L.A.

Blog post title note: Wendy told me when she first came to Alabama, she was puzzled why so many things were named after Los Angeles. Then someone told her L.A stood for Lower Alabama, and it all made sense.

I arrived at Meaher (pronounced mayer) State Park around 2:00 on Friday, and got all set up in my space across from the water. I was thrilled with the park; it is the nicest pay RV park I have ever stayed in, with full hookups, bathrooms/showers/laundry facilities, and large grassy spaces among the trees overlooking Mobile Bay. I texted Wendy that I was here, and she and Denny came over after dinner. Such a lovely reunion. It's been six years since we have seen each other.

Rain moved in overnight thwarting any enthusiasm for sight seeing, so on Saturday, I took my laundry to Wendy's and hung out with them while my loads washed and dried, and our three dogs got acquainted. Denny picked up pizza for us for dinner, and we watched the Cardinals play baseball.

We all went to church on Sunday for a great worship service and sermon, then out for brunch in Fairhope. We met up with some of their friends, and I got acquainted. I came back to my Minnie and Hanna for a Sunday afternoon nap and stayed home the rest of the evening. Hanna and I got some good walks in around the park, looking for alligators. None so far.

On Monday, Denny was “working”, something he claims to do for fun. He's one of those weird retirees who finds it hard to be lazy all the time, and he loves outdoor work. (Go figure!) He fell into a part time position selling pine straw, which is the L.A. equivalent of gravel or wood chip landscaping material that you pile around trees and flower beds. Anyway, Wendy and I are not foolish enough to hold retirement jobs, so we drove around Daphne and Fairhope sightseeing and window shopping. We walked around the Grand Hotel (sort of reminded me of the Del Coronado), which would require me to take a part time job in my retirement if I were to stay there. We wandered the shops downtown and had lunch in a little cafe. We went back to their house for a delicious lasagna dinner, which Wendy had prepared earlier in the day.

On Tuesday, Hanna and I hung out at Meaher walking the trail and pier, and again looking for alligators. Still none were sighted. In the afternoon, we all went out to a movie - I Can Only Imagine – based on a true story of the man who wrote the Christian song of the same name. We all loved it (and all shed tears). Before I came back to Minnie, Wendy wrapped up a serving of leftover lasagna for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it as much the second time around.

The area I have seen and people I have met so far have convinced me the Allyns made a great decision to move to the Alabama coast from Evansville, Indiana. It's one of the most beautiful areas in the country, with lush foliage, blue skies and white sand beaches, as well as all that southern hospitality that oozes from everyone. They have a beautiful new home in a lovely neighborhood, and the Gulf coast is just a short drive away. It's easy to see why they love it. For me, of course, the only drawback is the humidity, but I'm told you can get used to that, just as we desert rats get used to the dry heat.

And our week wasn't over.