Hitch-hikers at the Ferry to Dauphin Island, Alabama

Beach houses on stilts dot the sand on the drive to the Dauphin Island ferry, west of Foley. Like snow, the sand drifts in around the stilts, filling in carports, driveways and roads. The landscape constantly changes.

On a windy, cool day, that was too uncomfortable for walking, we drove from the ferry landing to Fort Morgan, a huge example of military architecture. It was besieged by Union soldiers during the civil war.

As we sat in the car at the fort, we were approached by two women and a man. They asked if we could drive them to the ferry landing. They had come over from Dauphin Island and hadn’t realized how far the walk was from the landing to the fort. They were afraid they would miss the next ferry.

We squeezed Joanne Leon from Mobile, Alabama, and her cousin Jerry Long and his wife, Candida, from Orange, California, into the back seat. By having a ride they were early for their ferry so we sat in the car and talked.

Joanne gave us her recipe for gumbo, in detail because she had just made it the day before for her guests. We were ecstatic because we had been searching for a really good gumbo recipe. When Joanne finished with the gumbo she described her West Indies Salad. Made with crab. Both are at the top of our list of “recipes to try”.

When the ferry arrived we were so busy talking that the trio had to rush to catch it. We hugged and exchanged email addresses. Once again, we met people who inspire us with food ideas and a warm memory of where we’ve been.