Fielder’s Choice

Turning 60 turned out to be just fine.

As part of my birthday gift on my “milestone” birthday, Pam and I followed up our trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala., a couple of weeks ago with a short stay at the beach.

The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Ala., areas of Alabama, along with Perdido Key and Ft. Walton areas of Florida, have long been favorites.

This time around, Pam, several weeks ago, booked a three-night stay in beautiful Orange Beach.

We both were looking forward to some relaxation and seafood.

My first stop upon arrival at the condo Wednesday afternoon was the balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. I took my shoes off, laid back in the lounge chair, and took a nap.

The dining adventures started that night at Wolf Bay Restaurant. It has long been one of our favorites. But come to find out, it had moved after Hurricane Sally (September 2020), now located directly on Perdido Beach Boulevard.

The food and the service were still great. But we did miss the ambiance of being directly on the water, with boats docked nearby.

I quickly filled up on fried shrimp and broiled scallops, plus some fixings on the side.

Thursday morning, we enjoyed some beach time. As typical, I took a long walk, getting plenty of sand between my toes and looking for those special shells that had washed up along the shore.

For a late lunch, we selected a favorite we have been eating at regularly for the past 30 years ­ King Neptune’s. The tiny restaurant is located in the heart of Gulf Shores.

I saw a comment on Trip Advisor that said, “great service and the best food I’ve had at the beach.” King Neptune’s certainly ranks highly in the “best food” category as far as the Burlesons go, too.

Pam and I ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell ­ my favorite about anywhere we go. And I followed that up with a big bowl of seafood gumbo.

The waiter, with a foreign accent, was wonderful.

A group of ladies, from a tour bus, came in just after us and filled three or four tables in the center of the small facility.

“Just put my tab on with theirs,” I told our waiter. “They will never know it.” He laughed and gave me some knuckles.

When he brought us our ticket for the meal, I said, “Hey, you are from Mississippi, right? He laughed even harder and told Pam, “Your husband, he’s a good guy, isn’t he?” I think she shook her head, yes.

Then I told him we were from Mississippi. He said I was the one with the accent.

Erin and her college roommate Rebecca joined us Thursday about midnight. We had more beach time Friday with some more shell searching and more good food — including raw oysters at Live Bait.

Our breakfast on the way home was a new find — Gulf Shores Diner. We will be back. The smiles of the staff were contagious, and the food was great.

It’s back to work. And it’s onward toward 61.

But I will look forward to our next road trip.