FAT TUESDAY!
St. George Island SP, Eastpoint, Fl.
After our spiritual exercises, I went on a 12 mile bike ride and returned home to a nice bowl of fruit, cereal and yogurt. We had a quiet mid day as the temperature climbed to 74F. Our late afternoon and evening was our own private Mardi Gras!
It is a beautiful drive to Apalachicola, 8 miles down the island from the camper to SGI bridge, 4 miles over the bridge to Eastpoint (where we will stop at Lynn’s Oyster Bar later), and 7 miles west to the town. Our first stop was the art museum on the waterfront. Last year it was very enjoyable. This year, a new show opens tomorrow; we will have to return! We shopped awhile for a wide brimmed hat for Penny; several stores in close proximity made for a quick search. It was pretty warm, so we stopped for a tiny bowl of gelato each.
Next, we went to the Oyster City Brewing Company, our favorite bar. We don’t go to many, but this one is special. It is al fresco, all the doors and windows are wide open. People bring their kids, others bring their dogs. There are benches out on the sidewalk where one may consume their beverage. Unlike most outdoor seating, there are no fence or gates, people mill about and spill out into the street.
I thought we’d be too late to get in, but there were seats at the bar, lucky us! There are only six stools; the counter is that small! And, even more lucky, there were two musicians playing in a sort of battle of the bands to raise money for a charitable cause having to with high school kids. Soon, the place was hopping with beer drinking customers, music, kids, dogs, and fun! We struck up conversations with many different folks as they came and went with their beverages.
We stretched our two beers out as long as possible, but it was time to eat! A short drive had us parking at Lynn’s, our favorite oyster bar. I think I mentioned this area is the Oyster Capital of the World. Lynn’s is nothing fancy, real down home. The counter had seats available; our luck was holding out! It too was a small bar, seating eight. There is seating in that main room and more out back on the porch.
The staff recognized us from last year and we conversed with the shuckers and with Lynn freely. We ordered 12 oysters on the half shell and a pound of peel and eat steamed shrimp with drawn butter and a small bowl of horseradish. They gave us each a barbecued beef rib, “lest y’all go away hungry”. Too much to eat, but we did! That’s what you do on Fat Tuesday, over indulge. Oh, I forgot the Key Lime pie we shared for dessert!
We got home safely by 8PM.