4. Alabama

     Fairhope, Alabama is full of antique shops.  A great place to spend an afternoon shopping.  A stop at the welcome center brought another surprise for me. There was a statue outside and I thought I recognized the artist's work.  A closer look at the plaque beside it confirmed my suspicion. The artist was Jo Hess of Mobile, Alabama.  Jo's daughter, Linda, was married to my father in the 80s and a number of Jo's pieces grace our collection.  Lunch was at Andree's Wine, Cheese, & Things, a combination store/lunch room. The seafood gumbo was thick and tasty. The half Sunshine Crunch sandwich (avocado spread, cucumber, lettuce, onion, and a veggie cream cheese spread with balsamic vinaigrette on honey wheat bread) was just enough so I would have room to try one of their specialty desserts, white wine cake. We took our dessert to go as we headed back to New Orleans to catch our flight home. The cake was more like a pound cake with a lemony flavor and the taste of wine was very subtle. The perfect ending for a southern ladies' lunch. On the way through Mississippi we made a detour so we could see some more of the Gulf Coast. The beautiful old homes that used to adorn the drive along the coast are no longer there. It was quite sad to see all the empty lots with for sale signs. There are some signs of rebuilding but mostly hotels and casinos.
    As we reached New Orleans we decided to make one last stop, Gambino's Bakery for some doberge cake to take home. They're famous for their doberge cake which is a butter cake filled with custard.  I really wanted to bring home a king cake but didn't think I could get it through security.  Maybe we'll just have to make another trip down to "Ole N'Awlins".
   Leg 1 -
    2 days
    2 flights
    638.5 miles on the road
            = 4 states visited 

http://www.andreesonline.com/
http://www.gambinos.com/