Fairhope, Alabama

WARNING: Lots of pictures to follow....

In my last post I mentioned that Mr. EA and I were on a mini vacation/buying trip in Fairhope, AL.  We stayed at the Marriott Grand in Point Clear, Alabama which is on the Mobile Bay.  This is a gorgeous resort that was originally built in 1847.

The Grand Hotel represents a long resort tradition on this site. A modest hotel was here as early as 1820. By 1847 the first Grand Hotel was constructed and soon became famous for it's warm hospitality and good cheer. During the Civil War the hotel served as a Confederate hospital for the Southern wounded and 300 of these soldiers were laid to rest in the Confederate Cemetery on these grounds. While serving as a hospital the hotel was lightly shelled by Union gunboats. After the war the hotel burned and was rebuilt in 1875. Disaster soon struck again, when the steamer Ocean Wave exploded at the hotel pier with great loss of life. By 1941 the hotel had deteriorated badly as was replaced by the present structure. During World War II the hotel served as a training base for the United States Army Air Force for amphibious landings.

The grounds are spectacular:

The views out over the bay were fabulous:

This is the cannon that was fired everyday to signify that High Tea had began, there was also a color guard, complete with drums.  High Tea...not really my cup of tea, sorry I had to say it!!

What did I like the most....the TREES and all that oh so SOUTHERN spanish moss!

We spent a day exploring the beautiful city of Fairhope, Alabama and I fell in LOVE.  I sooooo want to live there, maybe someday!   It is full of antique shops (HEAVEN), loft style living over downtown shops, if you lived in the city proper one could actually get around on foot or least a bicycle. In case you don't know, south Alabama or L.A. (lower Alabama) as it is sometimes called, is flat, unlike where I live!  We saw a number of people riding their bicycles around.

The parks were stunning, and they all looked out over the bay:

(The city of Mobile skyline)

Now turn around and take a look at this:

(Yes that is a house at the top of the hill!)

This is the scene just down the beach:

(MB said I should have zoomed in to the left of the pavilion!)

Here's another park along the bay:

So that was facing the bay, here's what is behind you...

(What a great entrance!)

I wanted to take more pictures of houses but I felt a little funny stopping in front of someones house and snapping pictures.  I got all of the ones above walking down the sidewalk in the park.

Most of the really BIG houses were too far down a driveway to get a picture.  But we did pull over and get a picture of the gate to one of the homes.  We couldn't see the house!!!

There seemed to be a lot of places to live in downtown Fairhope.  Several of the stores had lofts above them and there were condos also.  I've always wanted to live somewhere that I could walk to most of my destinations. 

(This is the backside and upper floor of shops that faced main street.)

(These condos were in the middle of down town.)

This next and last picture is of my favorite shop, there is also a loft above the store.

This is A Fairhope Find and I enjoyed shopping there very much.  The owners are Kevin and Mimi McCandless, super nice people.  I also met Brenda who has a booth there.  She calls her business "The Booth in the Back", why...because her booth is in the back of the store.  She has so many cute things at very reasonable prices.  As a matter of fact many of her goodies came home with me, some you will find at Elizabeth Ann's and some you will find in my home.  I bought lots of great things at A Fairhope Find, again some have found their way to Elizabeth Ann's and some will stay with me at home.  If you are ever in Fairhope you have to check out A Fairhope Find it's located at 52 S. Section, Fairhope, AL their phone number is (251)929-2928.  (Brenda, if you read this please leave me a comment with your contact info, I won't publish it, so we can connect next time you're in B'ham.)

Okay, sorry one more picture...my beloved Gulf Shores!!!

I hope you enjoyed my photo tour of Fairhope and aren't brain dead after looking at all the pictures and reading my ramblings.  But if you are looking for a vacation spot, try L.A. there are lots of great places!

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann

P.S. Come back soon, I'll have pictures of all the goodies that went into Elizabeth Ann's!

White Wednesday on the Beautiful Coast of Alabama

It's another White Wednesay at Faded Charm!

Mr. E A and I are on a mini vacation/buying trip down in Fairhope, Alabama.  We are staying at the Grand Hotel at Point Clear.  We got a greatly reduce rate because Mr. E A is in the state retirement system and since RSA owns the hotel we get a break on the price.  Otherwise we couldn't afford to stay here!!! 

Fairhope is a beautiful town and I'll do a post about it when I get home.  But I wanted to do a White Wednesday post from the beach.

 I will share this picture because it fits in the White Wednesday theme.  I thought this was such a cute house with the white fence, white ginger bread trim, white door and its white lattice shutters.  Check out the sign over the door!  Fairhope is full of c u u u t e houses and really big AWESOME houses.

We drove over to Gulf Shores today and took a walk under the bridge at Perdido Pass. Luckily the wind was blowing so it didn't feel as hot.  I am SICK of this HEAT!

White sand - White Clouds

The clouds were actually quite spectacular, I think they were left over from the tropical storm that came through a couple of days ago.  As we were driving we went through a little shower at the same time the sun was shining.  I looked out over the lake at the Gulf State Park and saw a rainbow and I actually saw the end; it went right into the water.  Wish I had gotten a picture but it was so faint I don't think it would have shown up.

Here's a few more beach pictures.

I love the WHITE of the water when the wave breaks.

This was the first time we had been down since the oil spill.  Not as bad as I was expecting but the beauty is still disrupted with the oil booms floating in the water, the machinery, clean up crews, and the orange plastic fencing blocking certain areas.  I know all of this is necessary and I want it there for as long as needed, but it still makes me sad.  I grew up going to the coast and my grandparents had a place in Gulf Shores, long before hurricane Camille hit, so it has a special place in my heart.  Even when the surface looks good, I'm afraid of what is underneath!

