Dogs, Bottles, Trash, and overnight Tents

[joho]

What a weekend............sure like the way the "terrorist" followed our rules!

I didn't see much activity from South Waltons finest patroling the beach?

I guess they were busy chasing speeders...........more money!

[Luv2rvbig]

Remember...if it weren't for the "terrorist" there wouldn't be a SOWAL! Terrorist=tax revenues.

[Andy A]

To call our tourists terrorists is totally unkind, even if a few of them are total slobs.

[Zebraspots]

Far more trash on my beach, but overall people were well behaved.

[justhavinfun]

Far more trash on my beach, but overall people were well behaved.

Agreed! In the Eastern Lake area I actually saw the lifeguards on their ATV more than the Sheriff! Did see several pooches on the beach in broad daylight so maybe the speeed traps were the priority!!

[tsutcli]

Pooches are always on my beach in Seacrest and usually unleashed too.
No surprise there!

[joho]

Ok.......maybe terrorists was a little strong.

I just don't understand why some of the "slobs" (better word Andy) don't get it?

And Luv2rvbig.........the tax revenue card is getting old and has been played every summer about this time of year. The locals pay plenty of taxes trust me!

You would not believe some of the crap I witnessed over the weekend.......absolutely NO RESPECT!

[lauralbardin]

Pooches in daylight... Oh my... As a pet owner as long as you pick up after your dog and Your dog is well behaved, I don't mind that they come out after 8 am and before 6pm... An hour here or there makes no difference. And we pay to have a tag for my dog to go to the beach!

[bluecat]

I am a tourist a few times a year. Idon't take crap to the beach so instead of cleaning up after myself ,I take a bag so I can pick up after lazy a-holes who aren't bothered by trash. I do draw the line when it comes to dirty underwear and believe me, some will leave it. Even tho I am a tourist, trashing the beaches bothers me as much as it does the locals.

[joho]

Pooches in daylight... Oh my... As a pet owner as long as you pick up after your dog and Your dog is well behaved, I don't mind that they come out after 8 am and before 6pm... An hour here or there makes no difference. And we pay to have a tag for my dog to go to the beach!

Can you imagine if everyone felt the same way you do?

[joho]

I am a tourist a few times a year. Idon't take crap to the beach so instead of cleaning up after myself ,I take a bag so I can pick up after lazy a-holes who aren't bothered by trash. I do draw the line when it comes to dirty underwear and believe me, some will leave it. Even tho I am a tourist, trashing the beaches bothers me as much as it does the locals.

We appreciate your respect........please everyone just footprints and memories should remain! Is that too much to ask?

[Bobby J]

The other day we were driving through Grayton and some dude in front of us threw his spit bottle out the window. Well, this did not go over real well as Beverly hopped out of the car to give it back to him. I countinued to follow him and as he parked his passenger dumped his entire ashtray out at his parking spot. You should have seen there faces when I confronted them as Beverly gave them their spit bottle back through their window. It was quite a sight! They had nothing to say but, sorry.

[Andy A]

Bobby J and Beverly, good for you and thank you! How much effort is it to carry a small bag such as Walmart uses, in the front passenger leg well of any car? You put your trash in it, tie it up and dump it in any trash can once you stop or it becomes full. It is really not difficult to not be a litterbug.

[joho]

The other day we were driving through Grayton and some dude in front of us threw his spit bottle out the window. Well, this did not go over real well as Beverly hopped out of the car to give it back to him. I countinued to follow him and as he parked his passenger dumped his entire ashtray out at his parking spot. You should have seen there faces when I confronted them as Beverly gave them their spit bottle back through their window. It was quite a sight! They had nothing to say but, sorry.

B & B good for both of you! I would have done the same except I would have asked him to pick up the butts and put them in his spit bottle.........the disrespectful little @#$%!

[bluecat]

Bobby, that wife of yours, she got spunk.Way to put trash in its place.You go Beverly!

[Yarmap]

From Hardy Jackson in the "Anniston Star" newspaper. Jackson is Eminent Scholar in History at Jacksonville State University and a columnist and editorial writer for The Star. Email: hjackson@jsu.edu.




