Dinner & A Cinema … and Lunch with New Friends

Wednesday, 16 January
Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS), Florida
Temps: Lo TBD / Hi 71F (TBD / 22C)

The cold front that kept the area to our west 20 degrees cooler yesterday has arrived here.  The day’s high of 71F (22C) was back in the wee hours of the morning.  The temp has been falling since then.  At 8:00p, we’re already down to 50F (10C); we’ll see where it stops.  I guess mother nature is preparing us for our trek north from here.

This cold front came with plenty of rain to give us a good soaking.  I was about to step out for a walk while Mui was off running errands this morning when the skies opened up in a downpour.  That was about 8:00a.  Except for a few short breaks, the rain hasn’t stopped since.  The direction and strength of the rain even caused our first leak — seepage really — in the motorhome.  Looks like the water found a miniscule opening in the slide seals.  Nothing serious; the carpet is already drying out.

Before you ask, the sunrise above is not from this morning; those gorgeous colors were what we woke up to yesterday, so let me go back to …

Tuesday, 15 January

Although we had a very colorful sunrise, the sun didn’t grace Mui’s birthday!  Yup; he has turned a year older.  I won’t say how old, but there is a 5 and a 7 involved … you figure it out.  In the meantime, the beautiful sunrise we enjoyed from our campsite deserves some more recognition … they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

With our departure from here just days away, we wanted to get in one more trike ride.  Gearing up, we cycled over to Fort Pickens, wandered around the fortifications for a bit, and chatted at length with one of the rangers.  (By the way, she confirmed that the bunker we came across on the Gulf-side beach is indeed from the coastal artillery system; probably for ammo storage.)

We spent much of the afternoon at home, just relaxing and doing some road-prep chores.  Around 3:30p, we left to celebrate Mui’s birthday with an early dinner and a movie.  I’d made a promise to myself not to take any more bird photos.  I did OK until I spied a nesting pair of great blue herons in the trees as we were exiting the campground.  Then, all bets were off.  The bonus — we got to see a bit of blue skies and sunshine at that moment too.

The Great Blue Heron on the nest was displaying to the one on the branch.

Wouldn’t it be great to see the whole cycle from courting to the hatching of the eggs?

I could have stayed there watching the herons for hours, but we had other plans in the works, so after about 15 minutes we moved on.

First on the agenda was dinner at a restaurant to which Chuck and Anneke introduced us in September — McGuire’s Irish Pub.  We had so enjoyed our meal there that when I asked Mui where he wanted to go for his birthday dinner, he had no doubts in his mind about returning to this eatery, which is located inside Pensacola’s original 1927 Old Firehouse.

McGuire’s bills itself as a “turn of the century New York Irish Saloon.”
[photo on the left is a screenshot from the website]

This double-decker bus sits in the parking lot;
no way you can miss it when you turn onto East Gregory Street!

The early hour meant that we did not have to wait to be seated.  In fact, we had the Irish Whiskey Dining Room entirely to ourselves.

Here’s the Birthday boy, sitting beneath …

… just some of the over $1 million in dollar bills signed by Irishmen of all nationalities.
(We’ll have to go back to add our dollar to the collection!)

Can’t say that our meal was healthy, but it sure was good.  Since this was a celebratory meal, we threw caution to the wind and ordered separate main courses.  In the absence of “naked” fish and chips, I opted for the regular kind (the dory was so flaky that I didn’t need a knife); Mui got McGuire’s ale battered shrimp, which came with a large Caesar salad and a choice of sides … the homemade garlic mashed potatoes was so good that we had to bring the leftovers home with us.  Of course, we got the 18¢ bowl of Senate bean soup to start — so much better than the bean soup served in the Senate cafeteria in DC.  When we asked our server for a dessert recommendation, Jerri suggested the Irish Bash Cream Pie — think along the lines of a very light cheesecake with chocolate mousse and chocolate cake crumbles … she definitely did not steer us wrong.

Top left: fresh-from the oven honey glazed bread
Bottom left: fish and chips
top Right: Senate bean soup
Bottom Right: Ale battered shrimp

The deceptively light Irish bash cream pie was so good that it deserves to stand alone.

