Living Our Dream

Orange Beach, AL Part II

Orange Beach, AL - Events of Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Blue Angles is the flight demonstration squadron of the U.S. Navy. Their home base for summer is in Pensacola, Florida. They practice every Tuesday morning, weather permitting, and the public can attend the practice for free. Lora and J. Michael had never seen the Blue Angels so we planned to go since Pensacola is only about 40 minutes from where we were staying in Orange Beach.

Practice was scheduled for 11:30, but they say the parking lot can fill up as early as 9:30. Once the lot is full, they close the gates and that's all that can attend the practice that day. Therefore, we decided to arrive around 9:00 or 9:15 and visit the Naval Aviation Museum, which shares the same parking lot, for an hour of so before heading down to watch the Blue Angels practice.

The museum has a collection of about 150 restored aircraft, and admission is free. We went to the museum in 2011, but Lora and J. Michael had never been there. We didn't have time to see everything, but we had enough time for to hit some of the highlights so Lora and J. Michael could get a flavor of the place. Lydia had a good time, too.

Lora and Lydia trying out the cockpit of a retired Blue Angels jet that was on display

J.  Michael and Lydia in front of a P-51 fighter from WWII

Looking down from the second floor

Lydia in the cockpit of a helicopter

Around 10:30 we headed down to the flight line to find a spot to watch the practice. It was sunny and hot, and there is no shade so we took along bottled water (coolers are not permitted), chairs, and umbrellas for shade.

Waiting for practice to start

Practice was delayed about 15 or 20 minutes because of a mechanical problem with one of the jets, but they managed to get it fixed so all 6 planes could participate. The "Blues" have three different air shows they can fly depending on weather conditions. We had a lot of low clouds and even a rain shower off to the north so most of what they practiced was from the "flat" show that doesn't have high altitude maneuvers. Below are just a couple of the many maneuvers we saw.

Delta formation

Delta break maneuver

Following the show, we drove back to the villa and headed down to the pool to cool off. Later in the afternoon, we drove a few miles to the east to The Gulf Restaurant. The Gulf is made up of stacked shipping containers and has all outdoor seating. The Gulf has always been a favorite of ours because it makes you feel like you're on vacation on a tropical island.

Margery, Lydia. Lora, and J. Michael enjoying the shade while waiting for our food

The adults all had grouper sandwiches ($12.75), and Lydia had toasted cheese. We also got several orders of fries ($4) to share.

After eating, we hung around a while to soak up the atmosphere. We stopped in the gift shop on our way out where Lydia checked out a pink octopus.

Lydia checking out a pink octopus in the gift shop

Back at the villa, we relaxed for the evening. Stay tuned for our next post with more Orange Beach adventures.

Orange Beach, Alabama, Part I

Orange Beach, AL - Events of Friday, September 14 to Tuesday, September 18, 2018

In August of this year we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Several years ago as we contemplated what we wanted to do in honor of the event, we thought it might be nice to take a cruise with our daughter, Lora, and our son-in-law, J. Michael. We began to think about an Alaskan cruise. However, all that was before our granddaughter Lydia came along. We realized looking for icebergs wouldn't be very entertaining for a 4 year old so we started working on Plan B.

Lower Alabama is one of our favorite places. We used to go to the Summerdale/Fairhope area every spring and fall on our way to and from Florida when we were full-time RVers. Orange Beach, Alabama, is on the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the places we visited when we stayed in Summerdale and Fairhope. Orange Beach is very vacation-like so that's where we decided to go instead of going on a cruise.

Margery found an excellent rental villa in Orange Beach through Homeaway.  It isn't right on the beach so the price was more reasonable, but the beach is only a short drive making it very convenient. We would have access to the pool that is located within the group of villas where we would be staying so close proximity to the beach wasn't necessary.

Although our anniversary was in August, August is still peak season in Orange Beach so we made reservations for the second week in September figuring it would still be warm enough to swim, but it wouldn't be nearly as crowded. Lora and J. Michael planned to arrive early Saturday afternoon (September 15). We drove up to Alabama on Friday so we could to be there to greet them when they arrived.

We pulled in around 3:30. We were very impressed with the villa. It has three bedrooms and two baths and is decorated in a beach-house theme. The place was immaculately clean.

Our villa in Orange Beach

View of the living room

After we got settled, we headed out to Mikee's Seafood in Gulf Shores (the next town to the west along the beach) for dinner. We had been to Mikee's once or twice before when we used to stay in the area in our RV.

