Indian Boundary, Oct 24

 Sunday, October 24

I lead Sunday School this morning.  To finish our study of Job, I chose to compare a selection from Psalm 34 with a selection from Job 42.  The discussion was centered on what our study of Job, and these selections in particular, can teach us about the nature of God. I found more hope in Job than I expected and a very complex portrayal of God.

After watching the early morning weather, I suggested to Bill that we celebrate the beautiful fall day with a drive through Tellico Plains to Indian Boundary. We hoped to see some fall color before the next round of rain and wind knock the leaves down.  He agreed and we had a wonderful afternoon.  We took sandwiches and ate them along the way.  In the RV, the drive is less than 2 hours.  The colors were pretty, but not dramatic.  It is hard to imagine a more serene place than Indian Boundary Lake.  We were glad we made the effort.

Following the Tellico River upstream

Indian Boundary Lake is tucked into the mountains

Beautifully serene

Sunset at home

Home Again, Oct 19 - 23

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig 

Tuesday, October 19

I missed the early sunrise beach walk this morning.  From our property, we do not have a sunrise view.  The foggy mornings are beautiful in their own right, but do not invite me out for a walk along the lake.  I'm content to enjoy the view from my breakfast table.

We got everything unloaded yesterday.  Today, I unpacked, did laundry and put away my summer shirts and shorts.  A trip to the grocery was also necessary.  Bill mowed and washed the boat.  It was a busy day for both of us.  As much as we love to go, we are always glad to be home.

Mountain sunsets are beautiful, too.

Wednesday, October 20

We slept in this morning and had a less intensely busy day.  I worked on posting some pictures on this blog, got in a mile on the treadmill.  Late afternoon found me in the garden harvesting the last of the garden produce.  It is hard to get back into daily routines after a great vacation and with  no pressing appointments.  In the past, I have resisted referring to our trip to Orange Beach as a vacation.  We we are there for a month or more, it is less vacation like, and more of a home away from home.  This trip felt like a vacation.

Only a few herbs and the marigolds are still going.

Last Harvest of the Season -
Fried okra and fried green tomatoes for supper!

Thursday, October 21

Rain began overnight and continued into the morning.  By noon the drizzle had tapered off and there were occasional peeks of sunlight.  Kathy picked me up and we went to Marilyn's for our monthly lunch.  The four of us, Connie included, enjoyed Marilyn's hearty tomato soup.  We each confessed that we were hoping she would serve it on this damp fall day.  *Recipe below*

Later in the afternoon, I went to town for another "meet the candidate" event at LC Park, sponsored by the LoCoDems.  Mark Harmon is running against Tim Burchett for US Representative, 2nd Congressional District.  He has virtually no chance of winning, but will run a good race and may be more confrontational that our last candidate.  The election is a year away, so he is out early.

*Marilyn's Tomato Soup (Vegan)*

1/2 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 standard can diced tomatoes
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
Tomato juice to desired thickness (about 1/2 tall can)

Cook onion in oil until tender. Add zucchini and cabbage and cook until tender.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least an hour, stirring frequently.  Best if refrigerated for several hours or overnight.  Serve hot. (She makes at least a double recipe, maybe more)

Friday, October 22

Habitat director Chris Callahan was scheduled to bring his inspector Jim A's house this morning for a final inspection and sign-off on the ramp.  I met them thee at 10 am and had a lively visit with Jim after.  I am proud of the role that I played in getting Jim the Habitat grant.  They will be replacing his roof and repairing the soffits later this fall.

 At 11, I went to Bonnie's for lunch and a visit.  Next stop was the grocery.  Food City's smoker truck was out, so I brought home a pound of their excellent pulled pork and some beans to go along with it.  Before supper (and since I didn't have to cook) I went over for a visit with Laura and Mike.

Saturday, October 23

The new pillows that I had ordered arrived on Thursday and we used them for the first time last night.  It is the most comfortable pillow I've had in years. I discovered it at our hotel room in Gadsden - a Choice Hotel pillow which I found on Amazon.

Saturday morning and afternoon passed with odds and ends of chores.  Amanda is playing in a golf tournament and Laura is performing in a circus show.  My shoulder discomfort still inhibits me from garden work, although there is plenty of fall trimming, cleaning and weeding that needs to be done.  Instead, mid-afternoon we took a walk through the park.  At 7, we went to the Brock's to watch UT get beat by Alabama. Kathy made a big pot of minestrone and I contributed a loaf of sourdough.  The soup really hit the spot on this fall day.

Orange Beach, Part 2, Oct 16-18

 Saturday, Oct 16

Despite a forecast for early morning rain, I hoped to get my morning walk.  Just as my toes touched the sand, a few fat drops began to fall and the sky looked ominous.  I turned around and went back to the shelter at the pool.  It rained hard for a few minutes, but quickly passed and I sent out again.  The time stamp for sunrise showed only rain and overcast.  

Very few walkers or fishermen were out.  I was rewarded by seeing 3 willets and a snowy plover. The willets are common on the beach and often seen feeding with a flock of tiny sanderlings.  I’ve been surprised that I haven’t seen them every day.  The tiny plover is more uncommon on a crowded beach.  

Shy little Snowy Plover

I promised the kids pancakes for their last morning, with sausage of course. Cooking with gluten-free flour is different and always an experiment to get the texture right.  The pancakes were okay and the kids were happy.

After breakfast there was time for the pool while David packed the car.  A quick lunch of leftover pizza and they they were on their way by noon.

