Sep 2008

How is this for serendipity? The Press-Register of Mobile is reporting that Post-Ike cleanup of Gulf Shores' central public beach is being made easier because of pre-National Shrimp Festival preparation that already had taken place.
An article dated Sept. 14 by Staff Reporter Ryan Dezember states that Gulf Shores city officials already had been "gearing up to smooth out and till the sand at the central public beach in advance of next month's National Shrimp Festival, so the cleanup won't be too much of an added chore," Dezember wrote, summarizing the comments of Gulf Shores Public Works Director Mark Acreman.
There will be work to do, no doubt. But the article contains some interesting information. In 2005, a taxpayer-funded berm was built as part of a 16-mile beach renourishment project. With the 1-2 punch of Gustav and Ike, the berm has been tested. During Gustav, the berm -- which Dezember describes as a manade dune anchored by sea oats and panic grass -- did its job. Ike, which produced a higher storm surge, did compromise portions of the berm. But here's the really interesting part.
Dezember writes, "Acreman said that the engineered dunes performed well in most places, particularly where property owners had watered and fertilized the beach plants."
This just underscores the need for everyone to be proactive in protecting, maintaining and refurbishing the beaches of the Alabama Gulf Coast. And it shows that the contributions of an individual can make quite a difference.

When you live in Gulf Shores Alabama and have family and friends all across the country, something happens each hurricane season. As soon as a storm enters the Gulf of Mexico my phone starts ringing and the emails start rolling in. Everyone wants to know if I am okay. Usually the weather at the time is a perfect blue sky and I almost want to take a photo and email it back to show them.

Of course with all the media hype about hurricanes these days I can see why people think that each hurricane destroys every single point from Key West to Brownsville Texas. The storms can look scary on the radar and the areas that do get a direct hit are really bad. But that doesn't mean that everyone is impacted. And for the areas that are hit, the recovery work begins and very soon businesses and schools are back open and we get on with life.

So as Hurricane Ike makes its way towards the Texas coast the only real impact for areas like Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Pensacola will be rough water with strong rip currents and likely some minor flooding in the low-lying areas. We will be fine and we will be able to help our neighbors from Texas and Louisiana who will need a safe place to stay during the storm.

No trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast is complete without a stop at a local market for supplies to 'tide' us over until the next trip to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. We make sure to have a cooler (or two, depending on how many friends and family members send requests) completely empty and clean. We get some small shrimp steamed to use in salads, but the majority is our family favorite, medium size. I know folks who swear by the bigger shrimp, but I like mediums. We place our order, leave the cooler(s) and get in a few more minutes of shopping or sightseeing while it's prepared. The staff asks how far we have to go and prepared the travel accommodations to suit that. The coolers are stashed in the car (NOT the trunk -- unless it's very, very cool weather), and away we go. When we get home, I use quart freezer bags to store the shrimp. I label each one with the date, then I seal the bag, making sure to get out all the air, and lay it flat on a cookie sheet. Once all the shrimp are bagged, I pop the sheet in the freezer. When the bags are frozen in this manner, they are easier to stack in the freezer. For extra protection, I put the frozen quart bags inside gallon or 2-gallon freezer bags. (I also stash one or two so that just when everyone thinks we've run out, I can be a superhero -- Shrimper Mom to the rescue!)

Thinking about all the wonderful food that is going to be at the 37th annual National Shrimp Festival has put me in the mood for some shrimp. I grabbed a bag of Alabama Gulf Coast shrimp brought home from a recent trip to Gulf Shore and Orange Beach out of the freezer. (It's so great to be able to stop at a local market and get shrimp cooked to order and packed to travel!) Once my shrimp, about 14 to 16 ounces, thawed, I added a bit of Old Bay seasoning, then finely diced the shrimp. I put about half on a plate, then topped that with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese that had been brought to room temperature. I added the rest of the shrimp, then topped it all with cocktail sauce (also brought back from the Alabama Gulf Coast). I served my Shrimply Delightful Dip with crackers and crudite. What a hit!

www.thebeachiscalling.org

As much fun as the annual National Shrimp Festival is, the run-up to the event is great for another type of entertainment: people- and process-watching. With the festival still a future event, preparation in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach goes at a steady but manageable pace. Vendor tents begin to appear one by one along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Signs go up. Souvenirs are unpacked. And businesses get a little extra sprucing up. But when the festival is just a week away, well, things go into overdrive. The tents that were steadily going up before begin to spring forth like mushrooms after a summer rain. Lists get checked; logistics get checked; sound systems get checked. It's almost like watching a favorite film on fast-forward. The best part is getting to be an observer for the warm-up and a beneficiary of all that hard work.