Tales of the Traveling Tote, Autumn Adventures
Happy December!
Fearless Friday will be back next week~
Today is about some special friends of mine…
It’s time for another Tale of the Traveling Tote!
The Traveling Totes had a major adventure this fall in fabulous NYC!
You can see the video here
The highlight was lunch at the Russian Tea Room
followed by a visit to the MacKenzie-Childs store and a reception with champagne and dessert
Be still my MacKenzie-Childs loving heart!
Alas, Miss Coquille and I couldn’t go
We had a busy fall
Dodging a hurricane or three…
But, generally just enjoying life, doing what we love
Even though we couldn’t go to NYC, my fellow toters made me feel so missed, they showered me with gifts and mementos so I didn’t feel left out!
I was truly overwhelmed with their incredible kindness!
Miss Coquille had much fun posing for photos with all her new gifts
We were feeling so lucky ☘️
We did travel to the French Hutch for a lovely lunch and shopping
After I was really nosy and looked everywhere touring Emily’s beautiful home and oohing and aahing over her beautiful collections, we headed downtown to one of her favorite stores
Aren’t these churches gorgeous?
Miss Coquille loved the furry pillows
And I fell in love with this stunning Christmas tree in pale green, silver and white
This is where you can generally find me
Our little quiet community in Orange Beach, Alabama
Houses here range from modest to monsters and we watch the world go by from our porch
There is a waterway that separates our island from Perdido Key and just beyond is the Gulf of Mexico
The Ono island community wasn’t developed until the 1970s, it is a narrow finger of land 5.5 miles long, and only a mile wide at it’s widest part. It is located on the state line between Alabama and Florida along the panhandle. As the story goes, both states were fighting over claim to it, hence the name was born…
Oh no it’s in Florida, Oh no it’s in Alabama…
Our favorite thing to do is go out to one of the funky restaurants on the water, like the Anchor Bar & Grill where the building is perched on the edge of a bay and is shaped like a big boat hull
Dining is alfresco over the water and the restaurant is famous for it’s homemade tater tots {to die for!}
On Thanksgiving Day we went for a boat ride, it was very quiet and beautiful
This is a view of Ono from the water, with the Ono water tower in the distance
Believe it or not this is one of the hottest spots to go, the Flora Bama Yacht Club right on the state line
The infamous Flora Bama bar is across the street, but that’s for tourists, the locals beach their boats and head to the yacht club for a bushwacker and a gourmet bite
Yep, they have a great chef, my favorite thing on the menu is Lobster Tempura with crispy kale
Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year when it’s not hopping
Time to head back and check on the turkey
Our house is on the west end of the island near the Ono bridge
It is in definitely in the modest category, but it’s perfect for us
Tile floors, weathered furniture, sandy feet and wet bathing suits welcome
We look South across the west end of Perdido Key to the Gulf of Mexico
This is state property that is protected from further development
I am truly grateful to have 2 different homes, a casual coastal home,
and a formal traditional home,
within 4 hours of each other, right in Alabama
It’s so hard to ever leave!
Right now Miss Coquille and I are off to the post office to spread some holiday cheer!
We are so excited to welcome 2 new toters this month, Jackie & Miss Madi K from Purple Chocolat Home and Ricki Jill and Countess de Monet from the Sketchy Reader
Leave a comment on Pandora’s Box to enter the December giveaway!
Be sure to visit all the tote gals and see their adventures below
👜
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jenna with Miss Coquille @ the Painted Apron
Linda G with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ “Pandora’s Box”
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill with Countess de Monet @ Sketchy Reader will be posting next time
👜 🌺 👜 🌺 👜 🌺
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Rustic and Refined, Between Naps on the Porch, Make it Pretty Monday Coastal Charm,
Celebrate and Decorate, Thursday Favorite Things Foodie Friday & Everything Else
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Jenna, great post with the history of your island. Wow, no wonder you were so busy during hurricane season, right there, surrounded by water. But oh, what a heavenly location! Love the fact that Miss Coquille and Miss CC could get together for lunch and pull your weight for you & Emily while shopping. It’s true, while you & I were unable to get to NYC, the tribe sure made us feel a part of the whole experience.
