Peninsular Point and Celebrating a Birthday…

As our week in Mexico Beach comes to a close we can say without a doubt that we are really glad we came here and will likely come back this way in the future. What makes this part of Florida more unique is just how laid back it is.It's not crowded at all compared to our last stop in Panama City Beach. Businesses that cater to the tourist industry are as sparse as the people seen on the beaches here. The people we did meet seemed down to earth and very friendly.

We visited a local watering hole called the Lookout Lounge for happy hour one day and met some people there. When asked about what it was like living in this area the only real negative we heard was that they see the same people at the same places and hear the same music performers… Sounds like a typical small town anywhere in America to me…  Now one thing that is confusing when living in Mexico Beach is that the town is divided between the Central Time Zone and the Eastern Time Zone. In fact the road Rustic Pines RV Park is on is the dividing point. So when we drive down 15th Street and turn right we are on Central Time, turn left and we are on Eastern Time. Makes it a bit tricky when hitting happy hours…

After watching the Aggies and Johnny Manziel get a big win over Vanderbilt, we decided to check out the Peninsular Point area near San Blas, Florida. About a 30 minute drive over to the thin strip of land that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico we found ourselves looking at the powdery white sandy beaches of the gulf side and the brackish mashes on the St Joseph Bay side. Locating a public beach access we walked a mile or two along the beach.To us it seemed the ocean was a bit wilder but these waters appeared to be even clearer that the very clear waters near Mexico beach and Panama City.

There were more shells along the beachfront and more birds milling about while they looking for a little sushi for dinner. If it weren’t for the condos nearby it felt as if we were on a deserted island. After finishing up our oceanside walk we strolled out on a boardwalk that extended way out into St Joseph Bay. There were snowy egrets everywhere piercing the clear waters with their sharp tipped bills attempting to skewer their dinner. Even the active Osprey in the brackish marshlands had scored a direct hit on a large fish and was cheerily announcing to the nest that dinner was on its way…

Leaving the peninsula we decided to revisit the Indian Pass Trading post. There was a fellow out on the front porch picking a guitar and singing some of his own songs… great lyrics but a very unpolished singer in our opinion. However, that didn’t stop us from entering the establishment and pouring our own drafts of a IPA for me and a  Red Ale for Sharon. After all this was Sharon’s birthday so we had a bit of celebrating to do. After a few libations we returned back to the park to visited their tiki bar. Yes, Rustic Pines RV Park has a tiki bar featuring live music on Tuesdays and Saturday’s. The same guys that played Tuesday were playing tonight and the sax player was stellar… We ordered up a bar pizza, had cold Yuenglings and sat back to enjoy the sounds…

Yep, this is a wonderful place to spend some time and for sure we will return someday… We are now camped at the Sunset Island and Yacht Club Resort in Carrabelle, Florida.

Searching for Road Treats near Rockport, TX…

 

One thing we are always on the lookout for is a unique little spot to enjoy whether it be little hole in the wall dive bar, cool little pub or quaint restaurant. When we planned on staying in Rockport we figured we might stumble across a few such interesting places. After being here nearly a month we have finally concluded that there weren’t as many as we had hoped.

Every once and a while we feel the need to go out and have a cold adult beverage at one of the local watering holes. We identified several here that we thought were worth checking out. The first little restaurant/bar we visited was known for its oyster poor boys. After visiting Goose Island State Park we stopped in at Pop’s Place. My original plan was to first have a cold beer as a way to get to know the place then maybe get a poor boy. The place was deserted… except for one nice rough around the edges but friendly fellow. We struck up a conservation with him only to discover that he was the artist who created the interesting artwork in this establishment. Prominent in the restaurant are two large artistic murals created out of bottle caps, one of a red fish and the other a speckled trout. So happy was he to have an audience he also ushered us into the men’s room (I kid you not) to show us his bottle cap mural depicting the Texas flag..  He also showed us his collection of carved wooden fish replete with bottle can fins and explained he sells these for the modest price of $10.00 apiece. Although we enjoyed the chat the overall vibe did not inspire us to try the food.

Another neat little spot we found was the Pickled Pelican Sports Bar. Why did we stop here? Because every other Saturday they feature the Belt Sander Races. Another dive bar but with a full blown Belt Sander Race Track set up in its backyard. What fun! We ordered a couple of beverages and took a seat in the bleachers to partake in the afternoon races… After several “Stock” races where we watched non-modified belt sanders compete there was also several head to head matchups between Modified” belt sanders. Believe or not there actually is a Belt Sander Racing Association. We had too much fun watching the modified belt sanders take off and hit speeds of up to over 20 mph while racing down the 75 foot track. Adding to the race atmosphere was the colorful introductions of the racers, their type of "rig" and their race record.  The big screen TV in the middle of the track allowed the spectators to join in the action as the red, yellow and green lights ticked down the cue to the start

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One of our favorite little dive bar discoveries is called the Sugar Shack. It became our favorite little watering hole for a few reasons. One was that on our fist visit it had great energy and interesting people. Sharon especially enjoyed one of the patron's pet parrot who sang, "You are my Sunshine" . Our next visit proved more of the same. We also like it due to its proximity to the Fulton Harbor where we usually stroll around the harbor and enjoy the sights before finishing our walk by returning to this tavern for a cold beverage.

