Falling In for Fall

Sunday, September 24 - It was an end of the summer pooch pool party today as our friend and sometimes dog-sitter, Adrianna, brought a couple of her goldens over to hang out with Sunny.  It was also Adrianna's birthday to double the fun! 

Tuesday, September 26 - Jury duty, really?  Mia is not ready to tackle the justice system, just the kitten adoption system, please! 

Wednesday, September 27 - Did we mention we LOVE $5 sushi Wednesdays at our local Publix?  Whoever they have churning out these tasty rolls is excellent! 

Friday, September 29 - We were in Murfreesboro tonight doing some shopping with Sunny in tow, so after the sun went down, and the temps cooled off, we headed over to Mayday Brewing to hang out a little on their awesome large patio deck and enjoy a couple libations.  Sunny was a hit as usual with the patrons and there were even a couple other dogs for her to meet.  Cheers to fall weather! 

Monday, October 9 - We officially closed the pool today for the year.  Sunny has turned her back on us per this decision...

Tuesday, October 24 - Well, we got a new car today, more by force than choice since this happened to me the other night (so glad this wasn't something we experienced together).  I had no injuries, but our beloved Sue-bee which had just been serviced and rolled over 100K miles was totaled when an old guy pulled out onto me on West Main Street here in town during a storm.  I swerved to miss him, but he hit me square enough to turn me over and I had to crawl out of the sunroof in a hailstorm!!  So crazy! 

It's our NEWBIE SUE-BEE!!  This 2024 Outback sure looks a lot like our old one, but with a few more bells and whistles (and a higher price tag), but we got a somewhat reasonable deal at the Subaru dealership in Gallatin despite some comical salesmanship from them early on.  Here's to another 100K, and beyond, hopefully.  

Thursday, November 9 - Well, fishy, looks who's first and second in our fantasy football league past the halfway mark of the season!!  Oh, and we play each other this weekend!  I have no fear because the Stingrays are pretty much paper lions and their W-L record is quite deceiving...but, we shall see! 
(Editor's note:  I won, pretty easily...just sayin'.)

Sunday, November 12 - We went to see one of our favorite Irish music bands, Gaelic Storm, at a SOLD-OUT show at The City Winery tonight with our pals, Curtis and Kate, who are celebrating their first wedding anniversary today (cheers!).  We had dinner here as well as we usually do, and despite not being here in quite a while, the food seemed even better than before.  The show was great as well.  The band had us up on our feet a lot so we could "dance around, dance around!!" 

Afterwards we stopped by the always-interesting dive bar, Santa's Pub, since Curtis and Kate had never been before, and this was another door we haven't darkened in quite a while.  The karaoke going on wasn't very good (except for Kate's rendition of "Knock 3 Times on the Ceiling" of course), but still a fun time late into the night. 

Beforehand, our foursome headed up to Madison to take a behind the scenes tour at Yazoo Brewing to make it a complete Sunday Funday!  Our friend, Emily, joined us for the tour, and we even ran into our pal, Nate, there.  Our tour guide, Ty, was funny and friendly and we had a great time with him during our lookey-loo behind the curtains of what is now Tennessee's biggest craft brewery and one of Nashville's oldest celebrating 20 years in existence this year. 

Tuesday, November 14 - It's Bargain Night at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) so we went to see the new superhero flick, The Marvels, with our friends, Toney and Lisa.   Ashlee's not the biggest fan of comic book movies, but this one has two things she loves:  girl power and cats!  The film was really fun and enjoyable! 

Saturday, November 11- A little out of chronological order, but I wanted to make sure and remember  to note that we had our first fire of the season tonight in the Solo Stove out on the patio.  We also got to try out our new faux fur seat covers (background right) that we learned about on our recent Sweden trip from the Vikings.  Skol!!  

Saturday, November 18 - We took our new Sue-bee for its first long drive to Destin, Florida, today with Zippy in tow as well for our annual week at the beach during Thanksgiving.  Zippy's first trip to the beach comes mostly with the fact that he needs insulin shots twice a day now.   He was a real trooper on the drive down with no problems at all. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the "Three Pianos" audiobook on our drive down.  This memoir from one of our favorite musicians, Andrew McMahon, was interesting and beautifully written.  And as the narrator as well, we will feel like we now truly know the man himself.  This might come in handy late next year when we plan to book a cruise with him and entire musical history on one boat! 

