Double Barrel Post

WHEN? Sunday · March 17

WHERE? Fairhope, Alabama · find us on the map

We missed this event our first year here in 2008 and last year in 2012, but have attended every other year we've lived in South Baldwin County. It offers over 200 exhibitors from across the nation. Live entertainment is included, along with many booths offering food and refreshment. All of this takes place on the streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope.

Admission is free to the festival, and the only expense for us was two dollars each way from the Piggly Wigley parking lot on BRATS (Baldwin County Area Transportation System), plus our food and drink at the festival itself. A person could spend lots of $$$ on many interesting and unusual items and some great art, but we curbed our appetite for spending.

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About David Tate, the artist who painted this years artwork:

We wanted you to know about the artist who painted this year's artwork because David Tate is originally from Mississippi.

The Planning Committee for the 61st Annual Arts & Crafts Festival has selected the official artwork to be printed on festival posters and T-shirts. The artwork was created by local artist David Tate and features the most popular site and destination in Fairhope, the Fairhope Municipal Pier and rose garden. The impressionistic acrylic painting is bright and colorful and is a scene depicting the view of the pier from the Henry George Park on the bluff.

Tate’s work was chosen after a year of research by the committee to pick just the right work of art for the popular festival that brings an estimated 350,000 people to the downtown area for the three-day Eastern Shore Chamber event, which takes place March 15, 16 & 17.

"The moment I saw David’s work I knew that I wanted him to be this year’s festival artist,” said Debbie Floyd, festival chairman. “His paintings exhibit the calm and restful nature that exemplifies this wonderful little town called Fairhope. When I look at our poster, I can feel myself standing on the bluff with a summer breeze blowing through the trees. I hope everyone who sees it feels the same way."

“That is my favorite view,” said Tate. “I enjoy the sun sets and listening to the Baldwin Pops perform there.”

A native of Columbus, Miss., Tate and his wife, Rhonda moved to Fairhope in 2003. The couple has been married for 42 years, and they have two grown children and one grandchild. Tate did not pursue a career as an artist until retiring from the retail industry, moving to Fairhope and finally taking art classes locally. Although he knew at a young age he could draw, the inspiration developed upon moving to the haven for artists.

Tate said he spends many hours every day painting and has found his niche. His works are exhibited at the Fairhope Artists Gallery, "The moment I saw David’s work I knew that I wanted him to be this year’s festival artist,” said Debbie Floyd, festival chairman. “His paintings exhibit the calm and restful nature that exemplifies this wonderful little town called Fairhope. When I look at our poster, I can feel myself standing on the bluff with a summer breeze blowing through the trees. I hope everyone who sees it feels the same way."

“I’m excited about having my work selected for the official artwork this year,” said Tate. “It makes me feel good any time someone is interested in my work.” During last year’s festival Tate said he sold more than a dozen paintings. He will once again have new works on display during this year’s festival inside the Fairhope Artist Gallery, 18 S Section St Fairhope, AL 36532, (251) 990-8763.

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Here's a very sentimental video that says much about the town of Fairhope.
Fairhope Song Video

The weather was beautiful and since it was St. Patrick's Day, there were many activities vying for attention and participation.

We left the festival in a mood to continue enjoying ourselves and stopped at Magnolia River Bar and Grill in Magnolia Springs before returning home.

Here's some photos from the day's activities Luck of the Irish

The Niña & Pinta replicas at Lulu's Marina

The Niña & Pinta replicas have been open for tours at LuLu's Marina. Today is the the last day because the ships leave early Monday.

For those who have lived in the Gulf Coast area (Gulf Shores, Alabama), the same opportunity presented itself a few years ago.

Since I like history, and this is just a bit like stepping back to the time when some have reported Columbus discovered America while he was trying to find a western route to India, it is neat.