The only brew pub in the area is the Port Aransas Brewing Company. We stopped by there while passing through Port Aransas to sample their crafted beers. I ordered an Island Pale Ale and Sharon got a Pop Pilsner. I can truly say that these two beers may have been the worst crafted beers I have tasted since we have been retired…. Oh, how I miss Portland Oregon's nice selection… I will say however, that they have a great selection of other crafted bottled beers and their lunch must be great since every time we pass by this establishment it is crowded.

We haven’t had much luck finding really good food that fits within our budget here so we finally just gave up… We feel that none of the places we have eaten at here are worth writing about as they hve been simply average in taste and quality in our opinion. However, since we don’t usually visit places where most of the menu items start with entrees in the $15.00 and up range  I can’t comment on some of the more popular tourists spots here.

We have decided that probably the best place for us to have a nice cold beverage and some excellent tasting food is found right here in our park, at our home…

Odds and ends in and around the Keys…

Some places we went or things we saw didn’t really warrant a full blown blog just for them so I have included several places we have been to that are in and around the area that when we come back to the Keys we would likely return to. These places are anywhere from the tip of the Keys in Key West to the 50 mile marker near Marathon in the middle Keys.

Peppers of Key West – If you like hot sauces then this is a must stop for you. They even have a hot sauce reputed to be the hottest on the planet and it is called Blair’s Caldera which you can purchase for a mere $1,999.00. They let you sample many of the hot sauces on premises so you can have a hot time in Key West.

Sunrises in the Keys – As popular as the sunsets are in Key West at Mallory Square you have to also get up early a few times (or stay up real late) and see some of the beautiful sunrises. Definitely worth it…

Flora and Fauna of the Keys – You really need to look closely to see all the wonderful flora and fauna in the Keys. The birdlife, endemic vegetation and wonderful planted flowering shrubs are all a treat to the senses.

The Blue Hole is the most visited spot on Pine Key yet most people have never heard of it. This abandoned limestone quarry is filled with crystal clear water. Here you can see fish such as Pacu and Oscars, turtles, alligators and various birds can be found here.  Alligators can often be seen hugging the shoreline, lazily sunning themselves. Found in the National Key Deer Refuge this is a fun spot to visit and it is Free!

Boondocks Grille & Drafthouse – A great happy hour spot on Ramrod Key is at Boondocks Grille and Drafthouse. Here between the hours of 4-6 pm you can get half priced beer and wine and half priced appetizers. The day we went we had 10 hot wings for $5.50 and 10 conch fritters for $5.00. Along with a few cold adult beverages and we had a nice inexpensive dinner and evening in the Keys.

The Green Parrot Bar located in downtown Key West on Whitehead street. It is, in our opinion, the best place to go for a high energy fun time in Key West. Happy hour is 4-7 pm but expect to pay more for any drink even during happy hour when downtown (at least they give you free popcorn). The vibe and feel of this place allows for a collection of regulars and tourists to come together with some live music and create a very fun filled evening. I loved their logo “No Sniveling.” I rate this place as a downtown Key West Road Treat!

Looe Key Reef Resort has a wonderful tike bar that is a must visit on Tuesday nights! Why Tuesdays? It is taco night at the tiki bar. From 4-7 pm you can get half priced beer and wine along with $.79 tacos- Wow! You have the option of beef or chicken on soft or hard shells. We tried them all and we recommend that you get the chicken on soft tortillas and for $2.37 you can have 3 tacos. Toss in a couple of adult beverages and for less than $5.00 you can have a small dinner in the Keys! Prices like these for eating out are unheard of here in the Keys…

So the next time we go to the Keys (or when you go to them) these are some of the things and places that we really enjoyed and we will have “do overs” on, when we return!!!

