This week has been spent getting ready for the big party on Saturday. Monday night Sunshine Cindy and I were hard at it on the computers. I was putting the finishing touches on the May Mullet Wrapper newsletter. You can read it here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-May-2013.html

Sunshine Cindy was prepping all the final placards and getting labels completed for our tee shirts. We pulled out all the supplies and I think we have everything ready to go. The tent and stage people are set for Friday as is the port-a-potty delivery. We received pop up tents from Julie and Jan to use. I think we are about set.

Tuesday Sunshine Cindy and I had to make a Home Depot run. We needed some caution tape. I think we ended up buying enough to tape off half the city. LOL From there we stopped in at Friday’s to get some dinner and have a few brews. It was slow at first in there but then it picked up. It was a beautiful evening and of course the top was down on Badass. We stopped at Publix for some last minute things Sunshine Cindy needed for her Mac Cheese concoction she is making for the party. We made one more stop on the way home and that was at Chan’s Wine World. We picked up a couple of bottles for the party. From there we headed home for the night.

Wednesday I made a stop at Crab Island Cantina on my way home. Kyle was working and Greg was just coming in. I wanted to check and see if Southern Drawl Band was scheduled for June 16th. Carlos said as far as he knows they are but it is not showing on the SDB schedule. So I am not sure if this is a go or not. The harbor was busy for mid-week out of season. Kyle said it had been steady all day. I am not sure where everyone is coming from. When I left I stopped in at Landshark Pizza. The place was packed out the door. I only stayed for a short while as I had to get back home to help Sunshine Cindy make the Mac Cheese for the party! LOL

I have been asked about the new Boschamps Oyster House that has recently opened. We have still not made it there yet but many of my friends have. What I have been hearing from them is expensive food that is only so-so. Drinks are expensive. With the new bartenders not knowing the cliental yet, deals are hard to come by. Boschamps has become the place to see and be seen for hot ladies. Many good looking ladies almost anytime you go there. Parking is limited. Great back deck and bar area. Interior of the restaurant is real cool. Most everyone thinks once they get past the start up issues it will be a great place. One of these days we will make it there!

Okay, time to complete the preparation for Saturday. Friends from Indiana, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and all over Florida are coming to party with us. We hope you can join us too. A full report on all the fun will be posted on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. See ya Monday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/time-to-party.html

I hope all the Mothers, Grandmothers and Step Mom’s out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day. We spent Sunday at Sunshine Cindy’s Mom and Dad’s place. It was a perfect day finally and we had a great visit. The rest of the weekend was a blur.

Capt. Todd Allen had a good haul

Thursday in Destin was the blessing of the fleet. With the largest charter boat fleet in Florida this is a special day as the boats get blessed for a safe season. It must work, there has never been a charter boat lost to the sea. We were going to go to the docks but by the time we headed down it was packed. There was no place to park and people were everywhere. We headed to Hogs Breath instead. Cam was at the outside bar. I had a blackened fish sandwich that was great. For some reason I have never had one there before but heard they were great. I will have it again for sure.

After we left Hogs Breath we stopped in at Sago Sports Bar. DK was working the bar. First time we had met him. He usually works the Sandbar across the street. We enjoyed our stop in there as always.

Friday I spent the entire morning and early afternoon working on the Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper newsletter for May. It will publish Wednesday. I did go down to the docks for a while. I saw Matt and hung out with him, Tommy and Capt Todd. I then took a stroll down towards Harborwalk Village. I could not get pass the old Lucky Snapper building. This is the one that will become a Margaritaville if they ever announce it. Well, It is happening. The entire ground level of the place is gutted. The building is so old there was a lot of rotted pilings and they are working to replace them. And they actually have a sign up announcing this is the future home of Margaritaville. I wonder when Buffett will make it official?

Friday night we had a Parrothead party at Harry T’s. Through Tropical Isle of New Orleans, we donated 6 free admissions to our Saturday “3rd Annual Trop Rockin Rocky Bayou party presented by KC’s Sandbar” to the raffle. We are glad to say the club raised over twice the amount they usually raise. As that party wound down, Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Crab Island Cantina. We were joined by Scott and Bonnie and Wayne and Renae. A huge wedding party had most of the place closed off to the public. We stayed for a while, I got some pics of Greg and we headed off to the Boathouse.

