As an author of 23+ books and contributor to 17 anthologies, I have garnered enjoyment from learning about all kinds of places and people and sharing stories about them with the reading public.

When my sister-in-law was visiting from Maryland, we decided to go on a field trip to the Africatown Heritage House, a museum that houses "Clotilda: The Exhibition" about the survivors and descendants of slaves transported on the Clotilda, the United States last known slave ship, many of whom established Africatown. The exhibit lets visitors share the experience of the journey to and from Africa, bringing stories of the 110 captives, showing artifacts of the burned and sunken shipwreck, and exhibiting how strength, optimism, and resilience created the community of Africatown.

If you’ve driven down Highway 59 through Loxley, Robertsdale, and Foley on the way to the beach, you’ve probably seen Hood’s Home Center. It’s hard to miss the giant colorful rooster guarding the various building supplies, hardscape, and yard swings that front the highway. It looks chaotic but I promise, it’s by design.

Early this year, Laura Stafford, owner and operator of Gourmet Goodies in Daphne, received a call from a man in Pensacola who told her he had eaten one of her homemade Crawfish King Cakes the year before. He was on his way to a party in New Orleans and was wondering if he could swing by and pick one up on his way through town.

If you read our piece about Roger Fritz’s new book, A Luthier's Life, or better yet, if you attended the book release party at the Mobile Art Council’s Gallery @ Room 1927 next to the Saenger Theater, then you might know a bit about what the arts Council does to support the arts community.

The October Newcomers luncheon, held at the James P. Nix Center, was replete with catered, individual charcuterie boards by the relatively new kitchen business called Rouxsters. Newcomer members and their guests listened attentively to the presenter, Fairhope Film Festival’s executive director, Mary Riser, who announced the details of the weekend-long event, being held in several areas around Fairhope November 9-12.

Before you ask retired dentist Dr. Barry Lee Booth a question about veterans, maybe you should know that he himself is a veteran. Dr. Booth is fond of saying, “Every day is Veterans’ Day,” and he is passionately dedicated to promoting and celebrating veterans from all branches of service. To list Booth’s accomplishments regarding what he has done for veterans, all one needs to do is look around the state of Alabama. Beginning with his tour in Vietnam (1966-67) in the Navy attached to the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Marine Corps, much of his life has been dedicated to promoting veterans’ sacrifices in service to our nation.

Linda and I enjoy discovering new places to eat. It's even better with friends who are knowledgeable about different cuisines and are able to recommend various restaurants. In this case, we were at an event in downtown Mobile and took the opportunity to all meet at Slurp Society Ramen Shop where Von’s Restaurant used to be at 69 St. Michael Street.