Mikee's Seafood

We were both hungry for fried clam strips, but Paul was also hungry for shrimp. Fortunately for him, in addition to the fried clam basket ($10.99), which is what Margery had, they also had a combo shrimp/clam basket ($12.99). Margery had marinated slaw and new potatoes for her sides, and Paul had marinated slaw and potato salad.

Margery with her clam strips

The clams were a little over-cooked and were a bit too crisp. When the waitress asked how our meals were, Margery mentioned the clams. Within a few minutes we each had another dish of perfectly cooked clams. The second batch of clams was excellent, and the shrimp and the sides were also very good.

The villa is fully equipped with linens, towels, dishes, silverware, etc. There were supposed to be "starter" supplies of consumables such as dish soap, napkins, coffee and coffee filters, paper towels, etc., but the supplies were so generous they lasted our entire stay. We planned to eat most dinners out, but we needed a few additional supplies as well as things for breakfasts and snacks. Therefore, we headed out to the nearby Walmart Neighborhood Market first thing Saturday morning. The Neighborhood Markets have groceries only, although this one also had some beach-related items such as coolers, beach towels, and picnic supplies.

Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia pulled in shortly after 1:00. After unloading the car, we had a quick lunch, then we relaxed a bit before heading down to the pool.

J. Michael, Paul, and Lydia heading to the pool

Later in the afternoon, we headed out to Moe's BBQ down by the beach for an early dinner.

Moe's BBQ

The adults all had pulled pork platters with various sides, and Lydia had toasted cheese. The barbecue was moist and tender, but not very smokey.

Paul, Lora, Lydia, and J. Michael at our first table

We decided to eat at a picnic table behind the restaurant where it was nice and shady, but that turned out to be a big mistake. Paul was attacked by fire ants so we had to retreat to one of the tables on the front deck where there was a little more noise from traffic and a little more sun, but at least there were no ants.

After we ate, we took a short drive along the beach then stopped at Dairy Queen before heading back to the villa.

Sunday was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky so we headed to the beach. The beach wasn't very crowded, and the water was nice and warm.

View down the beach

Lydia checking out the water

After spending a couple of hours at the beach, we headed back to the villa to get changed, then drove to Lambert's Cafe in Foley for an early dinner. Lambert's is the home of "throwed rolls." Yes, we know that's not proper grammar, but that's their slogan.

Lambert's Cafe

We had about a 30-minute wait for a table. Lambert's portions are huge. Prices for meals range from around $11 to $20 and include two sides plus numerous "pass-arounds," which are additional sides that are distributed by roving servers. The rolls, which they throw to you, are excellent. In the next photo, J. Michael is pretending to get ready to catch a roll.

Our group at Lambert's with J. Michael pretending to get ready to  catch a roll

The food at Lambert's is good and it's plentiful. We left with our bellies very full to go back to the villa for an evening of games with Lydia.

We'll tell you more about our trip to Orange Beach in our next post.

Presidents Hall of Fame

Wauchula, FL - Events of Wednesday, September 5 to Monday, September 10, 2018

On Wednesday, September 5, we had a few errands to run over in Sebring. Instead of stopping at Dee's Place for lunch like we frequently do, we went to one of our new, favorite restaurants instead. We chose Dimitri's as an alternate because we went there with a group from the Co-op two weeks prior, and we really liked it.

Dimitri's

This time, Margery had a gyro ($6.49) and a side of onion rings ($1.95), and Paul had a smothered chicken sandwich (grilled chicken breast with sauteed onions and peppers and provolone cheese on a pretzel roll for $7.49). The gyro was delish, and even though Paul's pretzel roll got a little soggy from all the sauteed onions and peppers, the sandwich was still quite tasty.

Margery with her gyro

OakWood Grill is one of our favorite places to go for ribs. They usually have a special price of $13.99 on a full rack of ribs on Sundays through Wednesdays (regularly $16.99); but for the month of September, their special price was $11.99. Unfortunately, the closest OakWood Grill is in Clermont, which is about two hours away from the Co-op. We decided we wanted to go have ribs the following Monday (September 10) so we were looking for another errand or sightseeing opportunity in or near Clermont to help justify the trip.

Last time we went to OakWood for ribs, we went to Citrus Tower beforehand. Click here to read about that trip. This time on our way to OakWood we went to the Presidents Hall of Fame, which is located right next to Citrus Tower. The Presidents Hall of Fame is an old Florida tourist attraction that features wax figures of most of our presidents, replicas of many first ladies' inauguration gowns, a collection of White House china, election memorabilia, a collection of White House Christmas cards, and a replica of the White House in miniature.

