Happy Easter

Wishing all our blog readers a Happy Easter.  This picture was taken of a handmade wreath at the German Sausage Festival in Elberta, AL where we went today.  

Following I-98 from Foley, Elberta is the next town toward Pensacola, so not a long drive from our campground. I had found a note about this biannual festival in the visitors’ guide and reading that they usually do about 6,000 pounds of smoked German sausage on the grill, we just had to go there.

No knowing what to expect we got there at 10 a.m. and opted to pay the $5 parking fee for a spot in a nearby municipal parking area, as all the streets around the fair grounds were already chock full of parked cars. 

The doxies had come with us so I left them with Benno in the air-conditioned truck to scout the place out. We had thought to beat the crowds by being early, but several hundred people were already milling around the rows of booths. There was the aroma of barbecued sausage wafting about and thick smoke billowed from the exhausts on top of the food building. 

My guess is that there were maybe 200 exhibitors with handcrafts, jewelry, homemade clothing, honey, local cheese and many unusual art items. I took lots of pictures but will include only some for you to see.

At 11 a.m. I stood in line to purchase a couple of the famous German sausages that came with sauerkraut on a bun.  There were 8 lineups to the open windows in the building where the sausages were being sold and handed out. The queues were growing by the minute and I could only guess what the lengths would be at lunchtime and that guess was 150 ft. each lineup.  When it finally was my turn at the window I was asked ten bucks for two, but it’s a fund-raiser price for the local volunteer fire department and town, and seeing everyone happily taking away their nicely wrapped up packages, I also made my contribution.  

Back at the truck Benno had been patiently waiting for my return and I rewarded him with that nice German Bratwurst.  It was delicious we both agreed and I would purchase it again.  We then went back to the fairgrounds. It was Benno’s turn to wander around. The dogs and I went to the park next to the beer tent where there were shady areas where they could walk around without being stepped on.  

Once we had seen everything and the fair ground became dense with people it was time to leave. In the past this one-day event had over 20,000 visitors attend and today would probably be very similar.  There were miles of cars backed up all in line to get to the German Sausage festival as we were driving down the highway. I am glad we had gone.

Today was a nice day we very much enjoyed and hope it was the same for you. Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Another year blew by and a “hmmm” incident

As the years pass birthdays seem to sneak up on me faster than ever before. Gosh, yesterday I turned yet another year older. I like to forget about the numbers and just think of it as another reason to make it a special day with good food in the company of my hubby.  Weather-wise we were rewarded with bright sunshine, warm temps and a light breeze that didn’t hamper our dinner preparations on the Weber Q. I took care of the asparagus being barbecued on the grill mat before Benno put on the rib eye steaks. The mushrooms I sautéed in the frying pan on the stovetop, as well the caramelized onions.

We do not eat large portions anymore and this was just enough to fill us up. My special birthday cake, a strawberry and blueberry torte made with real whipping cream, we ate in the afternoon served with a nice cup of coffee. That is a tradition from Germany where the dessert pastries are being served in the afternoon. Also you might know the word: “Kaffeeklatsch” translated it means you invite friends over for coffee and cake in the afternoon and gossip.

Because it was my birthday, Benno thought I might want to have a look around at the “Tanger Outlets Mall” in Foley to pick out a birthday present. The mall is located near the Exit 44 from the I-10 and close to other shopping as well. I thought about if I wanted to go and decided I could use a new pair of Crocs for the garden. The first shoe store I went into didn’t have any. When I asked about them I was told that there was a “Crocs Outlet” store within the outdoor mall. Well, wouldn’t you know it, there were hundreds of them Crocs in that store and I got a coupon for 25% off the already reduced sales price. I considered it my lucky day.

The RV Park we are at is halfway to either cities Mobile, AL or Pensacola, FL, so we travel alternately depending what is on our agenda. Crossing over the Stateline to Florida there is a large welcome center on I-10. We drive by there so often and have never stopped there this year. A couple of days ago we decided to exit there for a quick pit stop for the dogs. If you go into the building you are offered a free sample of pure orange juice. Outside there is an actual ‘Blue Angles” plane on a pedestal as a tourist attraction. It’s a busy and popular stopover.

