April 13 - April 23 Bella Terra RV Resort - Foley, AL
First and foremost......we've added some pictures to our posting from Rayford Crossing RV in Spring, TX if you'd like to take a look.
Does Bella Terra sound familiar?? We stopped here in March right after we left Port Charlotte, FL. What a wonderful 10 days we've had here on our return trip!!
Lots of time to catch up with friends that we've met during our trip and relax a bit. When we left Bella Terra on March 24th headed for Texas, the Blue Angels were preparing to resume their weekly practices in Pensacola and it broke our hearts that we were not going to catch a performance. Scheduled days for practices were Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning 3/25. Now that we were back in Bella Terra (only about 40 minutes from the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola), we determined that we wouldn't miss them again. The performance on Tues (4/15) was cancelled due to bad weather, but based on friends recommendations, this gave us an opportunity to visit Pensacola for a seafood shopping experience at a place called Joe Patti's.
All we can say is WOW !!! Imagine a 100 foot long counter with all types of fresh seafood, lots of customers that they service like clockwork and a seafood place that doesn't have even a trace of fishy scent. We could see the tuna and other fish being cut in the background. Our friends suggested we try the Royal Reds which are a type of shrimp that's only available in the spring along the Gulf coast. They are a vibrant red color and are sweet with a texture more like lobster. In other words, they are delicious. They can be steamed, grilled or sauteed. We bought a couple of pounds of the Royal Reds and some beautiful Red Snapper.
On Wed. (4/16) we made the trip over to NAS Pensacola to see the Blue Angels but found out after we arrived that the performance was cancelled (we later learned that a couple of the pilots were under the weather). We were told they would add a Thursday performance to their schedule. Needless to say, we were at NAS Pensacola on Thurs morning and were thrilled to get front row seats to see the Blue Angels do a practice of their show.
Another visit to Joe Patti's was on the agenda following the show since the first batch of Royal Reds were so good. This time we got 1.5 lbs and had Joe Patti's steam them for us with medium hot seasoning. They were terrific!!
Lots of time to catch up with friends that we've met during our trip and relax a bit. When we left Bella Terra on March 24th headed for Texas, the Blue Angels were preparing to resume their weekly practices in Pensacola and it broke our hearts that we were not going to catch a performance. Scheduled days for practices were Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning 3/25. Now that we were back in Bella Terra (only about 40 minutes from the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola), we determined that we wouldn't miss them again. The performance on Tues (4/15) was cancelled due to bad weather, but based on friends recommendations, this gave us an opportunity to visit Pensacola for a seafood shopping experience at a place called Joe Patti's.
All we can say is WOW !!! Imagine a 100 foot long counter with all types of fresh seafood, lots of customers that they service like clockwork and a seafood place that doesn't have even a trace of fishy scent. We could see the tuna and other fish being cut in the background. Our friends suggested we try the Royal Reds which are a type of shrimp that's only available in the spring along the Gulf coast. They are a vibrant red color and are sweet with a texture more like lobster. In other words, they are delicious. They can be steamed, grilled or sauteed. We bought a couple of pounds of the Royal Reds and some beautiful Red Snapper.
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| Just a portion of Joe Patti's seafood counter |
On Wed. (4/16) we made the trip over to NAS Pensacola to see the Blue Angels but found out after we arrived that the performance was cancelled (we later learned that a couple of the pilots were under the weather). We were told they would add a Thursday performance to their schedule. Needless to say, we were at NAS Pensacola on Thurs morning and were thrilled to get front row seats to see the Blue Angels do a practice of their show.
Another visit to Joe Patti's was on the agenda following the show since the first batch of Royal Reds were so good. This time we got 1.5 lbs and had Joe Patti's steam them for us with medium hot seasoning. They were terrific!!
The weather was so great during our time here that we also made a trip to the USS Alabama battleship which is docked in Mobile, AL. We followed a self-guided tour of most of the 12 decks of the ship. The Alabama was commissioned in 1942 and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II. It won nine WWII Battle Stars, had a crew of 2,500 and was known as the "Mighty A". The ship was decommissioned in 1947 and retired in 1962. We also toured the USS Drum which is a Gato-class submarine which has been nicely restored. We even had a chance to chat with a couple of submarine veterans who answered questions. It's amazing how small the openings between the compartments are. The USS Drum conducted 13 war patrols, won 12 Campaign stars and sank 15 Japanese ships. There were also over 25 aircraft on display. Our thoughts and appreciation go out to the many men (& women) who helped protect our country by serving on these ships.
For Easter Sunday, we got together with many of our Bella Terra neighbors and friends for a potluck dinner. The resort provided ham and we all contributed other parts of the meal. Bob & I took a spinach and strawberry salad since local strawberries are abundant right now. So much wonderful food and great companionship made for a blessed and enjoyable day.
Our plans were to leave Foley, AL on Monday (4/21), but when we tried to make reservations for our next overnight stop, they were full and not able to accommodate us until Tuesday (4/22). When we contacted the Bella Terra office to extend our stay here by one more day, they explained that we could get a much better rate if we extended by two days. That pushed our departure from Bella Terra until Wednesday (4/23). We don't have a tight time schedule, so we didn't mind staying 'til Wed.
We took advantage of the extended stay and drove to NAS Pensacola for another opportunity to see the Blue Angels practice and we were NOT disappointed. The show on Tues (4/22) was even better than the show we'd seen the previous Thurs.
We also got one more chance to visit Joe Patti's and stock up on a few more Royal Reds. Yes, seeing air shows, visiting with friends, and eating fresh seafood were the highlights of our time here.
We also got one more chance to visit Joe Patti's and stock up on a few more Royal Reds. Yes, seeing air shows, visiting with friends, and eating fresh seafood were the highlights of our time here.
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