Beach Blog #18

     Teresa and I took a road trip over to Destin today. We saw something that neither of us had seen before and maybe you haven't either. I'll show in a short video and some pictures in a moment.

Magnolia Walnut Ln, Inlet Beach, Fl

     But first, here's a follow-up to my question in Beach Blog #17. I asked how much do you think this ugly, little yellow beach house cost? It's on the beach, 1,440 sq ft and built in 1981.
     The answer is $2,999,900.00 and that's down from the $5,000,000.00 starting price in 2016. By the way if you put down 20%, you're monthly note is approximately $16,000.00.
     Now to our Destin road trip and a sight neither T nor I have ever seen. It's kind of mesmerizing.

      Have you ever seen a boat picked up and put into the water? I've seen a boat trailered into the water many times, but never lowered on a forklift. I actually took this video from start to finish, from the time the forklift operator picked it up, backed up, slowly moved forward and then finally lowered it to the waiting water. I must admit, I hoped the operator would 'gun' his forklift backwards and the boat would splash into the water, kind of like  pulling a tablecloth from under expensive crystal and china without a crash.
     Today's experiences began completely at random. We wanted to see Destin. We needed lunch. We picked a YELP recommendation and viola! We really hit the jackpot.
     Lunch was at LuLu's. Turns out LuLu's  is Jimmy Buffet's sister and a fantastic, really cheap place to eat.

LuLu's, Destin FL

        Of all the places we've eaten this wonderful trip, LuLu's topped 'em all in quality, atmosphere and VALUE! Wow, they must do a ton of business to keep their prices so low. 

      We can't say enough good things about LuLu's. We started with the onion rings, the likes of which I haven't had since I waited tables at Tavern on the Park in NOLA. We shared a bowl of great gumbo and ended with their Summer Shrimp Salad. 

      The salad was like egg salad on steroids, lots of shrimp with a creole seasoning that gave it a creamy, crunchy and zesty twang. Oh yeah, it included a couple slices of fried green tomatoes in the same flakey crust as the onion rings. And the sauce..... WOW!

       So to walk it off, we took a walk through the marina with it's piers leading straight out to the boats. "Just stay on the path," said the placards and we did. 

Legendary Marina, Destin FL

     After pier walking, we ambled through the boats in 'dry-dock.' First, we went south. Then, we went north. It was then, we saw a grey haired gentleman walking our way.

     "Uh-oh. I think this is a boat lot."

     "What," T asked.

     "A boat lot. This guy thinks we're looking to buy a boat."

     "Just keep walking," she whispered.

     "If I keep walking, we'll collide."

     "Then, don't make eye contact."

     Too late! "Hi, how are you guys? What are looking for," he asked. "Oh, we're just walking off lunch."

     "They're all for sale," he said. "We're from west Texas, we don't have any water," I countered.

      A lot more was said, but to make a long story short this older fella turned out to be the owner of the place and gave us a tour.

Legendary Marina, Destin FL

     We saw big boat, bigger boats and a whole lot of each. Turns out the owner is Mark from Maine. He owns about a half dozen similar marina/boat yards from Alabama to Panama City.
     That big boat on the right sold this morning. It has four, 375HP Yamaha engines on the back. Mark told us each engine cost $30,000.00. So, I didn't ask how much the boat cost.
     If you closely at the picture on the right, you can see the mural on the building behind it.
    That building is the largest of its kind in the world, filled floor to ceiling with boats.  In fact, the world's largest painted U-S flag is on the rooftop, painted by marine artist Wyland. It covers 3.8 acres, just under the size of three football fields.

     The mural is the partnership of Legendary Marine, Sherwin-Williams and the Wyland Foundation, a non-profit organization the artist organized to promote, protect and preserve oceans, waterways and marine life.
     Apparently if you buy a boat from Mark, it comes with an app. You simply open the app, tell Legendary Marina when you want your boat and poof, your boat is in the water ready and waiting for you. I didn't ask how much that cost, either.
      So what we thought was going to be a whirlwind visit to Destin turned into an unexpected adventure... Just the kind we like.
Bill Robertson, besides, I get sea sick.