We both struggled to take some photos that were worth viewing. Pretty sure WDS took the one above. You can see our other efforts at: The Niña & Pinta replicas open for tours at LuLu's Marina

Here's a website that explains what this is and the 6-minute video from Iowa is very good.
Discover Columbus' Ships

Last Friday the TV weather man told us that the average temperature during November had been 3 degrees below normal. I’m not surprised since we had a few mornings where the lows were in the mid to high 30’s and highs only in the mid 50’s. I’m happy to see that things have changed during the first few days of December.

The past two days the highs have been in the low 70’s and the predicted high for today is 76° with lots of sunshine. Just the way it should be down here in Lower South Alabama. /wds

Fourth Annual Oyster Cookoff

WHEN? Saturday · November 5

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama

We attended last year's Oyster Cookoff at The Hangout ,but the milder temperatures this year made it more enjoyable.

We knew the "lay of the land" which was about the same as it was last year outside The Hangout in the Beer Garden with teams set up in booths cooking oysters to vie for honors with judges. When we arrived, we found some friends at about the same table in the garden. An event for entertaining all ages, it was a good chance to "people watch."

The three categories for the competition were: Oyster Rockefeller, Cajun Oysters, and Chief's Choice Raw. I had a couple of the first two categories but left before the final competition began. Recorded music was played until around 1:45 when The Rantmakers, a band from Nashville, Tennessee, began performing live on the stage. They were very good. I had hoped to show you a video of one of their songs, but I did not punch the right buttons on my camera. I did manage to get a photo of one of the band member's bare feet, which was sort of like Jimmy Buffett's concerts. I love anything that laidback and could not resist including such a photo.

Check out our photos on Flickr at:

Fourth Annual Oyster Cookoff at The Hangout

40th Annual Shrimp Festival

WHEN? Thursday - Sunday · October 13-16

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

WHY? 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival

This blog post must begin with our disappointment in this year's festival. It has to do with economics. We are retired and on a fixed income. With the price of everything going up, we will probably not attend anymore Shrimp Festivals.

It sounds good that there is no admission to the event, but the best way to attend is to catch a shuttle, so we parked in Bruno's parking lot in Gulf Shores. Then, our first surprise came. The price was $2 a person; last year it was $1 a person.

We had specifically arrived near lunch time to seek out the same meal we had eaten last year. We did not really find it, but one booth had what they called a Paella Dinner for $15 (for one person). Last year a similar meal that was better than this one was $8. We shared the one meal while listening to J.B. Melody on the East Stage.

Anything we saw to possibly purchase had higher prices. One jewelry booth told me they were paying more for what they were selling. So that is what it is about -- inflationary prices across the board.

To see the few photos we took, visit 40th Shrimp Festival of 2009 on Flickr.

As we write this, three more days are left to attend this annual festival in Gulf Shores.

Weather Report on TS Lee

WHEN? Monday · September 5

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

WHY? Winds and rain from Tropical Storm Lee

Tropical Storm Lee has definitely made itself know in the panhandle area and beyond with strong winds and lots of rain. We mainly checked out this on the line at Alabama and Florida.

Yes, we're fully aware we are idiot storm chasers, and we're old enough to know better.

Our sense of adventure and goofiness have shown their face before. We thought we could get some videos and photos to show what TS Lee caused, so we kept driving eastward on the beach road, even when there were times when it was partially covered with sand. We went beyond Gulf State Park and stopped to go out on a boardwalk we had gone to the end of during Hurricane Ike in 2008. Were we surprised to find it was not something we could do when we came to a wall of sand.

If you have never been out on the beach when winds are this high, let us tell you it hurts everywhere your skin is exposed. We were very thankful we both had on eye glasses to protect our eyes. The sand made it's way into our pockets and just about everywhere else. Maybe it was worth it to catch the photos and videos we took on Labor Day of 2011.

The show was actually viewable from the road because the waves were so high.

I have already looked at the videos we took, and I'm not sure they show what we saw.

We actually went inside of the Flora-Bama, and they have made lots of progress in their building since we were there last. The upper level is set up so people there can look down on the stage from three sides, where it used to be a very short balcony on the south side.

