This summer when we were looking for ways to use our hotel loyalty points and weekend trips we could take, I suggested the beach for Thanksgiving weekend. So we booked it and then when Paul went to put it on the calendar, he said something to the effect of, "honey, do you realize how close that is to our Galapagos trip?" I hadn't but it turned out to be a good thing. We desperately needed some peaceful down time.
We've been to the beach many times so I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this post but I did want a quick documentation of the weekend for our historical records. I find this blog a nice place to go to see when we last visited somewhere and where we stayed.
Being Thanksgiving weekend, we thought we should celebrate Thanksgiving. So we brought the ingredients for turkey sandwiches including some pre-made relish from Publix. Our first chance to celebrate was as we charged on the way down.
This might be a good spot to mention the car challenge we ran into leaving Birmingham. Earlier this week we had picked up a used Model S. About 20 minutes out of Birmingham, a BMS warning came on telling us the car may not restart. This appeared to relate to the battery management system which is pretty important so we turned around to switch cars. Fortunately, the car was still under warranty.
This year for the first time, we had reached Platinum Elite with Marriott. For this trip we had booked the Fairfield Inn in Orange Beach using points and we had applied to use our Suite Night Awards (pending availability). About a week before the trip, we received an e-mail indicating we had been upgraded to an Executive Suite with a Balcony!
Our time on the beach was spent taking it easy - walking or sitting on the beach and listening to the sounds of the waves and shorebirds. Sunrise Saturday morning was just breathtaking!
The last 10 months have been a challenging being so isolated to stay safe from COVID-19 but we keep trying to find ways to get out and immerse ourselves in nature where we can easily social distance. It has been our way of keeping sane in such an insane world. So late this week, frustrated by the pressures of work, we booked a trip to Orange Beach, AL. The weather is cold and college kids are heading into their spring semester and so we figured the beach would be pretty isolated. We booked the Fairfield Inn which is right next door to a couple of restaurants and a Walmart Neighborhood Market so it would be easy to eat in our room.
So yesterday, we left Birmingham after work, grabbed some quick supper on the road and checked in to the hotel. It is an older hotel and clearly showing it's age but the staff has been so incredibly nice. And it is clear the hotel is focused on COVID precautions to keep customers and staff safe (one way markings around the lobby, plexiglass dividers, everyone in face masks, pre-packaged breakfast to-go bags, etc.). We were also amazed at the experience at the Walmart Neighborhood Market where everyone was wearing masks, sanitizing wipes were actually available, and staff stood at the entrance and exit to count people and enforce protocols.
So this morning we set the alarm early. I love sunrises and to truly experience a sunrise, you need to be up and out there by the time the first glimpse of light starts appearing over the horizon which is typically an hour or more before the actual sunrise. This morning we made it out there in time to still see stars!
Shortly after we settled in, a Great Blue Heron flew towards us and landed about 30 feet from us. He stuck around until after the sun had risen when he moved on down the beach.
(video credit goes to my husband)
In these next few photos, I played with my new neutral density filter for my lens to create a milky look to the water.
By this point my husband was frozen down to the bone and so he headed back to the hotel. I stayed behind to chase a few more birds.
Great Blue Heron
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Great Blue Heron
Ring-billed Gull
I then headed back to the hotel to find some breakfast and relax in the room for a while.
I headed back out to the beach in the afternoon, without my husband at first. (He wasn't quite ready to tackle hours of the wind on the beach and was really enjoying the quiet of the hotel room.). He met me after I had been out a while on my own. The sun was high in the cloudless sky and the temperatures were in the low 50s. I started towards the pier a little over a mile down the beach. There weren't many people out giving the birds room to roam.
Sanderling
Laughing Gull
Ruddy Turnstone - a new bird for me!
Brown Pelicans
Willet
Ring-billed Gull
I also played with my new neutral density filter to smooth the waves around the pier.
With no sign of any clouds today, I decided not to stay out for the sunset. There will be more chances for sunrises and another sunset Sunday and Monday morning. We ordered Chinese to eat in the room and enjoyed a quiet evening.
