Mobile Bay THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES
June 2021
THE
LIVING
EASY
IS
FINDING COOL BREEZES AND POURING BUBBLY COCKTAILS TO BEAT THE HEAT IN STYLE
PACK YOUR BAGS FOR SUMMER FUN DINE ON THE HARBOR AT BEAR POINT CHIC FAMILY STYLE ON THE ISLAND IN THE SWAMP AT ALLIGATOR ALLEY
AT HOME Elizabeth Damrich at the Rapier House
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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVII / ISSUE 6
JUNE 2021 48
Tew Palms
NORA BALLY, A 16-YEAR-OLD COMPETITIVE WATER SKIER LIVING ON SKI CHASTE LAKE IN CREOLA. PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN
The Dauphin Island home of Kaye and Mike Tew is a haven for a growing brood
54
If You Dig It, They Will Ski J.R. Henley always wanted his own water ski lake, so he dug one. Now, the Creola neighborhood it spawned is unlike any other.
60
Noble Creatures Wes Moore, owner of Summerdale’s Alligator Alley, on rescuing and respecting one of nature’s greatest predators
According to Wes Moore of Alligator Alley, his most popular gator, Captain Crunch, holds the world record for bite strength at 2,982 pounds. Learn more about Captain Crunch and his friends, from a distance, on page 60.
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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVII / ISSUE 6
JUNE 2021 28
16
ON OUR COVER Elizabeth Damrich turned an 1880s mansion on Government Street into a home for a growing family. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
18 SETTING AN IMPRESSIVE SUMMER BAR GENEVIEVE DAMRICH AND COOPER TRENT BEAT THE HEAT OYSTER PO’BOY FROM OSO AT BEAR POINT / PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 REACTION 12 ODDS & ENDS 15 THE DISH 16 TASTINGS OSO at Bear Point serves up coastal fare with music and a view 18 BAY TABLES Summertime hosting on Government Street with Elizabeth Damrich
26 BITE-SIZED Dooley Berry gives the lowdown on figs and the best ways to eat them
38 TRAVEL Get the jump on travel bag essentials for your next dream vacay
28 ENTERTAINING Hostess extraordinaire Beverly Smith serves up her tips for the home bar
66 JUNE CALENDAR
33 GETAWAYS A tiny house offers big adventure on Fish River — and best of all, it’s available for rent
71
ARCHIVES See the last flag to fly over Brookley Army Air Field
74 LEGENDS In 1817, an unusual schooner entered Mobile Bay
78 LITERATURE Writer Audrey McDonald Atkins dreams of summer afternoons and Catawba worms 80 ASK MCGEHEE What is the history of Mobile’s Washington Square? 82 BACK STORY A photo on Dauphin Island in the late 1950s offers insight into surfing and beachwear
A fig is not actually a fruit but rather an inverted flower, contained inside a bulbous stem that eventually matures into its edible form. Learn more about the unique summer treat on page 26.
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Mobile Bay VOLUME XXXVII
No6
JUNE 2021
PUBLISHER T. J. Potts Stephen Potts Judy Culbreth EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maggie Lacey MANAGING EDITOR/WEB Abby Parrott EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amanda Hartin ART DIRECTOR Laurie Kilpatrick EDITORIAL INTERN Maddy Jones EDITORIAL INTERN Anna Pellerin EDITORIAL INTERN Anna Thornton
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
ADVERTISING S R. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Joseph A. Hyland Anna Pavao ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Ray
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
ADMINISTRATION CIRCULATION Anita Miller ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Bob Allen, Audrey McDonald Atkins, Dooley Berry, Emmett Burnett, Tom McGehee, Breck Pappas, Christy Reid, John Sledge CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Summer Ennis Ansley, Matthew Coughlin, Tad Denson, Elizabeth Gelineau, Nicole Quinn ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL OFFICES
3729 Cottage Hill Road, Suite H Mobile, AL 36609-6500 251-473-6269 Subscription inquiries and all remittances should be sent to: Mobile Bay P.O. Box 43 Congers, NY 10920-9922 1-833-454-5060 MOVING? Please note: U.S. Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through their bulk mail unit. Please send old label along with your new address four to six weeks prior to moving. Mobile Bay is published 12 times per year for the Gulf Coast area. All contents © 2021 by PMT Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. This magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style. PUBLISHED BY PMT PUBLISHING INC .
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EXTRAS | EDITOR’S NOTE
Get a jump on summer
I
’m not much of a water-skier. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, I’m just not very good. I’ve never been daring enough. I first learned to get up behind a boat one summer at Camp Mac in Talladega when I was in the third grade, using a training rope, and while all my camp friends looked on. Failure is not an option with an audience like that, so I tried not to be a wimp, and I made it happen. The counselor running the lake program had a checklist of all the tricks you were supposed to learn — cross the wake, let go with one hand, then the other, put the rope between your knees (Now that I’m a mom, that seems like a terrible idea!). It was lots of fun, but that was the peak of my skiing prowess. My mom, who is a much better water-skier, has made it her goal to ski once a summer, and she usually does, just to prove she still can. I’ll never forget the time she made up her mind to water-ski on her 60th birthday, just to feel young and free. The only problem is that her birthday falls smack in the middle of winter. She tried, lord love her, and even rented a wet suit for the occasion, but with the Bay’s low tides all winter long, we couldn’t get the boat in the water. Of course, we might all be better skiers if we had more modern equipment. When I was a kid, my dad found a pair of wooden — as in, made from a tree — water skis at a yard sale, refinished them and attached new rubber boots. The original logo was still visible: Cypress Garden’s Dick Pope Jr. They were big and clunky, and occasionally the fin would fall off. But when it comes right down to it, the Bay is not the most ideal place to ski. Not like a lake. When we arrived at Ski Chaste Lake in Creola to take pictures for this month’s feature on some serious local water-skiing, I was blown away. Boats with cruise control and weights for perfect balance, skiers who need helmets for the massive jumps they attempt and a lake that was designed on a north / south axis so the sun is never in the skiers’ eyes. Man, these guys are good. I could have watched them all day, and it turns out you can, too. They hold competitions that are open to the public where the best of the best across the Southeast and beyond come to show their stuff. I may not be ready for Ski Chaste Lake, but I still plan to get up at least once this summer, just to prove I can. I am sure, however, I’ll need a week’s worth of Tylenol when it’s all over.
OLD SCHOOL MY FAMILY’S ORIGINAL CYPRESS GARDEN’S DICK POPE JR. SKIS ARE FAR FROM HIGH-TECH BUT HAVE SERVED US WELL AND BEEN LOTS OF FUN.
LOVE THIS ISSUE SET THE BAR HIGH HOW CUTE ARE THESE COCKTAIL NAPKINS WITH GOLD BAMBOO HOLDER? NAPKINS $28/ 6, HOLDER $32 LIVING WELL
WINE DOWN ELIZABETH DAMRICH SHARES HER ENTERTAINING TIPS IN THIS ISSUE, ONE OF WHICH IS TO ALWAYS HAVE SOME HOSPICES DE BEAUNE WINE ON HAND. A SELF-PROCLAIMED FRANCOPHILE, DAMRICH EVEN HAD A DESTINATION WEDDING IN PROVENCE AND HONEYMOONED ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA.
A TISKET, A TASKET WHILE SCOUTING FOR CUTE CARRY-ONS FOR OUR TRAVEL SECTION, THIS WOVEN BASKET PURSE CAUGHT MY EYE AND HAS ME DREAMING OF A CARIBBEAN GETAWAY. $298 DEBRA’S
ROCKING KICKS I’M FOLLOWING LIZZIE NOBLES’ LEAD AND SNAGGIN’ THESE TENNIS SHOES, PERFECT TO WEAR ON PHOTO SHOOTS WHEN I STILL WANT TO LOOK CUTE! $130 • THE GALLERY SHOE BOUTIQUE
Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR
maggie@pmtpublishing.com
Ready to dip your toes in the water? Ski Chaste Lake is offering
a Junior Clinic on June 4 for kids who want to learn the basics or perfect their slalom and trick skills. Contact marshabally@yahoo.com for more info!
GATOR BAIT THERE’S A YOUNG ALLIGATOR THAT HANGS IN THE CREEK IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, BUT WES MOORE OF ALLIGATOR ALLEY CALMED MY NERVES. READ MORE PAGE 60.
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EXTRAS | REACTION
Tell us how you really feel ... BEACH, PLEASE On MB’s Instagram post, featuring Little Palm Cottage, seen at right, designed by Suzanne Winston and Associates Suzanne Winston, if you find me in this room, don’t be alarmed! - MaryClair Ives Little Palm Cottage is my favorite before and after — what a Cinderella story. - Kelly Fitzhugh Weller So cool it’s hot! - Jeri Cerutti
SWEET AND SOUR On April’s one-pager, Jewels of the South, about the tropical-looking loquat I put up some loquat preserves last year. They are yummy. - Dana Bernal LITTLE PALM COTTAGE / PHOTO BY SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY
YOU’RE ‘BACON’ US CRAZY On March’s bite-sized, bacon-stuffed deviled egg recipe, by Eleanor Inge Baker Yes, yes, yes. If deviled eggs are wrong, I don’t want to be right. - Jessica Taloney Yes, ma’am. Everything tastes better with bacon.
GOBBLE, GOBBLE
PASS THE MINT JULEP
On April’s feature, Keeping Up with Toms, a conversation with turkey hunting master Col. Tom Kelly
On May’s Bay Tables, Talk Derby to Me, Amy and Matt McDonald’s Derby-inspired soiree at their new-to-them Daphne home
A friend sent me the “Toms” article. He knew I’d worked for Tom Kelly back in the 1977 - 1980 time frame. Best leader I ever worked for and the most fun job I ever had in a pretty long career.
Our family enjoyed that home for 25 years, a wonderful place for friends and family. Glad to see current owners enjoying it as well! - John C. Mims
- Pat Lawrence
- Robert Towler Coming to my table this Sunday! - Leslie Anne Tarabella
This book (seen at right) was given to me by my father with strict instructions to take good care of it. It’s a signed first edition. I keep it in a safe place.
PHOTOS COURTESY CAM MARSTON
- Cam Marston
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Want to share your thoughts and reactions to this issue? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com. 10 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
EXTRAS | ON THE WEB
More Ways to Connect We’re not just in print. Find us online, on social media and in your inbox. text by ABBY PARROTT
mobilebaymag.com
LET THE FUN BEGIN After a long year stuck at home, we’ve all earned a summer full of exciting activities and events. Go online for a list of the top things we’re looking forward to this summer: fishing tournaments, concerts, fundraisers, movies in the park, Dauphin Street Beer Festival and so much more. No weekend left behind!
SUMMER COCKTAILS Go online for a collection of fruity, refreshing cocktails perfect for outdoor entertaining with friends or family. PUT A RING ON IT Share your proposal story with us, and we’ll feature your engagement announcement online and on social media.
AROUND THE HOUSE Follow along each month as exterior designer Catherine Arensberg shares her latest projects and offers tips for sprucing up your own home. This summer she’ll be exploring outdoor living space redesign, including a cool garage conversion. Go online to browse the full catalogue of her articles and videos.
WIN A TRAEGER GRILL
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PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU CHICKEN PESTO PASTA SALAD / PHOTO BY NICOLE QUINN
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PICNIC PERFECT Pack up the kiddos and enjoy the great outdoors before the dog days arrive. We’ve rounded up 10 family-friendly recipes that are easy to take on the go.
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EXTRAS | ODDS & ENDS
Some Like it Hot text by MB EDITORIAL STAFF
BREEZE (n.) from the Old Spanish “briza,” meaning “cold northeast wind”
SPF
STANDS FOR SUN PROTECTION FACTOR A sunscreen’s SPF tells you how long it would take for the sun’s rays to redden your skin. For example, if you use SPF 30 properly, it would take 30 times longer to burn than if you used no sunscreen at all.
“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.” – Frank Sinatra
1987 Alligators removed from the endangered species list MB chews the hog fat with a gator whisperer on page 60.
17,814 99 LENGTH IN FEET OF THE DAUPHIN ISLAND BRIDGE
FEELING THE HEAT ON AVERAGE IN MOBILE June 1 is 86 degrees with a 38 percent chance of rain June 30 is 89 degrees with a 53 percent chance of rain
See a trend? [JUNE 18]
National GO FISHING DAY Or in my case, National Go Hungry Day.
YEARS AGO THIS MONTH
... waterskiing was invented. In 1922, Ralph Samuelson of Minnesota proposed that if you could ski on snow, then you could ski on water. After days of experimenting with homemade wooden planks, Ralph finally discovered that the key was to lean backward in the water with ski tips pointing up. Three years later, Ralph would become the world’s first water ski jumper, skiing over a partly submerged diving platform that had been greased with lard. Water-skiers are just a different breed. Learn about a local skier with equal determination on page 54.
(X/10) + 18 = S The suggested formula for a barefoot water-skier’s boat speed in miles per hour, where x equals the skier’s weight in pounds. june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 13
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FOOD | THE DISH
Bite of the Bay MB’s contributing food fanatics share their go-to local dishes.
