A Chilli Cookoff, Caching in Foley, AL and a Freeze Warning 3/8/2008

This morning we wandered out about 8:45 or so all bundled up in our winter hats and coats to go to Foley, AL for some caching and a chilly...oops I mean chili cookoff. Our first 2 caches we didn't even attempt as they were both located either under bridges or down sttep slopes into streams.....very poor choice of cache locations and extremely dangerous. Our first cache was at a Wal*Mart, then on to a Igloo Ice Machine, then we drove into Foley for a 3 part multi cache in a large park in the center of town. It was a fun cache and kind of different from our usual multi caches as you had to visit 3 locations and sign a log in each location rather than either figure out coords or find a container with the coords for the next part of the cache in it.
Then it was onto a bike trail and a cache in a gazebo at the start of the trail, then onto the old railroad depot in Foley for a cache located on the old engine sitting on the tracks at the depot. Then we drove up to Magnolia Springs, AL for a cache in a county park that is now closed because of the damage created by the hurricanes.
We drove back into Foley and then went to the Habitat for Humanity chili cookoff. It really was fun as it was a $5.00 donation each for a bowl and a spoon and you could go around and get small bowls of chili at each location that was participating in the cookoff. There was about 15 different participants and some of the chili was very good and some was a bit to spicy and hot. They had good old down home in the country entertainment like a local band and a singing group of retirees. They had a bake sale, a silent auction and a book sale where Mom picked up a couple of books she hasn't read yet (that was tough to find 2 she hasn't read). We probably had 10-12 bowls of chili and we each found one that we were particularly fond of. Then it was back to caching.
We drove to Elberta and found 2 caches in cemeteries and then stopped at Wal*Mart for a few things and then stopped at the Coleman Factory Store and picked up a little propane gas grill. Then it was off to Bon Secour and a cache in the woods and one located at part of the Alabama Coastal Bird Trail.
We went back to the RV and Mom did the logs and I showered as we are going out to dinner at Lambert's Cafe "the home of the throwed roll". You can check it out at www.throwedrolls.com. We are getting a kick out of sitting here and watching the male snowbirds, who have an enclosed gazebo in the center of the campgrounds, and every afternoon they all come out of their trailers and head for the gazebo with a beer or 2 or 3 or 4 in hand. They sit and talk and drink beer and we just saw one old fellow kind of staggering back to his trailer. It really is kind of fun to watch them and we are wondering if the wives know or in fact really care? Going to be cold tonight as I said and there is a freeze warning out for tonight so I guess tomorrow we will have to pack up in the cool weather as we are off to "snow country", Mobile, AL for a week.(I don't think they got any last night like was forecast).


Picture List:1-3-Habitat for Humanity Chili Cookoff, 4-Magnolia Springs Town Hall, 5-Magnolia Springs Swift School established in 1920, 6-Magnolia Springs St pauls Episcopal Church, 7-A shrimp boat still left where it landed after the hurricane, 8-10-Foley, AL train depot, 11-Fisherman's Baptist Church in Bon Secour, AL.