Over Labor Day weekend Sharon and I visited her aunt, uncle, grandmother and cousin who live in Foley, Alabama. Foley is near the gulf coast and only a 20 minute drive to the beach. The only problem is that it takes around 7 hours without any delays to get there from Nashville. The scenery along the way is less than interesting. It was good to have my better half along to have long deep conversations with.

We were able to go to the beach briefly during our stay. We decided to go in the late afternoon as it was just too hot to visit during the day. It seems that wintertime is best to visit this part of Alabama if you don’t care for the humidity.

The focal point of the beach is the pier which contains a bar and fishing shop. Past the 2 shops you’ll need to pay to get to the extended part of the pier…which is used mostly for fishing and scenic views. We were able to get to this part of the pier by a kind man who handed us his ticket to the pier through a camping reservation.

While walking on the pier my mind began to think about how much destruction a major hurricane could cause in this area. How far would the water be up? To the bottom of the pier? Would the coastal hotels be damaged beyond repair or had the architects designed them with enough strength to handle such wind and flooding? Are the residents just sitting ducks buying their time until the next monster storm to come along? Are people afraid to invest too much in infrastructure? Or is the opposite effect meaning they build structures so impenetrable it would be like Fort Knox.

Sunday we attended Gulf Shores Church of Christ. The message of the hour included the idea that approaching each other with love rather than pointing out their sins. Certainly a sin needs to be addressed, but there is a time and place for everything. It seems so simple to show love toward our fellow man, but can be so difficult to follow including myself.

I always enjoy visiting Foley and Gulf Shores. It so much different than where I come from, in the flora and fauna, and in the demographics of the people. This in itself makes a visit worth doing every few years if not more often.