When we first arrived, we stopped for a selfie with the scaled-down replica of Mount Rushmore located outside.

Selfie with Mount Rushmore replica

From there we headed to the museum.

Presidents Hall of Fame

There is also a down-sized version of the sculpture of Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial outside the entrance.

Replica of the sculpture from the Lincoln Memorial

Tickets to the museum are $15, and the fee includes a pass that's good for a whole year. With the pass we figured we could use the Presidents Hall of Fame as an excuse to go to Clermont for ribs at least a couple of more times in the next year.

Inside the museum, we were given an introductory tour by the lady at the front counter, then we were free to explore on our own. There were wax figures of many of the earlier presidents we didn't immediately recognize, but the photo below shows a some of the more recent ones along with two of the first ladies.

Wax figures of some of the more recent presidents and two of the first ladies

In addition to the model of the White House we mentioned previously (more on that shortly), there is a smaller model depicting the White House under construction. Building of the White House started in 1792 and took 8 years to complete. 

Scale model showing the White House under construction

Detail of the construction model

The museum also has a replica of the Liberty Bell.

Replica of the Liberty Bell

The Resolute Desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. The desk is made from timbers from the British Arctic exploration ship Resolute.

Many presidents have since used the desk in various locations in the White House, but it was Jackie Kennedy who first requested the desk be brought into the Oval Office in 1961 for President John F. Kennedy to use. The bottom of the desk was originally open in the center, but a door was added by Franklin D. Roosevelt so his leg braces couldn't be seen (FDR contracted polio in 1921 that left his legs paralyzed). There are several well-known photos showing John F. Kennedy's son, John John, peering out through the door from under the desk, and that's the way the replica of the Resolute Desk at the museum is depicted. 

Replica of the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office

The main feature of the Presidents Hall of Fame is the 60-foot long model of the White House. Back in 1956 John Zweifel, who was 20 at the time, took a tour of the White House. He was very interested in what he saw, but was disappointed that the tour only included 5 rooms. He wanted to see the other 127.

Zweifel had begun carving and whittling at the age of 4. When he was a teenager, he built a 14,000-piece replica of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. Since he was an accomplished miniaturist he eventually decided he wanted to build a scale model of the White House, but that meant he would need to see the other rooms. After 6 years of letter writing, Jackie Kennedy finally agreed to give him partial access so Zweifel was able to start his model in 1962. However, after JFK's assassination in 1963, Zweifel's access to the White House dried up.

Following the resignation of Nixon in 1974, Americans were very distrustful of the White House so Gerald Ford wanted to open it up to everyone. Although the Secret Service didn't like it, Ford granted Zweifel full access. The model was ready to go on tour across the country in time for America's Bicentennial in 1976. Zweifel says the model will never be finished because he changes it as soon as he can get the necessary information whenever a new president takes office.

North portico of the scale model of the White House complete with presidential limo

The side of the model representing the south side of the White House is open so visitors can see the incredible detail inside.

Rooms open to view on the back side of the model

Detail showing the presidential bedroom in the private quarters

Detail showing the State Dining Room

Each new president redecorates the Oval Office according to his own taste and needs. There are numerous separate models depicting the Oval Office as it was decorated under different presidents.

Model of Reagan's Oval Office

Speaking of redecorating, the private quarters also get redone. On inauguration day, the staff gets only 6 hours to move the old president and his family out, to redecorate the Oval Office and the living quarters, and to move the new president in. The Discovery Channel made a documentary on that subject using some of the miniatures at the museum. The model in the next photo showing the Oval Office in transition was used in the filming of the documentary.

Model of the Oval Office in transition between presidents

The model of the White House spent much of its early life touring the country. Although it still goes on tour occasionally (we first saw it in 2010 at the Reagan Presidential Library in California), its home is the Presidents Hall of Fame. We're not sure when the Hall of Fame first opened, but it was acquired by the Zweifels from its previous owners around 1990. The museum itself needs a little TLC, and the Zwiefels are in the process of updating it. All in all, the Presidential Hall of Fame was pretty interesting, especially the scale models.

After the museum, we went a few doors north to OakWood Grill. The ribs were excellent as usual. Margery had mac and cheese and slaw for her sides, and Paul had his usual lima beans and slaw.

Paul with his rack of ribs

With our bellies full, we headed back to the Co-op for an evening of relaxation. We had special plans starting at the end of the week. We'll tell you about them in our next post.