Enjoy your holidays. I am in love with that adorable pillow at the start of the post! The elves look super sweet, and love their taste in gift-wrapping. 😉
Thank you Rita, the elves is just a little drawing I did of some artwork I saw on Pinterest, it’s not my original idea, so it won’t be a pillow or on Society6, I just thought it was so cute and had fun putting a MKC package in the sketch and their happy hugs reminded me of our sweet tote group~ Merry December!
Wow…how great it was to see where your beach home is located – looks like a wonderful retreat area!! There is nothing more relaxing than just staring at the water!! And you certainly have a great view. So happy to got to spend time with Emily! I enjoyed meeting her so much and hope that I get to meet you someday. And I agree, love that green tree!
Jenna, You really did have to deal with nasty storms this fall! Yes, you and Rita were missed so much on the NY trip. It was great having you down for lunch and you are welcome to poke around my collections as often as you like. I can’t believe I have not heard the story of Ono Island! Great photos of the coast, making me want a trip there soon to get my toes in the sand, really is there anything better!!!! I love both your worlds, beach and city, perfect. Love the shots of your lovely outdoor city home, looks like a wonderful place to relax with a glass of wine. Great post and art Jenna. Have a great weekend, see you for lunch next week.
Beautiful and newsy post, thanks for sharing your home and activities Jenna.
Hi Jenna! You and Miss Coquille did have a busy Fall! How nice that the Traveling Tote tribe included you with gifts sent you couldn’t meet up in NYC. I know that it was nice for you and Emily to meet at her pretty home. I laughed at how Ono got it’s name! It must be hard to leave both of your beautiful homes, but Miss Coquille surely helps with all your traveling.
I’m sorry you missed the NYC gathering but it looks as though Miss Coquille managed to get in more than a few trips of her own. Love the elves!
Wow, a delightful post! I enjoyed the history of your Orange Beach area and the pictures. You are truly blessed to have a beach home and a Birmingham home. Sorry you missed the fun in NYC but glad to see how you were remembered since you couldn’t make the trip.The movie was great!
Glad you and Emily had fun together and I’m happy to hear Jackie and Ricki are joining you. Both are so talented.
You have been a busy lady!
What fabulous activities on your Orange Beach area.
Beautiful photos and what fun!
Jenna, I know you were celebrating with the hurricane season behind you! I had to chuckle over the history of Ono 🙂 Love seeing your coastal getaway and go along on a boat cruise with you. We love boating when it’s not crowded and it feels like we have water to ourselves. Fun that you are close enough to visit with Emily!
I received my holiday cheer in the mail today. You are the sweetest! I won’t say anything because I’m sure that Emily and I will probably get ours before the other gals. Thank-you. I love it! And the Countess de Monet came in the mail today, too!!! It’s been a good day!
I’m so happy y’all escaped the storms. BTW my best friend from HS lived on Ono Island but she recently moved to Fairhope.
BTW I love Ono Island. It is so pretty!!!
I hope to see you soon! I hope you have a great weekend!
xo,
RJ
Enjoyed seeing your sunny beach house! 🌞 Looks so beautiful there!! 🏖
Jenna, I loved this post! Miss Aurora and I would enjoy a boat cruise at Orange Beach! I’ll have to look at my GPS and see if it’s on the way to Key West. LOL Enjoyed reading about the Ono Island community and how it got its name. So glad that you and Emily got together. I enjoyed meeting her so much and hope to meet you soon. You and Rita were certainly missed. Wishing you and Miss Coquille a very Merry December! Love the sweet elves!
Jenna, you truly have the best of two houses! Thank you for sharing the beauty of our Alabama beaches. Our coast is absolutely gorgeous and rivals any I have seen anywhere on the map! It looks like you had a wonderful time with Emily and what fun shopping! BTW, I didn’t know that story about the naming of Ono Island! Have a wonderful weekend!
Oh my goodness! Are they the sweetest to send you gifts when you couldn’t go?!!
So glad that you and Miss Coquille survived the hurricanes! What an awful time this fall was.
She looks absolutely lovely on the fireplace!
Thanks so much for welcoming me into this fabulously wonderful group of women! I love hearing of all these places to travel that I have never even known about!
Hi Jenna, those awful storms are so scary. We certainly missed meeting you and Miss Coquille.
I love seeing photos of your beach home and the story of the island. How special. The card you designed for Debbie to give to us gals is darling. you are so talented. Hoping to meet in the future. Happy Holidays Jenna.