We added Kyle, one of the bartenders from the Cantina, to our group. He joined us. At the Boathouse Kenny and Leanne were there. Courtney had just finished her shift and sat with us. She started a list of what you would make a friend who wanted to be “friends with benefits” have to do to earn that status. The more kinky the better. Needless to say the list was unique! LOL  Ike was playing music and there was a decent crowd there. It was fun as usual.

Saturday was going to be our beach cleanup. A line of storms were heading our way but I went anyway as I am in charge. Just as I pulled into the parking lot the skies opened up. I sat at the pavilion wondering if anyone else would show up. I did pick up one bottle cap so I can say I did clean up. Ed and Barb and Hank and Jane showed up. We all talked for a while under the pavilion then called it a day.

In the afternoon I joined Julie, Jan and Loujean at Landshark Pizza. Brian was working. Later Russ came by and Sunshine Cindy came after getting some party errands ran. Finally Kerby stopped in too. We had a blast. It was a fun time. We talked about Jan’s upcoming show he will be doing at Landshark on Sunday May 26th from 1-5 pm. That will be fun too. Finally we all headed down to Cash’s and hung out there to watch the rest of the race. What great friends we have.

It’s going to be a busy week as we get ready for the party this Saturday. Everyone is welcome. Here are the details: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/3rd-Annual-Trop-Rockin-Rocky-Bayou-Party-presented-by-KC’s-SandBar–Grill.html

Have a great week. See ya Thursday!!!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/mothers-day-weekend-in-destin.html

This week in Destin continues to be unseasonably cold. Where is summer????

Monday Sunshine Cindy and I went to Graffiti’s for dinner. We wanted to get out and we had not been to Graffiti’s in a long time. The food was excellent. Shrimp, scallops, pasta…we had it all. It was a nice and relaxing dinner.

Tuesday night was a Crab Island Mambo planning session for our upcoming party. It’s a little over one week till we party on Rocky Bayou. Everyone is welcome to join us for a full day of Trop Rock music, good food and  friends. Only $25 to pre-register. Here are all the details: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/3rd-Annual-Trop-Rockin-Rocky-Bayou-Party-presented-by-KC’s-SandBar–Grill.html

Wednesday I stopped in at Landshark Pizza for a while. The place was packed for their special wing night. I wanted to talk to Brian and Sue about our upcoming event we are having there. On Sunday May 27th, Jan Patton will be playing his Trop Rock music from 1-5 pm. There is going to be a crawfish boil and Bud Light will be only $2 all day. It is going to be a fun day as we “Embrace the Chaos!” Mark your calendar and be sure to come by for the party!

The Destin Log is reporting the old Twisted Palms building is under contract again. A previous deal fell through. Now it looks like “Poppy” from Crazy Lobster fame is working to take over the place. I am sure he will put in another of his signature type restaurants. I am also guessing there will be another club opened in the ground floor space. Let’s see if I am right.

In the continuing saga of if they will ever announce the arrival of Margaritaville on the harbor I am now hearing the announcement will be July 4th weekend. Yeah, right! This is like the rumors every year that Buffett will be playing at MOTM. I will believe it when I see it! LOL

The entrance to the Destin Harbor is going to get dredged again. It is getting narrow and shallow. This is like the third time they have had to do this in the last few years. Every since the Emerald Grande was built the winds currents have changed and now the sand from the Pointe is constantly blown into the mouth of the entrance. Something will have to be done on a permanent basis or they will have to dredge it every year or two. Now if we get a hurricane or even a strong tropical storm there is no telling how bad it will get.

We have another fun weekend planned with a beach clean up on Saturday. Join us on Okaloosa Island Beachwalk #2. Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/destin-in-may.html

Okay, Mother Nature is playing a cruel joke on us. Friday it rained on and off all day and night. Saturday was cold and windy. Sunday was colder and windier. This morning it was 44 degrees in Niceville. Come on, it’s May and we should be hot and humid by now. But it did not stop us from getting out and about.

Thursday I stopped at KC’s Sandbar on the way home to finalize their sponsorship plans for the backyard party. Mike showed me the new bar they are getting ready to open. It is going to be a craft beer and craft liquor type of place. As we stepped outside the skies opened up. We made a dash to the sandbar but with the wind blowing I still got a little wet. I talked to a couple of girls who are with the Hash House Harriers. That’s the drinking club with a running problem. Sounds like a fun group.

