A sweet little town-Apalachicola

Wednesday April 17, 2013
Site 46, St. George Island State Park
St. George, Fl 

 

My morning routine includes biking to the sunrise.

 

 

My day begins with another fine sunrise.  I’ve been riding my bike down to the beach path each morning at dawn and propping it up at the end of the path while I go out and experience the dawn and sunrise.  All the regular gang is here.  My sunrise pal is a bit late but he shows up and I’m glad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly after this photo of the sun rising, the clouds take over.  It turns into a gray day and stays that way all day long.

 

 

 

On the way back for breakfast I manage to get a picture of the heron nesting in the pine tree next to the pond.  I don’t see the nest. He has the same far off stare.  Despite the strong winds blowing the needles he sits perfectly like a statue.

After breakfast I head down for a day at the beach.  But it has turned completely cloudy and cool with a strong wind on the water.  Although I have on a beach shirt to protect me from the sun, I soon get chilly.  David joins me and brings me a sweatshirt.  Soon I am sitting in my chair reading with my hoodie up and the beach towel wrapped around my legs.  Well this isn’t much fun.  

 

We decide to head inland to Apalachicola, a town numerous people have told us to be sure to see.

 

And right they are. 

We take the Gulf Side highway, Route 98, cross the bridge over the Apalachicola River, a BIG river, and come right down into the town.  We turn down water street and park at one of the many many FREE parking spots.   These folks know how to attract tourists and keep them around for a while spending their money on things other than parking.  

 

First stop is along the river to see the boats tied up.  David is looking for an historic boat our campground neighbor said he should be sure to see but it is not here.  Other boats are though.  The working watermen’s boats.

The two main streets in the town are wide with plenty of room for nose in parking.   One of them has a raised side walk.  This definitely reminds one of a 19th Century town.  The only problem with all this parking is that it is very difficult to get pictures of the great old buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we walk around town, I’m searching for oysters.  Apalachicola is world renown for its oysters and I’m an oyster lover.

 

 

Yelp has highly recommended The Hole in The Wall restaurant.  I find it and I also find  two signs which say ‘the oysters rest on Wednesdays’  and CLOSED.  I even knock on the door.  Nobody answers.  Well phooey!

 

 

 

 

So of course I go down the block to Apalachicola Chocolate Company and ask the girl behind the counter where she would go if she wanted something like The Hole in the Wall.  She sends me to Boss Oysters.  I thank her and assure her I’ll be back for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boss is a great labyrinth of a restaurant on the river.  They bill themselves as the “Oyster Republic”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a neat place.  Right on the river with dining areas snaking in every direction.  We are here late for lunch and early for dinner so there are only 3 or 4 others when we come in.

 

 

 

 

 

Boss has a menu with pages of oyster possibilities.

 

While I’m not a raw oyster purist, I don’t want lots of sauces or other seafood detracting from my oysters.  I really love seafood of all kinds but I like them singly so I can savor their individual flavors.  Thus I order baked oysters with butter and parmesan.  David, who has never had a po’boy (even I was amazed) orders the oyster po’boy fried.  Now that his cholesterol has dropped like a stone due to the Vegan diet we eat pretty faithfully at home, he can have deep fat fried once in a while.   Both dishes are excellent.  I could lick the shells.

 

The waitress sees David taking my picture and comes out and offers to take one of us both.  Perhaps she’s angling for a big tip.  If she is, it works.

 

ENJOY YOURSELF the sign in the window says as it reflects the two of us back when I take our picture.  And we surely are!!

 

 

 

Time to keep my promise and head back to Apalachicola Chocolate Company for dessert.

We walk down several interesting streets on the way and I take some pictures for Carrie.  One of a law office that might need a partner here on the watery coast.  We are up on an elevated sidewalk with numerous cute shops when we meet a local kitty looking plump and happy.  Carrie loves kitties.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

A colorful “botanical garden” also catches my eye.

Especially the planters for sale outside.  But Winnona has no room for plants beyond her dashboard herbs no matter how “funny” their containers.

 

 

   

 

Nothing in Apalachicola is very far apart so it is an easy walk to the Chocolate Company on a nearby corner.

 

   The owner and major chocolatier shows me his wares and when I ask what sorts of milk chocolate coconut he has, he launches into a story.  Seems when he was a boy, he was only allowed one candy bar a week and he loved coconut.  Mounds???  Almond Joy??  He always wished he could have one little bar of each but they weren’t packed that way.  So he says he started his own candy company so he could have his coconut with milk chocolate and dark chocolate and as often as he wished.  I look through the case and pick out one milk chocolate coconut, one white chocolate with pistachios and one piece of chocolate peanut butter fudge  for which I pay dearly.  They turn out to be just under $3.00 each.  WHAT??   WAY over my usual budget for candy but today is our splurge day so he wraps them up

 

 

 

 

David decides he wants beer for dessert probably because we have passed by the Owl Cafe and its adjoining tap room. 

Back we go.   They have a happy hour special $3.00 a pint on selected craft drafts.  (beer lovers will know what this means, I don’t.  And if I ask, I’ll get more information than I really want to know.  :-)

 

 

 

 

He goes inside to make his selection.  I take my chocolates and wait for him at a table outside.  We can enjoy our “desserts” together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to our “desserts” we are enjoying their cute window decorations.

 

They are designed, of course, for beer lovers.  David particularly enjoys them although I think the first one is right on.

 

 

 

  

 

At the end of our fine day in Apalachicola we need to stop by the local grocery. 

Would you say this is a former car dealership or auto mechanic garage??  Can’t say this is the same quality of experience as we had in town.  Actually I feel sorry for the folks who live in this area if this is their only choice other than an IGA. 

But there is a vegetable stand just before the bridge from Eastpoint to Apalachicola.  It may not be open tonight but there is always tomorrow on our way to St. Joseph’s Peninsula State Park as we continue to make our way up the Panhandle Coast..  “The Pig” as I heard one woman inside refer to it can’t spoil  a very nice time in this cute little town.