Rambling Along Mobile Bay

 New Post on Back Porch



Uncle an' me went off to a weddin' over the weekend....but relax, I ain't gonna ply y'all wif endless bride pics. 'Tis 'nough to say the weddin' be lovely, the couple fair as ya' could want, an' the weather spared the pair until the next mornin' when Tropical Storm Debbie came a'callin'.


Heah be the drenched hibiscus at mah own gate this mornin';

We's desperate fer the water, so y'ain't gonna have no complaint from me.


Anyhoo, afore that storm got good an' all wound up, we had a best time ramblin' along in the Mobile area.  First we tarried in the East Bay village of Fairhope, Alabama.

This little hamlet were settled in 1894 --though some ole homesteads wuz already thar'.   It be the Bright Idea of an economist whose stated purpose were:


“to establish and conduct a model community or colony, free from all forms of private monopoly, and to secure to its members therein equality of opportunity, the full reward of individual efforts, and the benefits of co-operation in matters of general concern.”

Well. I cain't say iffin' that purpose has stood up to modern economic woes, but I can say ramblin' around in this place is jes' a charmin' way to spend an' afternoon. 


 




But first, Uncle had to sample the local gumbo--this one came from a menu that offered "Naked gumbo"
( chicken an' sausage only)  or ya' can add yore choice of "fixin's": shrimp, crab, crawfish tails or oysters.
Wisely, Uncle pronounced it "not too bad, but not good as yores, Belle."  'Course not.

Thus fortified, we strolled along shady roads, admired the cool (white an' green) landscaping, an' generally sighed wif' happy nostalgia over these picture book homes that fill our memories of  the "ole South."

Thar' wuz a time when these ole screen door designs could be had fer a few dollars at any scrap yard--no longer. As wif' many such treasures, today, they be coveted an' pricey.

Natcherly, a PORCH is essential--oriented to catch the bay breeze what slips in under the pines an' oak branches. 

 

Uncle got hisself a hankerin' fer this round porch....

But Aunty had more modest hopes--lemme take this garden shed home to mah back forty.

We remarked on the advantageous settin'--how so many ole timey places seemed untouched by a hunnert years an' more of hurricanes churnin' up the Gulf...thang is, this Eastern Shore sits on a bluff overlookin' Mobile Bay--wind surely whips thangs around, but most of these ole places ain't subject to floods or storm surges.

This Eastern Shore area is home to sleepy marinas, shady waterfront parks, birds an' roses....a laid back vibe even for the laid back South. 
 

I'll be checkin' in again --a few days-- wif' some rambles through Mobile itself. 'Til then, thas' Aunty y'all see on the news, wadin' in the waters of TS Debbie.