"OK, folks, listen up. Memorial Day on the Redneck Riviera. Some folks just don’t know how to act. There is this widely held opinion that the good-ole boys and girls who come down to the Gulf Goast are an ill-mannered lot, pushy and such. It ain’t so.

I have been a frequent visitor to the Alabama-Florida Gulf Coast for going on 60 years. I have sat on the sand at Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Island, Destin, Grayton, Seagrove and on down to Panama City Beach. I have been on the beach alone. I have been on the beach when it was crowded. And, generally speaking, the crowd knew when it was crowded how to obey the rules that make beach-going an exercise in civility. Not anymore. On Memorial Day just past, as the crowds grew, people began acting like they had never been told how you are supposed to act on the beach. And it is for those who do not know that I offer this friendly advice:

If someone has gone to the trouble to get up early and go down and put out their chairs, you should respect their initiative and not get between them and the water.

It is my habit to take Libby the Lab down to the beach for an early morning run. (She is legal. She has a beach dog tag.) While I am down, I set up our chairs about three feet from the water. When I did so this Memorial Day, the water was at high tide. When we came down later, the tide had gone out and there were about six more feet between our chairs and the water. And on that narrow strip of land some folks had squatted — close enough to us that I could have sat in my chair and kicked the back of theirs and probably should have, but being a gentleman, I didn’t.

If you would rather hear recorded music than the sound of the surf, then stick the earphones in your ears; don’t play a radio and drown out the waves. Not everyone shares your “taste” in music.

Don’t mess with Mother Nature. Sargasso weed washed up on our beach. The folks sitting next to a friend of ours raked it up in a pile in front of our friend’s chair. When the friend complained, the seaweed raker shot back that “someone should clean this up.”

Pardon me, but Sargasso weed holds the sand and builds up the beach. Clean it off and the sand will wash away. You want a beach, leave the weed.
A word about dogs. Dogs love the beach. But most beaches restrict the times that dogs can be there. Follow the rules. And clean up after your pet. Dog poop is worse than Sargasso weed. Another word about dogs. If you have a yippie dog, an ankle biter, leave it home. I don’t care for yippie dogs. But Libby likes them. With mustard.

If someone is sitting on the beach reading, leave them alone. They are not reading to kill time until you arrive to engage them in delightful conversation. They are reading because they want to read. And “what’cha reading?” is not a good way to start a delightful conversation. Don’t be insulted if they reply, “Nothing, now that you interrupted me.”

Just because you rent beach chairs and umbrellas doesn’t give you the right to trash the beach. I have noticed that folks who rent beach chairs and such bring down more coolers, toys and radios than folks who carry their own chairs up and back. I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is that they also leave more trash. The folks who rent you the chairs are not hired to pick up after you. Do it yourself.

Children. The beach is made for them. Turn ’em loose. However, just because your little darling is precious to you, the old guy beside you, reading, may not be as taken with your tots as you are. Tell them to stay out of the old guy’s space. Tell them that he likes children, with mustard.

Male attire. Happily, speedos for men never caught on down here. However, as a general rule, men over 60 should keep their shirts on unless they are with other men over 60.

Female attire. If the guy reading the book looks up and goes back to reading, you might want to reconsider what you are wearing. If you have a teenage daughter, ask her. She will have an opinion. If you have a husband, do not ask him. He wants to be on the beach, not in the dog house.

If you are not the only person on the beach, don’t act like you are."

[Arkiehawg]

Good read. The only thing I would add is for children to fill in the hole they dug to china before leaving the beach. The turtles will thank you and us ole farts who don't see to well in the dark will thank you....

[NotDeadYet]

I don’t care for yippie dogs. But Libby likes them. With mustard.

[Teresa]

Love the write up Yarmap. I would only add a that music blaring from your truck or jam box is disturbing my peace.

[joho]

Love the write up Yarmap. I would only add a that music blaring from your truck or jam box is disturbing my peace.

[bluecat]

Amen to the music.I don't spend hard earned money to sit in my favorite place and listen to loud music and for pity's sake don't add your own sorry voice to it.