It would only be a guess if I tried to tell you about the erosion caused by this storm. Buildings probably made it okay, but I was feeling sorry for anyone who reserved a condo or beach house for the Labor Day Weekend. Their vacation was pretty much shot.

See our photos on flickr:
Wind and Waves from Tropical Storm Lee.

We took several videos to try to let you know what the experience of the winds and rains were like as Tropical Storm Lee came through Lower Alabama.



This video probably best shows particularly how big the waves were:

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We spent the rest of our Labor Day at Magnolia River Bar & Grill in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, inside out of the rain and wind and enjoying good friends, music and spirits.

Gulf State Park Pier

Did you know the Gulf State Park Pier is the longest pier in the Gulf of Mexico? We didn't until we visited it today.

Not only do we know more about the pier than we did before we visited, but there were several surprises.
• the pier has a nice, large parking lot
• no charge is required for visiting the entrance-first platform of the pier
• many varieties of salt water fish may be caught from the pier
• many people were using the beach area by the pier
• emerald green water was on display at this location on Saturday

Once we paid our $2 each to sightsee on the remainder of the pier, that was very interesting and educational itself. Those that were fishing had paid $8 a person, plus they also had to have Salt Water Fishing Licenses, which are sold at the first platform area.

I was pleased to see there was a small shaded area on the pier where one could fish.

Perhaps you will want to visit the pier also after viewing our photos and videos:
Gulf State Park Pier

Mississippi Gulf Coast

On a very brief trip over to parts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we wanted to share some of our experiences and photos from mostly the return trip to Alabama today.

We took care of some business in Waveland, Mississippi. Actually, I’d say the first part of the visit was more like a mission trip that was accomplished because it was not impossible. Then the last part was visiting with old-time friends.

On Monday, we took Interstate 10 into Gulfport to shop at Best Buy. As we speeded up to enter the interstate, I notice a stone sign about the Katrina High Water Mark. I did not get a photo and did not find one by searching the internet, but I do believe this article on July 22, 2011, is about the sign: Bay wants to ‘camouflage’ storm markers

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We chose to come back a little longer route by heading south to get on Highway 90 and then drive along the world’s longest man-made beach. That’s the trivia WDS seemed to know, and I’m taking his word for it.

Parts of the drive home were a little depressing because there were still signs of damage from where Hurricane Katrina destroyed areas which were empty of residences and businesses. However, much had been built back. Also the weather was great as compared with the very hard rains we drove in coming over.

We divided the photos into two parts. The first album is:
Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The two last photos were taken in Mobile, Alabama, where we stopped for a late lunch.

Gulf Islands National Seashore encompasses territory in both Florida and Mississippi, and is therefore separated into two districts. The Mississippi District includes Davis Bayou, and may be reached in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which we traveled through today on the way back to Alabama.

We enjoyed visiting their Visitors Center and boardwalks and seemed to have the place to ourselves except for one small skink we encountered on the boardwalk just behind the Visitors Center. Our photos from the visit may be seen at:
Davis Bayou ~ Gulf Islands National Seashore.

We have no photos to show we drove through a nice old fashioned downtown in Ocean Springs that we hope to return to and just walk around there. Somewhere in the same area is the Walter Anderson Museum of Art we hope to visit on another trip.

Kitty's Kafe

WHEN? Friday · July 1

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama

We have been hearing good reports on Kitty's Kafe ever since it opened. It takes a little searching it out because it is not right on one of the main drags. Keep your eyes peeled for the Pelican Place shopping center located at 3800 Gulf Shores Parkway (Alabama 59) where it intersects with Cotton Creek Drive (County Road 4) . The restaurant is located in Suite 100 south of Target. Their phone number is 251-948-5233.

Perhaps word came to us because two of our friends work there as cooks. We still haven't met the owner, Kitty, but that's okay. This is a place we'll return to fairly often because the food is moderately priced and good, and the service is fast and efficient. Today was our second time to dine here at lunch.

I love murals, so I snapped the two in the dining room. I understand from reading some reviews of the place that they have them in the restrooms as well. WDS took the photo of the specials menu.