MARISSA THETFORD, Owner, Marissa Thetford Marketing
SEAFOOD LASAGNA AT GUIDO’S “My guilty pleasure is definitely this local twist on lasagna, which is stuffed with crabmeat and the best creamy, garlic Alfredo sauce I’ve ever had. Topped with cheese and baked to perfection, this dish is rounded out expertly with sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Do yourself a favor, and follow my lead on this one.” GUIDO’S RESTAURANT • 1709 MAIN ST., DAPHNE • 626-6082 • FACEBOOK: @GUIDOSDAPHNE
WHOLE CATFISH PLATE AT DAVID’S CATFISH HOUSE
AL WIGGINS, Electrical / Instrumentation Engineer, Hargrove Engineers + Constructors
FRIED CATFISH AT DAVID’S CATFISH HOUSE “Like many others, my dining out experience lately has been ordering to-go. One of my favorite places is David’s Catfish House. The three-piece whole / fillet catfish plate offers catfish that is fresh, well-seasoned and fried to perfection. To complement such great fish, I prefer to overload on starch, so I go with the fries and grits!” DAVID’S CATFISH HOUSE • 10810 HIGHWAY 31, SPANISH FORT • 930-1252 • FACEBOOK: DAVID’S CATFISH HOUSE SPANISH FORT AL
STACEY DRISKELL, Associate Director, Mobile Opera
SQUASH SOUP AT CAFE 219 “Every Tuesday is Thanksgiving at Cafe 219. Squash soup might be synonymous with fall, but thankfully this creamy and flavorful soup is a year-rounder at one of my favorite lunch spots. The ever-entertaining owner Todd Henson has the perfect menu for a quick lunch — wraps, salads, paninis and pizza. So stop in on a Tuesday and check out the squash soup. You will love it — but be sure to leave some for me.”
WHITNEY BOYD, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager, The First, A National Banking Association
JOE CAIN DIP AT DAUPHIN’S “For our anniversary, my husband and I had a chance to try Dauphin’s brunch for the first time. We started with the Joe Cain dip appetizer — this blew us away! It was plenty for us to share with a flare of Southern tradition. We love a good artichoke and spinach dip. However, when you throw in Conecuh sausage, it takes things to a different level. If you are looking for a good warm Southern dish, try this.”
CAFE 219 • 219 CONTI ST. • 438-5234
DAUPHIN’S • 107 ST FRANCIS ST., SUITE 3400,
219CONTI.COM
444-0200 • GODAUPHINS.COM
What dishes made you drool and left you hungry for more? Share them on our Facebook page! june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 15
FOOD | TASTINGS
OSO at Bear Point text by BRECK PAPPAS • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
E
very morning, Tyler Kean steps onto his boat in front of the home he shares with his wife and four children on Wolf Bay. He fires up the engine, putters into Bay La Launch, rounds Hatcher Point and directs the nose of the vessel towards work: OSO at Bear Point Marina. For those with four wheels, OSO is located at the eastern end of Canal Road in Orange Beach, but, like Kean, many of its patrons choose to make the trip by water. Kean can hardly blame them; the Louisiana native says he starts each workday with a cup of coffee, looking out over the serene water from the restaurant’s upper deck. Many know Kean, above, from his 19 years as owner and proprietor of the Fairhope Inn, but before that, he was just a 15-year-old kid peeling shrimp in Louisiana. After studying at the Culinary Institute in New York and running a fine dining restaurant in St. Francisville, Louisiana, he jumped at the opportunity to relocate to Fairhope in 2000. In 2019, another opportunity presented itself at Bear Point Marina, in the space previously occupied by Flipper’s Seafood and Oyster Bar. Kean immediately set out to create a “coastal”
menu that represented the entire Gulf Coast — Florida to Louisiana, Texas to Mexico. “That way, we’re not cornered into doing just one type of cuisine,” he says. Think etouffee and gumbo alongside burritos and charred pineapple shrimp. “It’s casual coastal food with a little lean towards Latin flavors.” He found similar inspiration when deciding on the restaurant’s name; “Oso” is Spanish for “bear,” a tip of the hat to the marina at its back door. Upon OSO’s opening in January 2020, diners found a restaurant with a renewed focus on the local community and music. Lots of music. “We are really music-driven,” Kean says, explaining that visitors find live music every night from a variety of musicians, making it a dynamic place for tourists and locals alike. “The biggest compliment I can get is from a local who says, ‘I love what you’ve done, and thanks for putting the time and effort into us.’” And it doesn’t stop there. For the early risers, Kean has opened the cleverly named breakfast spot OSO Early just down the road. A full day on a full stomach is calling, and it’s OSO perfect. MB
OSO at Bear Point • 5749 Bay La Launch Ave., Orange Beach • 345-6738 osobearpoint.com • 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Su - Th; 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. F - Sa
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FOOD | TASTINGS
[ON THE MENU]
GARLIC PARMESAN OYSTERS This plate of oysters baked in a cheesy, garlic concoction is best enjoyed in the glow of a sunset over Bear Point Marina.
SEAFOOD NACHOS
TUNA BOWL
PAPA OSO
A tray of tortilla chips is smothered with three cheeses, blackened shrimp, pico de gallo, house salsa, jalapeño slices and cilantro for a shareable snack.
Ancho-dusted rare tuna meets dark rum sauce, Sriracha chili mayonnaise and cilantro sour cream — all atop a bed of lime rice.
This signature cocktail of dark rum, coconut rum and banana rum gets even more tropical with pineapple juice and blended Bordeaux cherries.
GARLIC PARMESAN OYSTERS
A
GRANDE DAME
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FOOD | BAY TABLES
text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
W
hen Elizabeth and Michael Damrich stepped over the threshold of the big yellow house on Government Street, she broke down and started crying. With their first baby on the way, the two Alabamians were hoping to move closer to family (his is in Mobile, hers in Athens, Alabama) and were touring cities across the South, looking for the place that felt like home. The 12-foot ceilings, enormous Ionic columns and eight fireplaces won Elizabeth over immediately, and her nesting instincts, which she describes as “very real,” told her this was the home in which she would start a family. The It Girl Elizabeth Damrich is the kind of girl you want to be, or at least be friends with. She is elegant, stylish, well-dressed and well-travelled. It’s obvious why she has almost 15,000 followers on Instagram, all of whom are captivated by her every move. Despite growing up in a small town, design has always been her greatest passion. With a father who loved architecture and a mother with a keen sense of style, Elizabeth and her sister would pore over Vogue magazines together and use photos of the runway shows like flashcards to memorize designer collections. “Living isolated in such a small town forced our creativity to thrive at a young age,” she explains. After graduating from the University of Alabama, a move to New York City seemed like the natural next step. Instead of moving to the big city a single girl, as she envisioned, Elizabeth moved very
much in love with a Mobilian she met in Tuscaloosa the last week of college. In the end, they enjoyed discovering that exuberant city together. While there, she followed her dream of working for a creative agency in the fashion and beauty space. “Working on ad campaigns, taking meetings with brands like Harry Winston, Shopbop and Lancôme was a pinch-me moment for a smalltown Alabama girl.” She fit right in with the sleek New York fashionistas, however, even being photographed herself outside the tents at Bryant Park during Fashion Week, a photo that was picked up by Vogue. She modestly says she was just in the right place at the right time, but her chic look certainly didn’t hurt. After several years of the “New York grind and New York winters,” she explains, her Southern blood
“I WAS BOUND FOR A LOVE AFFAIR WITH AN OLD HOUSE IN MY LIFE, I JUST DIDN’T EXPECT IT SO SOON. WHEN I WALKED IN, I STARTED CRYING.” – Elizabeth Damrich
Opposite Elizabeth Damrich on the front porch of her Government Street home, known as the Rapier House. Above The Rapier House PHOTO BY NANCY HUGHES, COURTESY ROBERTS BROTHERS
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called her and Michael to warmer climates, and the couple spent several years enjoying the architecture and excitement of Charleston, South Carolina. “It had a restaurant culture that felt a little like New York, but in this historical, European-feeling Southern town,” she remembers. It was a compromise between New York and her small-town upbringing, in a sense. The couple never envisioned leaving there, but she says, “It’s amazing how a new baby can transform your thinking.” When their first child was well on the way, they began the search that ultimately led them to Mobile and to the home known as the Rapier House.
The Rapier House Built in the early 1880s by Elizabeth Goldthwaite, the Neoclassic Revival house received its name from the second owner, John Rapier. In 1909, the third owner, Thomas Boone, added the Greek Revival colonnade you see today. “I felt a similar energy in Oakleigh as I did in Charleston, but it just hasn’t fully exploded in Mobile yet. We thought it would be cool to be a part of helping to build that — of bringing young families back Downtown.” Elizabeth was also drawn to the Ionic columns of the Rapier House, which she points out are from the feminine order. “My dad taught us the column orders when I was just 3 years old.” When asked about her aesthetic for the home, which was once full of bold colors and red-toned floors, she says she prefers to “lean into the grand simplicity” of the home, capturing the bones and highlighting the architecture with a neutral palette. It is anything but ordinary inside, though. She plays with scale, fabrics, and the juxtaposition of antiques with modern, clean-lined furnishings.
RAPIER SPRITZ
MAKES 1
1/4 teaspoon elderflower syrup 1 sprig fresh mint juice from 1 lime ice 8 ounces sparkling water slice of lime, for garnish
Set the Table Elizabeth and Michael’s 2-year-old daughter, Genevieve, asks her mom for pretty goldfish. Standing in the large butler’s pantry of the Rapier House, Elizabeth grabs a sterling silver punch cup from her shelf and fills it with snacks for the little girl with big brown eyes waiting patiently, arms outstretched. Elizabeth says she tries to embrace tiny moments in life that elevate the every day, and a big part of that is not saving her fancy things for a special occasion. “Today is special,” she says. Using her best silver goblets or lighting taper candles for a Tuesday night dinner Cont’ d on page 25 20 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
Above The Rapier House has a large butler’s pantry that makes for the perfect bar setup during parties. Opposite top The Damriches’ daughter, Genevieve, pushes her pram around the front yard, the picture of Southern sweetness.
Combine syrup, mint and lime juice in the bottom of a glass and muddle to bring out the flavors and oils. Add ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with slice of lime.
Elizabeth makes this refreshing mocktail instead of her favorite gimlet when she is expecting, and it is the perfect sip for hot summer evenings. It can be made by the pitcher for guests to easily help themselves.
JUST A SPRITZ Elizabeth loves a spritz all summer long. In keeping with her unfussy entertaining style, she says no recipe is required, just basic proportions: 1/3 sparkling wine or rose, 1/3 sweet-bitter liquor (such as Campari, Aperol or Lillet), and 1/3 sparkling water makes a delightfully effervescent drink that is easy on the alcohol so you can enjoy a few more! For those not drinking, her non-alcoholic Rapier Spritz follows similar guidelines: something bubbly, something tart and something sweet to yield the perfect mocktail for steamy summer weather.
YAYA’S CRAB CLAWS SERVES 6
Elizabeth often serves ordinary food — like these potato chips — in beautiful estate silver, instantly elevating their party status.
3/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar 1 small package dry Italian salad dressing mix (0.7 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic 1/4 cup dried parsley flakes 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon vermouth 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 pound crab claws, cooked and shelled
Whisk olive oil and vinegar into salad dressing mix. Add remaining marinade ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold crab claws into marinade. Transfer to a large plastic container with lid and refrigerate several hours or overnight, turning several times to allow marinade to coat well.
Elizabeth’s mother-in-law, Suzanne Damrich, passed down this easy, make-ahead crab claw recipe. It is high on Mediterranean flavors and goes down easy with a refreshing cocktail.
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This easy appetizer looks beautiful on the plate and sets the tone for a flavorful gathering.
SPICY TOMATOMARINATED FETA SERVES 8
From “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over” by Alison Roman 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more as needed 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 small (or 1 medium) ripe tomatoes (4 to 6 ounces total), coarsely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons harissa paste or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 8 ounces feta cheese, sliced into 1/4-inch slabs or 1/2-inch cubes
1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, swirling the skillet occasionally, until garlic is tender and nearly golden brown, 2 - 3 minutes. 2. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they’ve broken down into a thick, chunky sauce, 5 - 8 minutes. 3. Add harissa and continue to cook until the sauce is a bit more paste-like, another 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then add vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil until it becomes savory and spoonable. 4. Place feta in a serving dish or bowl and pour the tomato mixture over. Let sit at least 10 minutes, or up to a week in advance, refrigerated. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving. Chef note: Feta can be marinated up to 1 week ahead, tightly wrapped and refrigerated. You can also substitute goat cheese, ricotta salata or queso fresco for the feta.
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Elizabeth Damrich loves to cook from “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over” by Alison Roman. “I am vegetable-forward and so is she, but she does it in a flavorful way. The recipes are creative and the photography and styling are so appealing.” Elizabeth likes that Alison is down-to-earth about entertaining, describing it as unpretentious but made exciting by lots of vegetables and fresh herbs. One of Alison’s best entertaining tips: If you run out of room in the fridge, ice down the sink in your powder room and chill your wine in there!