Bill and I spent the afternoon packing for our departure tomorrow.  The wind has been too strong today to enjoy the beach.

Last Sunset Walk:

Sunday, Oct 17

Good-bye Orange Beach.  We hope to see you next year.  We were loaded and out of the condo before 8:30.  We detoured to Joe Patti Seafood to stock up on shrimp - 12 lbs for me and 10 lbs for Kathy. 

Shrimp on ice will make the 2-day trip back home.

We detoured again, taking state route 31 from Flomaton to Evergreen to avoid a construction back-up on I-59.  It was an easy country drive on a good road.  The only travel problems we encountered was very rough patches of Alabama interstate.  We made it to Gadsden by 4:30 and had a restful evening after a tiring day of travel.

Monday, Oct 18

On the road again at 8:30 (9:30 EDT). At Chattanooga we detoured to Hwy 27 and enjoyed that drive - much better than fighting the trucks through Chattanooga and on up I-75.  We got home at 1:15 and soon had both the X-terra and boat unloaded.  Bill always likes to put the boat in the lake to run fresh water through the motor and to wash salt off the bottom and off the trailer.  We had a cool ride up the lake, seeing no significant fall color yet.

Back in home waters

I put 14 bags of shrimp, 3/4 lb each, in the freezer and reserved 1/2 lb to make shrimp and grits for our supper.

Orange Beach, Part 2, Oct 15

Beach Walk Haiku Couplet

Fitness walkers stride
With grim determination,
Purposeful intent.

I meaner with
Joyful determination
And mindful intent. 

Pre-dawn glow

Early morning fishermen

Breakfast is finished,
Dishes are done. Strangely I
find myself alone.

I wasn’t alone for long.  Soon I joined the kids at the beach.  They played hard, but the girls really wanted to go to the pool, so David took them and John, leaving Trisha and Owen in the water and me watching from underneath my umbrella, as usual.  So as not to discriminate or miss any action, I also spent some time at the pool, but there was no shade.  When they decided to go to the indoor pool, I went back to the beach.  I stayed there with Owen after Trisha left until he was ready to go up for lunch.

John later ventured a little further into the water

Bill in his natural habitat

After lunch, our habit has been to spend a couple of hours indoors doing quiet things.  Mid-afternoon, David and Bill set off on another fishing expedition.  Owen and I went to the beach while Trisha tool the other children to the pools.  They sampled all 3 again today, plus the hot tub.  Owen and I stayed out until sunset.  The fishermen did not return until after dark.  No catch today.  One out of 3 trips yielded one redfish, about average.

Enjoying every last ray

Orange Beach, Part 2, Oct 14

Thursday, Oct 14

Solitary Sunrise walk is preparation for a busy day. 

Every sunrise as

Unique as every sunset

As every being.

Baptized in salt spray,

Purified in sunrise glow,

Made Holy, Thanks Be.

 

Soon enough, others began to stir and it was time for breakfast - sausage, eggs and toast.  Owen was eager for the beach, chasing waves and manta rays.  The girls were more interested in playing in the pool.  Everyone got their wish.  After a brief time playing in the sand, David took John and the girls to the pools.  They sampled all three and the hot tub.  Trisha and Owen enjoyed the gentle waves while Bill and I looked on from underneath our umbrellas.  It wasn’t long before the mantas showed up and Owen was on a mission to touch one “in the wild.” He persisted until he succeeded! He touched the swimming ray 4 times!  At one point, he was the star of the beach as onlookers watched, afraid to get in the water.  When he finally touched the ray, the crowd cheered.  I’m sorry I could’t get a picture of that moment.

Mid-afternoon, all the fellows went fishing (including Owen) while the rest of us had some much needed down time.  At 4:30 we went to the docks at Boggy Point to meet Cap. Bill and the mates for a dolphin cruise. They told us about the redfish they (David) caught while fishing in our usual spot in the pass under the bridge.

Redfish of the day and of the week: 33 in / 18 lbs

We rode around for a long time and had almost given up when we finally spotted a small pod of dolphins.  We followed them for a while, catching glimpses now and then.  I think all the children finally saw them.  We pulled out of the water just before sunset, so today’s sunset pictures are from our boat ride.

Orange Beach, Part 2, Oct 13

Wednesday, Oct 13

David and his crew arrived just after midnight and were settled in by 1 am.  Nevertheless, Owen and Allison were awake to see the sunrise.  I had 3 companions on my morning walk, with Amanda joining us, too.  We saw Osprey feeding, a heron on the beach and manta rays in the surf - a joyful start to the day.

I made waffles and sausage again, this time gluten-free for the Whitaker kids and left-over regular for the others.  Laura and Amanda joined the crew on the beach until they had to leave for home before lunch.  The Whitaker crew stayed out and sampled the indoor and outdoor pools before coming in for lunch. 

Mid-afternoon, Bill and David went fishing (no luck) while I took Owen to the beach.  After naps, Trisha brought the other kids down to join us.  Owen rode the waves with his boogie board and even got in with a group of kids doing the same.

We all took a pre-sunset walk to the jetty. Manta Rays made an appearance and one actually swam between Owen and Allison who were no more than 2 feet apart. Owen became fascinated with the idea of toughing a ray in the wild. We ended our perfect beach day with another perfect sunset.

After supper everyone was exhausted, especially Owen and me.  Nevertheless, we spent some time looking through the telescope at a clear half-moon.  We don’t easily get such good views at home.