On Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, Dick and I drove nine hours to Dauphin Island, Alabama for a week on the beach. Dauphin Island lies just south of Mobile, Alabama, between Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Our motel was on a very narrow portion of the island, just one block from the gulf beach and with the bay directly behind us. We had a pleasant suite with two bedrooms (one for each?) and a livingroom/kitchen area. We enjoyed the sun and surf and arrived home just two days before Hurricane Ivan destroyed much of the island.
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Every morning around 7:00, I walked to the beach and enjoyed my iced coffee on this pavilion, just a short walk from the surf. The sugar-white sand beach went on as far as you could see in both directions and there were three of these pavilions, offering shade and a place to eat and enjoy the sights. The water was very calm and warm, and there was always a cool breeze blowing off the bay. |
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The beach was home to a variety of gulls, sandpipers, egrets, bayou herons, and pelicans. Collecting seashells along the surf edge and watching the birds fish for their meals gave me hours of pleasure. There were also a number of off-shore oil rigs in the distance and occasional fishing boats trolling near the shore. There were never more than twenty other people enjoying the beach at one time, even on the weekend. September is a wonderful, quiet time at the beach...... |
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Looking out of the livingroom window one afternoon, I saw this beautiful sight. I got my camera, headed out behind the motel, and took this shot. I believe this was one of the local bayou herons, perched in an unlikely spot. All of the trees in the area showed many years of wind and storm damage; none had branches until way up high on their trunks. It is rather amazing that there is such a variety of trees and shrubs at all, since the island is made up of pure sand and is so fully exposed to the elements. |
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This fishing pier was just east of the bathing beach, and was open twenty-four hours a day. There were fisherman there when I arrived on the beach early in the morning, and some were still there when it turned dark. They appeared to be catching LOTS of fish. Dick opted to do his fishing at a mile-long pier on the other side of the Dauphin Island Bridge. He went just about every evening after dinner, stayed until quite late, and caught an assortment of unusual fish. It had been a very long time since he had fished and he truly enjoyed it. |
Song: "Beach Boys:Wouldn't It Be Nice"