Friday we stayed home. It was wet and windy. By the time the Cox repairmen left it was getting late so we stayed in to get some computer work done.

Saturday morning it 54 degrees in Destin. But at least the sun was coming out. We headed to the new Fuds on the Island for a Gumbo cook-off to benefit Relay for Life. It was held in the new raw bar building they built right on the water. This will be a fun place this summer as you can boat right up to it. Sunny Jim White came to town to play music for the event. Sunny Jim is one of the original Trop Rockers and an all around good guy. A decent crowd turned out. Peter the GM of Fuds was giving Sunshine Cindy a hard time all day. She knows Peter from way back.

When the party was over a group of us headed to Millers Ale House for some food. Julie, Wayne, Loujean, Jan, Sunshine Cindy and I all headed over. We had Christopher wait on us. We had him cracking up. It was a nice end to the evening.

Sunday started out nice. I backed the car out and had the top down. About 30 minutes later I looked out and it was raining. Where did this come from? I raced out to put the top up before Badass got too wet. Plus the wind had picked up. I mean really picked up like 25-35 MPH gusts. In the afternoon I headed to Landshark Pizza to get plans going to have Jan Patton play there on Sunday May 26th. They are going to do a crawfish boil and Jan will be playing from 1-5 or so. It will be fun so mark your calendars.

Sunshine Cindy stayed home to get some stuff done around the house. At Landshark James and Vickie were there. We talked and watched some hockey. I decided to head down to the harbor to check out the Cinco de Mayo celebration. With the wind blowing as hard as it was, I was not sure what I would find. But the harbor was packed.

I first stopped at the Shark Shack. Kerby was there. Motorcycle Pat walked by and we talked for a while. I headed towards Crab Island Cantina. I ran into Hawaiian Ice Steve. While talking to him Kenny and Cat came by. They were walking their puppy and getting a lot of attention. I continued to the Cantina. The place was packed. Carlos was running a piñata contest for the kids. Al the sax man was on the main stage. I ran into Scott and Paul. They were hanging out. I had someone grab me from behind. It was Trish. She and Julie were volunteering and came by to get something to eat.

Time to move on again. I went to the Boathouse. Jager was working as was Courtney. A decent crowd was there to listen to Kelly Byrd play. I talked to some tourist from NOLA. A boat captain came by and we also talked. It was a good vibe there. From there I went to Lucky’s Rotten Apple. Matt and Mindy were playing and they were doing a crawfish boil. I stayed there for a while. Rose and Kimberly were working the bar. There was a good crowd there too. Finally I made a last stop at Rotolo’s. Berg was there but no one was at the bar. I stayed for short while and headed home to watch some more hockey!

We should warm back up to about normal this week. Finally!!! Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/cold-and-wet-weekend-in-destin.html

The big question this week is do we have internet??? Our Cox internet service went down Tuesday and was still down this morning. Our phone which is through Cox also was down and we only had a few TV channels. So as I type this I am not sure I will be able to get it out on time. (NOTE: As you can see it was late!)

Sunshine Cindy and I got out and about a little this week. Tuesday we stopped in at Sago Sports Bar. Stephanie was working. It was a Crab Island Mambo business meeting. We discussed some possible upcoming events we might want to try and put on. Nothing definite but we are working on a few things.

Wednesday we stopped in at Landshark Pizza. That place is like home to us. As I walked in Paige greeted me with a big hug and congratulated me on the engagement. We saw her as we left The Boathouse Sunday but she found out from others after we left about the engagement. She said we were the talk of The Boathouse that night. LOL 

Brian, Sue, Pops, Bruce were all at Landshark. Steve and his wife came in and sat next to us. Steve is a trip. I love talking to him. T was there to run any deliveries they might have. B came in. Yes, they only go by letters. Then Julie and her husband stopped in. She wanted some fliers for the party as she has been telling everyone about it. Finally James and Vickie walked in. We had not seen them in about a month. Great seeing and talking to them again. It was a fun night.

Around town the demolition of the old Holiday Inn continues. Kenny got some good pics for me. We have had some rain on and off all week. It is supposed to continue till about Saturday then finally dry out.