ROSEMARY GIMLET
MAKES 1
2 ounces gin 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 3/4 ounce rosemary syrup fresh rosemary and slice of lime, for garnish
1. Chill a stemmed cocktail glass in the freezer. 2. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Cover and shake for about 20 seconds, until very cold. 3. Pour into chilled glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of fresh lime. Serve immediately.
ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP
FOR USE IN ABOUT 8 COCKTAILS
1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely. 2. Strain syrup into a jar, removing rosemary pieces, and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for up to two weeks.
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gives Elizabeth great happiness and are part of what makes her life seem so romantic from the outside looking in. Every day, it seems like something wonderful is happening at the Rapier House. “I became a big cook when I had children,” she continues. “I love beautiful food and a good dining experience, but with kids, you quickly realize you don’t always have the luxury. It’s up to you to create that special experience in your home.” The pandemic gave her the time to explore candlelit dinners in every room in her house, and on each porch as well — of which the Rapier House has several. When looking for the right recipe for everything from a casual family dinner to a gathering of friends, Elizabeth says she leans on her copy of Alison Roman’s “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over.” She says the cookbook author talks you through the recipes like you’re talking to a friend. “I am vegetableforward in my cooking and so is she, but she does it in a flavorful way.” With one or two stellar recipes from that tried-and-true tome, Elizabeth rounds out her entertaining with something simple and store-bought, like potato chips, but served in sterling silver Revere bowls. These simple but luxurious touches transform casual cocktails (or mocktails in Elizabeth’s case, as she is expecting baby number two) with the neighbors into something so much more fabulous. MB
WATERMELON POPS MAKES 6 - 8 1 pound watermelon 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons lime juice water, as needed
1. Remove rind from watermelon and cut into small chunks, removing seeds. 2. Put in a blender with sugar and lime juice and process until smooth, adding water as needed to help the mixture liquify. 3. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
Opposite, from top Courtney and Christian Hilley visit with hostess Elizabeth on the front porch. Michael Damrich brings out the cocktails. This page, from top Cooper Trent tries to consume his popsicle before the summer heat does. His mom, Katie Trent, steals a quiet moment to catch up with neighbor Elizabeth.
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FOOD | BITE-SIZED
Garden Goodies The uniquely textured fig is a sweet treat worth picking. text by DOOLEY BERRY
N
early everybody’s Southern grandma had at least one wide-spreading fig tree, with low branches for the kids to climb and the added bonus of a bumper crop of plump, sweet and gorgeous figs. That is, if Grandma got to them before the birds and squirrels did.
Figs are highly nutritious and packed with high-energy sugars, calcium, fiber, potassium and antioxidants. They are grown worldwide as both food and a lovely ornamental plant. Fig trees tend to attract the eye with their large, hand-shaped leaves and purplish-brown bounty of fruit. Like so many of our coastal Alabama plants, figs are native to the Middle East and Asia. Most Alabama fig trees are the “common” or “persistent” figs that don’t require pollination to set their fruits, as do other varieties like Smyrna and San Pedros (which are typically grown for the dried fruit market). Ficus carica is a traditional favorite fig tree in the Deep South where they thrive in our coastal Alabama climate. With a single tree in a sunny location, you can enjoy a plentiful crop of figs to share with family and lucky friends. And the best part? Fig trees are easy to care for. Most of the labor involves the summertime picking of the delicious fruit before it is devoured by birds and other fig-loving critters. Whether you are fortunate enough to have your own tree or are the benefactor of figs from your neighbor, go ahead and branch out with some new recipes. This favored Southern fruit can — and should — be shared and enjoyed in many, many ways. MB
CITRUSY FIG PRESERVES 4 cups sugar 1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice 3 pounds fresh-picked figs, stems trimmed zest of one orange 1. Have ready five hot and sterilized half-pint jars and lids. 2. In large saucepan, combine sugar with orange and lemon juices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add figs and reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir gently for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer figs to a bowl. 3. Add orange zest to the syrup and cook, uncovered, until reduced by one-third, about 2 - 3 minutes. Return figs to pan and cook for one minute. Use slotted spoon to divide figs evenly among the jars. Ladle syrup over the figs, leaving a quarter inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean and seal lightly with lids. 4. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Store in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
FIGS THAT THRIVE ON THE GULF COAST
O’ROURKE
Brownish, purple fruit outside and light red inside. Sugary sweet.
LSU PURPLE
Purple outside, white and yellow inside. Mildly sweet; great grilled.
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BROWN TURKEY
Brown-yellow outside. Classic Southern fig — sweet and sugary.
PAPA JOHN
Purple outside, white and red inside. Sweet, rich flavor; great for preserves.
CELESTE
Brown, violet outside and light red inside. Classic and sweet like candy.
WAYS TO ENJOY FIGS Aside from popping figs in your mouth, fresh from the tree, here are a few additional ways to enjoy them: • Try stuffing fresh figs with almonds and a soft cheese, such as goat, cream or mascarpone, and serve as an appetizer or snack. • Figs are traditionally prepared as biscuit-topping preserves or relishes. There are a number of recipes that can be embellished by adding cinnamon, cloves or other spices for a new flavor blast. • Mix chopped figs with onions and hot peppers for a flavorful relish or salsa. • For a sweet, after-dinner treat, drizzle fresh figs with honey and serve alone or with nuts and cheeses. • Homemade fig bars, cookies, cakes and tarts will make tasty and healthy desserts or snacks. • Toss fresh figs with crisp lettuces and other vegetables for a nutritious summer salad. • Figs can be roasted and used to sweeten the flavor of chicken, pork or lamb. Figs can even be added to pasta dishes and casseroles to add a delicious wow factor. • Pureed figs can be used to create unusual and tasty cocktail smoothies and other beverages, while poached figs add a luscious topping to ice cream or a slice of pound cake.
Master Gardener, Dooley Berry, writes the “Beyond the Garden Gate” column and the “Baldwin Blessings” column for Gulf Coast News in Baldwin County. She lives in Spanish Fort with husband Scott and their mastiff, Happy.
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FOOD | ENTERTAINING
HOSTESS BEVERLY SMITH SHARES TIPS ON SETTING UP YOUR
BOTTOMS UP
HOME BAR — THE FOUNDATION FOR PERFECTLY MEMORABLE GATHERINGS.
text by AMANDA HARTIN • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
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MEET OUR HOSTESS Ask anyone who’s been invited to Beverly Smith’s home, and they’d agree she has a flair for entertaining, a skill she’s honed over the past 52 years. This hospitable hostess with the mostest says she starts with a simple theme around which she builds the decor and menu. But one thing remains constant — her enviable home bar. Whether it’s her famous budget-friendly pizza parties or her showstopping, dining-room-tablecovered charcuterie parties, Beverly has spirits of all sorts on hand to put guests at ease.
“PEOPLE JUST WANT TO BE TOGETHER.” – Beverly Smith, on not sweating the small stuff
SET THE SCENE Pick an inspiration piece, like the Carmen Miranda bust, seen at left, and tailor your theme to it. Scarves, wraps and towels make affordable decorative runners. Add height and dimension to your bar by using upturned buckets or bowls. Set up the bar on the porch or in the backyard to avoid bottlenecks inside.
FLOWERS, $28 EACH, WILDFLOWERS FLORAL DESIGNS • PAPIERMACHE CARMEN MIRANDA, $300, WILDFLOWERS FLORAL DESIGNS • PINK TURKISH BEACH TOWEL, $38, CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • LEOPARD RUG, $120 (MEDIUM), LIVING WELL • GOLD BAMBOO NAPKIN TRAY, $32, LIVING WELL • PORCELAIN STEM HOLDER, $60, GREEN GATES • MARBLE AND GOLD STANDS, $115 (LARGE); $85 (SMALL), GREEN GATES • COLORED STEMWARE, $29 EACH, LIVING WELL • EMBROIDERED NAPKINS, $28 (SET OF 6), LIVING WELL
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CAPUCINE FLORAL TEA GLASSES, $50 (SET OF 6), LIVING WELL
STOCK THE BAR No need to spend a fortune stocking up all at once. Beverly says start with two or three bottles of your favorites — the home bar is meant to be a reflection of its owners. Basic Liquors White rum, rye whiskey, gin, tequila, Scotch, vodka Juices Lemon, lime, orange, cranberry, grapefruit, pineapple, tomato Garnishes Mint, rosemary, basil, lemon, lime, cucumber, celery, olives, cocktail onions, cherries Mixers Tea, coffee, cream, simple syrup, liqueurs, club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, cola, lemonlime soda Tools Shaker, bar spoon, strainer, jigger, muddler 30 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
BEVERLY’S GO-TO COCKTAILS FOR SUMMER ENTERTAINING CUCUMBER GIN MARTINI 3 cucumber slices 1 sprig of mint 2 ounces Hendrick’s gin 1 tablespoon agave juice 1 teaspoon lime juice ribbon of cucumber, for garnish Muddle cucumber slices and mint. Add to a martini shaker with ice, gin, agave and lime juice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a ribbon of cucumber.
GOLD CHAMPAGNE 2 pinches of edible gold leaf flakes* Champagne Pour a small amount of Champagne into a Champagne flute. Add edible gold leaf flakes, then top off with more Champagne. * Beverly found hers on Amazon.
GRAPEFRUIT AND TEQUILA MARTINI 3 ounces tequila 4 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice splash of WithCo Bouquet flavored mixer lime slice, for garnish rosemary sprig, for garnish Add ice, tequila, juice and mixer to a shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary spired through the lime slice.
EASY DOES IT “As the host, you don’t want to be doing anything but mingling during the party,” Beverly insists. “You need to be prepared.” That includes slicing fruits and veggies beforehand, chopping herbs — even setting out glasses and servingware to make sure the bar line flows smoothly. And to really enjoy the party, leave room in the budget to hire a professional. “Bartenders take care of everything,” Beverly says, “from refilling ice to shaking cocktails.” And they’ll have enough supplies on hand to quench guests’ thirst all night.
GLASS MUDDLER, $92, CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • HELYX THREE BOWL SNACK SET, $125, CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • JIGGER AND STRAINER (PART OF SET), $135, CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • GOLD LEAF FLAKES, $18, AMAZON.COM • WITHCO MIXER, $20, MOUNTAIN BROOK OLIVE COMPANY
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HOMES | GETAWAYS
Little Treasure A tiny house on Fish River proves bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to relaxation. text by AMANDA HARTIN • photos by TAD DENSON
TINY GETAWAY
Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to relaxing on Fish River.
TRY IT!
A
bout three-quarters of a mile south of Fairhope’s County Road 32, down Fish River’s sinuous path sits a tiny house, nestled among the trees and perched high on pilings. Stumbling upon the bright blue home is like finding a little treasure, a gem uncovered by those traversing the calm, lakelike watershed. That’s how Nichole and Michael Brenny felt the first time they saw it. The couple purchased the structure, which was formerly a boat shed, completely renovated it and turned it into a short-term rental, their third such place. “We call it ‘Bass-kin’ on the River’ because Fish River is good for bass fishing,” Michael explains. “Plus, it’s a play on ‘basking in the sun,’ which has a relaxing connotation.” With the recent boom in tiny house popularity, paring down, while seemingly ideal, might feel daunting. But Michael reminds us it’s all about the basics. “I think part of the appeal of tiny houses is simplicity,” he says
Think you have what it takes to live in a tiny house? Bass-kin’ on the River is available for rent, making it the perfect local getaway, and, er, test run.
of the furnished 250-square-foot home. “You get just what you need while you are busy experiencing life.” Experiences like exploring the river, campfire-sitting and kicking back at the end of the day. The Brennys certainly made it easy to do that. A down-filled sleeper sofa and a cushy queen size bed are just two cozy comforts in this home away from home. Wood paneling complements the rustic surroundings, and 12 well-placed windows bring the outdoors in while providing ample light. And the patter of rain on the tin roof is the perfect soundtrack for lazy summer afternoons. Wee places like the Brennys’ are reminders that thousands of square feet aren’t required to alleviate a ton of stress. And the little blue gem on Fish River is proof that you don’t have to travel far — or make “big” plans — to satiate the need for a quick escape.
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Looking for more? Here are a few spots a stone’s skip from Fish River.
Marlow Ferry “The park’s beauty reminds me of a scene out of a movie,” says Michael Brenny of the picturesque launching spot. Used in the 1800s, the Fish River ferry transported people from shore to shore. 16346 Honey Road
THREE REASONS TO LOVE THIS TINY HOUSE IN THE WOODS
USABLE SQUARE FOOT-
IN SMALL SPACES, STICK-
STUMP SEATS, LOGS AND
ING WITH THE SAME WALL
PILLOWS ADD A TOUCH
TREATMENT THROUGHOUT,
OF CHARMING, RUSTIC
SUCH AS WOOD PANEL-
COZINESS. THROW IN A
ING, KEEPS THE INTERIOR
GRILL AND A PICNIC TABLE,
SLEEK AND DRAWS THE EYE
AND THERE’S NO GOOD
TOWARD THE REAL SHOW-
REASON TO GO INSIDE.
AGE. A BENCH, SCATTERED
PIECE — THE VIEW OUTSIDE. WINDOWS ALLOW FOR STUNNING VISTAS OF THE RIVER, AND BECAUSE THE HOUSE IS HOISTED HIGH, THEY ALSO PROVIDE A PEEK OF NEIGHBORING TREETOPS. THIS IS LUXURY TREE HOUSE LIVING AT ITS BEST.