Driving the opposite way on either the Old Spanish Trail, or I-10, getting off at the Exit 35 or 35A, brings us to many more shopping areas. On the north side across the I-10 is the Bass Pro store. On the south side of the I-10 is one of my favourite stores the “Fresh Market” an upscale supermarket with many imports and specialty foods. By the way, their almond paste filled croissants is to die for. Next to this store is a “Hobby Lobby”. We were there last week for a little shopping as it had been a cooler day and we didn’t want to sit around the RV.  After our purchases we decided to have a look at the Daphne Gator Boardwalk that is supposed to wind through a nice conservation area and its starting point is only minutes away from the shopping area we were at. There is no relationship to the Alligator Alley Farm in Summerdale, AL. The City of Daphne has right at the exit of the Interstate 10 a river and swamp section provided with a boardwalk and security fence, free of admission fee to everyone to enjoy the wildlife watching including alligators. We parked the truck in the empty parking area, grabbed both dogs and started walking along the designated trail. That trail looks very inviting, however we were underdressed and with only windbreakers we still felt cold so decided to return to the truck and to come back on a warmer day. 

I am so glad that we returned when we did.  There was now a white sedan parallel parked not more than a foot away from the passenger door of our truck. Two colored younger guys were sitting in the car. There were no other cars around in the parking lot and there was no reason to park so close next to us. We had left all our purchases visible in the truck when we went for our walk. Mobile has a problem with car break-ins, so Benno pressed the alarm button on our key fob to give a quick alarm sound as we approached and the white sedan left in a hurry. Hmmm.

Today was another not go anywhere day, but we went to the fence of the RV Park to feed a nice red apple to a couple of horses. Sorry horses, I only had one apple left.

Thanks everyone for dropping in. We had a good day and hope the same for you. Until next time....

The kid in me loved the model trains

Actually, today we had planned on taking a trip to the beach. That plan was quickly abandoned this morning after looking at today’s weather forecast with a wind advisory for our area. Not wanting to sit around the RV all day we thought we give the Railway Museum in Foley another try.

The museum was open today and just as we arrived two other visiting couples came in with us. Now we were a little crowd to the delight of the attendant who told us of the history of the train that sat outside on display and the railroad station that had been moved twice after the railroad was shut down 1971, once out of town to become a warehouse and then back into town to the original position to become the museum. Many artifacts of the era were on display also, but not so well preserved as they could have been, to my opinion. Interesting displays never the less.

The model railroads and train displays are housed in an adjoining building at the back. It has a theater type seating to view the grandiose miniature country exhibition with bridges, tunnels, towns, and even a refinery and all those moving trains. Several volunteers, all retired gentlemen, mostly veterans spend their day in this miniature wonderland keeping an eye on the controls and perhaps just playing with the sets, I think. Now, wouldn’t you like to do that too?

Benno engaged one fellow in a conversation where they talked about ships and trains. That guy said smilingly that he spent over 30 years with the Navy submarine force of which 14 years were under water. Just picture yourself being 14 years submerged in the oceans. Now he volunteers at the museum and later on he gave us a little performance playing on the historic pedal organ of the museum where he sang along to the tunes he played. He was quite good and had a nice voice.

The pictures we took do not portray how great this miniature railway world display really is. Someone spent a lot of time on details to make everything look so life-like.  The longer I looked at the minuscule objects the more I was amazed at the creativity of the designs. All I can say is, if you are in the area, go and have a look at the model railroads and have some fun. It’s way too sophisticated to be just a delight for kids.

The rest of the day we enjoyed back at our campsite where it was very breezy but sunny and all the humidity from the last couple of days had disappeared.  Hopefully the wind will settle down so we can enjoy more outdoor activities. 

Thanks for visiting and please stop by again.