Buies Creek and Fuquay-Varina, NC…

This week we ventured south to the town of Buies Creek – home of the fighting Camels of Campbell University.  Yes I said Camels. Campbell is one of only two teams in the USA that have the Camel as their mascot… the other is a smaller school, Connecticut College. This weeks softball journey was for us to see the final three home games of our daughter’s softball career. As it turned out there would only be one game since the other two were rained out and then later on they were cancelled altogether so we had seen her last home game and didn’t even know it…

They did win their last home game so they will have that to remember and they have qualified for their end of season championship that will be held in Spartenburg, SC. We booked a place at nearby Croft State Natural Area so we will be moving our RV from our boondocking site in Aberdeen, NC to SC on the 10th of May.  I have a site reserved for two weeks so we can get use to what it is like to have electricity and water all the time for a change : )

Since the last two games in Buies Creek were cancelled we decided to make a side trip over to  Fuquay-Varina as one of our blog readers suggested we try a small brewery that makes an award winning crafted beer there. So we bought some lunch to go and headed off to Fuqay-Varina looking for a nice spot to eat it along the way. We looked everywhere before deciding that a small athletic park just outside of town would suffice. Then not one mile further we came across a nice park right in the older part of town that featured the mineral spring that historical gave rise to the town’s name. We stopped and enjoyed the park and wished we had stopped here for lunch instead… oh well, maybe next time…

     

Then it was off to Aviator Brewery to sample their award winning crafted beers. I purchased a flight of four beers to sample. The flight consisted of HotRod Red -  6.1% alc, HogWild India Pale - 6.7% alc, Devils Tramping Ground Tripel- 9.2% alc, and King Rat Imperial Oatmeal Stout -  8.0% alc. My bride decided that each of them were a bit too bitter for her and I tended to agree they each tended to tweak the bitter receptors on the back of the tongue. However, the Pale Ale and the Stout were very good. Good enough that I had to order another pint of the stout and at 8.0% alcohol it was not only stout but quite tasty.. As I was paying the bill I noticed I hadn’t tried the gold medal winner the Saison de Aviator - 6.5% alc/vol.  So another small beer later and I had tried the Belgian styled wheat beer and it may have been the best of the lot.

                         

They had quite a selection of crafted brews and across the street they also have a smokehouse that serves food if beverages aren’t enough for you. The tavern is located in what appears to be an old railroad station that also appears to have been an art gallery at one time. There is some ambiance as they have some art along the walls as your seek out the restrooms. You don’t have to be a “beer snob” to visit this spot and I would say you should check it out when in the area.

Five days and counting…

Well with the punch list updated and days dwindling (down to 5 days) we are starting to see a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I had the base plate installed on the CRV and the motorhome was dropped off today for repairs to the refrigerator. They also serviced the generator and checked out all the plumbing after all of our recent freezes.  The only plumbing casualty was the kitchen faucet (which may have already been damaged from before).  So they will fix everything and have it ready for us on Friday.

The final garage sale is on Saturday so by Saturday evening we should have a nearly empty house. Finally!!! All that will be remaining in the house is what is to be moved into the motorhome by Tuesday. Planning to still hit the road by Wednesday.

With Sharon’s retirement party out of the way mine is next.  It will be on Thursday at one of my favorite local taverns named Fitzwillies. If you are ever in College Station, TX you need to go there and have a burger and fries or an order of extra crispy wings along with a nice ice cold beverage. Tell Shelby John Z. sent you…

Couple of recent nibbles on the house and we hope to have an offer before we leave… if not a realtor will take over the endeavor for us.  Selling the car is another story we hope to resolve soon. And tonight I will work my last college basketball game as an NCAA statistician as the home town Texas A&M Aggies take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Bluebonnet Festival – Chappell Hill, Tx…

  Every spring in Texas thousands of wildflowers bloom and paint the roadsides with sweeping colors. Well today was such a nice day we went for a drive in route to the Texas Bluebonnet Festival in Washington County, Texas near the small town of Chappell Hill.

This small, scenic and sleepy town was founded in 1847 and now has a population of around 600 or so folks. On the second weekend in April, every spring, the population of Chappell Hill expands exponentially as vendor's of arts, crafts, food items, and “stuff” are everywhere as are tourists from all over the place. With no admission fees and parking only $5.00 this place has become the seventh largest festival in Texas.

Since we are in the process of ridding ourselves of stuff and large crowds don’t necessarily excite us, we went mostly for the wildflowers and a nice relaxing drive. Also, we planned to visit my daughter’s former fast pitch coach as he lives in the area.

Driving along the back roads of Texas the wild flowers were in rare display this year as we had abundant fall and winter rains.  The Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) and the Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) were everywhere as were the moms and pops taking pictures of the young ‘uns in the pastures.

We had a really nice and pleasant day amongst the wildflowers.  This is how we envision we will spending more of our time in retirement. 

We met our friend at The Lazy Mule Saloon in Chappell Hill. One of our weaknesses is we really like quaint “dive” bars and I figure we will be visiting a lot of them once we full time.  This little bar makes some killer Crawfish Étouffée.  Well we only planned on staying for one or two frosty beverages but after meeting several of his friends time went by rather quickly… we probably should have spent less time at the The Lazy Mule Saloon with our old friend.… but that too is another story…