The Beach Is Beautiful

My son's football team (Gulf Shores Middle School -- Go Dolphins!) had a little get-together last Saturday at the Gulf Shores Public Beach Pavilion for fellowship off the field and to raise their spirits following some recent losses (that's another story altogether).

I took my son along with my other two kids to enjoy the picnic and also the beach. I have to admit, working on the Gulf Coast is a little different from visiting from time to time. You just don't get to spend as much time enjoying the beach as you'd like. In fact, lots of times you don't even notice just how beautiful this little slice of paradise actually is.

I knew there had been no reports of oil or tarballs -- or any sign of the recent BP oil spill (gusher!) on our beaches, but I had not seen the beach myself recently so I had to wonder if we'd find any evidence of the BP mess on our shores.

The walk from the parking lot up to the beach pavilion is just beautiful. If you've never been to the pavilion, you really should pay it a visit. It's awesome. A wooden walkover takes you onto the pavilion (look at the ceiling sometime -- it looks like the underside of a wooden Viking ship) or directly onto the beach.

We dropped off our hamburgers, said our hellos, and headed down to the water. Oh my gosh, the beach is as beautiful as I've ever seen it. Wide expanse of sugar-white, soft sand leading to cool Gulf waters, and no oil anywhere!

I couldn't get the kids out of the water. They were chasing waves, letting the waves flip them over and over, venturing out a little deeper to roll with the surf, well, you get the picture. They only came out of the water to make sandcastles, dig holes and search for seashells, and there were plenty to choose from.

If you haven't come to the Alabama Gulf Coast lately, I'd highly recommend paying a visit soon.

You've heard about the Bon Jovi and Brad Paisley concerts coming up in October, right? All you have to do to get tickets is rent a unit, and I promise you, the prices have never been better.

The fall is possibly the most beautiful time to come to the beach -- the weather's mild, the water and beach are beautiful, and the price is right.

And, by the way, did you see that harvest moon last night??? There's no better spot to see it than on the beach in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama.

Pay us a visit on the Beautiful Gulf Coast if it's been a while. You'll be glad you did!

—Kristen McIntosh, Editor