Hope everyone had a great White Wednesday.  Now go over to Faded Charm and look at all the beauty there. 

Come back for a visit again soon, I've got some great finds riding around in the back of my van!! Can't wait to show you.

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann

It's Raining, It's Pouring....YEAH!!!

Not something I'm typically happy to say.  But after weeks of triple digit temps this is a welcome relief!  Alabama is always H O T in the summer, but this heat has been brutal.  We are supposed to have upper 80's to low 90's for the next few days.  Woo Hoo! 

Now that you have had the weather report I thought I would share a few new items I added to my booth.

Don't you like this door?  Susan, one of my dealer friends got it for me.  Its from Nova Scotia, dates back to 1890's and is wearing its original paint.  I think I will keep this for a while so it has that dreaded NFS tag on it, sorry.  I hate those as much you do, but sometimes it's necessary.  If I do decide to sell it I'll split the profit with my friend.

I enjoyed embellishing these girls.  I felt like they needed a necklace and I remembered my mother of pearl buttons and old keys.  I have had these things for a long time, "saving them for something".  WHY??  What was I "saving" them for, I have no idea?  The buttons were in a tub in my garage!  Do you ever do that?  I also added a key to the little glass box and put some antique postage stamps inside.

I didn't want just an empty apothecary jar on display so I decided to put a few items inside just to show a possible way of using the jar.

This is probably my favorite, another antique bulls eye molding as a base for a cloche.  This one is larger than the others I have had.  I put an iron key and old pocket watch face inside, all for one price.

RUSTY - SHABBY

This antique wooden cracker box is from Pennsylvania and still has most of its paper label. I know it's a little more primitive than what I usually have but I really like the graphics on the label.  They are brighter than what it looks in the picture.

I'll have a different kind of post next week.  Mr. E A and I are taking a little vacation in Fairhope, Alabama at the Point Clear Resort on the Mobile Bay.  The house sitter is lined up, patrol request is on the house (a Mr. E A thing and we have connections) I have a great book ready, plenty of sunscreen and the back seats are already out of the van (there are lots of antique stores in Fairhope and on the way)!!!!!  Fairhope is a beautiful little town and the resort is supposed to be fabulous.  Plus it is only 30 minutes from Gulf Shores and Lulu's, two of our favorite places.  So until next week.

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann 

White Wednesday...PLUS

I'm joining in Kathleen's "White Wednesday" at Faded Charm again. The last time I told you how I really like White. Well here's even more proof...SOME of my ironstone collection. My favorite ironstone comes from England, there's something about the color and weight of the pieces that I like.

This is just a few of my plates, bowls and platters. I have more plates and cereal/salad bowls in my cabinets. Now here's something you need to know...we use these dishes and the ones in my cabinets everyday. I also use them when we have company, of course very little of it matches. But that is my favorite part, neither does my silverware. Our flatware is a hodgepodge of sterling and silver plate I pick up here and there. If you had dinner with us your plate wouldn't match your bowl and your fork wouldn't match your knife or spoon. Once you get to know me though, you wouldn't be a bit surprised!!! I do try to have my clothes matching but I can't guarantee that either. ;-)

Before you start thinking I need help with my ironstone habit, you need to know I only have five pitchers. (Of course that is all I have found so far at a price I'm willing to pay.)

(We don't have bars on our windows. I have a small iron gate sitting in my kitchen window to try and disguise the ugly aluminum windows. Which is on our re-do list!)

NO!...these aren't pitchers...they are creamers...okay they are cream pitchers, but they aren't big like the five I just showed you. I believe the last two in the line up, the two smallest ones there on the end are actually from child or doll tea sets.

Looking at these pictures and knowing what I have that I didn't show you, I'm thinking I need to revisit the "Basket" post. Ok, I did...it's all good! I have actually sold some of my ironstone and I am more selective with what I buy now. I even gave some of my plates away, never mind it was because I replaced them with better plates. But at least I didn't just stack the new ones on top of the old ones. (Have y'all caught on yet that Mr. E.A. reads my blog and this last paragraph is for him? Really though he does tease me but he never fusses...he loves me..quirkiness and all!!) Don't forget to go check out all the other White Wednesday entries over at Faded Charm.

Now here's the PLUS.... Just a few new goodies I added to my booth.

Isn't it wonderful...I really like this vintage mannequin. It is child size and covered in gray and white ticking. (By the way the big window is sold also.)

I paired this small cloche with a piece of antique bulls eye molding as its base. Inside I put an antique door knob and skeleton key all for one price. I really liked the other cloche on the vintage silver plate compote but as you can see someone else liked it also.

Sorry for the tease but just had to show you the locker baskets. You would have laughed at the HAPPY dance I did when I found these. Truthfully though, I LOVED putting the SOLD tags on these pictures.

Sorry about the blurry picture, my camera's battery was getting low. But I just wanted to show you the pretty aqua bottles I found. The big round one in the back is my favorite. Wouldn't these make great bud vases?


I found ten of these Mail Bags. They were used by the Leonard Peterson & Co., Inc. to actually mail items. I think these would make great small gift bags. You could use the address tag at the bottom for your TO: and FROM: put in a little colored tissue paper and close it up with the draw string at the top. All your "Junky" friends would love it!!!!

One last thing for you horse lovers. This is actually an ash tray but could be used on an easel like I have it displayed. It is a signed vintage piece that was cast in aluminum by a famous artist in the 50's.

Thanks for stopping by!

Joyfully,
Elizabeth Ann