Perdido Post

VACATION HOME MARKET ON THE RISE

The Wall Street Journal recently posted this article about the upswing in Vacation Home Market sales.  Many points rings true about the Perdido Key market and should incent Buyers to look at a purchase in the very near future.  Click the link below to view article:

Market for Vacation Homes is on the Rise

What's Happening in Perdido Key

Labor Day is around the corner and so is my favorite season on the Key!  Fall is the best time for lazy walks on the beach, fewer crowds at your favorite restaurants and of course, my favorite, cooler weather.  Looking for incentive to make a trip to the beach?  Here you go!  If you travel to Perdido Key and book and stay at a vacation rental property between August 24 and September 30, you can get up to $300 in American Express gift cards, courtesy of our Chamber of Commerce.  Free stuff is always good incentive!  Not to mention, lots of fun is happening on the Key this Fall including the 2nd Annual Perdido Key Open Beach Volleyball Tournament at the famous Flora-Bama plus 1st Annual OcktoberFest.  Check out details for all these great deals and events in the September Chamber of Commerce Newsletter.  See you at the Beach!

BP Oil Well No Longer Leaking

I am happy to post the GREAT news!  As of 2:25pm today, BP says the oil leak has been COMPLETELY CONTAINED.  Although the newly installed cap is a temporary measure until the relief wells can be completed in early August, the cap is thus far working!  The company is now conducting a "well integrity test" to see if the well can remain closed until next month when it can be permanently closed with cement.  We are hopeful!

 

This news comes at a great time...riding the tails of an unprecedented Jimmy Buffett concert and busy July 4th holiday.  Here along the coast, beachgoers continue to enjoy warm weather and gulf coast hospitality in spite of the bleak, national media coverage showing oil-covered beaches.  Here is a photo taken during 4th of July in front of Palacio Condominiums on Perdido Key.  Spread the good news!

 

 

PERDIDO KEY OIL SPILL IMAGES

Looking at the beach today, you will see a mix of sunbathers, beach umbrellas, and people splashing in the water.  You will also see clean-up workers mixed among beachgoers along certain portions of Perdido Key.  Clean-up workers in bright yellow and orange vests are working to pick up small pieces of oil in front of The Crab Trap restaurant and neighboring condo communities as well as other locations along Perdido Key.  So far, the small bits of oil have not stopped vacationers from enjoying the summer weather, white sand beaches, swimming pools and wonderful Gulf Coast hospitality.  For those of you curious to know exactly how the oil in Perdido Key appears, here are few photos taken yesterday in front of Capri and The Marseilles luxury condominiums:

 
To date, I have personally not experienced any smell of oil while enjoying my evening walk on the beach.  I can say with heartfelt sincerity, the beaches are still beautiful and there is plenty of clean, white sand to put your toes into!  I encourage you to make that trip you were planning...not only will you enjoy the beach, food and fun, but Gulf Coast businesses need your support now more than ever! 
 
 

Perdido Key Wine & Art Festival TOMORROW!

As the title sponsor to the event, ResortQuest is pleased to offer attendees the opportunity to save 33% on vacation rentals at Palacio, located directly across the street from the event site.  For details, CLICK HERE.
  

Letter from Lucy Buffett

Such a great letter from Lucy Buffett that I had to post it (since I echo her sentiments perfectly)...

"Dear coastal inhabitants everywhere and all who know the joy of putting their toes in the ocean:

I can’t remember when we have had a lovelier spring along the Gulf Coast.
In recent years, we have gone from crisp, clear mornings in February to tropical 90s temps by mid-March. But this year, it finally seemed that we were getting back to normal — back to the easy, Southern rhythms of my childhood, with the winter season moving gently into a luscious spring.
Spring was taking its own sweet time unfolding before diving head-on into the desperate heat of summer.

Everyone could feel it. You couldn’t help but notice the majesty and color of the coastal foliage bursting with brilliant pinks and purples, sounding the calls that we wait for all year long: "Let’s go to the beach!" "The fish are biting at the Big Mouth!" "Let’s take a boat ride!" "Tadpoles are out in the creek!"
That is how we live here on the Gulf Coast. Our love of the water — the Gulf, the bays, the rivers, the estuaries — and the way we enjoy it is absolutely holistic.

It transcends race, religion, socioeconomic status, age, gender and political affiliation.
The Gulf Coast is where the everyday person can play. We love where we live and are proud of it.
We get amused sharing it and seeing the surprise on folks’ faces when they realize that a little piece of unlikely paradise exists smack at the bottom of this magnificent country of ours.

So imagine our dismay, anger, grief and absolute heartbreak over the ongoing catastrophe of crude oil continuously and arrogantly flowing into our beautiful Gulf of Mexico.
This is indeed a major challenge for us physically, emotionally, environmentally and economically.
Personally, I prefer to remain positive about the oil spill’s impact, because I know mountains can be moved with a positive attitude. Why wouldn’t that work with a runaway well?
I do, however, live in a very real world, and I know that our corner of this world stands to be affected by the oil spill.

As we are called to action, we will respond with the dauntless spirit of coastal people, especially those born in the hurricane corridor. We will weather this storm as we have weathered the other monsters that have roared upon our shores in the past: by working hard, side by side, with dedication, compassion and a sense of community, and earning some fun in the process.

I am hoping that there will be little damage or interruption of beach recreation. Perhaps the oil spill will be just an inconvenience, much like too many jellyfish in the water or the occasional riptides.
If not, we are going to need everyone’s love, support and help. So I have a very special invitation for people to join us here in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and on Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay.
Don’t cancel your plans or reservations. This could be one of the most memorable vacations you will ever have.

Most of you travel with children. What a great opportunity to teach our kids so many valuable life lessons — from the beauty of volunteering to the importance of helping your neighbor during a crisis, learning about the fragile ecosystem that created the remarkable Gulf of Mexico, and meeting new friends from all over the country with the same purpose of keeping our beautiful shores safe for our children and wildlife.

Recently, I asked a friend of mine’s 6-year-old if she knew how many oceans there were. "One, Miss Lucy," she promptly responded. Then with a little hesitation, she added, "Don’t they all touch?"
Out of the mouths of babes.

What is happening in our back yard could just as easily be happening in yours. But does it matter? We are all one. We all touch.

Am I outraged? Damn right! Is there a need for accountability? Damn right! But that is not my job. There are others who are trained and better equipped to master that task.
I’m a fry cook. I’m open for business. And so is the Alabama Gulf Coast.
We will take each day as it comes and make the best of it.
I am asking all of you who love this area as much as I do and love your own coastal areas to please not abandon us.

I promise you we will welcome you with open arms, some ice-cold sweet tea, an ocean of belly laughs, a plate full of scrumptious food and a humble, grateful heart."

Lucy "LuLu" Buffett is owner of LuLu’s at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores and the author of "Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine and Conversation with Lucy An