Alabama 2023 - July 12 - Once more to the beach

To start the day, we went to The Ugly Diner for brunch.  Its nearest equivalent in the UK is a high street café.  Whatever it is, it is also the best restaurant we have visited.  There are only a few tables, a long one down the middle is the best for us, it is unoccupied, so we are sat straight down.  The drinks are chosen and delivered promptly, as is the food.  This is the first place where the food is really hot when it arrives.

The weather is not good, there are storms moving across the top of the gulf, and we are occasionally engulfed.  It's not a day for beach activities, at least not yet.  So we visit the state park, on the way we stopped to look at some flowers that we had noticed and discussed on two or three trips up and down that road.  They are Swamp Rose Mallow, and in today's overcast, and rainy conditions they are closed up and not at all impressive.  When open, they are beautiful.

Heading to the state park, we come to Peter's Ice Cream and Donuts (English: doughnuts). It is just a few minutes after lunch, so although we go in and order, the children are not very hungry, so do not eat all their ice cream.  It is a nice little place, I'm surprised how many people visit.

Later, at the State park visitor centre we see all sorts of wildlife, mostly stuffed for display, but a number of wild birds that have been rescued following some injury that has left them unable to fend for themselves.  There is also a random tortoise wandering around.

Then on to a supermarket to buy supplies to make sandwiches to eat on the beach.  When we get to the beach, there is very light rain falling, with dark clouds threatening more.  "This is the most English beach experience I've had here" our host says.  In England, though, the temperature would not be in the upper 20's.

We sit on the beach, sometimes visiting the water and watch the wildlife.  A large pod of dolphin pass us, quite a distance from shore, but so lovely to see.  There are pelicans, terns, and black-headed gulls.   There is also a bird that looks like a hawk, seemingly catching things in mid-air, over the sea.  We can't work out what it was.

Madelyn like to be buried

Crab collection, first bucket full

Later in the evening, after the sun had set, we get torches and head along the sand to catch crabs.  The crabs are very nimble, there is a technique for catching them that takes some mastering.  Once in the net, the baby ones can be transferred to the bucket by hand, but don't try it with the larger ones because nip.  It was good to see the children running across the beach, chasing crabs, sometimes losing them down a hole, sometimes losing them in the sea, and mostly catching them and transferring them to the bucket.  When they are first put in the bucket, they are 'mad', but usually calm down in a few minutes.  They were all released back into the sea before we returned to the car.