Bank of Holly Springs

Fielder’s Choice

Breaking at the beach

Short breaks can often be the best breaks.

Last week, for a few days, Pam and I were able to escape to Orange Beach, Ala. We stayed at a place we’ve stayed many times in the past 21 years. Visiting Sugar Beach Condominiums always brings back the best of memories. Our first trip there was when Emma and Andy were small – like ages 5 and 2. Today, they’re 26 and 23.

Our favorite things to do then have remained the same over the years – spend time on the beach and eat lots of seafood.

Pam and I arrived late Tuesday afternoon and immediately started asking each other the question, “Where do you want to eat?”

We picked Mikee’s Seafood. Our first trip there was spring break of this year. It did not disappoint in March and it didn’t disappoint in October. I picked the seafood platter with fried shrimp, oysters and fish fillets. And it came with gumbo and two sides. I was stuffed.

Afterwards, Pam went to pick up a few groceries (mainly for breakfast), and I took a walk on the beach. The moon was making its way up; it was beautiful. It’s my favorite time of the day to be on the beach – sun setting and moon rising. There’s nothing more peaceful; no better way to take away the stresses of everyday life. God’s creation is indeed beautiful if we just take time to absorb it.

The next day, after a late breakfast in the condo, I took my beach chair and positioned myself near the ocean. It started out cloudy and windy. I went without sunscreen, and that was sort of a mistake. Thank goodness, my sunburn turns to tan.

Early that afternoon, Pam and I started looking at some new possibilities for a late lunch – a restaurant we’d never been to before. We picked Flipper’s, waterfront dining at Bear Point Marina. We started with some oysters on the half shell, always my favorite, and stuck with another appetizer for our meal – the seafood nachos, a blend of shrimp, scallops and fish sauteed with bell peppers and onion, topped with lettuce and tomato.

We will go back to Flipper’s – no doubt about it.

Later in the day, we enjoyed more beach time, again the beauty of darkness falling over the ocean water.

Thursday morning, we went out for breakfast, to the Ruby Slipper Cafe. It was OK. But to be honest, Pam’s over-easy eggs and bacon are just fine with me.

Thursday afternoon, after a trip to the pool, it was movie time. We saw “Wind River,” a drama/mystery. The thriller follows a rookie FBI agent who teams up with a local game tracker to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death. I really liked the movie.

That night we closed our dining on this trip with another new adventure – Wolf River Lodge, just a few miles from the condo. The bayou-front restaurant was our favorite of the trip. I had some fabulous fried shrimp and oysters and eating outside beside the boats and water made it even more special.

I left Orange Beach rested and ready for more newspapering. It’s always good to take a break, even if short.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
www.southreporter.com