Navy Cove

Larry's boss forced him to take a week of paid vacation before the end of the year. I, on the other hand, somehow through some tremendous blessing managed to get paid vacation for the week away as well - even though I have probably used up all my days before this week away.

Since Larry's dad and step mom own a condominium in Gulf Shores, we decided that it would be a terrific place to start - just to unwind a little. We left work on Friday afternoon and got a few items together to stay through Monday night and drive back Tuesday .

Our trip started with dinner at Franco's Italian Restaurant in Orange Beach, Alabama - an old favourite of ours from back when we used to live in Orange Beach (before Ivan). After dinner we drove to the next small town, Gulf Shores, Alabama. Both of these towns are minute and so connected that an outsider might not realise that they are indeed two separate "cities".

The condo we were staying at is in Gulf Shores off of Fort Morgan road which leads to a Fort on Mobile Bay (pronounced Mobeel - don't ask; it's Alabama). Fort Morgan road is rather lengthy and along the road you might see more condo's or beach houses to the left on the Gulf of Mexico.

The condo ended up being 18 miles (29 km) down from the main road! But, Sara (Larry's step mom), decorated the condo in exquisite style. She can make any place resemble the pages of a magazine - and she seems to do so effortlessly.

Needless to say, I felt elated to be able to stay in such a beautiful place. Not only is the setting idyllic for those who long to get away from the drudgery of everyday life, but the view from the condo of the little cove in which it is located in Mobile Bay and the lack of people around at this time of year makes for a definite Utopia.

Not to mention that the amenities available to us at the condo are more luxurious than at our own home. I was ready to move in for good!

Larry took his guitar along and strummed it on the balcony watching sailboats float away. I enjoyed being able to do some bible reading with the view before me that only swelled my pride in God's ability.

Our days were filled with activity. We drove to the city of Mobile via Fairhope and browsed their local mall. Another day we took the ferry across Mobile Bay which departs five minutes drive from the condo to Dauphin Island which is next to Mobile. On Dauphin Island we visited the Bellingrath gardens which was just lovely except it was drizzling a little and I, like the smarty pants that I am, wore white pants. Hmm....

We also shopped at the outlet mall in Foley, which is the next town up from Gulf Shores to the North, and bought some gourmet foods at Target as well as consuming loads of yummy food.

The final note on this trip was our dinner at Jesse's Restaurant in Magnolia Springs which is also in the area. Monday was our second anniversary (since our wedding in SA) so it was fitting that we should go for a humongous prime rib that was on special Monday night. Big steak, big wine.

So, now we are home again. Rearranging the mess we made and preparing the next leg of our trip - New Orleans, Louisiana.