[Teresa]

Oh I just reread that great article above and it does refer to music. If you are the only person or group on the beach then by all means turn it up. If not... Please don't subject us all to your selection of loud music.

[Beach Runner]

The other day we were driving through Grayton and some dude in front of us threw his spit bottle out the window. Well, this did not go over real well as Beverly hopped out of the car to give it back to him. I countinued to follow him and as he parked his passenger dumped his entire ashtray out at his parking spot. You should have seen there faces when I confronted them as Beverly gave them their spit bottle back through their window. It was quite a sight! They had nothing to say but, sorry.

Beverly, I knew when I first met you that we are soul sisters! You do have spunk! Thankfully they didn't go ballistic on you.

[Adjh]

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[Adjh]

We have been coming to the SOWAL area for almost 15 years now. We come and stay two weeks at a time several times a year. Last week and this week have been filled with the worst behaved beach goers I have ever seen. I counted 5 dogs on the beach near us today. Not walking by but playing right near us. The loud music from 3 obviously competing systems made my head hurt. We also had people park their chairs directly in front of us while we were sitting in our chairs. However, for me the worst part has been people continually yelling or shouting at each other. Please don't stand in the balcony and yell down to your friends that you need to use the restroom. I should not hear ever word of your conversation if I'm on the beach and you are in the water. It has been crazy

[joho]

We have been coming to the SOWAL area for almost 15 years now. We come and stay two weeks at a time several times a year. Last week and this week have been filled with the worst behaved beach goers I have ever seen. I counted 5 dogs on the beach near us today. Not walking by but playing right near us. The loud music from 3 obviously competing systems made my head hurt. We also had people park their chairs directly in front of us while we were sitting in our chairs. However, for me the worst part has been people continually yelling or shouting at each other. Please don't stand in the balcony and yell down to your friends that you need to use the restroom. I should not hear ever word of your conversation if I'm on the beach and you are in the water. It has been crazy

I think the rumor on 30A is two more weeks......

[Allifunn]

I think the rumor on 30A is two more weeks......

Love the article!!

[bluecat]

Hope all the idiots have gone and don't come back for fall break.I am so looking forward to quiet, pleasant time on the beach.

[30A Skunkape]

For the first time in months there was no traffic jam at the 395/30-A stop sign last evening. And what a pleasant drive through Seaside the lack of wall to wall humanity makes! Love fall!

[Andy A]

Just as information, it wasn't just the beach. We had some relatively long term visitors (we never identified who they were) who decided it would be nice to take the underwater lights out of the pool at night. They did this three different times. It is not cheap to have them put back in. Like joho said, "only two more weeks". For us, it can't come soon enough.

[Arkiehawg]

Just as information, it wasn't just the beach. We had some relatively long term visitors (we never identified who they were) who decided it would be nice to take the underwater lights out of the pool at night. They did this three different times. It is not cheap to have them put back in. Like joho said, "only two more weeks". For us, it can't come soon enough.

But the are looking great in my fish pond....

[tsutcli]

This event is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard of a tourist, or anyone, doing. They had one of those hot oil turkey/chicken pot friers set up on a balcony ready for business.
This came from the owner of a rental house in Rosemary directly who lucky for him has a neighbor who lives there and called him right away so he could get in touch with his rental mgt co..
Someday one of these idiots is going to cause a major fire.

[Andy A]

But the are looking great in my fish pond....

Naw, I know you don't have them. They weren't stolen, just taken out and laid on the edge of the pool.

[joho]

This event is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard of a tourist, or anyone, doing. They had one of those hot oil turkey/chicken pot friers set up on a balcony ready for business.
This came from the owner of a rental house in Rosemary directly who lucky for him has a neighbor who lives there and called him right away so he could get in touch with his rental mgt co..
Someday one of these idiots is going to cause a major fire.

Again may I say these idiots leave their brains on the state line when they come here to vacation. Or maybe it's mixing achohol with the sun? When I go on vacation with my family we "always" have respect for the places we stay. I think the vacationers that come to our area actually believe this "is" the Redneck Riviera!!!!

[Adjh]

I was amazed by all of the people walking on dunes. I watched one dad walk his little girl up to a marked turtle nest in blue mt