The Many Skies of Mobile Bay, Summer 2009

I find that seagull oddly suspicious.  I also find it deeply disturbing that you went on this vacation and didn't take ME!  Surely there is some innocent explanation for that oversight, but for the life of me, I can't imagine what it is.

You weren't here when we loaded up the car, if I recall, and besides that, had some silly selfish idea about going to WV instead?  Hrmph!

sank you for the pheauteaux, even the gull.  Mobile Bay, is that AL? Wow, I just realized. I did not have vacation last year, maybe not even the year before. Maybe a weekend counts. I do get a weekend a year.

Nothing like a grand vacay....

Black headed gulls, a rarity for these parts...we have the common...

Yup, Alabama -- and as I commented to Marianne, their heads are only black in the summers!

It's so bizarre to see a manicured lawn so close to the water. I gather the tides are extremely predictable. In fact, the water looks amazingly calm. That leads me to think that fishing off those piers must be a joy. I'm not a fisherman myself, but I know how to eat redfish.

The water can be choppy (after all, hurricanes do like this area).  It's extremely shallow for some distance out.  I watched a man from the next property walk waaaaaaaaaaaaay out beyond the end of his pier and the water only ever got up to his shoulders.  My 7-yr-old nephew 'walked' out along the pier one evening at low tide and the water never got past his knees.  At high tide, it would have been maybe chest high on him.

Fishing -- catfish, croakers.  I'm told bay catfish aren't good to eat but we watched a little cat dispose of four of them (in entirety) one night a few years back and she had no complaints.  What people long for around these parts is a jubilee.

I do remember hearing a story on NPR about the jubilees. The exact location didn't register with me. I believe they said people would wake their neighbors in the dead of night to spread the word of a jubilee.

Small wonder that many choose to live where they can look over water at will.  I'm glad you were able to enjoy and share the serenity.

So am I -- now to win the lottery to afford a place down there!

Next time you go to Mobile Bay, Sarah and I are going with you. So glad you put a gull "shot" in!!

I'm thinking about going down this fall.  Y'all get in the car!

Road trip!!!!

Pretty pitchers, Tracy.  I likes me some beach, though.  Hard to hunt for shells wiffout some beach.  Also, I likes to ease my way inta tha water--not jump offa tha pier.  I spose ya kin sit in a chair an' lissen ta tha tide rollin' in just as well wiffout some beach, but it might lose some in tha translation.

Wayell, you could be rat.  Ry-at.  Hmm.  Most piers have ladders at the end so that no jumping (a bad idea given how shallow it is anyway) isn't necessary. 

This is a very peaceful place and not so stark as a beach.  Shade = good.

Hmmm.  Shade IS good.  Hit juss mat be wurth a look-see.  Gimmee a lil warnin' as to when yer goin agin so's I kin git thar afore thuh vee-hickle is plum full up.  Kin yer tars handle thuh load?

So I count 4 of us so far... How much does a rental cost?  Surely we could split one 4 ways and live to tell the tale.  Tay-ul.  (Sorry, my faux-Southern is rusty from overuse of my faux-Kentuckian.  (Kain-tuk-un))....

If we go in the fall, prices are lower!  

I think Susan got a fever for the flavor of the... heck, I dunno.

Whar did Susan larn to tak lik tha-ut?

Sounds like the makings of an Island Tale to me!!!

Hrmph.  We can't do another Tale for a long time because YOU won't help me pick players AND you keep taking off for weeks on end.  HRMPH!  HRMPH!  HRMPH!!!!!

Whiny Wednesday?

HRMPH!!!!!

It shore do look purty. Looks peaceful and romantic too. Would be a nice setting for your next book. 

Those are such glorious pics !!! A slice of Heaven !!!  (or a slice of prettiness, at least).

I loved Alam~a~bama when I visited Faith there last April in Mobile...temp was right, shrimp was delicious and wonderful places to wander.

One of my good seesters lives in Al-ee-bam-ie ... her's upland from ther'

Et the Un-ee-ver-see-tee a al-ee-bam-ie

When ya' load up - jus avoid them hurry-cane's

I love it when you speak French!

"Li'l Mullet Point park"... seriously?