EASY ACCESS SITTING AT THE WATER’S EDGE IS NICE, BUT EXPLORING IT BY WATERCRAFT IS EVEN BETTER. FISH RIVER OFFERS 9 MILES OF NAVIGABLE WATER AND IS TEEMING WITH BREAM, BASS, CAT-
TAKE IT OUTSIDE
FISH AND TROUT (IN THE
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
MAINTAINED SPOT ALONG
IS CALLING, AND IN THE
THE SHORE TO LAUNCH A
SOUTH, THE CALL IS HEARD
KAYAK OR CANOE ALLOWS
YEAR-ROUND. WHETHER
FOR A NEW ADVENTURE
ROASTING MARSHMAL-
EACH DAY. AND HERE’S
LOWS IN THE SUMMER OR
A TIP FROM MICHAEL
SNUGGLING ‘ROUND IN
BRENNY: PADDLE AGAINST
THE WINTER, FIRE PITS ARE A
THE WIND FIRST FOR AN
GREAT WAY TO INCREASE
EASIER RETURN TRIP. MB
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WINTER). HAVING A WELL-
“I think part of the appeal of tiny houses is simplicity. You get just what you need while you are busy experiencing life.”
- Michael Brenny
Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog and Nature Trail Stroll the boardwalk and catch the carnivorous pitcher plant’s summer emergence. 14075 Fish River Road
Big Daddy’s Grill Walk, drive or kayak for a fresh seafood lunch or dinner, served right on the river’s edge. 16542 Ferry Road BigDaddysGrill.net
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HOMES | DECORATING
This summer holds the promise of travel, and we are here for it. Four stylish local women let us peak in their bags and get a taste of what’s on their itineraries.
PACK YOUR BAG
THIS FABULOUS STRAW AND WICKER HANDBAG HAS US DREAMING OF WARM DESTINATIONS AND TROPICAL DRINKS. $357 DEBRA’S text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
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30A’s premier coffee roastery ships their beans nationwide! Amavida Coffee, $16 - $34
GOOD STUFF | TRAVEL
Zue I. Farmer
This active mother is raising three girls in Spring Hill with her husband Murray and always looking chic while doing it. She frequently travels to sandy destinations like Orange Beach, Destin and 30A. Here, she shares her packing list for a quick trip with the family to Rosemary Beach, Florida.
Tennis gear always makes the packing list for Zue, along with AirPods to play relaxing tunes while enjoying the sun. Kind bars offer a pick-me-up anytime.
Zue’s drink of choice on vacation is a refreshing mojito.
SKIN DEEP
PESCADO SEAFOOD GRILL
Janessa Leoné Packable Hamilton Fedora, $237, Debra’s Beach Candy Stripe Turkish Towel, $45, The Holiday
ROSEMARY BEACH
“Taking care of my skin while enjoying the summer vibes is a priority. After my Supergoop sunscreen does the hard work protecting me, my Bum Bum cream gives a healthy glow after a day of sun.”
THE PEARL HOTEL
“Polarized Ray-Bans are a must for a relaxed, carefree style.”
BAG IT UP
L*Space Parker Swim Top, $84, and Pratt Bottoms, $88, The Holiday Supergoop! Glow Oil and Daily Dose Vitamin C + SPF Available Online
This stylish beach bag is fair-trade, handmade in Mexico and comes in a wide variety of waterproof pvc colors and patterns. Maria Victoria Orozco Beach Bag, $154, Hemline Swell Match Point Water Bottle, $35, The Holiday
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GOOD STUFF | TRAVEL Oliver Thomas Champagne Kitchen Sink Duffle, $165, The Ivy Cottage
Mimi Wood Lifelong Mobilian Mimi Wood is certainly well-travelled, but these days the mountains of North Carolina are high on her list of destinations. The fresh air, invigorating hikes and cool temperatures make for the perfect summer getaway, whether with a group of sophisticated ladies or a boisterous pack of grandkids. Her suitcase is full of chic laid-back staples.
Maui Jim Glory Glory Polarized Cat Eye Sunglasses, $299, McCoy Outdoor Co.
HIGHLANDS, NORTH CAROLINA
1702 Baseball Cap, $25, Red Beard’s Outfitter
Rumi Su Zebra Print Scarf $280, Debra’s
HEAD FOR HIGH GROUND
“We love to rent a house
in the mountains each summer with friends. We do a lot of walking, eating and reading on the porch — we just enjoying being outside! My Supergoop sunblock and Maui Jim sunglasses are a must. ”
DRYFALLS
Rains Belted Raincoat, $125, White + Warren Cashmere Sweater, $313, Paige Premium Denim Margot Jeans, $199, All The Holiday
1818 Farms Lavender Shea Cream, made in Mooresville, Alabama, $20, Available online
DON’T MISS
“My favorite shops in Highlands and Cashiers are Vivace and CK Swan, and I love to stop by Wild Thyme or The Wine Garden at Old Edward’s Inn for a great meal.”
Tibouren Rose, $29, Red or White Wine Store Host Wine Freeze Glass, $15 each, The Holiday
Ilse Jacobsen Tulip Walking Shoes, $94, The Gallery Shoe Boutique
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A good book and handmade cheese straws are a must for renting a house. Cheese Straws By Donna, $8, Fairhope Piggly Wiggly
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GOOD STUFF | TRAVEL
Summer Ennis Ansley Interior Designer and MB contributor Summer Ansley has long had a love affair with the Wild West. After purchasing a tiny cabin in picturesque Red Lodge, Montana, she made trips into the Bear Tooth Mountains and Yellowstone National Park a regular part of her life. She knows a thing or two about the perfect packing list for high elevations.
A trail guide is always a smart idea, even for experienced hikers.
Patagonia Mako Blue Refugio Pack II, $89, merchology.com
Maho Sundance Marble Shades, $195, JJ Eyes
BE PREPARED
“Pack in layers! It can snow 12 months out of the year in the mountains and then warm up really quickly. I always bring a packable down vest, quick dry clothes for hiking and waders for fishing.”
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY
RED LODGE, MONTANA
Tasc Nola Quick Dry Shirt, $48, Red Beard’s Outfitter Marmot Quilted Vest, $150, amazon.com
GET IT ON FILM
An accomplished photographer, Summer is never without her camera. Her favorite photos from her time out West come from the annual Fourth of July Rodeo, shown below. Boots and jeans are a must for this itinerary.
“When hiking, it’s good to have quick, on-the-go fuel in your pack, like beef jerky or trail mix. And a local brew after hiking or fishing from Red Lodge Ales hits the spot.”
Coola Mineral Sunscreen, $36, amazon.com
RED LODGE RODEO
Corral Boots, $259, The Boot Store & Shoe Hospital
PHOTO BY SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY
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GOOD STUFF | TRAVEL
Lizzie Nobles Watercolor artist and busy young mom of four Lizzie Nobles always finds a way to make it fun. Her husband, Ryan, grew up in Louisiana, so the couple tries to incorporate his Cajun culture into their children’s upbringing, and spending time at their condo in New Orleans makes it (big) easy. Butterfly Fascinator, $12, amazon.com
“I love supporting small businesses, and this one is female minority owned in New Orleans!” Finley Signature Bag by Finley and Co. $40 shopfinleyandco.com
NEW ORLEANS
Asymetrical Dress, $62, Sway
Beaded Parrot Earrings, $32, Sway
LAFITTE’S BLACKSMITH SHOP
PUB CRAWL
ALL IN FUN
“I love fascinators, neon wigs or sparkly eyeshadow. I look forward to teaching my kids they can be a bit outrageous and colorful at a fancy Nola brunch. I love the juxtaposition!”
Avon Dew Kiss Lip Dew, $2 MAC Gold Glitter Eyeshadow, $18, Both Available Online
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“Obituary Cocktail is a book that guides you on a tour of Nola’s historic bars with signature drinks. We like to take the streetcar and get Sazeracs and RumRamseys and end with a Purple Drink at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shoppe.” Vintage Havana Tennis Shoes $130 The Gallery Shoe Boutique
“I always pack Cheez-It and yogurt smoothies for the kids.”
Pink Page Boy Wig, $15, amazon.com
“I always try to bring my watercolor travel set, in case the Nola muse sparks my creativity”
DOWN ON THE BAYOU
“It is magic to see the awe in the kids’ eyes as they experience their dad’s Cajun culture, whether it’s a saxophone and tap dance on the street or beignets and crawfish brunch.”
RESOURCES: Amavida Coffee amavida.com The Boot Store and Shoe Hospital 25251 Highway 98., Fairhope • 621-1583 thebootstorereal.com Debra’s Boutique 4068 Old Shell Road • 343-7463 The Gallery Shoe Boutique 4310 Old Shell Road 344-4257 The Holiday 4513 Old Shell Road • 342-4911 shoptheholiday.com. The Ivy Cottage 9 Du Rhu Drive • 345-1731 ivycottageonline.com JJ Eyes 7 S. Church St., Unit D, Fairhope • 929-0015 jjeyesoptical.com McCoy Outdoor Co. 3498 SpringHill Ave. • 473-1080 mccoyoutdoorco.com Red Beard’s Outfitter 4354 Old Shell Road • 217-7466 redbeardsoutfitter.com Red or White Wine Store 1104 Dauphin St. • 478-9494 redorwhite.com Sway 324 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope • 990-2282 swayfairhope.com
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Tew Palms text by CHRISTY REID photos by SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY
A COUPLE UNEXPECTEDLY FINDS THEIR HOME ON DAUPHIN ISLAND AND CREATES A BEAUTIFUL RETREAT FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
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island kitchen Kaye selected pendant lights from Lantern and Scroll that bring a pop of color to the light, natural tones in the kitchen. Bar stools with pattern are from March + May Design. The cabinet color is Lattice by Sherwin Williams. june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 49
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s soon as Kaye Tew swings open her front door, her hospitality is overflowing. Already knowing that she and husband Mike really built their home to host family and friends, I wasn’t expecting any different. She welcomes me in and takes me to her study where she says goodbye to her prayer group. The seven ladies have been meeting together for over 25 years and now stay in touch through Zoom. Within a few minutes of my tour, we’re holding framed photos of grandkids, and she’s telling me all about how they spend their time when everyone is there. In the summer of 2002, Mike and Kaye found themselves empty nesters. Their daughter, Lauren, had just gotten married, and their son, Brad, was heading back to college. One Saturday, Mike said, “Let’s go to Dauphin Island.” “We rarely went to Dauphin Island,” Kaye reminisces, “but we did that day.” They didn’t go with any intention of buying a house, but they found themselves looking at homes from the West End to the East End. Much to Mike’s surprise, Kaye found one she liked. “Of course, it needed a little face-lift inside and outside,” she recalls. “Then after 16 years in that home, our family had grown,” Kaye says. “We added a son-in-law, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren. We needed more space.” But they couldn’t leave the property they had grown to love. They had named the place “Tew Palms” after the two palm trees by the water,
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and they delighted in the quietness of the area and the views of British Bay. So they bought another lot, moved the original home, sold it, and built their current home in 2018. “We already had our house plans from Jean Savell, and GLH Home Builders had begun construction. That’s when I called Natalie Roe of March + May Design and said, ‘I need help!’” Kaye had ideas of what she wanted, but she needed Natalie’s expertise to bring it all together. “Her creativity and energy and access to furniture, fabrics, art and other finishes elevated the aesthetics of made for living our home,” Kay says. Kaye found the coffee An open floor plan that allowed table that anchors everyone to be together in the the living room at Five Gold Monkeys. White kitchen, dining area and living orchids from Cleveland room was really important to the Florist fill her planter Kaye. She spends a lot of time held up by sculpted in her kitchen, especially when seahorses. Twin sofas from March + May the grandchildren are in town. Design provide plenty They offer little helping hands to of seating for when assist with cooking and baking. the whole family gets together. The room is Mike grills filets, and they painted Pure White by have mushrooms, twice-baked Sherwin Williams.
sweet dreams Soft beach colors create a serene master suite. Art by Christina Baker hangs above the bed. Visual Comfort lamps rest on the Noir nightstands. The euro pillows are covered in Kravet’s Lido print, and Kaya II by Lee Jofa covers the bolster.
set the table Kaye creates a beautiful tablescape for entertaining family and friends. The dining chairs and lamp are from March + May Design.
by your side Side tables designed by March + May Design were built by Azalea Home Furniture. No detail is overlooked as even the table has nautical displays and fresh florals. Sofa pillows are covered in a fabric by Carleton V Oxus, and the lamp is from Visual Comfort.
coastal library Fish art by Elaine Gleason ties in the nautical theme and colors of the study. Labyrinth by Schumacher wallpaper brings a subtle pattern to the space.