If you are interested in coming to our party in 2 ½ weeks, click here for all the information. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/3rd-Annual-Trop-Rockin-Rocky-Bayou-Party-presented-by-KC’s-SandBar–Grill.html  It is going to be a great day of music, food and friends!

We are going to the Island Life Social Club’s Gumbo Cook-Off this Saturday at Fuds on the Island. Crab Island Mambo is sponsoring a “Last Man Standing” raffle. Come out and join us 2-6 pm. Sunny Jim White is playing his Trop Rock music. $10 gets you into all the fun.

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/we-are-back.html

Well, this was quite the weekend in Destin. Friday was Sunshine Cindy’s birthday. On Thursday we went out to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. We had a nice dinner of steak and shrimp. After dinner we stopped in at Sago Sports Bar for a while. There was a small crowd there watching the basketball playoffs and NFL draft. It is always a good time at Sago.

Friday we had a Parrothead meeting at KC’s Sandbar in Ft. Walton Beach. Our friend Jan was booked to play music for the meeting. A big crowd showed up as the weather was perfect for the outside venue. I had a big surprise planned for Sunshine Cindy. I worked it out with Jan that after everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Sunshine Cindy I would hand her a card. The card was asking her to marry me. She was shocked to say the least. It was a great moment. I am a lucky guy!

We stayed at KC’s till Jan finished playing. It was a lot of fun. They had a jello shot eating contest. The difference with this contest was you could not use your hands to eat the jello. It was a blast watching everyone. Kenny won with Larry coming in a close second. A group of us headed to the Legion to sing some Karaoke. We pretty much took over half the place. As that wound down Judie, Kelly, Capt. John, Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Waffle House for some late night food. The entire night was a blast.

Saturday was taken up with a pool party at our friend Julie’s house. It was an all day party that turned out to be a lot of fun. The sky was overcast most of the day but we still got some tan. Good food, music and friends.

On Sunday our only plan was to get some pop-up tents for our upcoming party on May 18th.  http://www.crabislandmambo.com/3rd-Annual-Trop-Rockin-Rocky-Bayou-Party-presented-by-KC’s-SandBar–Grill.html We picked them up at Old Time Pottery that is right next door to Landshark Pizza. So of course we had to stop in and see Brian and Sue. Bruce came in and we all chatted for a while. They all wished us congratulations on our engagement. We left to drop off the tents at home and headed to the harbor. First stop was Crab Island Cantina. We waited out a rain storm talking to some tourist from Kansas City. Mike and Deb were nice folks who are in town for a week.

Wayne and Renae joined us there. We walked to Crazy Lobster. None of our usual bartenders were working. We had one and moved on heading to the Boathouse. We stopped in front of AJ’s for a minute checking out a fish weigh-in that was taking place when a guy in a big boat that was tied up at AJ’s recognized Sunshine Cindy. Turns out he is newly engaged too. We all talked about that. As we left to continue to the Boathouse I asked Sunshine Cindy who were those folks and she had no clue. They obviously knew her but she could not remember from where. Old age is catching up with her!

At the Boathouse Kerby, David and Kelly were at the entrance. We talked with them for while as we waited for a table to open up. I stopped Gigi the manager as she walked by to give her the good news about our engagement. Gigi is great and always takes good care of us and all the locals. Next thing I know half the staff that we know come over to congratulate us too. That was cool. Then a couple at another table called out our names and congratulated us. I had to ask Sunshine Cindy who there were. They are Parrotheads who were at KC’s Friday night. Now I was the one who felt old! LOL

We ended up running into a couple more friends there including Tony. Just another Sunday Funday at the Boathouse. We made one last stop at Coyote Ugly on the way back down the harbor. From there it was time to head home to get ready for the work week.

Looks like this week we will be doing some wedding planning. We are not sure if we are going to get married in town or maybe some place like Key West or New Orleans. We shall see but there will definitely be a reception in Destin somewhere. I think all the bars will be fighting for it! LOL

Have a great week. See ya Thursday.

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/04/getting-married-in-destin.html

The newest joint on the harbor has finally opened. Boshamps Oyster house opened on Monday. Sunshine Cindy and I have not been there yet. Each evening that I have driven by it the parking lot is packed. I have talked to a couple of people that have gone and they said it is nice but expensive. I guess they have to pay for all the work they have been doing some way. It looks great from the outside with a big deck and a sandy area. I wish the boardwalk went all the way down there as the parking is limited. I hope they do well.

