One of Linda's and my favorite places to eat in Fairhope is Master Joe’s. Named for the owner and original chef, Joe Ou, the small restaurant on Section Street is always inviting and friendly. Joe has combined his Japanese training with a few American ingredients to create a wonderful array of palate-pleasing dishes.

By now, most people know or have heard of Ben Raines. He’s made the news a lot, written books, and discovered things like the last slave ship, the Clotilda, and an underwater forest offshore of Gulf Shores.

Not Senior in high school or college. Senior means, we get discounts at stores, Medicare, and our own parking spaces. Makes us sound so feeble and needy, but we absolutely are not. I mean senior as in after 65, wiser, and better.

Winter is a season of extremes. Technically, one more month to go. My mind looks at seasons as activities. There is an order to it. The build-up to Winter comes after Thanksgiving. Mid-December gives us an extreme number of social activities culminating with Christmas Day, then a mindless lull as we close a year and begin anew with New Year's Eve celebrations. Lots of football. Get it while you can. And hunting, a Southern tradition is in full swing.

Bucky’s Birdcage Lounge at the Grand Hotel is the perfect setting to capture the essence of a sunset on Mobile Bay. Surrounded by beautiful ancient live oak trees, warm fire pits, and comfortable outside seating areas, when the sun sets to the west, it feels special every time.

Gabriel Hargett is a native Mobilian but spent most of his growing-up days on Mobile Bay at Point Clear. An avid mountain biker, fisherman, and all-around good guy, Gabriel’s tale has lots of twists and turns but is always forward. It’s an impressive story that just gets better and better every day.

‍On rare occasions, neighbors peer into shallow waters along our Bayfront with shouts of “Jubilee!” Like an Eastern Shore alarm, the excitement from the sight of fresh fish coming ashore spreads word of mouth, prompting Baldwin Countians to “Come, now!” and gather as much wiggly shrimp, fresh crabs or flounder as their coolers can hold. The phenomenon of a free, bountiful catch is one of legend. When I raise the subject with artist Katherine Taylor of Jubilee Flowers, Jubilee Flowers Fairhope – Wedding & Events Florist in Fairhope Alabama Eastern Shore, she laughs.

One of Scenic 98 Coastal’s missions is to raise awareness for the conservation groups that are working hard to preserve and protect our coastal lands and waters. South Alabama Land Trust (SALT) is one of those important organizations. I sat down with Katherine Kuhn, Outreach and Communications Manager for SALT to learn more about what they do.

Health experts say we should eat like a King at Breakfast, a Queen at Lunch, and a Pauper at Dinner. Since I consider myself a Queen, Lunch is my favorite meal of the day for many reasons: it's less expensive than dinner, the portion size is perfect, and you can have a nap afterward (if you are retired) so it's okay to have a glass of wine.

After hearing of a local performing arts studio celebrating its 10th Anniversary, I called to learn more. When I arrived at our scheduled sit-down, I was immediately impressed. Brandon Marcus is an energetic, multi-talented performer that exudes enthusiasm for what he does and the educational performing arts studio he opened ten years ago, The Studio.‍

Golf is the only sport that I know of, where most of the game is spent driving a cart around to find and hit a ball. For me, it’s kind of like a scavenger hunt. These continuous interim periods of driving an open-air vehicle provide all kinds of time for socializing, cocktails, cigars (yuck), and enjoying the great outdoors with beautiful scenery- both manicured (fairways) and wooded (rough). I am naturally drawn to wooded areas.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Rebecca Dunn Bryant and her architectural firm, WATERSHED. The more we visit, the more I learn how we can better plan ways to tie the Scenic 98 Coastal community together. It turns out that WATERSHED is involved in many wonderful projects from Bayou La Batre and Mobile, to the Eastern Shore and Gulf Shores. It’s just remarkable.‍

Last Friday, we picked up our friends, Tony and Sylvia Atchison, and headed to Pensacola for an afternoon of wandering around Palafox Street and an early dinner at Dharma Blue. After poking around Don Alans men’s clothing store, Bubba’s Sweet Shop, and the Bodacious Olive, we proceeded to Dharma Blue, about four blocks away.

I’ve heard a lot about Impact 100 Baldwin County over the years and knew it was a group of women who were collectively making a difference throughout Baldwin County communities.

“Drink with the Goat” is a term you will certainly be familiar with if you grew up around the Scenic 98 Coastal area and ever frequented the iconic saloon that Jack West built on the outskirts of Daphne called Judge Roy Bean Saloon.

I’m pretty partial to Moe’s Original BBQ. I eat there often and have resisted writing about them because I’m biased. But with good reason! It’s a good story and great food every time. Not just one location, but everyone I’ve been to, including Vail, Colorado where it all began.

You may have seen the Chris Francis Tree Care bucket trucks, debris trucks, spider lifts, or other equipment in a neighborhood near you. Whether it’s trimming limbs, total tree removal, installing tree canopy lighting, providing supplemental support, or taking care of your plants’ health every month, as they do for us, you know the job will be done professionally, and the result will be exactly as they promised. It’s a reputation that has been earned since Chris was 12 years old.

Just in time for Mardi Gras, Candice Marley Conner and Julie Allen have teamed up to write and illustrate Mobile’s first Mardi Gras ABCs children’s book, M is for Moon Pie. This is Candice’s third children’s picture book, and the third book for Julie, a professional illustrator.

I recently got on the horn with Bob Lepisto, President of SeaDream Yacht Club, which is based in Miami, Florida. I’ve known Bob for many years and had the pleasure of going on a SeaDream voyage several years ago with eight other couples. We had a blast, and it is still one of the best travel experiences I’ve had in my life.

The Book Cellar at the Page & Palette in Fairhope has become a frequent stop for meeting friends, attending author events, and enjoying live entertainment. It’s casual and cozy with a nice, full bar, TVs for watching sports, comfortable lazy boys just in front of the stage, and plenty of high-top tables to take in whatever they have going on that day or night.

Russell Harbison is a local certified fishmonger. He gladly sells his fresh catches, but his stories are free. Every Wednesday between 12:00 noon and 2:00 PM, he's set up behind Popeye’s in Daphne; the gregarious salesman wears a silver sailor’s whistle around his neck that almost fills his large hand. The significance of the whistle is yet to be determined. Maybe he’s calling for customers, or just letting folks know where he is. Thanks to my knowledgeable friend Paula, I found the salesman “Just call me Russell” Harbison without any trouble.

Retirement is a gift I have earned and intend to enjoy! I have looked forward to retirement for 20 years. Now that I'm here, it has proven to be somewhat of a challenge as well as a blessing.

Nothing connects people to a city like food and drink. Chris Andrews and his wife, Laney own and operate two local food tours, Bienville Bites Food Tour in Mobile and Taste of Fairhope Food Tour in downtown Fairhope. What’s a food tour, you may ask? In this case, they are walking tours to six of the more iconic eateries in Mobile and Fairhope with a dose of history talk thrown in.

With roots in New Orleans on Tulane Avenue, Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Mobile is famous for fine food and exceptional service. With Mardi Gras just around the corner, you can count on a good time, excellent food, and wonderful service that makes every visit to Ruth’s Chris an experience to remember. What a special place to celebrate any occasion!