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for the girls Each granddaughter has her very own bed with a white Chippendale headboard by David Francis Furniture. Window Pane by Sherwin Williams provides the perfect backdrop for the framed swimsuit prints from Sketch + Co. The pillows are covered in Payton by Lulie Wallace, and the Roman shades are made from Gerty’s Dot by Erika Powell Textiles.
guest bath Natural light and coastal tones make this bathroom inviting for guests. The pelican art is from Kaye’s collection.
potatoes, salad and bread on the side. “Those kids request that meal,” she says. “They will go back for seconds!” They work up an appetite by spending their days on the water. The little kids go up and down the sea wall with nets in hand, hoping to catch crabs, shrimp and shells. They break for golf cart rides to get snow cones. Everyone, including Kaye, enjoys biking around the neighborhood. Mike can be found in-shore and off-shore fishing, and the children love to fish off the dock. They also enjoy riding on the jet ski and boat and swimming in the pool. When the family isn’t sharing meals together or time on the water, the younger generation heads upstairs to play video games, watch movies or challenge one another to board games, such as Monopoly, around the table overlooking the water. “Four girls and two boys,” Kaye laughs as she shows me the girls’ room with a row of twin beds and the boys’ room with just two twin beds. Angler Mike has claimed the ground floor and named it the “Fish Camp.” The area includes a fully-furnished apartment (where he had to quarantine during COVID), plenty of fishing equipment, exercise equipment and a work space. It has been nearly 20 years since Kaye and Mike drove to Dauphin Island on a whim. Now a permanent resident of this little slice of paradise, she stands on the pool deck, looking out at the sky, sun and water. “All we can do,” she says softly, “is say, ‘Thank you, Lord.’ We don’t take it for granted.” MB
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room to rest
Blue stripes, as well as the beaded mirror, make a laid-back, coastal statement.
play time Fish prints from Sketch + Co. surround the television in the playroom. The family enjoys playing board games around the white tulip table, and the blue and white poufs from Five Gold Monkeys provide extra seating or a place to prop feet.
game on
The upstairs living area is decorated with vintage shell prints Natalie found and enlarged. The fish fabric on the pillows is Laghetto from the Manarola collection by Osbourne and Little, and the rug and chairs are from March + May Design.
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Up in Creola is one of the most unusual neighborhoods you’ll ever find — 13 homes built on the shores of a competition water ski lake. This is the story of its residents and the father-son duo who willed it into existence. text by BRECK PAPPAS photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN
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LAKE RESIDENT KEN PFEIFFER
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When Keith Henley looks at the lake, he doesn’t see what the rest of us see. Where someone else sees a hilly shoreline covered with tall pines, Keith sees the treeless mountain of red clay he pushed into that very spot more than 30 years ago. When someone peers over the dock into the water, an unnatural, artificial blue, Keith sees the pit of mud he carved into the forest floor over the course of five years. The 52-year-old, dressed in jeans and an untucked work shirt, leans against the dock’s piling as he speaks. The blue dye, he explains, helps keep grass from growing on the lake’s floor. Ski lakes aren’t very deep, 10 feet at most, so sunlight can easily reach the bottom. Without the dye cutting down on the amount of sun breaking through, grass would grow as thick as a shag carpet and eventually float to the surface. Just off the dock, a slalom course of orange and yellow buoys dots the surface of the lake, and a large fiberglass ramp sits unmoving near the far shore. The skies over Creola, 25 minutes north of Mobile, threaten rain, and a wind ripples the water’s surface. If this looks like the perfect lake for water-skiing, that’s because it is. Ski Chaste Lake, as it’s called, was built by Keith and his father, J.R., to accommodate all three competitive skiing events: slalom, jump and trick. Keith, now with a mop of dark grey hair, was at one time the best three-event skier in the area. He still holds an Alabama state record in the jump, a feat that surprises him. “I set that record on my 74-inch skis,” he says, “and they’re using 90-plus now — like airplane wings.” Ski lakes like this are pretty rare; in fact, Ski Chaste Lake is one of only eight like it in the state and one of just two that hold tournaments. There are many benefits of a lake built solely for water-skiing: its long, skinny shape is better equipped to handle a boat’s wake, its north-south orientation ensures that the sun is never directly in a skier’s eyes, and an island at each end allows a boat to circle, creating a convergence point for wake as the boat makes the turn to start another run down the straight-shot course. Over the decades, the lake has fallen in step with the natural environment. Birds sing from the surrounding trees and fish glide past the dock. (Interestingly, fish can spread to isolated bodies of water when their eggs stick to the legs of birds.) That’s all to say, the scene today is a far cry from what this area looked like when J.R. and wife Anne, Keith’s stepmom, bought 80 acres of Creola woodland in 1987 with a plan to plop a ski lake in the middle. “This was just solid woods,” Keith remembers, looking across the water. The devoted son quit his job at Delchamp’s to help his father’s dream come true, and after five years of sweat and diesel, they had a lake. Now, 34 years after that purchase, 13 homes sit on the lake, all housing an active (or retired) water-skier. The result is one of the most unique 56 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
communities in the region — a collection of people whose lives revolve around a common obsession. Shauna Crenshaw, 56, is one such community member. She and husband Scott bought their lakeside property 20 years ago after falling in with the Henleys. Shauna comes across as a laid-back lake-dweller, but a competitive intensity lurks right beneath the surface. After all, she continues to water-ski even after a ski jump accident 12 years ago cost her “an ACL, an MCL and a hamstring.” Not surprisingly, ramps, water skis and motorboats have been the recipe for many nasty spills over the years. “It’s exciting, it’s fun,” Shauna says. “But when it goes bad, it goes bad.” “I saw my dad in the bottom of a boat many times when I was a kid,” Keith adds. “I was paralyzed myself for about two minutes one time.” Despite the risks, competitive waterskiing attracts a passionate bunch, but there’s no denying it’s dwindling in popularity. “The sport is dying,” Crenshaw says, citing exorbitant equipment prices (a high-end slalom ski will set you back about $2,000) and a lack of public interest. But you wouldn’t know it at Ski Chaste Lake, a neighborhood united in their love for water-skiing and indebted to the vision of J.R. Henley. After J.R. died this past February at age 77, following a two-year battle with cancer, friends and family gathered to pay their respects at the lake, now a 17-acre memorial to the man who took raw land in the woods of Alabama and transformed it into a site that would host the Junior U.S. Open Championship in 2017 and 2019.
“Everybody on this lake will tell you how much we loved that man,” Shauna says, emotion in her voice. “It’ll make me cry … all he ever wanted to do was just see people ski.”
From the Creek The story of Ski Chaste Lake actually begins on Bayou Sara near Satsuma. On the adjoining Gunnison Creek, J.R. was taught by his father how to live — and play — on the languid green-brown water. “My granddad was a big fisherman and hunter,” Keith says, “and that’s how his family ended up on the creek. He leased a fishing camp, and he and my dad maintained it and killed all their food. Then somewhere down the line, hunting turned into playing on the water.” J.R. raised his only child Keith on a self-built houseboat on Bayou Sara and stuck him on water skis for the first time at age 5. As J.R. became fascinated with competitive skiing, he fashioned his own slalom ski and, with a fellow skier named Margaret Ann Woodard, began the Aqua Nuts Ski Club in the early 1970s. “J.R. and I were kind of ramrodding getting it started,” Margaret Ann says on the phone from her home in Slidell, Louisiana. The 83-year-old water-skis to this day. “We learned a lot. We called people from the American Water Ski Association, and they told us different things. We didn’t know anything about skiing, but we just learned.” “It was beer drinking and water-skiing,” Keith summarizes. The club exploded in popularity, growing to about 100 members, and J.R. and Margaret Ann became increasingly interested in the finer points of the sport. “Margaret Ann and my dad did everything wrong the first couple of tournaments they went to,” Keith says. “They had no clue. So they actually bought a slalom course, put it in the creek. They built a jump — my dad wanted to jump. But it was so hard to ski because there were so many fishermen and “yahooers,” what we call people just boating around,
and you just can’t ski like that. It was hard to have tournaments. And then they found a place on the Causeway, and we moved the ski club over there. Very little traffic except for the alligators. Had to dodge them.” “The Slough,” as the Causeway ski course was known, had its advantages. Located in a cove beside where 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center is located today, there was hardly any boat traffic, and on good days, the water was smooth as glass. But in the end, the alligators had the final say. “You’d see their heads, and then you’d take off skiing and they’d go down,” Shauna remembers. “That’s one reason we really wanted to find some other place to ski.” “It got to the point where Dad just wanted a safe place where nobody would fool with us,” Keith says. “And eventually, he started building this.”
Opposite page Keith Henley poses at Ski Chaste Lake with his throwback 74-inch skis. Henley estimates he personally dug 90 to 95 percent of the lake. Clockwise from top left J.R. plays with son Keith in Bayou Sara, 1969. Keith would grow up to become an elite threeevent skier, as pictured here on Ski Chaste Lake in the early ’90s. J.R. on the worksite, August, 1988. PHOTOS COURTESY ANNE AND KEITH HENLEY
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“EVERYBODY ON THIS
To the Lake
LAKE WILL TELL YOU Sixteen-year-old Nora Bally skis down Ski Chaste Lake at 28 HOW MUCH WE LOVED miles per hour. She swings to THAT MAN. IT’LL MAKE her right, waits for the perfect ME CRY … ALL HE EVER moment, then makes a swift cut across the wake to her left. When WANTED TO DO WAS she hits the ramp, she’s actually JUST SEE PEOPLE SKI.” traveling faster than the boat itself. Once airborne, she points - Shauna Crenshaw the toes of her skis skyward, leans her body forward and, 75 feet later, meets the water with a smack. She sticks the landing, rope still in hand, and continues cruising down the lake. Nora, a sophomore at Saraland High School, moved here with her family from St. Louis three years ago. Parents Marsha and J.C. raised her and 11-year-old brother Nicholas on skis. “When you’re loading up the car on weekends and driving to people’s ski lakes, you start feeling like a mooch,” Marsha says. “We always wanted our own place.” The house on Ski Chaste Lake was more affordable than anything they could ever find near St. Louis, so the Ballys became Alabamians. A three-event skier, Nora estimates she skis about 10 hours a week during the summer, a necessary investment for what she calls “the most unforgiving sport.” She hopes to one day compete on the Alabama or Auburn water ski team. It’s a funny thing for Keith to behold, the technologically advanced nature of the lake that Nora skis today. Cameras lo-
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cated along the tree line assist the photogrammetric system that measures with amazing accuracy how far a skier soars on a jump. It replaced the old-school triangulation method, which required spotters positioned on the shore, shouting out degrees and measurements to one another. If anything represents the resourcefulness of father and son, it’s the jump ramp itself. J.R., who worked as a maintenance foreman at International Paper Company for 28 years, brought home some scrap building materials and Keith welded the thing together. It was ski-lake-building on a budget Keith explains with a trace of pride. “The only equipment we could afford was used stuff,” he remembers of the front-end loader, earth mover and backhoe he operated. “I would drive it for a day, then we’d work on it for two days.” In order to finance his dream lake, J.R. came up with an idea: He would sell the lots surrounding the lake in order to pay back investors. Little by little, lot by lot, year after year, J.R. sold the lots to water-skiers-turned-homebuilders and Keith pushed dirt. His old friend Margaret Ann even bought a lot, not to live on but to help fund J.R.’s passion project. I ask Keith how much of the half-mile-by-300-foot lake he thinks he personally dug. He squints one eye at the thought. “Ninety, 95 percent,” he estimates. The work was slow, hot and repetitive. In June 1989, encouragement came from above in the form of a drenching rain. The impatient boys tractored a boat over the dirt, strapped on their skis and, in little more than a muddy rain puddle, christened their new ski lake. Then, they convert-
Opposite page, left to right Nicholas Bally, 11, moved with his family to Ski Chaste Lake from St. Louis. His sister, 16-year-old Nora Bally, is a three-event skier who hopes to someday compete on a collegiate water ski team. Nora demonstrates her skills in the “trick” event: “It’s definitely not your typical sport,” she says. Left Despite past injuries, Shauna Crenshaw still loves to run the slalom course. Crenshaw, who moved her family to Ski Chaste Lake 20 years ago, says the neighborhood holds a special place in her heart; her youngest daughter’s wedding and reception was held lakeside. Below Jim Walsh, a 72-year-old Hawaii transplant, moved to Ski Chaste Lake 8 years ago with wife Sara.
