January 4, 2015 (by Angela)

We’ve experienced two firsts in the last 24 hours: our first severe storms and the first of our birthdays celebrated since living in the RV.

Last night, we had some periods of heavy rain with thunder and lightning, and these storms were accompanied by at least two tornado warnings. Luckily for us, the areas impacted by these warnings were north and south of our location. Still, it was bad enough that our dog, Chewie, was looking for his “safe” spot. We now know that he feels safer in the hall area, in front of the bathroom, that joins the bedroom area on my side of the bed (he is a large dog in a small space). As a result, I had to be careful not to step on him if I got out of bed last night.  We are all very thankful we did not have any truly severe weather at our campground.

Now, on to happier things: my birthday. Today, Jim and I had a full day of fun to celebrate. First, we went into Mobile where we enjoyed a brunch at Spot of Tea on Dauphin Street.  I had the Banana’s Foster French Toast with ham and coffee. It was amazing! I meant to make a picture of the food, but I was so hungry, and it looked delicious, so I forgot to do so. Jim took more of the lunch route by choosing the British Beef Dip. He thought it very, very good, too.

Spot of Tea, Mobile, AL

Next, we walked the downtown area, most of which we had covered in the dark New Year’s Eve, but today, with sunshine, we could truly appreciate the beauty of downtown Mobile.

Bienville Park (Square) – where we spent New Year’s Eve

Downtown architecture – old

Downtown architecture – new

Finally, we made our way to Fort Conde and the Welcome Center.  We were given a brown bag full of information about Mobile and the surrounding area, and this is no exaggeration. We do hope to have several days to explore the area more, so the material will be useful. Forte Conde was interesting, but we spent most of our day taking a driving tour of the historic areas of Mobile, following a map we got from the Welcome Center.

Fort Conde (replica)

The beauty in this city is unbelievable! Jim may talk more about the things we saw in another post, but I’m going to share a few photos below. I find the city to be a pleasant blend of Savannah, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

One of the many tree-lined streets in Mobile

A sample of the beautiful homes with southern charm in Mobile

We wrapped up our lovely day exploring Mobile with a mid-afternoon repast at Moe’s Original BBQ. Once again, it was a very enjoyable meal. On the drive home, we stopped at Loxely’s Farmer’s Market, so Jim could get some more local grapefruit. He finds them to be extremely tasty.

Pulled pork, sweet potatoes, and lima beans at Moe’s

After getting back to the 5th wheel, Jim and I relaxed for a bit before wrapping up a fantastic birthday by making (popping) homemade popcorn to eat while we cuddled on the couch and watched this first episode of the new season  (5th season) of Downton Abbey.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the phone calls from family and texts from family and friends. I’ve also received many Facebook messages and wall posts from family, friends, former students, and parents of former students wishing me a happy birthday. Hearing from so many people has been delightful, and it is a big part of why it has been a great day. The time spent with my sweet hubby has been priceless, but of course the day was not without a bit of rib jabbing; Jim enjoys teasing me about being “the older one” since I am 29 days his senior. While this birthday is not over, it has been a fantastic one. Thanks to all.