Next up … the movies.  It’s been ages since we’ve been to a movie theater.  I think I boycotted them when the price of a ticket topped $10.  When we lived in a stix & brix, we had Netflix and got our movie-fix that way, but we canceled the service when we got on the road.  We’d been wanting to see the latest Bond movie since it came out, so we decided to break our boycott.  The decision was made easy because of our access to Portside Cinema, the theater at NAS Pensacola.  At $3/person going to a show there is a deal to be sure.  Yes, the prices are subsidized by tax payers, but considering the pay our men and women in uniform get, I think it is well-deserved.

My favorite Bond is still Sir Sean Connery, but Daniel Craig played the role well in Skyfall.

We left the movie theater in the rain, drove home with the windshield wipers working overtime, went to bed to the pitter patter of heavy drops on the roof, and woke up to pretty much nonstop rain …

Today

We did nothing special today … EXCEPT at lunch time.

Today was our day to meet Karen and Steve, fellow Phaeton owners and bloggers (Gone by RV), who first reached out to us while we were all still in Virginia.  Having sold their stix & brix, they were already living in their home on wheels, but they had to wait to get on the road at the end of December, which is when Steve retired.

When Karen sent me an email that they were coming up from Panama City Beach to visit the Camping World in Gulf Breeze, we suggested meeting at Niki’s, where we had lunch with Chuck and Anneke last week.  They may have regretted leaving the great weather in PCB for the soggy weather they found here, but we’re glad they came.  We had a very nice time getting acquainted, and enjoyed hearing their Red Bay stories since we’ll be going there at the beginning of February.  They’ll be heading up to Red Bay in late February; hope we won’t still be there, but if we are, we’ll be consoled by their good company.

I thought I was going to end the post with our luncheon date, but I have one more photo to share … this one from dinner at home.

Sharing a meal … or … two halves make one meal!
Not only are we splitting a V8 and a Panini, we’re splitting a plate too!

Tomorrow we get back on the road!

Pelicans A-Preening … and More

Saturday, 12 January
Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS), Florida
Temps: Lo 65F / Hi 72F (18C / 22C)

Woke up to a golden sunrise this morning … none of the pastel pinks and lavenders of yesterday.

We hurried through breakfast to get out there while the sun was still shining.  Didn’t quite make it, but the sun peeked through occasionally, so we’re not complaining.  Besides, the afternoon was filled with sunshine, making us a couple of happy campers.

We went our separate ways this morning — I strolled along Pensacola Bay … only 2½ miles (4 km) this time; Mui did a 10-mile (16 km) trike ride.  Then we joined forces at home, putting out the awning and enjoying the warm afternoon and light breeze until the late afternoon chill drove us inside.

Since it was a quiet day with not much to write about, I’ll just share some photos from my walk this morning and call it a day.

No mirror-smooth waters on the Bay today.

As the light changes, so does the colors and mood of Pensacola Bay.

We’re late … we’re late … for a very important date.
While these two willets were rushing off to find breakfast …

… this willet was patiently waiting at the edge of the surf for breakfast
to be delivered by the waves.

At least one of these willets isn't going hungry.  Can you see which one?

The small shorebirds were busy flitting about and weren’t about to stop and pose for me.  The pelicans, on the other hand, having had their fill of the bounty of the bay, were pretty relaxed, preening their feathers near the pier.  They were quite tolerant of my presence, allowing me to slowly approach and sit with them for a while.

All of these brown pelicans are juveniles …

… except for the one on the right, which is a non-breeding adult.
I have to admit that is my favorite photo from today’s stroll.

This Portuguese man o' war is not afraid to show its feminine side with a
fringe of pink frills along its sail.

On my way back to the loop E beach access, a cacophony attracted my attention.  Several hundred feet off shore there was a bird convention in the making.

All those tiny white dots out there that were raising such a ruckus …

turn out to be gulls (I think Bonaparte’s) keeping company with some loons Mergansers.

The gulls take off in a flurry of white, leaving the loons mergansers behind.
[thanks, Judy for the correction.]

26-second video of Willets feeding; with a snippet of the gull and
loon merganser convention at the end.
(My videographer was off triking, so you’ll have to excuse my amateurish efforts.)

And to show that it’s possible to capture wildlife photos from our campsite …

I heard this armadillo scratching around a tree behind our site.  It did not
cooperate for a photo op, but you can make out its head and ears if you look closely.
(Unlike the armadillo we came across the other day, this one stuck around for a
while, and even allowed me to approach within a reasonable distance.)