ed the motor and transmission of J.R.’s truck into a water pump, emptied the flooded pit and went back to digging. “It just shows you how much of a dream J.R. and Keith had,” Shauna says. It also demonstrates how much J.R. enjoyed good company. “He loved water-skiing, but he loved people,” she says, not to mention a few après-ski Old Milwaukee Lights. “He eventually ‘upgraded’ to Bud Light,” Shauna says, smiling. What J.R. never could have predicted was the distance people would travel to move to his lake. Skiers from frigid parts of the country began stumbling across Ski Chaste Lake online and couldn’t pass up the (relatively) cheap opportunity to live on a water ski lake in a warm climate; Missouri, Indiana and Washington state have all been represented at the lake. Even accents from California and Hawaii can be heard at the after-ski social gatherings — people attracted by the prospect of an affordable retirement and, in some cases, proximity to grandchildren. They all share the responsibility of maintaining the lake: tending to the buoys of the slalom course, adding dye to the water, even judging the tournaments and maintaining the camera equipment. When ski tournaments are held here this summer, just about every family on the lake will host skiers they’ve come to know at other competitions. Margaret Ann, J.R.’s partner in crime from their Bayou Sara days, is just glad that her friend lived to see it all come to fruition. “One day I was sitting out with J.R. on his deck, and I looked at him, and he had the most peaceful look on his face. It was just such a happy look. And I told him, ‘You’re one of the only people I know who has ever accomplished their goal, their total goal in life. You built this beautiful facility from scratch. You didn’t pay someone to come in and build it — you did it,’” Margaret Ann remembers. “He left a legacy like few people have done. He always wanted to have his own lake.” MB
“‘...YOU’RE ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE I KNOW WHO HAS EVER ACCOMPLISHED THEIR GOAL, THEIR TOTAL GOAL IN LIFE. YOU BUILT THIS BEAUTIFUL FACILITY FROM SCRATCH. YOU DIDN’T PAY SOMEONE TO COME IN AND BUILD IT — YOU DID IT.’” – Margaret Ann Woodard
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Alligator Alley’s top guy rescues reptilians up to 13 feet long and observes their personalities and pecking order up close. text by EMMETT BURNETT • photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN
Wes Moore was a youngster in the early 1980s, back when his initial encounter with alligators was a fine three-legged specimen named Old Joe. While Wes and his grandfather fished, they tossed Old Joe scraps, which he delightfully snapped up with his clamping jaws. “Back then, we called those types of adventures spending quality time with your Paw-Paw,” recalls Wes of those happy days. “Today, they’d call it child endangerment.” Nowadays, they would also call it Alligator Alley. The former vegetable garden and family plot of Wes’ ancestors is now a haven for reptiles akin to dinosaurs. Here, size does matter, and many are giants. Old Joe, perhaps the catalyst of Summerdale’s reptilian wonderland, is no longer with us. But other alligators are — about 600 of them. As Wes opens the massive entry gates to
Baldwin County’s near-Jurassic Park experience, he smiles. “Lots of people say they are up to their necks in alligators, but I can back it up.” Indeed he can. They are everywhere, from almost-cuddly hatchlings to feisty mammoths. All are safely contained in vast acres of natural habitat, all for the awe of visitors. Mobile Bay Magazine sat down with Wes in Alligator Alley, among its ponds, boardwalks and winding paths, where a charming directional sign proclaims, “Trespassers May Be Eaten.” We discussed his site, now a leading tourist destination with a national following. We talked about his life, his business, and of course, the care, feeding, and mystique of alligators. The following is our interview with the Gator Guy himself. It’s a biting story.
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Why the fascination with alligators? Alligators are noble creatures. You always know where you stand with one. Unlike a dog, cat or horse, which may turn on you or even bite you, an alligator’s life goal is to devour you. If gators had a mission statement, it would be, “I am an alligator. I am forever a predatory animal. I am designed to eat things, anything with a pulse, breathing or dead. I have done this for 5 million years and am very good at it. I do not care who you are. If given the opportunity, I will eat you.” There is no more straightforward animal on earth. I like that. In addition, a fully grown alligator has no adversary except other grown alligators and man. Nothing else in nature will challenge one and live. They are not the slow, lumbering beasts as often portrayed in movies. In short bursts of speed, they can attack like a guided missile. To me, they are fascinating. Alligators are opportunists. If you feed them every day, they will eat every day. Or they can go over a year without eating anything. They are survivors. Why did you build Alligator Alley? I wanted Alligator Alley to be more than just a place for people to gawk at big carnivorous reptiles. They are not monsters. All of God’s creatures have a purpose. I wanted a place to show alligators’ roles in the environment. They are nature’s security guards, keeping other animals in line, such as feral pigs, which to us are pests, but to alligators, a delicacy. Alligators are also nature’s garbage collectors. They eat entire carcasses — bones, fur, everything. When done eating, little or no trace of its prey is left. People visit us and see these enormous reptiles in their natural environment. Too often they are unfairly villainized as big lizards that eat dogs and attack kids. Are alligators dangerous? Absolutely. But they were here first and may remain when we are gone. Alligators didn’t encroach on our land, drain swamps, cut forests or develop residential and business real estate. Man did. Alligator Alley offers these creatures sanctuary. We want to educate the public that, yes, these are dangerous animals and,
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yes, you should respect and fear them. But use common sense. We can coexist. How did Alligator Alley start? My family’s Baldwin County origins trace back to the 1860s, and my grandfather bought this land in 1939. It was a working vegetable farm. I grew up around here, but I have no formal training in working around animals. After graduating from Auburn in 2000 with a degree in public speaking and double major in history, I pursued a career in radio / communications. Elizabeth and I married in 2001 and relocated with her job to York, England, where we lived for two years. I blended in well with the English people (laughs). They called me “The Bad Yank.” We enjoyed England and seeing the world but returned to Baldwin County in December 2003. I always kicked around the idea of starting an alligator farm, open to the public. I approached a venture capitalist and borrowed $154,000 of start-up money for the creation of Alligator Alley. He told me, “I’m going to be up-front with you. I will loan you the money because your plan will not work, you will fail, and then I will own your property.” That debt was paid in 2007. I thanked the venture capitalist for his honesty, which became my motivation for working hard and making Alligator Alley a success. He never got our land. Alligator Alley opened its doors on July 2, 2004, with 91 rescue alligators mostly from Florida. The majority of the stock we have today are the offspring of those original 91. What is the key to Alligator Alley’s success? People want to see big — really big — alligators. That is our drawing card. They don’t care as much about small ones. We have alligators here over 13 feet long and weighing 1,300 pounds. They live in natural habitats and are displayed as realistically as possible. Other parks demonstrate feeding time with a staffer tossing a rat to a hungry gator. We toss entire hog carcasses to ours. People like to watch the big guys rip it to shreds.
Do alligators have personalities? Oh, yes, definitely. Just like you and me. We have a few out here that are so complacent, I could almost let you sit on their backs. They wouldn’t care. (I decline; Moore laughs.) One of my favorites is Simon, a blind female. She responds to my voice and comes to me on command just like a pet dog. But on the other hand, we have alligators with attitudes. I tell the staff to not go closer than 10 feet to those guys. They also have a pecking order. During gator courtship, if you’re a big guy, life is good. If not, do what the big guys tell you, and stay under the radar. The pecking order for feeding time is similar. Usually large gators eat first, followed by the smaller ones. Sometimes it seems like they are communicating with one another. The older fellows seem to say to the younger ones, “Hey man, life is good here. We don’t have to go anywhere! We got food! We got girls! Take it easy!” Do you have any other favorites? In addition to Simon, I like the really big guys, such as Captain Crunch, Big Easy and Colonel. The small ones are fun, but the heavy hitters, the ones that could grab
“ALLIGATOR ALLEY OFFERS THESE CREATURES SANCTUARY. WE WANT TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC THAT, YES, THESE ARE DANGEROUS ANIMALS AND, YES, YOU SHOULD RESPECT AND FEAR THEM. BUT USE COMMON SENSE. WE CAN COEXIST.”
Opposite page The key to a career with alligators, Moore explains, is to work slowly and methodically. “Mistakes with alligators can have permanent consequences,” he says. Moore also uses his hat as a nifty food association tool. Above In 1939, Moore’s grandfather purchased the land that now makes up Alligator Alley. For years, it was a working vegetable farm. Opening portrait While Moore opened Alligator Alley in 2004, his family’s Baldwin County roots reach back to the 1860s.
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Above The majority of Alligator Alley’s roughly 600 gators are the offspring of the original 91 that Moore rescued from Florida in 2004.
and end your existence in a fraction of a second, those I like. How do you know when an alligator is angry? Alligators are very vocal, especially when they’re mad at you. There are three stages of gator displeasure. First, it will hiss, kind of like a cat does, except alligators hiss through their nostrils. It is reptile-speak for, “I really want you to leave me alone.” Taking it up a notch, the next phase is a low guttural growl, which means, “Did you not understand the first time?” The last step is jaw snapping. The gator slams its jaws shut fast and repeatedly, creating a loud snapping noise, usually meaning an attack is imminent. If you are still there after all three phases, you’re what I call a slow learner. What type of safety gear do you use? I carry a 4-foot stick and a hat. Alligators have pressure points, which we tap with a stick. Usually, they behave, especially if you tap around the slit behind their eyes or put pressure on their ear flaps. I can control a 13-foot-long alligator with just the stick. My hat is for safety and training. Alligators learn by association. For example, if I suddenly stick my hat in your face … (He demonstrates on me, and I jump back.) See? You moved back. So do alligators. But when the alligator recoils, it also opens 64 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
its mouth. I immediately pop a fish in it. The gator learns to associate my hat with food. Now, I could also just wave my hand in front of the gator as the food association tool. But if it grabs my hat and pulls away, I’m out $18 bucks to replace a hat. Hand replacement is much more expensive. Once a gator grabs your hand or arm and clamps down, you are on “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” Are you ever afraid? As for fear, I have a keen respect for what these animals are capable of. A big gator could seize and eat you in minutes. I want to prevent that. The thing to remember when working with these animals is to always work slowly and methodically. Don’t hurry. When you rush, you make mistakes. Mistakes with alligators can have permanent consequences. Have you ever had a close call? Egg harvesting time is always a close call or has the potential to be. When gathering the mother’s eggs, we are in water, the alligator’s element. Females have strong maternal instincts. If seen disturbing her nest, she will come for you like a bolt of lightning. You have to get in, grab the eggs and get out before she catches you in the act. Incidentally, though female alligators become fired-up when anyone collects her eggs, the males are deadbeat dads. They
must think, “I was there for the fun part. I don’t need any more of this.” What do you do in winter when alligators are dormant? I tell visitors, if you want to see bone crushing action and us running for our lives, come May through October. But if you really want to see alligators, visit during the winter season. Most of the vegetation is gone, making for outstanding alligator viewing and photographing. During cold weather, they are sort of in suspended animation, sitting very still. Their metabolism shuts down. Guests can take their time viewing or composing the perfect photo. Alligator Alley typically closes two weeks after Thanksgiving, reopens two weeks around Christmas and closes the last three weeks of January. We take the off-time to do maintenance work and repairs. How did you fare during the pandemic? The bigger question is how did we fare during COVID and Hurricane Sally at the same time. We shut down for COVID on March 23, 2020, and disinfected everything. We thought we would be down a week, but it was months. We lost the crucial spring break business. But I still had nine full-time employees to pay, bills coming in, and of course, alligators to tend. We could not go on like that. I persuaded the powers that be that Alligator Alley qualified for an agriculture exemption because we are a farm. I pay a farm license fee to the state every year. It worked. We reopened, and then Hurricane Sally hit us the following September, shutting us down again. COVID killed our spring; Sally obliterated our fall. There was a lot of damage to repair. We did, and we reopened. This recent spring break was phenomenal. We are doing great. Have you ever been bitten by an alligator? (Smiles) As for being bitten, I have come very close; however, so far, no. I have not been bitten by an alligator. But ask me again tomorrow. MB
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EXTRAS | CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Jumpin’ June JUNE 10 AN EVENING WITH TRAVIS TRITT Experience this rare opportunity featuring the multi-platinum artist. MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM
JUNE 10 SUMMER MOVIE SERIES 8 p.m. Catch a flick under the stars. FAIRHOPERS COMMUNITY PARK FAIRHOPEAL.GOV
FLORA-BAMA FISHING RODEO
JUNE 11 - 13
SATURDAYS IN JUNE
JUNE 5
MARKET IN THE PARK 7:30 a.m. - Noon. Shop fresh produce, crafts and more.
FIZZIFEST 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Event includes wines, bubbly drinks and a gourmet brunch. Tickets: $125 (limited availability).
CATHEDRAL SQUARE, DOWNTOWN MOBILE FACEBOOK.COM/MARKETSINMOBILE
JUNE 1 CONDÉ-CHARLOTTE MUSEUM GRAND REOPENING 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Tu - Sa. Mobile’s oldest historic house museum reopens its doors five days a week. CONDÉ-CHARLOTTE MUSEUM CONDECHARLOTTE.COM
HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE • FIZZIFEST.COM
JUNE 5
FLORA-BAMA FISHING RODEO The annual event touts itself as “every man’s” fishing rodeo and the “funnest” fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast. FLORA-BAMA OLE RIVER GRILL FLORABAMA.COM
JUNE 11 - 13 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TURKEYCALLING CONTEST AND EXPO Noon - 4 p.m. Male and female competitors of all ages replicate turkey calls during this lively event. Admission is free. MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER MOBILESPORTSAUTHORITY.COM/EVENTS
JUNE 12
LIVING HISTORY DEMONSTRATIONS 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Learn about Civil War soldier life and period weapons. Complimentary with regular admission.
DELTA 5 RACE 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Bring a lawn chair and watch remote control airplanes and drones compete. Course is located behind the B-52. Free to attend. Parking: $4.
BLAKELEY’S CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD BLAKELEYPARK.COM
USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK USSALABAMA.COM
JUNE 2
JUNE 9
SUMMER GARDEN WALK 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. A guided tour of the Gardens to see the wonderful summer displays, flowers and new additions.
KIDS GULF DISCOVERY DAY 9 a.m. - Noon. Find out about the Gulf Coast’s ecology through activities including a raptor show and guided cruises.
BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
JUNE 12 - 13 MOBILE SYMPHONY PRESENTS SERENADE, SEASON FINALE Mobile Symphony Orchestra closes its season with reflective music. MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG
To have your event included in the online or print edition of Mobile Bay Magazine, email calendar@pmtpublishing.com. 66 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
JUNE 16 THE BIODIVERSITY OF OUR GULF 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Dr. John Valentine will discuss the importance of protecting the Gulf’s rich resources. BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
JUNE 18 BEVERAGE ACADEMY: SCOTCH,A GENTLEMAN’S DELIGHT 5:30 p.m. During the one-hour class, participants will learn the basics and finer points of Scotch. Class size limited. Ages 21 and up. Cost: $30. GRAND HOTEL GOLF RESORT AND SPA GRAND1847.COM
JUNE 18 & 19 JON PARDI IN CONCERT 7:30 p.m. Listen to the tunes of country music singer and songwriter, Jon Pardi. Admission: Prices vary. THE WHARF, ORANGE BEACH ALWHARF.COM
JUNE 19 RIDE YELLOW This annual Infirmary Health charity bike ride begins at Halliday Park in Bay Minette, with a 6-mile tribute ride. Individuals can choose to participate in only the tribute ride or continue by pedaling the 10, 20, 37 or 62-mile route at their leisure. Event benefits cancer charities. BAY MINETTE RIDEYELLOW.ORG
JUNE 19 KYSER MIREE FISHING TOURNAMENT Register and join the fun in fishing for red snapper, speckled trout and more at this tournament honoring Kyser Miree. All proceeds benefit Wilmer Hall. MOBILE BIG GAME FISHING CLUB, ORANGE BEACH (WEIGH STATION ON DAUPHIN ISLAND) KYSERTOURNAMENT.COM
* Check event websites for most current status. june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 67
JUNE 19
JUNE 24 - 26
CORN FESTIVAL CAR SHOW 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Celebrate Father’s Day weekend by perusing beautiful cars or shopping the arts and crafts vendors.
DISTINGUISHED YOUNG WOMEN FINALS 7 p.m. See some of the top, most-talented young women from around the country compete for scholarship money.
COASTAL AL FARMERS AND FISHERMEN’S MARKET • VISITFOLEY.COM/EVENTS
ONLINE EVENT • DISTINGUISHEDYW.ORG
CULINARY ACADEMY: SOUTHERN SWEETS 10 - 11:30 a.m. Learn techniques for baking pies, cakes and cobblers. Cost: $30. GRAND HOTEL GOLF RESORT AND SPA GRAND1847.COM
JUNE 21 ALABAMA SEAFOOD COOK-OFF The winner of the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off will move on to represent the state at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off held in New Orleans in August. THE LODGE AT GULF STATE PARK, GULF SHORES • EATALABAMASEAFOOD.COM
JUNE 23 GARDEN RENOVATIONS AT BELLINGRATH 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Join Dr. Todd Lasseigne for a “walk and talk” to view improvements and to learn how to apply best practices to your garden. BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
JUNE 26 BUCKAROO STAMPEDE 5K AND FUN RUN 7:30 a.m. 5K. 8:30 a.m. Fun run. Proceeds benefit the Buckaroo Foundation, which provides hippotherapy to children and adults.
WATERMELON FESTIVAL
JUNE 19
[JULY HIGHLIGHTS]
DAPHNE • BUCKAROOFOUNDATION.ORG
JUNE 27 SUNSET CONCERT: ERIC ERDMAN Bring chairs, snacks and bug spray for this concert on the lawn. Admission: $5.
JULY 2 - 3
WEST END BEACH, DAUPHIN ISLAND TOWNOFDAUPHINISLAND.ORG
WATERMELON FESTIVAL Sample locally grown watermelon while enjoying local music, arts & crafts, and informative displays from area merchants.
JUNE 29 ”A SALUTE TO AMERICA” CONCERT Enjoy an evening of patriotic music with the Air National Guard Band of the South.
ODD FELLOWS FESTIVAL PARK GRANDBAYWATERMELONFESTIVAL.ORG
USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK USSALABAMA.COM
JULY 4 FLORA-BAMA’S FREEDOM RUN & FOURTH OF JULY PARTY The first annual Freedom Run features a 4-mile or 1-mile run/walk. Stay for barbecue, the Miss Firecracker Bikini Contest, and live music and fireworks.
JUNE 30 CHINA MANIA 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Join Tom McGehee as he highlights Miss Bessie’s china collection. BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
FLORA-BAMA FLORABAMA.COM
CULINARY ACADEMY: SOUTHERN SWEETS
JULY 4
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FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS A patriotic concert followed by a fireworks display by the Bay. FAIRHOPE MUNICIPAL PIER FAIRHOPAL.GOV
JULY 17 BRANTLEY GILBERT The American country music singer, songwriter and producer puts on a show. THE WHARF, ORANGE BEACH ALWHARF.COM
MOBILE’S TOUR DE FOOD TRUCKS
[JULY HIGHLIGHTS]
JULY 20 MOBILE’S TOUR DE FOOD TRUCKS Held at a different park every third Tuesday, guests enjoy great food, DJs, trivia, activities and fun for the whole family. ARLINGTON PARK THE MOBILERUNDOWN.COM
JULY 23 - 24 CHRISTMAS IN JULY Enjoy shopping boutiques and businesses from Mobile and surrounding areas all while supporting the girl-empowering Whatever Ministry. THE GROUNDS WHATEVERMINISTRY.COM/CHRISTMAS-IN-JULY
JULY 25 SUNSET CONCERT: MO’ JAZZ Bring chairs, snacks and beverages for this jazzy concert on the lawn, beginning approximately 90 minutes before sunset. WEST END BEACH, DAUPHIN ISLAND TOWNOFDAUPHINISLAND.ORG
JULY 31 LUKE BRYAN The “American Idol” judge and country music crooner takes the stage. THE WHARF, ORANGE BEACH ALWHARF.COM
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HISTORY | ARCHIVES
A History of Mobile in 22 Objects The closure of Brookley Army Air Field 52 years ago this month took a devastating toll on Mobile’s economy. It would be decades before aerospace engineering returned to the airfield by the Bay.
LAST FLAG TO FLY OVER BROOKLEY ARMY AIR FIELD by BOB ALLEN
photos courtesy HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE
T
he area at the south end of Ann Street has a storied connection to aviation extending back more than 130 years. That area, known to locals as Brookley Field or just Brookley, is today the site of the only Airbus assembly facility in the United States and the location of a number of aerospace operations. The history of Brookley foretold these current uses. In 1890, John Fowler came to Mobile with an abiding interest in the emerging field of flight. By 1893, Fowler had built and flown a “flying machine” propelled by a large, twisted rubber band that turned a propeller as it unwound. By 1896, Fowler had moved his shop to Monroe Park, adjacent to the area that would become Brookley, and perfected
the design of the propeller and wings of his craft. Unfortunately, he was never able to perfect an engine for his craft, but it is reported that in 1900, one of the Wright Brothers visited Fowler’s shop to inspect (and eventually adapt) the design of Fowler’s propeller and wings. Mobile’s first formal “flying field,” Legion Field, was established prior to 1920, probably within the Fairgrounds property, then located just north of what is today Brookley. Bates Field, the first Mobile municipal airport, was dedicated in 1929 just south of the Fairgrounds. There were few regularly scheduled flights to and from Bates Field, but airmail service between Atlanta and New Orleans made an intermediate stop there. It is rumored that both Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart landed at Bates Field. In 1938, the United States Army Air Corp (the United States Air Force was not established as a separate branch of the armed forces until 1947) acquired the area that had been occupied by Bates Field, partly due to concerns about war in Europe. Mobile’s municipal airport was thus moved to the western edge of the city and carried with it the name Bates Field. The newly named Brookley Army Air Field was unique for its location at a deep water port and consistently good flying weather. (It did not hurt that Frank Boykin, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from south Alabama, advocated for the Brookley project.)
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ploy a staff of more than 1,400. Brookley continued to attract companies involved in aviation and, in 2012, scored its biggest success when Airbus announced it would build its A320 family of passenger jets in a new facility located there. It would be the first such commercial aircraft facility ever to be built by a foreign manufacturer in the United States. That promise was realized on September 14, 2015, when Airbus opened its one million-square-foot assembly facility at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. While the journey of Brookley from those early days of flight to the manufacture of Airbus passenger aircraft has been difficult at times, the trajectory has been dedicated and straight — and always aimed for the skies above Mobile. MB Above Airmen pose in front of an airplane at Brookley Army Air Field in the early 1940s.
The Brookley Army Air Field was intended to serve two primary functions: an aircraft maintenance and overhaul facility and a supply center for Army aviation, an Air Material Command. At its height, 17,000 civilians were employed at Brookley, maintaining and repairing bombers and fighters and handling supplies for Army Air facilities throughout the United States and South America. In the last six months of 1944, 2 million pounds of supplies were shipped from Brookley aboard 19,000 flights. Another 65 million pounds of supplies left Brookley by rail and vehicle. Several unique projects were undertaken at Brookley including the top-secret “Ivory Soap” project, which converted six large liberty ships into Aircraft Repair Units and eighteen smaller vessels into Aircraft Maintenance Units for use in the war in the Pacific. After a dip in employment upon the end of World War II, the Cold War of the 1950s held civilian employment at Brookley to 16,000. But in 1964, a crushing blow came to the region’s most important employer. In an effort to increase efficien-
cy, the Department of Defense resolved to consolidate Air Force operations and announced the closing of three air bases, including the one at Brookley. Brookley was scheduled to be decommissioned in 1969. Even with five years notice, the closing of Brookley proved devastating to Mobile and the surrounding area. More than 14,000 jobs were lost (about 10 percent of the area’s workforce) accounting for payroll of between approximately $95 million (at least 20 percent of the local area’s economy). As the last flag to fly over Brookley Army Air Field was lowered on June 30, 1969, many families had already left Mobile to look for employment elsewhere. It marked the end of a prosperous era and the beginning of a difficult one. By 1967, Mobile’s economy was already in recession, and the annual growth in the local economy between 1965 and 1971 was less than 1 percent. That recession lasted for at least a decade. The tide began to turn again in the 1990s, when other aerospace companies began locating facilities at Brookley once more. VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering opened a facility in 1991 and grew to em-
Bob Allen is a native of Mobile and a lifelong enthusiast for its history. He has served on the Mobile Historic Development Commission, the City of Mobile Architectural Review Board and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. He is executive director of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society and has previously served on its board of directors.
“A History of Mobile in 22 Objects” by various authors. Available for purchase at the History Museum of Mobile, $25 Released in conjunction with the History Museum of Mobile exhibit, this photoheavy compendium delves into the city’s history through the analysis of 22 artifacts by Mobile’s leading researchers.
