You might say, Mark Hatchett, owner of the Dees Pecan Company in Grand Bay, Alabama, is a little nutty over pecans. If indeed he is a nut, Hatchett’s a healthy one. The former Auburn University baseball player is a sharp, youthful 70-year-old. Must be all of that pecan oil, filled with antioxidants and vitamin D. Like his mentor and friend Clarence Bishop, age 90, of Fairhope’s B&B Pecan Company. Hatchett knows what it takes to survive during trying seasons.

It's 12:45 pm on a Monday and my business associate and I are hungry. We have no idea what’s open in the Fish River area of Scenic 98 Coastal on this day and time. Often, on my way to the beach, I had passed a little cafe on Highway 98 called Boggy’s but had never stopped to explore. We found them open on a Monday! We were in luck!

My Daddy would occasionally treat us boys to Sleepy’s Barbeque in our little town of Evergreen, Alabama. Mr. Lum Parker was seated, drinking coffee, every time we went in. Mr. Lum didn’t own Sleepy’s, but he was always there. He held forth with other customers on a breadth of subjects as he was an expert on local intrigue. Mr. Lum easily transitioned to talk of hunting, fishing, religion, timber, Gunsmoke, and tire re-capping. He reserved special venom for communists. People knew not to get him started on communism.

Many moons ago, after a significant family event, I found myself taking our small Stauter-built boat down to Seacliff on Mobile Bay to gather some local clay in a bucket. I proceeded home to sit on the wharf and work the clay to soften and get the pebbles out. It was almost July 4th, and as I was kneading the clay, I was inspired to sculpt the Statue of Liberty from memory. What I found is that sculpting is amazingly therapeutic. It was just what I needed, and I have deeply appreciated the benefits of sculpting ever since.

It was a glorious Wednesday last week when Linda and I decided it would be a good idea to take some old friends and newly minted Fairhopians on a day trip to Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We have been several times, but this was their first encounter. They were blown away!

It was a gorgeous day for a road trip to Ocean Springs and we made the most of it beginning with lunch at Maison de Lu Restaurant and Bar. We had to dive right in with “Best in State” bloody marys. A pretty confident claim to fame and it delivered! The goat cheese tart would have been plenty, but we did not stop there. Pieces of warm pita scooped up the goat cheese with a pesto base and sun-dried tomatoes floating on top.

Anna Cowart has always loved to cook. She grew up cooking with her dad, Mark Ryan and through him, she learned how to blend ingredients for sauces, what foods work well together, and how to season and cook meats. Her “real” job is that of a speech therapist at Springhill Memorial Hospital by day and she is a chef by night, who offers customized menus and wine pairings for private dinner parties in clients' homes.

Michelle Prouty, the owner of Corner Copia Garden Center, wears a t-shirt that says “Plant People” when she sits down to talk with us in the beautiful courtyard of her garden center at the corner of Highway and US 98. Her passion for plants and the business she created is evident because the dream of “doing what you love“ is now a reality for her.