Summerdale, Alabama

Ah, we felt like we were coming home when we arrived in Escapees Rainbow Plantation RV Park in Summerdale, Alabama. It's about 25 miles southeast of Mobile and about 25 miles north of Gulf Shores.

I wanted to go to the beach in Gulf Shores, but when we got there the fog was so thick you couldn't even see 25 feet of the beach and none of the water....very disappointing. I didn't take the camera but it didn't really matter as I have pictures from when we were here last year, before we had this blog. So I get to use those photos now....that's pretty neat.

The rv park is very nice with paved roads and you park on grass. You use to be able to buy deeded property here so there are many houses in the park - many not belonging to members of Escapees...you can do that with deeded property. Some of the houses are set up to have their rvs part of the property. The resulting house structures provide interesting architecture. The rv goes into the area where the car is presently parked. Practical idea.

We did make it to one of our favorite places down here, and that is Billy's Seafood Market. You can get numerous types of shrimp, oysters, and fresh fish. It's basically a wood shack with large tubs, totes or the seafood lined up on a table. Billy's has its own boats so you can't seafood fresher than that. We bought large shrimp, grouper and red snapper and froze it for future use. Billy's gets their own oysters and outside there are mounds and mounds of oyster shells from their shucking...pretty neat!!!

One of the unusual things we found here in the Foley area were strip-mall type structures for various types of doctors. Instead of being housed in the hospital building or something, these strip malls provide easy access from the main drag, park and walk in. There are urologists, dentist, orthopedics, neurologists, opthomology, etc. There are three of them in the area and I think this is a great idea; makes it alot easier to use.

There is also an old-fashioned drug store in Foley called Stacey Rexell Drug that makes you feel you have gone back in time to the 50's. Yes, there is a soda fountain with about seven stools with iron heart shaped backs. They make all the favorites, like phosphates, malts, banana splits and, my all-time favorite, hot fudge sundaes. There is even a working pharmacy in the back. The walls are lined with shelves of dark wood with glass cabinets in front to hold the aspirins, etc. It really is a tourist attraction and you see a lot of grandparents bringing in their grandkids, explaining that this is what a drug store looked like when they were young; and how they use to share a coke with their sweetie buying one soda and two straws---that's so they could legally get closer with their foreheads touching....I remember- I use to do it too!!!

Well, that's it for now. We left Summerdale about 9 am and are now traveling on the infamous I-10. Luckily I-10 in Florida is very well maintained and very smooth. Maybe the shelves in the refrigerator will stay put and everything won't come tumbling out when I open the door tonight.

Happy holidays and remember - you are loved!!!