Stay tuned each month as we continue to delve into the history of objects from this fascinating exhibit. 72 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
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HISTORY | LEGENDS
“This Real Land of Promise” Historian John Sledge recounts the Vine and Olive colonists’ perilous Mobile Bay landfall. text by JOHN SLEDGE
I
t was early in the evening of May 25, 1817, and the sentry atop Fort Bowyer’s sandy ramparts could see that something was amiss. A fine two-masted schooner was struggling to find a navigable channel into the Bay. This was a difficult task without an experienced pilot, which the vessel obviously didn’t have. Furthermore, nightfall, rising wind and building Gulf rollers were complicating the effort. The sentry alerted his superiors, Lieutenant R. Beal of the artillery and Captain Bourke, who immediately discharged a gun and ordered log signal fires kindled along the shore. To no avail. As darkness enveloped the scene, the schooner fired a gun signaling her distress. She was hard aground. On board the vessel, named the McDonough, Captain John MacCloud and his small crew faced two serious problems. First, their ship was stranded in a dangerous position, and if the sea built any higher, she might be pounded to atoms on the bar. Even more worrisome, however, was the second problem, 20 frightened passengers, some of whom were hindering the crew. If MacCloud did not get control of the situation soon, they might all be lost. Managing the passengers promised to be difficult. They were by no means an ordinary, malleable lot but rather the desperate human flotsam of a fallen empire — a mix of Napoleonic and Santo
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Above This 1815 map of Mobile demonstrates the town that the Vine and Olive colonists would have found upon their 1817 arrival. PHOTO COURTESY UNITED STATES CENSUS OFFICE
Domingan refugees seeking a new home in the Alabama Territory. After Waterloo and the successful slave revolts on Santo Domingo (modern-day Haiti), hundreds of Bonapartist soldiers and Santo Domingan planters and tradesmen fled the unfriendly Bourbon and Black replacement regimes respectively and settled in Philadelphia, where they formed the French Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. Anxious to rebuild their lives, they lobbied
influential friends like President James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay and various sitting cabinet secretaries. On March 3, 1817, they succeeded in procuring a generous congressional land grant of 92,000 acres on the Tombigbee River near its confluence with the Black Warrior. Their intent was to become farmers and cultivate grape vines and olive trees. Unfortunately, as they would soon learn, Alabama’s rich prairie lands were more
suitable to crops unfamiliar to them, such as cotton, beans and corn. The Vine and Olive colonists, as they were commonly called, journeyed to their allotment by land, river and sea, arriving over a period of months. Among the first were the 20 souls on board the McDonough. They had hired the ship in Philadelphia and enjoyed an uneventful three-week cruise down the Eastern Seaboard. Romantic tradition has long asserted that these people were high-born aristocrats decked out in braided uniforms and flowing muslins. But the reality was different. Their leader onboard the schooner that evening was Colonel Nicholas Simon Parmantier, secretary of the Society and an American citizen who had lived in Philadelphia since 1808. He owed his military rank to a stint with the Pennsylvania Volunteers during the War of 1812 rather than Napoleon’s Grand Armée. Others included Prosper Baltard, a Paris architect; Antoine Marie Mocquard, a surgeon; several textile merchants; Marguerite Bichat, an 18-year-old woman accompanied by her parents; and a ship’s captain with his wife and stepdaughter. They were neither aristocrats nor soldiers, for the most part, and were woefully unprepared to break ground in a barely settled wilderness. As the McDonough groaned and creaked among the Gulf breakers, Parmantier worried that their fragile experiment in “this real land of promise” was about to suffer disaster before it had properly begun. Fortunately, as soon as the schooner grounded, Beal and Bourke ordered a longboat prepared and launched. Parmantier admiringly wrote how these “two gallant men, with four privates” battled wind and wave to reach the vessel and successfully ferry the passengers ashore. “Not content with rescuing us from danger of wreck,” he continued, “they conducted us into the fort, and with an affection the most unaffected taught us to forget the dangers
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we had escaped, and to bless the circumstances which enabled us to enjoy their generosity, hospitality and kindness.” Fortune continued to smile when the schooner washed off the bar the following day, allowing the passengers to resume their journey north. Parmantier admired the view as they sailed up the channel. As he wrote later to a friend: “The country on the margins of the sea presents a scene of the highest luxuriance. The foliage brighter than your northern climate; the bay is a young sea, and appears to be unbounded.” American Mobile at that time was a small town, only four years removed from Spanish rule. There were less than 1,500 residents, who lived in one- and two-story frame buildings, many dating from the 18th century. Despite its small size, the place retained a dash of its original Gallic culture, and the arrivals eagerly lined the rail as their vessel dropped anchor midriver. “The city is situated on a sandy beach,” Parmantier wrote, “perfectly level.” He counted roughly 80 dwellings besides the brick fort and Catholic church. The city’s residents were expecting the exiles and excitedly greeted their arrival. Parmantier and his compatriots were overwhelmed by their attentions and delighted when local officials introduced them “to the first houses of Mobile.” The colonists attended a public dinner where they enthusiastically toasted Lt. Beal, who had accompanied them up to the city, and 76 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
Above In 1817, the Vine and Olive colonists reached their destination at White Bluff, located in present-day Demopolis, as seen here in 1903. PHOTO BY EUGENE ALLEN SMITH (1841-1927)
professed satisfaction at being so close to their destination. A local French language newspaper, Gazette de la Mobile, was positively giddy at the prospect of their success. “This country is said to be extremely fertile,” it wrote of their Tombigbee grant, “and good for vine growing; and as our government always encourages enterprises of this nature, we can soon hope to harvest right here wines of as good a quality as those of foreign countries.” After several days in the Port City, the refugees were given the services of a revenue cutter to take them farther upriver. At St. Stephens they left the cutter and boarded flat-bottomed barges for the remainder of their trip. Within days they reached their destination, the so-called White Bluff on the Tombigbee, which Parmantier proclaimed “one of the finest situations I ever saw in my life.” As the colonists clambered ashore to begin their bold experiment, they could not know if they would succeed or fail. But thanks to the quick thinking and actions of Fort Bowyer’s officers and the warm hospitality of Mobile’s citizens, they at least had a chance. MB
John S. Sledge is the author of “The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History.” june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 77
THE ARTS | LITERATURE
The Fish are Jumpin’ Writer Audrey McDonald Atkins yearns for simple summer pleasures.
excerpt from the book THEY CALL ME OR ANGE JUICE by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS
A
hhh … summertime. My summers were spent at the home of my maternal grandparents, Granny and Baw to me, under the watchful eye of Sarah, their housekeeper and my companion. Most of the morning, I would wander around their expansive yard, playing house under the scuppernong arbors, catching tadpoles in the goldfish pond, or picking blackberries with Sarah for a lunchtime cobbler. In the afternoons, though, when Sarah had gone home for the day and Granny was busy with the Garden Club or playing bridge as nice ladies are wont to do, my Baw would take me on all sorts of glorious adventures. One of our favorites, fishing. You may not realize it, but some of the best bait in the world is the Catawba worm — the fat, green, juicy larvae of the sphinx moth — and we just happened to have a Catawba tree in our pasture. No amount of plastic worms, fancy flies, or spinnerbait can compete with a wriggling Catawba worm dangling off a hook in tantalizing captivity. So up the ladder I would go with the cricket cage to pluck the unsuspecting crit-
ters from their host leaves. Sometimes when I’d squeeze one too much, it would excrete a dark, yellow liquid all over my little hands, and I’d nearly fall off the ladder screeching in delight and dismay if one were to “pee” on me. Bait in hand, we would load up in Baw’s old pickup truck, me sitting in his lap to “drive” us, and head out to wile away the afternoon with our Zebco rods and reels or, more often, just a cane pole. That evening, hot and sunburned, we would come home with our catch, usually a few nice bream or a catfish or two, to be cleaned and stowed away in the refrigerator for lunch the next day. Nowadays, in the summer, as I sit in traffic trudging from meetings to music lessons to the grocery store listening to the sirens and horns and rap music, I long for the days of sitting by a pond with my Baw, listening to the quietude, sharing secrets and maybe a Peach Nehi, the endless days blending one into another like a hot and humid dream. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll rise up singing … and dust off my Zebco. MB
Born and raised in Citronelle, Atkins shares stories about growing up and living in the South in her book, “They Call Me Orange Juice,” and at her blog folkwaysnowadays.com.
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HISTORY | ASK MCGEHEE
What is the history of Mobile’s Washington Square? text by TOM MCGEHEE
Mobile’s Washington Square is one of the city’s most beloved parks and is surrounded by some of the finest examples of 19th-century architecture in the Oakleigh Garden District. Occupying a city block, it is bounded by Charleston Street and a bit of Palmetto Street to the north, Charles Street to the east, Chatham to the west and Augusta Street to the south. Plans for a square in this vicinity were discussed as early as 1821, but it would be October of 1850 before it was deeded to the city by Archibald Gordon. A native of Connecticut, Gordon migrated to Mobile where he would serve as the first cashier for the Bank of Mobile, founded in 1818. Two years later, Gordon was a partner in the Mobile Aqueduct Company, which attempted to bring fresh water to town from Three Mile Creek. In 1821, he purchased a 200-acre tract that he subdivided into building lots. It was here that he eventually created space for Washington Square.
A Public Promenade — With Stipulations In a letter dated October 7, 1850, Gordon wrote Mayor Charles C. Langdon offering to convey all of the streets running through his tract to the city. He stipulated that a portion of the land be set aside for “a public promenade,” with the provision that it must be enclosed by a fence but open at all times for the use of the public. Gordon was quite specific on the name of this public promenade: “Washington Square.” The title appears to have been chosen to honor the late president, not after a better known park in New York City. That Greenwich Village landmark would not be dedicated until 1871. 80 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
Above Sun shines through the oaks on the once-destroyed cupid and dolphin statues, now overlooking the fountain at Washington Square. PHOTO COURTESY VISIT MOBILE
The city of Mobile accepted the gift in January 1851. A “good substantial fence” was to be erected within six months, and a proposition called for the property to be cultivated “with flowers, trees and shrubbery … to be planted this spring.” A paid superintendent was also hired to maintain this “pleasant and ornamental promenade.” To protect the square, the city enacted a $50 fine for anyone caught cutting trees or shrubs, dumping trash or hanging their laundry there. Next, the city set about to improve it as required. In 1850, the neighborhood was still sparsely populated, and the required fence was installed to keep out wandering cows and an occasional pig. Underbrush had to be removed, and shrubs and trees were planted.
Winding hedge-lined walkways led to a well, which was accessed by a hand-cranked pump. This was well before a full city water supply was available. Gas lights were placed on its four corners, and over time, benches were installed as well as a small bandstand for concerts.
Its Benefactor’s Demise Gordon’s two-story home overlooked the square from the north. Both the date of its construction and his occupancy are unclear, but in the early 1860s, his address was published in the city directory as “64 St. Francis Street, boards Mrs. George.” His former home eventually sat vacant and over time deteriorated. Neighbors recalled it years later as a forlorn structure with broken windows and sagging shutters. A fire finally reduced it to ashes.
Gordon died in 1866 leaving an estate appraised at nearly $150,000 (about $2.5 million today) and consisting of dozens of parcels of real estate in Mobile. His will ordered the property sold and the proceeds distributed to the numerous children of his 10 deceased brothers and sisters who were scattered around the north. He also specified the sum of $5,000 to “Thomas Carter, my servant and former slave.” Gordon is buried alone, in an aboveground tomb in Church Street Graveyard.
The Square Gets a Face-lift When Mobile’s postwar economy finally improved in the late 1880s, the city began to spend money on its parks. Since the threat of roaming cattle was gone, the wooden picket fence around Washington Square was removed and straight concrete sidewalks were installed. A citywide water system made the old pump unnecessary and a concrete basin was placed in the center. A cast-iron deer, formerly in Bienville Square, made his new home here during the square’s remodeling. May Randlette Beck, a longtime resident, recalled the basin as being surrounded by “concrete boxes for ferns and flowers and four cupid figures in between, riding on the backs of a spouting dolphin.” In 1946, she reported that “as time went on, vandals set up a private guillotine, and one by one the little cupids were decapitated and then dethroned.” In those post World War II years, what is now the Oakleigh Garden District saw a steady decline. A great many of the large homes were subdivided into boarding houses for war workers, and developers were enticing more prosperous Mobilians ever westward. By the 1980s, preservationists had rediscovered the neighborhood, and today, the houses surrounding Washington Square are some of the most sought-after in Mobile. The popular park has also been refurbished, and the cast-iron deer has patiently borne the weight of untold numbers of children as he serves as a photo op. MB june 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 81
END PIECE | BACKSTORY
Island Surfing Photo courtesy Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Dauphin Island Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
“I could see the low-lying white sand banks that edge it. Iberville saw them in 1699, blown by gulf-storm into the little harbor at the east end, in the lee of Pelican Island. He found there ‘burning heat, barren soil, and sand so white as to injure the eye.’”
SURFING PROVIDED AN ESCAPE from the realities of life post-World War II. The sport, which gained steam in the 1950s and peaked a decade later, offered riders the ability to break away from mental anguish and focus on the moment at hand. Dauphin Island was the perfect location for both objectives, with its rolling swells and uncluttered, white-sand beaches (although herds of cattle and goats were known to ramble the island). Touted as the Gulf Coast’s “great new playground,” the Chamber of Commerce made a push in the late ’50s to promote the island as a tourist site. Whether the photo below, presumably taken at the end of the decade, was used in promotional materials or not is disputed among sources.
– excerpt from Carl Lamson Carmer’s 1934 book, “Stars Fell on Alabama,” on his first sight of Dauphin Island
FASHIONED IN THE FIFTIES Gordon Persons Bridge. So named for the Alabama governor who approved the project, the 3-mile span connecting the mainland to Dauphin Island opened July 2, 1957. Until tolling ended in 1963, it cost travelers $1 to cross. The nownamed Dauphin Island Bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Frederic in 1979 and was replaced in 1982. The “3” on this woman’s arm and the crown atop the head of the woman at center likely indicate their participation in the annual Dauphin Island beauty contest.
Women’s swimwear. Ladies’ swimsuits of the era focused less on swimming and more on looking like a pinup model. Tops touted sweetheart necklines and removable straps, for sunbathing, and pencil skirt-shaped bottoms or boy shorts completed the ensemble. Ruching was a popular, slimming addition. Men’s swimwear. Swim boxers and trunks ranged in length from a couple-inch inseam to near the knees. Elastic waistbands replaced earlier decades’ belts. Longboards. By the late 1950s, surfboard construction shifted from wood to fiberglass, making boards easier to haul. Thanks, in part, to surf bands like the Beach Boys and the surf-centered movie, “The Endless Summer,” surf culture skyrocketed in the 1960s.
850
Length in feet of the Dauphin Island fishing pier (seen above, far left) that is now over dry land
167.1
Dauphin Island’s total area, in square miles (6.2 of which is land; 160.9 is water)
$10
Cost per night, from June to August, as seen in a 1957 ad for Dauphin Island’s Moulin Rouge Motel — it cost $7.50 the rest of the year
Do you have fond memories of Dauphin Island from the 1950s? Let us know! Email ahartin@pmtpublishing.com. 82 mobilebaymag.com | june 2021
Sand Dunes Casino. Opened on Dauphin Island in the late ’50s, the casino overlooked a milelong stretch of beach and offered gambling, restaurants, a lounge, a bathhouse and a fishing pier. Tourists did not arrive in droves, as was hoped, and by the early ’70s, the casino had been destroyed.