On Sunday, we went with Bill and Teresa for breakfast at Tacky Jack’s, where I think they use five eggs in their omelettes if the size of my plate is any measure. The food was good, and we had a nice breeze going in the morning hour before Gulf Coast heat set in, but we were all amazed that people were drinking alcohol with their breakfast at 8 am.

Jeff and I went from there to the Gulf Shores church of Christ. There were about 475 people there since it was a holiday weekend. I actually was surprised we hadn’t had more traffic problems with this last hurrah of summer.

The heat hit us hard when we walked out of the church doors, so we went back to the house and sat a while with Granny while Bill and Teresa were fishing at the Pier.

After a nap, we all went to Villagio’s in Orange Beach, a fancier restaurant than any I have visited before. I had the chicken parmesan and felt like I wouldn’t want anything until the next day.

Next, we went to the pier to perhaps see some dolphins or sharks in the distance. Apparently, when the water gets as warm as it was, and the fish move further inland, the larger animals will move in with them. We didn’t see any dolphins or sharks, but there was a bloom of jellyfish floating along with the current, and at least one crab that came near the surface and waved at us. Usually Granny wants to stay home rather than go anywhere. She said it was the first time she had been out on the pier in a long time, and she seemed to enjoy being there with me.

Monday morning, we packed up and visited together until around lunchtime. Granny wanted to stay home while Jeff and I went out with Bill and Teresa, so I said goodbye and tried not to cry in front of her. I’m always afraid it will be the last time I see her, so when she came out and waved from the porch as we drove away, I let the tears go.

Our lunch destination was Panini Pete’s in Fairhope, a place I had seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It was so good, I wrote my first Google review of a restaurant. The decor was very reminiscent of the French Quarter, with pretty wrought iron and greenery that reminded me of the smell at the conservatory at the Opryland Hotel. We all enjoyed the food (I got the turkey panini), and I was really impressed with the service. I didn’t figure they would serve their famous beignets at lunch, but I asked anyway. The waitress apologized and said they sell for breakfast and until they run out at lunch. But then a few minutes later, she came back and told me that because there was a lull, the cook had decided to fry up one batch, and she’d put an order in if I wanted. Jeff and I shared an order, and they were really light and tasty.

We started on our way home at around 2:00, figuring on getting home near 9:00. However, our return trip was when we ran into all the traffic I thought we had missed on Sunday. It was backup after backup the whole way home. We did stop at a Moe’s for supper, so that was good. Finally, at 11:30, we pulled into our driveway, and I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.