After all the excitement of last weekend we have been taking it easy this week. I did get to Landshark Pizza Wednesday for their Wing Night. I talked with Steve for a while and relaxed watching some baseball. As I left I talked to Brian and Sue about bringing Jan back to play. Looks like we are going to target Sunday May 28th which is in the middle of Memorial Weekend. It should be another great time.

Driving to work this week I noticed the wrecking ball is taking down the old Holiday Inn. This was one of the first high rise buildings in Destin. There is a total rebuild taking place. It looks weird seeing a partially demolished building in Destin. The work is continuing on the Hampton Inn in Destin too. They had to rebuild from the ground up to comply with Hampton rules about all rooms having an interior entrance. They are building a big building now that is right across from the beach.

The summer season is almost upon us. We have a little lull right now but that won’t last too long. Some schools are already finishing up classes. The crowds will be here before we know we it. We hope that Crab Island Mambo has a big season. Don’t forget you can get your own Destin Crab Island Mambo tee’s, tank tops and long sleeve t-shirts right here on line. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html  Have a little of Destin shipped to you.

Friday is Sunshine Cindy’s birthday. The Parrotheads will be at KC’s Sandbar and Grill in Fort Walton Beach. Join the fun and wish Sunshine Cindy a happy birthday! She is 37 once again!!!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/04/destin-boshamps-oyster-house.html

Okay, where do I start? I guess we will start at the beginning on Thursday. I had taken the day off of work to get some errands done as we were leaving Friday for Panama City Beach for Rendezvous. I stopped in at Landshark Pizza for lunch. They do a smoked beef or pork sandwich on Thursdays that is fantastic. It is a great deal for this sandwich. You would never know you were in a pizza joint when you have this.

Thursday evening was the Southern Drawl Band show at Crab Island Cantina. Sunshine Cindy and I got there about 7 pm for the 9 pm show. The band set up on the inside stage and a decent crowd was there to hear them. Everything was going great but then the lead singer Mike had an urgent personal matter come up that forced him to have to leave the show. Throw in a drunk chick who had to escorted out and a female singer who was watching the show who got up to help the band finish the show and you can really say everyone there, “Embraced the Chaos!”  Wow!

Friday we hit the road to Panama City Beach for Rendezvous. Over 550 of our closest friends were registered for this fun weekend on the sands of Panama City Beach. Unfortunately it rained on and off all day Friday so the music was moved inside the Barefoot Beach Club. We were packed in like sardines but it was still a lot of fun. For the night time entertainment they had Jimmy and the Parrots from New Jersey playing. They moved this show into the parking garage at the Legacy hotel. It was a surprisingly great show in there. A couple of hundred folks packed in with rain dripping down but Parrotheads can party anywhere!

Saturday it was clear but cold and windy in the morning. We were all back on the beach and as the day wore on it warmed up nicely. The music was great with old friend Eric Stone doing a great show. He had Steve and Shelly Hall playing with him. I have not seen Shelly in a long time. She had back and neck surgery but was back better than ever. The Boat Drunks closed the show Saturday night. It was cold again but the crowd had a great time.

Sunday the party was continuing on the beach but we had to head home as Southern Drawl Band was playing the Cantina again. Sunshine Cindy and I got there about 12:30 pm for the 2 pm start. Mike was not there but Tommy did a fantastic job filling in on the vocals. Al the sax guy did some songs with the band and Eric Stone showed up and sat in for a few songs too. There was a big turnout to listen to the guys on a postcard perfect day. A big group of Mambo’ians came out and we also had a big group of River Rats there. What a blast it was.

After the show Sunshine Cindy and I walked over to Coyote Ugly. Leigh and Keith were supposed to be there but the place was empty except for one guy and the staff. We sat down and had a drink when Leigh and Keith finally came in. They had looked in but moved on when they saw it was quiet. Once they got there you had Cindy and Leigh on the bar and the party was on! LOL We finally had to call it a night so we could get some sleep and go to work.

It was a fun and crazy weekend. We made some new friends and sold some of our new t-shirts. If you want your own Crab Island Mambo tee, tank or long sleeve, click here to order on-line. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html  If you are in Destin, we will personally hand deliver it to you! Have a great week. See ya Thursday!

Article source: http://destinsteve.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-wild-few-days.html