Since walking-across-America colleague Andrew Forsthoefel & I parted in Franklin, Louisiana, each of us proceeding in opposite directions, we’ve each covered hundreds of miles of the other’s preceding paths, with Andrew discovering my eastbound miles, and my unzipping Andrew’s westbound miles. We’ve also put each other in contact with several of the people who hosted each of us before meeting in Franklin. Since leaving Franklin and walking west, Andrew has stayed with friends of mine in New Iberia, Rayne, Lake Charles, Huffman and Goldthwaite. Since leaving Franklin and walking east, I’ve stayed with friends of Andrew in Gibson, New Orleans, and now Orange Beach. Just as I’d heavily recommended that Andrew spend some days with some of the hosts I’ve stayed with, he was very emphatically recommending that I spend a few days in Orange Beach with the Grey Family. The Grey Family had also given me a phone call and a warm welcome shortly after I’d reached Alabama.
Last Thursday, as I made it to Orange Beach, where hosts Willy & Teresa Grey met me on the road to guide me in on foot. Willy runs Whiskey Willy’s Bloody Mary mix from his beautiful home on the Orange Beach waterfront. Twenty years my elder, he’s shared endless fascinating stories with me about growing up in central Florida, moving to Alabama, tending bar, and ultimately bringing his bloody Mary mix to Market, in 1985. As he works from home, and is a culinary genius, he also prepares absolutely delicious meals seven days a week.
Willy & Teresa detailed the experience of what it’s like to live in this area, ups and downs. Their waterfront home is in a hurricane risk area, and they’ve had to evacuate multiple times over the course of the years. Describing what an intensely laborious job it is, Willy showed me nail holes around the windows of where they’ve had to place 3/4″ plywood before any threat of hurricane comes this way. Given that the home is three stories tall, boarding up windows would be no easy job for anyone, and I see his head tilt at the hardship it’s caused him over the years. That said, they appear to love Orange Beach, and spending just a handful of days with them on the water, I understand how quickly one can fall in love living here.

Their kids are outstanding students at a local private school, and as Will the high school junior, had just completed his comprehensive junior year U.S. history exam, I figured I’d ask him what he felt the “Civil War” was about. I say “Civil War,” because I’ve recently learned that so many here refer to the conflict by a different name. Teresa tells me her high school teacher found the term “Civil War” to be strongly offensive, instead opting to call it “The War Between the States.” Others call it “The War of Northern Aggression.” Teresa, now in her 40’s, remembers being instructed to tear out certain pages from the high school history books, and cross out other places. Many here are taught that the war was simply a “states’ rights” issue. Others clarify that the chief “states’ right” being fought for was slavery. Will, fresh out of his history exam, had quite the comprehensive answer, covering all of this. Being from the “neutral” state of Washington, which joined the Union in 1889, nearly twenty-five years after the end of the war, it’s easy to not be seen as having any sort of heritage in the face of the brutal, years-long conflict.

Though I’m about to leave Orange Beach, and I’ll be reaching the HUGE milestone of the Florida border, it’s most likely that I’ll ultimately end up re-entering Alabama as I exit the Florida Panhandle, walking north. I may end up walking over a hundred more miles within Alabama. This will likely be the only time throughout my entire Walk that I cross through any given state twice– all while not breaking the route at all!

After spending days personalizing them, I’ll be sending out nearly 80 postcards today, before reaching the Florida border.

Today’s 30% chance of thunderstorms sounds “exciting.” The positive is that it gives me plenty of cloud cover from the hot-and-getting-hotter Gulf Coast May sunshine.

All is great and getting better!!

Some of the most DELICIOUS food ever!!

The Grey Family's backyard dock, with heron waiting to see if anyone will throw him fresh fish!

Sunset view from the Grey House in Orange Beach