Friday evening, July 12, 2024, Apalachicola, Florida
Traveling mercies, we had a safe drive from Harbour Village to the Water Street Hotel here in Apalachicola. arriving before check in Time so did other things Friday morning. My cell phone changed from Central to Eastern Time a few minutes and a couple miles after we crossed from Mexico Beach in Bay County to is it Beacon Beach? in Gulf County.
Linda shopped at River Lily and I stopped by 13 Mile Seafood Market on Water Street, which doesn't even hold a candle to Tarpon Dock Seafood, so I may not buy any seafood either to eat here or to take home even though I brought the ice chest. There was a day and year when I had a friend and former parishioner in the seafood business here, from whom I could buy a gallon bucket of oysters packed to the brim, but she will have died decades ago.
Having read 13 Mile's website I meant to buy some mullet to take home, and to buy some shrimp steamed in their steamer for us to eat for Friday supper, but was told courteously and apologetically that they no longer have the steamer and that they don't have mullet anymore, as commercial fishermen don't fish for mullet because it's doesn't pay; and with further apologies that the man who did their website for them died some years ago and they don't know how to change and update the website! I may go back and buy some of their crabmeat though, she had a good story about why it's so good and special.
We went to Half Shell Dockside Restaurant at Scipio Creek Marina for Friday dinner (our dinner is at mid-day, supper is early evening). I had two dozen raw half-shell oysters farmed locally at Indian Pass, the Lagoon. Have had them before and they're first class, don't know what other local restaurants serve them, in fact the pints of oysters at 13 Mile are Louisiana oysters, which are fine but as a lifetime lover of Apalachicola I like the idea of eating oysters grown here.
And I do mean lifetime, I first came here with my father in the 1940s in his seafood business just after World War Two, we'd stop in at Trinity Church, he bought shrimp and oysters for his business; I came to Apalachicola as a teenager going to church camp summers; and Linda, Tass and I lived here fourteen years 1984 through 1998 when I was the priest at Trinity Church, Linda was the floral artist for the church altar flowers, and Tass was growing up in the local community and school system. My only problems with Apalachicola are that it competes with St Andrews for my heart, and that when I'm here I always end up having to leave.
Rambling again, Mister Bubba.
After dinner we spent a couple hours riding around Apalachicola on the south side of Avenue E (Highway 98), from the river to the Red Top Cafe, which is the entire town. We didn't venture across Avenue E this Time. Trying to spot and ID homes where friends and parishioners lived the years we were here.
When the phone call came that our room was ready for check in, we stopped on the way to visit Apalachicola Chocolate Company's bakery counter for forbidden sweets to bring to our hotel room - - two slices coconut cream pie, two raspberry cheese danishes, two strawberry cheese danishes, two cinnamon buns, and one pecan praline bun.
This hotel has full apartments, apparently the place was originally to be condos, so each unit (and we've stayed in most of them over the years) has the great room with kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms. The hotel office lobby has a table with help-yourself pods of coffee, so we're all set.
After a late afternoon lie-down to rest up, I had coffee and a long sit outside on the screen porch overlooking Scipio Creek, Apalachicola River, Apalachiccola Bay, and across to Magnolia Bluff in Eastpoint five miles yonder over the bullrushes and water.
For supper I had a light lettuce and tomato salad with Russian dressing, and a glass of ice water, but will seriously ravish the bakery sweets in the morning with my coffee as I sit out on the porch again.
Saturday about nine o'clock a.m. we're going down the street to check out the Apalachicola Farmers' Market (every second and fourth Saturday), then Kristen is due to arrive late morning, when the plan is to drive over to St George island for noon dinner at Blue Parrot, which is right on the Gulf. My favorites at the Blue Parrot are two dozen half-shell cold ones again, and the Blue Parrot seafood platter of grouper, shrimp, oysters, sea scallops and a crab cake. The menu says "it's seafood city, baby!" and I like mine fried.
POD for Sunday is breakfast, go to Trinity Church for their 10:30 service, then either drive straight home or stay for one more meal, Sunday dinner. Depends on depends.
Saturday evening and Life Is Good.
In Pensacola, the Rahns watched the U S Navy's Blue Angels today.
RSF&PTL
T88&c
no, apparently it's Beacon Hill