Day 175 First Friday in Fairhope

As gloomy as it was yesterday, it was the complete opposite today. The front cleared out, the sun blazed, the rocking stopped and the wind was dry - perfect sweatshirt weather. Did some laundry while John worked on boat projects. Wandered around the marina and met up with a local shrimper. He told a sad tale of how conditions were before and after the BP oil spill. There were 30 shrimp boats here before the disaster, now there's only 9 and they can't hold on. He's selling his boat before the year is out because his income dropped from $70,000 annually to $20,000. British Petrolium gave him a one time settlement of $16,000. Quite a different story from what the BP commercials portray. He's going to buy a food truck like one of his former shrimper friends did. You do what you have to do. It was too rough out on the bay for him and the rest of us, so he'll venture out tonight and put out his nets when it settles down. You can't tell there's over 20 knot winds and 5' seas from the photos. He sells his catch right off the boat, so if we are lucky tomorrow morning, we may get some fresh shrimp for dinner. Got today's last slot for the courtesy car so we are going to bundle up and go into Fairhope for First Friday festivities - music, art gallery openings and celebration on the streets. Estrellita will meet us downtown at some point. Tomorrow we set "sail" for Ingram anchorage.