Flowers and Feathers: November 2025

Saturday, November 15

Today is the funeral service for James (Jim) Anderson at Trinity. I sent a few words that Pastor Barbara will share during the service. Bill and I are in Orange Beach.

We arrived at Phoenix East 2, Unit 2094 on Thursday afternoon. We left home Wednesday at 1 pm after a busy morning and drove as far as Prattville just north of Montgomery. We took the Pensacola route off I-59 so we could stop at Joe Patti's. I stocked up with 3 pounds of shrimp, 16 oz each of crab meat and oysters and a nice red snapper filet. Next stop was lunch at Fisherman's Corner, a favorite cafe in Perdido Key. I had one of their specialities, an amazing fried gumbo salad - fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried clams and fried okra served on a generous bed of lettuce. Their delightful plantation dressing was served on the side. Bill had perfectly fried catfish plate.

We like our 2BR condo, especially the master BR on the beach side. We were soon on the beach with chairs and umbrellas. We went for a walk and stayed for sunset which comes before 5 pm.

For supper, I baked the snapper and added a deconstructed crab cake topping. It was served with pasta and sauted spinach. There was enough fish left from the large filet for Friday's supper.

Friday (Nov 14) was devoted to the beach. After breakfast, we went down for a walk and a couple of hours of beach time. Leftovers from yesterday's lunch for today. Afternoon, repeat the pattern. No fishing, no children, no crowds, no clouds. Just quiet surf and cool sun. Supper was leftover snapper and baked baby potatoes with an appetizer of crawfish dip from Perdido Seafood Market and a few oyster, raw and fried with cocktail sauce. Caesar Salad completed the meal.

Saturday (Nov 15) morning began early with a foggy sunrise as seen from our balcony. I spent a quiet early hour reading. I wanted to preview a new Advent study for our SS class. "Advent in Four Words" is co-authored by four UMC Bishops, including our own Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett and retired Bishop Ken Carder, formerly from East Tennesseee. I think we will like this study and sent a message to our class members about it. Time for reading and reflection is an important aspect of my beach time.

For breakfast, eggs scrambled with crabmeat (again!). What a treat! Seafood at every meal is an important feature of my beach vacation. There is not much to do (thankfully!) other than cook, eat, read, sleep and just be on the beach.

Before going down, I made some crab cake patties to chill. After a couple of blissful hours of beach time, we went up for lunch of crab cake po-boys.

Clear sky, sun, surf and a light breeze called for more afternoon beach time. So far, for each beach session I have enjoyed a walk to the jetty, which is almost 1/2 mile round trip.

Tonight's supper was quite a production starting with Oysters Rockefeller with a twist. I didn't have shells for the traditional presentation and I had only a few oysters left, so in a small baking dish I made a bed of the spinach mixture, nestled the oysters on top and topped with cracker crumbs and parmesan. Baked the the oysters were done. I'll make it like this again! Fried shrimp, leftover baked baby potatoes, and a Caesar salad complete a fabulous meal.

We heard from David today. Their family is having a back yard camp-out this weekend.

Sunday, November 16

I continue to enjoy the quiet mornings with the sound of the surf and mabe a gentle breeze coming through the open balcony door. Fog quickly gave way to clear sunny skies and the breeze picked up significantly. We decided against taking the umbrella and chairs to the beach today because of the wind. Instead, we sat on dry sand for a little while before and after our walk. Getting up and down was not pretty, but we managed. Hopefully, no one was filming! Bill joined me for a walk to the jetty. There we were gifted a visit from a Great Blue Heron and it became my bird of the day. Each day, I have posted a bird photo each day.

Bill suggeted we go to Zeke's Marina for lunch. We have lunched there on almost every trip for many years. The cafe layout was different with most seating under a permanent tent on the dock. I had fried calamari and Bill had a burger. Both were excellent and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Another beach walk and quiet time completed our beach day. Sometime along the way, watching the coming and going of the tide, dolphins, people and birds, a haiku took shape. Sitting or walking, I enjoy the peace of just being one with all creation.

Now I'm beach busy
Watching ebb, flow, creation
In constant motion.

In the condo this morning, I listened to a meaningful conversation between two of my favorite writers/thinkers/historians. Heather Cox Richardson (Letters From an American) shares a progressive take on current eventsfrom a perspective of American History which informs me daily. Diana Butler Bass is a theologian and religious historian (The Cottage) gives a different perspective on the weekly lectionary scriptures which I follow. The conversation was centered around DBB's new book, "A Beautiful Year," a collection of 52 essays following the liturgical calendar. They begin by discussing different perspective on time. https://www.youtube.com/live/JDysBx_wIHc?si=V_HRanxOSMxP2dm2 I recently purchased the book and may use the introduction as my SS lesson this week leading into Advent. I shared the video with Laura, Claire, Amanda and Melanie and got a nice response from Claire. Maybe this will open opportunities for further conversations.

I also dipped into Connie Green's newest book of poetry, "Nameless as the Minnows." Her poems recounting and re-imagining childhood memories and her life on the far are eloquent and evocative, speaking deeply to me.

I am about to give up on reading Jon Meacham's biography of Andrew Jackson. It is interesting, well-written and surprisingly pertinent to today's political atmosphere. However, it is very detailed. The same is true of "1929" by Andrew Ross Sorkin. It is excellent and relevant but very detailed. Non-fiction can be challenging.

Every day has ended with a beautiful glowing orange sunset, the same but different each day. Sunset comes early, before 5 pm.

Tonight's meal was shrimp and crabmeat alfredo over angel hair pasta with a side of petite green peas.