You might want to click on Kitty's Kafe on Facebook for more information.

We are not really food critics or reviewers as such, but we both know what we like. This place definitely gets the thumbs up.

7th Annual Balloon Festival

WHERE? Foley, Alabama · find us on the map

As I discovered from talking with my Flickr friend, Brody, not all hot air balloon festivals are equal or the same. We waited quite a long time today before any balloons showed up. If you had seen the dark storm clouds in the sky, you would not have wondered why. For awhile, we thought they would not show up at all. And, when they did, the sun still was not getting though on a regular basis, so not many photos of them were worth keeping.

See our photos on flickr:

Balloon Festival 2011

To see some really professional photos taken on various days of the festival, see Brody J's photos on flickr:

Foley Balloon Fest 2011

The website for the festival is very informative, and we encourage you to visit it not only for information about this year's festival but also some facts about upcoming balloon festivals.

Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival

Blue Angels at Devils Tower Revisited

Recently we have been reminded a couple of times about the Blue Angels visiting Devils Tower while we were there in 2007 as volunteers.

While we dined on the prime rib at American Legion Post 44 in Gulf Shores, Alabama last night, we noticed the above photo on the wall near our table.

Here's someone else's video taken of this awesome event.

Our previous blog posts about this amazing flight demonstration squadron may be read at:

• Angels above
• Pensacola Air Show
• Second Visit To Pensacola Air Show

59th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival

WHEN? Sunday · March 20

WHERE? Fairhope, Alabama · find us on the map

We missed this event our first year here in 2008, but have attended each year since. It offers over 200 exhibitors from across the nation. Live entertainment is included, along with many booths offering food and refreshment. All of this takes place on the streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope.

Official Artwork by Karen Faire

Admission is free to the festival, and the only expense for us was a dollar each way from the Bruno's parking lot on BRATS (Baldwin County Area Transportation System), plus our food and drink at the festival itself. A person could spend lots of $$$ on many interesting and unusual items and some great art, but we curbed our appetite for spending.

We discovered the back entrance to The Pub when we followed our noses where barbequed pork and chicken were being cooked outside the place. We had the pork, baked beans and potato salad for $8 a plate and a very welcomed seat at their outdoor patio bar – about $25 total, tip and all.

We chose Saturday again to attend this year, so as I'm posting this, things are underway for its third and final day. We encourage anyone reading this today to get on out and take in what is offered in downtown Fairhope.

We left the festival in a mood to continue enjoying ourselves and stopped at Magnolia River Bar and Grill in Magnolia Springs before we returning home. That night was a much talked about special full moon, so our photos for the day ended on that note.

Here's the assortment of photos we have to share with you from yesterday.

Couldn't resist adding this video to the post after it was already up. I do hope this festival always has the wonderful weather they enjoyed in 2011.

59th Annual Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival - Awards

Pub Crawling on St. Patrick's Day

WHEN? Thursday· March 17

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

We got in on our first pub crawl ever thanks to some friends who requested transportation to Papa Rocco's in Gulf Shores where the Gulf Shores Pub Crawl began. The pubs included were Mudbugs, Gulf Shores Steamer, Desoto’s, The Hangout, Pink Pony, Gulf Island Grille, Ribs ‘N Reds and Mikee’s. We must confess that we did not make the last three pubs. Instead, we began our walk back to Papa Rocco's, where our car was parked. At that point, our friends' ride home had arrived and we were pooped. We stopped along the way at The Shrimp Basket for sitting down and resting as much as for the Shrimp Po-Boys.

We had been told that Denny and Billy were playing at the Elberta VFW, so we felt rested enough to take in another St. Patrick's celebration there, where not only was there holiday entertainment with songs like My Wild Irish Rose and Danny Boy, they were also serving a plate of traditional corned beef and cabbage for a mere three bucks. We could not partake because of our Shrimp Basket lunch less than a hour before, but those who did proclaimed it was delicious.

