreciated and enjoyed.

After a quick snooze we headed out to Downtown Mobile for a ‘Haunted Duck Boat Tour’.  However, just as we were walking from the car to the duck boat the heavens opened and it rained heavier than it had since hurricane Irma. We were drenched in minutes.  We took our places on the boat and watched the rain for about 15 minutes.  The duck boats are amphibious vehicles [they have wheels for driving on the road and can also access the harbour]. We splashed into the water down an extremely steep launch – twice – with the passengers screaming. We were told ghost stories based around different buildings and the people who lived and died in them. It was a very entertaining trip.  The scariest bit was when we were told a headlight had broken and needed replacing.  We drove into a garage and as the door closed behind us a manikin swung down towards us. As we were laughing about this a man placed his hand onto Jacqui’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  She jumped, turned around and called out “you bugger”.

Home and dry, we settled down to a few rounds of ‘Mexican Train’, a double twelve set of dominoes. Labaron had not played before so we taught him the rules and before we knew it he’d won a round. However, after eight rounds Jacqui won and Labaron brought up the rear.

Lebaron's copper art (12)

Apart from playing we had some great conversations and indulged in a bottle of wine. It was a great way to end our time with Janie and Labaron.  We would like to thank them both for their kindness and generosity over the past four days. We have thoroughly enjoyed participating in so many activities and spending time with them. Labaron creates art pieces using copper which they sell at shows. We would like to share some of the pieces that adorned their house and garden.