It’s been raining a lot lately and flood warnings are all over the place. The temperature has dropped about 20 degrees and the humidity is in a more comfortable range. And no rain today!

We met Lois and Klea for lunch at the Shrimp Basket for, of course, shrimp lunch. And then the four of us went to The Wharf at Orange Beach, Alabama. This is a condo resort, marina, retail, dining, and entertainment establishment and is where a big New Year celebration will be tonight. The first thing we saw when we drove in is an Ice Rink. It is unexpected to see that so far south, but kinda cool that they can ice skate too, although it is only temporary, going away on January 10.

Ice Rink at The Wharf

Bernie caught another fish! And so did I!

The Wharf

The street is already blocked off to traffic and vendors were beginning to set up for the big event.

The Wharf

Driftwood Pelican

The main reason we went to The Wharf today was to get a picture of the Marlin that will drop at midnight to announce the new year.

Marlin Drop

Some of the other nearby communities will be dropping things too. Pensacola FL will drop a giant illuminated pelican. Mobile AL will drop a giant electronic replica of a MoonPie. Biloxi MS will have their first annual giant Oyster Ball drop. And Brewton AL will drop a cluster of blueberries.

Our reservation is up at Big Lagoon State Park and we will be moving east tomorrow so we went to Lois’s condo for a goodbye visit. It’s been a fun time but time to go.

One last look at the beach before we go. All those Portuguese Man-o’-War are gone now and the storms and the rain have left the beach pretty clean.

Perdido Key Beach