To fill in on the pubs we missed in Gulf Shores, we stopped at Kelsey's in Foley and Magnolia River Bar and Grill in Magnolia Springs before returning home happily exhausted. It was a beautiful day for the all-day celebrations.

Three years ago, the Orange Beach Pub Crawl was begun at The Wharf, and includes Rafters, Shucker’s, Rum Runners, Guy Harvey, the Cigar Bar and Live Bait. A really young, ambitious partier might be able to make both, since theirs doesn't start until noon. The fact is, their times do overlap because the Gulf Shores Pub Crawl doesn't return to Papa Rocco's until early afternoon.

See more of our photos on Flickr
St. Patrick's Day 2011

Mardi Gras Celebrations

WHEN? During Mardi Gras

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

We took in two Mardi Gras celebrations as Mardi Gras was rapidly coming to a close: A party at Magnolia River Bar & Grill in Magnolia Springs, and the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade on Fat Tuesday, March 8. After the parade, we stopped by MRBG and found two of the people who had walked in the Gulf Shores parade and took a few photos there.

Photos may be viewed in two sets on Flickr at:

• Mardi Gras Party @ MRBG
• Fat Tuesday 2011

Third Annual Oyster Cookoff

WHEN? Saturday · November 13

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama

We had heard about the Oyster Cookoff at The Hangout last year, but it may have been after it had already taken place. This is not to be confused with the Oyster Fest in Bon Secour, which we did attended last year.

Anyway, if it had not been for a phone call from Diane Saturday morning, we would have missed this one, too.

This was actually the first time we had really participated in any event at The Hangout, located at the "T" intersection of Highway 59 and Beach Boulevard. It is set up for entertaining all ages with it's own sand mountain with a tunnel running through it for youngsters to romp and play on. The outside Beer Garden was where teams were set up in booths cooking oysters to vie for some kind of honors with judges and all. For us it was just a chance to get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather while "people-watching."

The three categories for the competition were: Oyster Rockefeller, Cajun Oysters, and Chief's Choice Raw. I had a couple of the first two categories and one raw one, which was served in a tiny martini glass. Meanwhile, "Bust" was entertaining us with their music on the outdoor stage.

If Diane had not told me about the gift shop inside The Hangout, I would have missed a special collection of trolls on their wall there. During the craze, just about everyone had at least one troll. Of course, all one needs to have of anything is two, and you have a collection.

Only the burning rays of the sun caused us to leave when we did, but visiting with friends in such perfect weather can't be beat.

Check out our photos on Flickr at:

Third Annual Oyster Cookoff at Hangout

Short Trip To Destin

WHEN? Tuesday-Friday · Oct 26 ~ 29

WHERE? Destin, Florida



We were very excited about the opportunity to stay right on the beach at Sun Destin Beach Resort and Hotel located at 1040 Highway 98 East (Emerald Isle Parkway) in Destin, Florida.

We did not go over exactly the route we had planned because we made a wrong turn somewhere and wound up on I-10 and traveled even further on it than we realized, and this had us arriving in the parking lot of Sun Destin about the same time as our host friend, who drove all the way from Jackson, Mississippi.

Once checked in, we immediately went to the beach balcony side of the condo and soaked up beautiful beach and the waves rolling in. It's not hard to see why they call it the Emerald Isle. The water is a beautiful green hue. Rather than trying to describe this beach resort hotel, the video below will give you a very good idea of what it is like.


While we were there, the weather was pleasantly warm with a good bit of sunshine with lower temperatures and high wind only arriving the night before we were checking out.

We visited with a few snowbirds in the condo bar and sort of envied them being there for several weeks or months rather than a few days, but we really were happy to head on back to Lower Alabama anyway because we still enjoy the many friends we have made there.

There's a great outlet mall there that we visited and even made it back over to Fort Walton on Thursday to check out a special Halloween Costumes shop. Can you believe this? Some of the costumes there cost $150! We wound up at Wal-Mart for our costumes :)

We had shrimp twice in one day. First we had Shrimp Po-Boys at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch and then we purchased fresh shrimp at Sexton's for delish Shrimp Pasta cooked in the condo.

