Driving through pouring rain along the Gulf of Mexico, we arrived at Dauphin Island Campground, where we received a warm welcome from Tom and Barb Harer. Tom and Barb are from New Richmond and have been wintering on Dauphin Island for the past 7 years so they know the island and community very well. Those two experienced snowbirds took these two new ones under their wings and gave us a guided tour of the area, invited us to a couple of pot-luck dinners, and introduced us to a lot of friendly people and local characters. After talking a few minutes with one of those local characters, he said to me "Ewe talk funnae. Ewe must be from Mississipay. Ha Ha Ha."
Saturday, Jim and I visited Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL. We took tours of the USS Alabama, a navy destroyer that served in both Europe and the Pacific during WW II, as well as the submarine USS Drum, and the aircraft pavilion. It was interesting to see the close quarters the men lived and worked.
We stopped at a roadside produce stand. I saw some oddly shaped green vegetables and asked the lady was it was. "Why baby, that's okra. Baby, that is southern food and ewe will love it, it's sooo goood". I asked her how to prepare it. "Baby, ewe just slice it and put it in an egg and milk wash, then toss it in some flar and fry it up in a little oyl and butta...UMMM UMMM." I bought some okra and followed her recipe. We decided it was good but we didn't love it; maybe I didn't use enough butta.
Sunday we walked over to historic Fort Gaines. Construction of the fort began in 1819 as part of a national defense program to defend Mobile Bay. During the walking tour we learned a lot of history of Dauphin Island, and the piece it played in the Civil War.
The 160-acre Audubon bird sanctuary boardered the campground. We took a nature walk along the beach and on the trails to a small lake where an alligator has been spotted. The only thing we saw were turtles swimming in the lake.
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