I found these visitors perched on the top edge of our wetbay door when I opened it.
I thought green tree frogs at first, but they seldom come down apparently except to
mate; so I’m not sure.  There were four of these tiny critters, but two of them hopped
away in the time it took me to get my camera.  the one on the left is today’s “The End” shot!

This is Why …

Friday, 11 January
Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS), Florida
Temps: Lo 60F / Hi 72F (15.5C / 22C)

Boy were the weather forecasters wrong today!

We thought we were going to have another overcast, dreary day with a very good chance of rain.  Hah!  It turned out to be a jewel of a day — the kind of day that we can point to and say “This is why we came to Florida!”

And such a bonus it was after two drab and gloomy days, and a serious downpour last night as a storm front moved in from the west to drench us but good.

We were all set to spend the day at home when we woke up this morning.  Maybe go out for another 10-mile (16 km) trike ride — which is what we did yesterday despite the rather thick fog, and the clammy mist hanging in the air.  I was comfortably ensconced on the sofa, checking emails, when what should catch my eye but a colorful sunrise.  Minutes later, the sun was a golden orb in a bright blue sky.  Just then, Mui returned from the bathhouse and we both exclaimed — “Let’s grab a quick breakfast and get going!”  And that’s what we did.

11,460 steps or 3.25 miles or 5.2 kilometers — anyway you look at it, we had a great walk.
Setting out along Pensacola Bay, we headed to Fort Pickens, rounded the
tip of the island, and walked back along the Gulf of Mexico.

There really are no words to describe our long walk — except to say that it was excellent.  Setting out at 8:30a, we covered the 3.25 miles (5.2 km) — based on my measured stride — in three hours.  Yes, we took our time and enjoyed every minute — despite the 92% humidity and no shade on the beach.  Of course, there were stops along the way to take photos, and also to eat the snacks we had hastily packed.

Pensacola Bay is mirror-smooth this morning.

Willets

Great Blue Heron

Kildeer

Willet

Brown pelican
(I posted my favorite pelican shot from today in the Viewfinder Blog.)

Common Loon
Subtitle: “I’m so happy to see you; let me give you a hug!”

Crab

They say the sign of a good photographer is getting low … and getting dirty!
the result (top right) was worth getting sand all over my clothes!

Ruddy Turnstone (Juvenile)

Top: Where Pensacola Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico.
Bottom: The surf is rougher and there is more mist along the Gulf.

Mushroom cap Jellyfish — some of the ones we saw were huge!

Portuguese Man o’ War — Beware; they can be deadly!

We enjoy the shells on the beach, but we don’t bring them home!

Erosion at work on the Gulf-side beach!

Ghost Crab

You would think that after walking for three hours that we would just go home.  Well, we did; but we didn’t stay long — it was just too beautiful a day, and we were too close to the beach not to take advantage of it.  Besides, the siren call of the sea was just too much for Mui!  He made a couple of sandwiches, we grabbed some drinks, and headed over to Langdon Beach, just down the road from us.

Are you wondering why Mui's dressed in his snorkeling skin? ...

… It’s because he really did go in the water today!  Crazy man — the water temp was only 60F (15.5C)!
(Don’t worry; he didn’t go far … the surf was too rough, so he played in the shallows.)

It was after 2:00p when we finally returned to the Phaeton.  After we got ourselves cleaned up, Mui took care of a few things around the coach, and I sat in the sun and read through the pile of brochures that has been growing.  It felt so good to be sitting outside, a light breeze keeping the temps at bay.

On the recommendation of Tena, our contact at AHB (our mail service), we decided to have dinner at Peg Leg Pete’s.  It’s located in Pensacola Beach, a mile or two outside the gate to GINS — Gulf Islands National Seashore.  So glad we went.  No white linen at this shack-of-a-restaurant, but the service was very good; and so was the food.  The seafood was some of the best we’ve had in a long time.  (The place is owned by the same people who own Maria’s, a seafood market in Pensacola.)  We shared a calamari appetizer and grilled shrimp main course — both were oh so tender, and perfectly cooked.  And the key lime pie was the crowning touch.

A most excellent meal.  Peg Leg Pete’s gets two thumbs up from us.

Not sure how long this great weather will continue.  You can be sure that we will be taking advantage of it while we can.