We looked up the Fisherman's Wharf for an early lunch on Thursday. It's a place we visited many, many years ago when we had small children and have visited one other time when we were on one of our Orange Beach vacations. We had the special for that day priced around $8 for two steak patties smothered in onions and gravy and mashed potatoes and gravy. A soft drink was included.

Our photos from the trip may be seen on Flickr at: Trip to SunDestin in Destin, Florida. It is possible more will be added as we had two disposable cameras we were snapping pictures with as well, which we'll pick up at Wal-Mart on Thursday.

On our way back to Alabama on Friday, we got lost in Pensacola. This has happened to us more than once there. This time we wound up going through the Penscola Naval Air Station and on via Pedido Key and the Perdido Sun (a condo we stayed in many years ago).

Probably no one has had a love affair like we have with the beaches and areas on the Coast. We've camped in a tent on Dauphin Island as well as stayed in the Holiday Inn there before it was blown away by some hurricane. We've also stay in cabins right on the beach on Santa Rosa Island. Somewhere along the way we discovered Orange Beach and came there many times -- sometimes in groups or with family staying at Seaside Beach and Rachet Club and other times at Sunswept when there was just the two of us. Sunswept has the distinction of having its on traffic light.

You didn't know you were going to get a commercial for the entire Gulf Coast, did you? Actually, the Mississippi Gulf Coast attracts many people as well -- partly because of the gambling casinos, but events like Cruising the Coast bring many people there to see and be seen in their vintage vehicles. We've enjoyed that a couple of times. I must admit that I missed out on the "gambling gene," but we've still enjoyed a trip with a group of friends on a Halloween weekend.

Garden Party

This Garden Party began at the beach. It was the first time we attended a beach wedding, and we liked it alot.

But, we're getting ahead of where this began. Well, we really don't know where it all began, but we're thinking from what we've heard that it began in Georgia a long time ago, and it culminated in their marriage and celebration today.

Like the "Garden Party" by Ricky Nelson, and the story it tells, it appeared to us that the bride and groom accomplished what the song tells us with its message of "you can't please everyone -- gotta please yourself," and had the kind of wedding on the the beach they planned together. As far as we could tell, everyone there enjoyed every minute of it from the beginning all the way through the reception.

The wedding itself was blessed with very nice weather for an outdoor event, but their Plan B involved the pavilion at Gulf State Park had God not arranged such heavenly weather.

As we were leaving the beach after the wedding to go to the Foley American Legion for the reception, we spoke with two nice ladies who had driven from Georgia to attend this happy event. Since they did not know the way to the place of the reception, they followed us.

A few people were at the reception who did not attend the wedding, but the friends and family we had seen on the beach filled the hall with quite a celebration afterward, with a buffet brimming with many delicious foods and music for entertainment and dancing.

One of the earlier songs played by Billy Pelletier at the reception gave us the title for this post. We always have to preface one of our amateur videos with the fact that they are all non-award winning videos and add that perhaps, as they say, they are only a little better than nothing. Here's a link to GARDEN PARTY - BILLY PELLETIER.

Kevin and Lynda did their dance together at the reception to Brad Paisley's "Then," which is very appropriate because of the story it tells with reoccuring words:

Now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world...

We look forward to seeing their wedding photos. Like many others, we snapped a few of our own and even took some very amateurish videos, but we can imagine them looking at these and laughing at them. Just to give you a feel for the enjoyable, relaxed atmosphere of the beach wedding, here's a few photos on Flicker we have to share:
Our First Beach Wedding

Karaoke PLUS @ MRBG

Karaoke PLUS happens each Sunday afternoon at Magnolia River Bar and Grill in Magnolia Springs, Alabama. Denny Grisham and Billy Pelletier do a good job of entertaining with more than Karaoke. They both sing, and Billy performs on the guitar and harmonica -- have even seen him play the saw a couple of times. MRBG is at 14984 US Hwy. 98, Magnolia Springs, AL, 251/965-6801. Hopped up and recorded this video after the song was already underway when I realized it was Buffett's 1974 hit “Come Monday.”

