Knights of Ecor Rouge

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / February 1, 2016 /

The sunny afternoon temperatures in the high 60’s led to a slightly chilly, but crystal clear night, perfect for The Knights of Ecor Rouge to claim the streets for their popular 2016 Mardi Gras parade.   “The Force Unleashed” was this year’s theme, pleasing all the Star Wars fans. , The birthplace of American Mardi…

Southern Food and Beverage Museum

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / January 15, 2016 /

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans was having a Cochon Sauvage event, which is a celebration and tasting of wild boar, so of course, my husband and I headed over for the fun. Why not?   I’ve actually been wanting to tour the museum for a while, and was glad we finally…

Torta for La Epifania

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / January 6, 2016 /

Since my son’s homeschool plan includes Italian, we signed up for the weekly email from Dianne Hale, entitled, “La Bella Lingua – Becoming Italian Word by Word.”   This week, we learned that January 6th, the traditional day of Epiphany, is a huge celebration in Italy. “The final feast is l’Epifania, on January 6, which…

The story of Doug

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / January 4, 2016 /

He followed my husband home one steamy hot July morning. There were plenty of other people out walking or jogging, but for some reason, this dog wanted to come home with my hubs. I was still lounging in bed about 7am, when I heard the front door open and my husband say, “Boys! Look what…

Good Grief! We love Tiny Trees

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / December 18, 2015 /

Good grief! Charlie Brown’s Christmas has now been poked by politics as President and First Lady Obama gave their interpretation of the true meaning of Christmas. Just before the 50th Anniversary broadcast of the popular cartoon, the message from the first couple was aired to millions of viewers.   Mrs. Obama  – “The (Charlie Brown…

It’s a (faux) Martha Stewart kind of Christmas

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / December 14, 2015 /

Baking is a big deal for me at Christmas, but this year, I’ve yet to even pull out my rolling pins. So when young teen-boy had to be at the church youth party in 15 minutes, and oh . . . “by the way, I need to bring a dessert . . .”   I…

I Wish for Gayfers

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / December 11, 2015 /

When the mistletoe’s hung and the smell of silver spray paint floats through the air, that’s when I miss Gayfers Department Store the most.   I could stop right here and not bother to say another word because most of you just fell off your chairs with screams of, “Me too!” Just mentioning Gayfers launches…

Criminal Minds

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / December 10, 2015 /

In the last six weeks, I’ve been in two stores at the precise moment they were robbed. Not the old fashioned, “stick ‘em up” kind of robbery with nose covering bandanas, but the more modern version of a “grab and dash” operation. Both incidents took place in large department stores, one in Spanish Fort and…

Homegrown Bananas

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / December 4, 2015 /

I first noticed them this past summer, around June, just hanging around up in the banana tree about 8-9 feet off the ground. Baby bananas! Even though banana trees are common in this area, most people use them as a decorative, tropical addition to their yard because it’s rare for them to actually produce fruit.…

An exciting salute to Fairhope Veterans

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / November 11, 2015 /

Alabama’s oldest Boy Scout Troop, 47-led off the Fairhope Veteran’s Day Parade in grand style. The parade was held this past Saturday and today will be the grand display of our, “Symbols of Sacrifice: Poppies for Veterans.”   A friend took this wonderful photo of the 3,400 handmade poppies after they were “planted” yesterday morning,…