I, too, like beaches, but mostly I like water, so this would do just fine.  I'm reminded of a story:  (too late, I've already started so you're stuck!)  About 10 years ago we took a family vacation to our beloved Washington state, having moved from there just three years earlier.  We visited friends on Whidbey Island and strolled along the beach for what seemed hours.  At one point, I was playing with the kids whilst my now-erstwhile spouse and our friend (also female) went walking on down the beach.

As the two women walked along the now shell-laden beach, they carefully walked where there were predominantly flat shells to avoid hurting their feet.  At about the same time they noticed that there were many many sand dollars that seemed to be dead, or dying.  As the tide shifted, they saw even more and wondered aloud "What is killing all of these sand dollars?!"  Thinking they were on the cusp of discovering some sort of biological catastrophe, they ran over to another section of the beach, crunching away as they excitedly ran to gain further evidence.

Only then did they notice the source of the "crunch" under each of their footsteps.  What had, only moments earlier, been healthy happy sand dollars were now mortally wounded victims of women running rampant on the beach.

They were horrified at the realization of what they'd done... for a few moments... and then the rich ironic humor of the situation overtook their horror, and they erupted in laughter.  From my vantage point several hundred feet away, I was certain that they were experiencing some sort of sunstroke-induced hysteria.  I was half right.

3/4 right, I'd say.  Hey, they were just making change... sand dollars into sand dimes & sand nickels.  No? 

Great Photo Essay! Congratulation on being feature on ~Gather Photographers and Photo Shop Artists Review~!

Spartan!  Thanks very much -- I am basking, preening and/or glorying in the moment.  I know Mother Nature does the real work and all I do is press a button, but still...

Ha!  I can certainly see why you love it there.  It is beautiful.  I have never had the pleasure of staying in Mobile Bay but after seeing this, I wouldn't mind going to the area for a little vacation.  Now, you've made me add yet another destination to my "to go" list.

very nice Tracy... I have some of questions.

1. What are those buildings at the end of the walkway?
2.  Why are they so far out?
3.  Where are the people?

sorry., we have nothing like this, around my part of the country 

Whoops, I replied to you but not in the right place... see below!

3 -- It's a mystery to those of us who vacation here why more residents don't seem to use their piers.  I guess they take their views for granted and are content to stay inside, on land.

1 & 2 -- Mostly they're just covered seating areas, so you can sit, surrounded by the water, enjoying it in 3-D surround-sound, as it were! How far they go out might have to do with the shallowness of the bay, if you want to swim, or fish.  Some people spend a ton of money on their piers: showers, enclosed rooms, ceiling fans, even air conditioners, if you run electrical lines out.  I think over the years, the basic pier -- with not even a roof -- turned into fancier and fancier styles.  Then, whenever hurricanes take 'em out, people realize the money they spent was for nothing (since insurance isn't even an option for piers, I imagine).  Many piers never got rebuilt after Ivan/Katrina.  I've learned it costs about $25,000 to build a basic pier.

This is a fantastic photo essay Tracy, I love the sunset shots especially, and the clouds, what a beautiful place that is and how fortunate we are that you share these pictures with us, I wish I was there, even for one day, looks like a bit of heaven.

Thanks, Elsie -- I believe it IS a slice of heaven.  It's a 9-hour drive from here but I think if I had a "regular" place to stay I really would go as often as I could.  If there's anything left of my retirement fund and/or SS# when I retire in 20 years (assuming my retirement age doesn't get pushed up to 84, the way things are going), I will figure out a way to live down on the bay.  :-)

Thanks ever so much.  If you ever want to feel like you've wandered into Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" try taking your last bag of garbage to the town dump on Cape Cod as you leave your vacation rental.  You get attacked by sea gulls, although since they seem to prefer garbage, I'm thinking they should be called "dump gulls".  Makes you wonder why so many sentimental artists insist on painting them.

It's because sentimental artists have their garbage picked up at the curb.

Tracy, I have fully enjoyed reading your profile, viewing your wonderful photos (the clouds are outstanding), and learning about your writing. I love your humor used in your "self-promotion". It adds a nice touch.  Maybe we could "trade" books if you're interested. 

http://www.paintings-prose-palmbeach.com

wow these are awesome photos Tracy and you posted them when I was gone

Those are some really nice pics, Tracy. I can see why you love it there. I am sure that I could do some awesome fishing from those piers.

That's gorgeous, and you returned why???????????????

They would have sent the cops for us if we didn't vacate the rental.  I know.  It's so unfair.

Indeed. That place looks pretty close to heaven~sigh