You can view this amateur video on YouTube at:

COME MONDAY – BILLY PELLETIER

A video filmed at MRBG on another Sunday afternoon that included both Denny and Billy can be seen at:

ALL THESE THINGS

Choir Concert at Marlow Church

The flyer above tells it all. The vacation came to us today in three large buses required to transport the choir and their chaperons. Yes, when the young people comprising the choir have completed the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, chaperons are necessary, and we were so happy to have them all with their talent to entertain and inspire us.

We noted they were taping the performance as well as taking photos, and we do hope they have some of both that we can purchase to enjoy and inspire us whenever.

The Sonshine Choir was a treat deluxe!

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When I visited the Brentwood United Methodist Church website, I was surprised to learn this church is one of five others chosen to have a concert by Libera, a boys choir from England, on their Summer 2010 Tour in the United States.

This made me want to move the vacation to Brentwood on August 4. The places the choir will perform while in the United States are:
August 1st ~ Dallas, Texas
August 2nd ~ Fort Worth, Texas
August 5th ~ St. Louis, Missouri
August 4th ~ Brentwood, Tennessee
August 10th ~ Atlanta, Georgia

We first learned about Libera in November of last year when a friend shared a video by the choir, and I blogged about it on LIVING...MAEDEANS STYLE Blog at that time with a title of simply Libera.

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After posting this, I found a YouTube video of this choir which I have added.

Jimmy Buffett Concert for the Gulf

WHEN? Sunday · July 11

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

WHY? "Jimmy Buffett and Friends" concert

"It's Five O'clock Somewhere" has become one of my favorite phrases, so it is only natural that after all this time of having my favorite performers, I finally really discovered Jimmy Buffett. I think I read somewhere that five o'clock was when the live performance at Gulf Shores today really got underway. And, it was definitely the time to have the typical beach atmosphere kick in and the crowds at the beach for the live concert to move into high gear.

For many of the concert-goers, today was an all-day affair with the first shuttles arriving at the concert site around 11:00 AM. It is good that many people parked quite some distance from the site, roughly located between Lifeguard Station #3 and #5. Since I wasn't there, I'm really guessing, but the 90-minute concert I viewed on CMT showed enough of this beach we have frequented for me to make a somewhat educated guess.

Since the Mobile Press-Register reporters and photographers were at the concert, let me refer you to Lawrence F. Specker's article they had online:

Jimmy Buffett brings joy: Son of a son of a sailor returns to Gulf Coast to promote tourism 7/12/2010

The above article mentioned several details I did not know, such as remembering the concert's other performers, but I will assure you Jimmy Buffett was on stage the entire 90 minutes of the CMT performance.

Buffett let several others take turns in the spotlight: Mobile native Will Kimbrough, Mississippi songwriter Jesse Winchester and New Orleans composer/songwriter Allen Toussaint.

He also made a point of dedicating "Come Monday" to Mobilian Milton Brown, who "kind of discovered me, all those years ago."

After a short break, what we didn’t see on the 90-minute televised portion was a 40-minute second set that focused less on Buffett's own music. Selections included Kimbrough's "Piece of Work"; "Southern Cross", a song made famous by Crosby, Stills and Nash; and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl", his last tune of the night.

Speaking of last tunes, I encourage you to sit back and enjoy Buffett's final televised performance of the evening. Superb!

When The Coast Is Clear

www.cmt.com/videos/misc/536045/When-The-Coast-Is-Clear.jhtml

• I really like this video because I think it has some very infectious elements to it that may infect you, like it did me, with the kind of music and performance he gives his many fans, referred to as Parrotheads.

  One Particular Harbour (Live from Anguilla)
  
  

• Since Alan Jackson was unable to perform at last night's concert because it was postponed from July 1st, I have included Alan Jackson: It's Five O'Clock Somewhere (with Jimmy Buffett)