Trouble on the Road to Biloxi

It was going to be just a two hour drive from Foley, Alabama, to Biloxi, Mississippi. Everything was going well until we felt a severe vibration in the rear of the motorhome.

Phyllis pulled onto the shoulder. It wasn’t very wide. Fast moving semi-trailer trucks were passing just inches from our driver’s side mirror. Lamont went out to find that the rear end of the motorhome had lost air. It was sitting just an inch above the tires rather than the normal 2 to 3 inches. She could see a metal rod dangling in the middle of the axle.

Phyllis checked the GPS and there was an exit 4 miles ahead. We crawled along the shoulder of Interstate 10. The slower we moved, the less noise and vibration we caused. At one point, Lamont had to put on gloves and go out and remove a huge truck tire re-tread from the shoulder. The truckers call them alligators.

Once we were on the exit ramp, we telephoned James and Gayle Veraart at Patterson RV Sales & Service in Dutton, Ontario, for advice. We had to shut off the motorhome, crawl under the axle, take the rod and push it back up into its place. James said the bags would inflate and the motorhome would lift.

Phyllis noticed two men up ahead, also on the shoulder of the exit ramp. They were loading a pick-up truck onto a flat bed tow truck.

Lamont set off to see whether the men could help us. When Lamont as a "damsel-in-distress" explained The Cooking Ladies’ dilemma, Joe Vaughn, from Lucedale, Mississippi, and Andrew Rouse, also from Lucedale, immediately wanted to help.

Phyllis put the jacks down in order to raise the rear axle. In the meantime, Joe found a long stick and reached in and put the rod back into place. The airbags immediately started to fill with air and the coach began to lift up from the tires.

Phyllis pushed the usual buttons to store the jacks and nothing happened. Why could this be? The jacks worked a few minutes before. New challenge. The jacks had to be stored manually. Up went the hood over the generator. Four levers located under the generator hood, had to be turned in a counter clockwise direction. Andrew turned two levers, Lamont the other two so that the coach would drop evenly. Otherwise the windshield could crack.

Voila. The motorhome went down and the jacks tucked up into their sleeves. Later we learned it was operator error. Phyllis had accidentally pushed in the parking brake when she started the motorhome to fill the air bags. A built-in safety won't let the jacks store if the parking brake is not on.

The trip from Foley to Biloxi took six hours instead of two hours but, thanks to James & Gayle in Ontario, and Joe and Andrew and their Mississippi hospitality, we were on our way again.

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.

The Beach Culture in Florabama

Florabama, where Florida and Alabama meet on the Gulf of Mexico, is laid back and fun. We spent several days touring the area between and around Pensacola, Florida and Foley, Alabama. This is where songwriters from all over the States come to perform at beach bars, Jimmy Buffet style. And you can't beat the beaches here.

Seafood is the number one item on menus. Red shrimp. Flounder. Grouper. Swai. Oysters. We tried them all.

On our first night in Foley we went to the “must see” “throwed rolls” restaurant otherwise known as Lambert’s. The wait staff in red bow ties and red braces are perfectly happy to throw a roll to anyone who wants one. They’re easy to catch from across the room because they almost weigh a pound. In addition to the food that we ordered, waiters wandered with stainless steel bowls and pots of “pass arounds” like fried potatoes, tomato and macaroni, deep fried okra, black eyed peas, and molasses and apple butter for the rolls. Good fun but toooo much food.

Jimmy Buffet’s sister, Lucy, owns a restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama, called LuLu's. Miss Lucy’s original establishment was in Fairhope, Alabama, where she and Jimmy were raised. One day she loaded her restaurant/bar onto a barge and floated it down to its present location on the Intercoastal.

We enjoyed lunch at Lulu's with our friends, Carl and Jane Pierce.

And we have to tell you about the bar located right on the border of Florida and Alabama. It is called "Florabama" of course. A photo can tell it better than words.

What are those things hanging from the rafters?

Perdido Key, Florida

Our friends Carl and Jane Pierce are fun people. Their home-on-the-road in Florida is Playa del Rio RV Park and Yacht Club on the barrier island of Perdido Key. The RV park is small and intimate. The white sands of the Gulf of Mexico beckon during the day and the cabana on the Old River becomes the gathering place at sunset.

Carl and Jane invited us to join them at Happy Hour at the Playa del Rio cabana. Always going the extra mile, they turned Happy Hour not only into a book signing by The Cooking Ladies but a feast of fresh Apalachicola Oysters. We signed books and made new friends while Carl shucked the oysters. Out came the cocktail sauce, lemon wedges and soda crackers. As an additional treat, Jane sprinkled some of the oysters with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and Carl grilled them, on the shell, on the barbecue.

With us, it's all about the food!!!!

FRIENDS & FOOD

Breakfast on the griddle. Sweet potatoes, fried green tomatoes, and eggs sunny side up.

Apalachicola oysters in Apalachicola

At Bayou Joe's with Ken, Dale, and Bob

At Hunt's Oyster Bar with Roger and Ruth

Lunch at La Friandise

We joined our friend Jan Bullard for lunch at La Friandise, the dining room of the Culinary Management Program at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida.
Jan’s brother Jon Bullard who died last year, was a chef instructor and program designer at the College prior to his position as an executive chef with the US Army.
Chef Billy Redd and his culinary management class outdid themselves with Apalachicola Oysters, Chicken Piccata, Louisiana Style Shrimp and Grits, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, and Apple and Walnut Strudel with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The coffee was good too.
As we were leaving, Jan was presented with a personal copy of the menu signed by the wait staff and chefs.

White Earth Tribal Town, Blountstown, Florida

We probably would never have visited the White Earth Tribal Town if we hadn't met Jan and her brother, Jon Bullard.

Blountstown, Florida, is the home of the White Earth Tribal Town, where the Muskogee/Creek Indians hold their seasonal ceremonies throughout the year. Our friend, Jon Bullard’s ashes were buried there during a “Green Corn” ceremony in June 2008. Indians travel from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee to attend ceremonies on the tribal grounds.

The day we visited was not a ceremonial time so the property was vacant. No celebrants. No shuffled dancing around the fire. No burning coals in the barbecue pit. Four white arbors were still covered with branches from the last gathering. The ceremonial circle sat silent in the sunshine, a line of seashells marking its boundaries.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Our e-cookbook is now available on our website.

The Cooking Ladies’ Favorite
Happy Hour Recipes
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

Add a dash of fun to your Happy Hour with Heavenly Hummus, Zesty Chicken Bites, Beef Wings, Maple Salmon Cubes, Blue Cheese Apricot Swirls, Exotic Island Meatballs, and more....We take great pleasure in tantalizing your taste buds with 30 of our favourites.

And to make this cookbook even more outstanding, we have included a photo of each finished dish. Recipe ingredients are given in both Imperial and metric measurements.

To get our favorite easy-to-make, something-for-everyone Happy Hour recipes now, go to our website www.thecookingladies.com and click on the "Happy Hour Recipes" link .

Price: $6.