Roll Tide, War Eagle, and the Great Fairhope Hat Confusion

Let me just get this out of the way up front: I am a fairweather fan, and I regret nothing.

 

I know, I know. Where I come from, that's practically a punishable offense. In Pennsylvania, loyalty to a team is a birthright, passed down like grandma's china and just as fragile if you drop it. You pick your team in the cradle, and you stick with them through fifty-loss seasons, bad quarterbacks, and owners who clearly hate joy. That's just how it's done.

 

Except I never got that memo. I loved the Eagles right up until Andy Reid left, and then — plot twist — I decided I loved the Chiefs instead, because apparently my loyalty follows coaches, not cities. Then Kansas City started winning every single year, and something in me rebelled. I don't want a team that wins all the time. Where's the fun in that? Give me an underdog. Give me heartbreak I can recover from by Tuesday.

 

So last year, fed up with how political the NFL had gotten — I just want to watch a game, not sit through a lecture — I switched my allegiance to college football. Specifically, the SEC. I started with the Tennessee Volunteers, because, duh, I love Country Music. It seemed fitting.

 

Then I took my Southern road trip this summer.

 

Somewhere between falling in love with Charleston and falling in love with Beaufort, I started daydreaming about a lottery-winning future where I split my time between the two. And then I landed in Fairhope, Alabama, and promptly fell in love all over again, because apparently my heart has no loyalty there either.

 

Naturally, that meant I needed a new team. South Carolina Gamecocks? Alabama Crimson Tide? I didn't even know if the Gamecocks were SEC (they are — I looked it up). But "Roll Tide" is just so much easier to shout than anything Gamecock-related, so Alabama it was.

 

I wandered into the cutest little boutique in Fairhope, the Cat’s Meow,  and found two ballcaps: a red one with a big letter A, and a blue one with the same letter A. Obviously — obviously — these were both Alabama hats. Red, blue, who's counting? I grabbed the blue one, and declared loudly to everyone that I was officially Team Roll Tide!

 

The sweetest, most helpful employee panicked. She looked at my hat. Then she looked at me. Then she asked, very carefully, if I was from Tuscaloosa.

 "No," I said, “I’m from Pennsylvania!"

 “Oh, NO. No…that is not an Alabama hat, honey, that is an Auburn hat!”

She kindly steered me toward the red hat, the actual Roll Tide hat, and saved me from a lifetime of confusing strangers and possibly a stint on Alabama’s most wanted list, as this particular mistake is basically a felony in these parts.

 I told my husband the story later, fully delighted with myself. He said I should be embarrassed.

 I said — why? This is a great story. This is peak me. A Pennsylvania girl, several states from home, accidentally pledging herself to both sides of the Iron Bowl in the same sixty seconds, laughing about it with a stranger in a boutique. That's not embarrassing. That's Southern charm doing exactly what it does best — turning a tourist's mistake into a memory worth keeping.

 So here I am, red hat on, hollering Roll Tide with total confidence now. Underdog status pending. Loyalty subject to change without notice.

That's just my nature.

And y’all know what’s coming next…

Roll Tide!

 

Fairhope is a Pharmaceutical Companies Nightmare!

Good Morning from Fairhope, Alabama!

Well, this is my second to last Sunday here in Fairhope. I'm already sad to be leaving. But, a bit surprisingly, I'll be happy to return home. Not to Pennsylvania, per se, but to see my family. And also to be home, where every object has its designated place, meaning my brain has more space to allow room for writing.

One lesson I've learned on this 7 week journey…my brain still works! Mostly. Traveling days — going to unknown places, unpacking for a week, sightseeing, trying to write, chatting to strangers, parallel parking (of which I'm horrible at, but oddly, have gotten pretty good at down South), having anxiety whenever I have to use a roundabout (also, have gotten pretty good at down here), repacking only to do it all over again…causes my brain to feel like a circuit breaker tripped from overload, leaving me dang well exhausted.

Since landing in town in Fairhope, not a morning walk goes by without meeting people who are only happy to offer advice on things to do, places to eat, and events to attend.

I've met Chad and Amy, Jim Waters and Gus, and Dr. Izzy.

I stopped off at the Tiki Bar at the American Legion so I could watch the sunset from their beach, and I was going to put my Diet Coke on my credit card, when a lady behind me told the bartender to put it on her tab. I believe her name was Courtney, but I may be wrong (like I said, my brain is crowded right now!) but I do know she is a great karaoke singer, as is the bartender at the tiki bar, because they were lauding each other's excellent singing chops.

And then, of course, the awesome women (and men!) from the yoga studio immediately invited me out for coffee and gave me more advice: "Get a massage from Kristen Kelly at the Lotus" (and so I did, and it was the most relaxed I've been since…I can't remember!).

I also think I've lost about 10 pounds with all the walking (and let's be honest, sweating (or, as they call it in the South, glistening!)) and all the clothes I brought with me are baggy and far too roomy.

Oh, I also met Chris. It's his 77th birthday today! I was taking photos of the lovely yellow flowers decorating his mailbox, and he came out to talk to me. Which led to an invite to sit on his porch, where he told me all about the Jubilee here in Fairhope (more on that later!) and how he became a respiratory therapist, and how his company sent him to Fairhope (he had requested Alaska!) but he's so glad it worked out the way it did, since Fairhope is…well, Fairhope!

And that's the thing about Fairhope. I go out for a walk, and it becomes a Dr. Seuss book, "Oh The People You Meet!"

I suppose if more places were like Fairhope, the pharmaceutical companies would be out of business. My sleep is better. My mental health hasn't felt this good since…honestly can't remember! It's community. It's nature. It's exercise. It's the pelicans. It's the flowers. It's the kindness. It's the bay and the beach. It's the jumping fish (mullets).

I'm so sad to be leaving, but I'll be taking the lessons about small town living with me. If I can't be in Fairhope, I can bring the spirit of Fairhope with me wherever I go.