Despite the camera's view here, it was pretty dark on the beach when we got to Destin, but the moonlight and stars were immaculate! 

Sunday, November 19 - We were surprised to wake up this morning to an ocean view from our bedroom. Yes, it's a limited view, but it's still a view of ocean water!  You take what you can get! 

We went to see the new film, Priscilla, at the AMC Destin Common Theaters tonight along with Paige and Ella.  The movie was an interesting look at Elvis from a different perspective for sure.  

Well, some cats just get their own hotel room for a week...like easy pimpin' Zippy!  We got found out at our snooty rental house that we had a cat (against the rules) and had to make other accommodations, so $600 later, he has a room at the low-class Village Inn.  Of course, he spends a lot of time at home in a dirty garage, so this is still an upgrade.  

Pretty sunset, prettier girl.  All the credit for this great shot goes to Ashlee as the photographer, and our niece, Ella, as the foreground subject. 

Monday, November 20 - We got some more beach time in today, albeit most of it was cloudy and all of it was windy, but the sun did pop thru for a bit giving the glassy ocean a beautiful sheen. 

We all had dinner at The Back Porch tonight which was great in terms of view and food. 

Santa and his eight tiny...dolphins?  Sure, why not here in Destin!  

Tuesday, November 21 - It was a rainy day on the beach today, so we decided to all go see the new comedy, The Holdovers, at the AMC Destin Commons Theaters.  The film was awesome, and we all loved it.  Ready to see it again right now!

After the movie we revisited Jackacudas for dinner and had some great food.  The spicy tuna roll we split had cucumber instead of rice which was interesting. 

Wednesday, November 22 - Ashlee found us another great house this year in the awesome Destiny by the Sea development.  We spent the day today shopping and such including an excellent lunch at the local P.F. Chang's.  We don't come down here to eat at chain restaurants usually, but we've been craving the Chang's for a while now and it did not disappoint! 

Thursday, November 23 - Happy Thanksgiving! From the beach!  Despite some cool temps and cloudy weather predictions for today, it was nice enough to catch a little time on the beach before our giant meal compliments (mostly) of Cracker Barrel.  Thanks to Paige and Ashlee for the planning and plating.  Delicious!  

Friday, November 24 - Well, after a nice day on the beach with a lots of sun, we decided to give Zippy a little time in the sun on his first visit to the beach at the John Beasley Park in Ft. Walton.  He wasn't too keen on the idea (too many people around), but he was a pretty good sport with it nonetheless.   Thanks, buddy. 

We enjoyed an amazing sunset and a fantastic dinner at Boshamp's Seafood House after dropping Zippy back off at his motel.   This place is easily one of our favorite go-to places here in Destin. 

Saturday, November 25 - We got some more quality beach time in again on our last full day here in Destin along with some quality craft beers (and a good buzz).   The weather and water were absolutely stunning.  We had dinner at Osaka Japanese Steak House which has become kind of a last night in Destin tradition for us.  It was delicious and filling!  We packed up most of our belongings tonight since we want an early start tomorrow for home and there is rain in the forecast (boo!).  

Sunday, November 26 - The drive back from Destin was uneventful and smooth despite rain most of the way.  Zippy was again a real trooper, opting to snooze and hang out in the backseat near us instead of inside his little house that we brought him.   

We also listened to most of the new autobiography audiobook from Henry Winkler called "Being Henry The Fonz...and Beyond."  Ashlee actually met Mr. Winkler recently at a (hardcopy) book signing in Atlanta of this same memoir, but it was great to hear it in his own cool, sweet voice.  We hope to finish listening to it very soon. 

Tuesday, November 28 - Well this was fun!  How have we been so close to Cumberland University Basketball for 20+ years and never attended a game?  We saw The Phoenix men's team take on Oakwood University out of Huntsville, AL, tonight and eke out a 79-76 win with a decent crowd in attendance.  This probably won't be our last game to attend hopefully.