Meeting a Dust Bunny Hostage at Big Daddy's Grill

"Do you think she will ever find this place?" I asked my mother. Leave it to me to pick a meeting spot out in the boonies. Or to me, it was the boonies, as I was unfamiliar with the area. It was quite possible that "she" might think I might try put her in a trunk. That would be my thought of meeting someone you haven't come face to face with. Someone I met on the Internet, no less. But I had nothing to fear, I was meeting the ever delightful, witty, ocean blue eyed Dust Bunny Hostage!

My mother and I had spent the first part of the day exploring Fairhope Alabama. I had been told that there was a restaurant on the Fish River of Fairhope called Big Daddy's. To me, it was a likely & obvious meeting spot. You all know that I am partial to a Big Daddy. I had looked at the Big Daddy's Grill web site before we left, so I had directions to the place. It didn't seem that far out, not until we began passing farms, patches of thick woods, and telephone poles that held the names of several families that lived down the roads in which the poles stood. Surely, she would find it? Yeah, right.

Somehow, mom and I managed to. Surely, Jennifer would? After some time, we pulled right up to it, a insignificant little one story wooden building that spread out along the river bank like a octopus with it's decks and overflows.

We walked past the motorcycle parking.

Past the huge children's sandbox (that had my son, J Smooth's name "written all over it").

To Inside, where I immediately spotted out the back door, the Dust Bunny herself at a picnic table out on the covered deck area. I felt as though I was meeting a rock star, or someone that I had long admired, someone I mentored myself after....and in all reality (which is funny to say, when you live in the world of Bloggeritaville) was true. Jennifer, Dust Bunny Hostage was and is all of those things. She is just as delightful, engaging and witty as she is at Dust Bunny Hostage, the place where she resides in all of blogland. We spent almost two hours talking about everything from the trials and tribulations of being a vegetarian (she is not, but her daughter is traveling the road I have been on much of my life) to the potential possibility that I might be some bloggy weirdo (I had introduced her to my mother as my body guard, in the case she might've tried to put me in a trunk, as well as my photographer...you KNOW I would need someone to snap all the glorious shots of this momentous meeting) to the people we have in common. Those people in the "real world" and those who live in the "Blog world". We discussed many of you reading this here post. The feeling is mutual, we love you all and feel so blessed to be a part of this little world of blogging, and were wishing we could've shared the day with you too.

But that was not to be on this such day. Jen, mom and I made the best of it by enjoying great conversation and a good meal. Big Daddy's Grill is a great place for a cheeseburger along the paradise that is the Fish River (which is what Jennifer ordered). It is also a place where you can get a good basket of jumbo shrimp, which is what my mom determined. I love the atmosphere. I love little local hole in the wall places that are built on dedication and the practise of making food a religious experience. You got that at Big Daddy's Grill. The fellowship of locals, who call one another by name, and the practise of preparing food that makes one savor each bite.

Aside from my lunch companions, who I enjoyed immensely, I also got a big kick out of the menu and it's philosophies behind the fine dining establishment....

(click to enlarge)

Who couldn't love a place that request "no cussin", that you leave your shirt on ("because you ain't as fine as your momma told you") and that you pick up after your pets. There's a certain charm in that. It's a place where I felt right at home. I love it!

After our lunch, that went by much to quickly, we were getting up to leave and have our impromptu photography session, when the assistant manager, who called himself "Little Daddy", introduced himself to us. As it turns out, he and Jennifer *sort of* knew one another. They both attended the same small college and frequented many of the same places in that small town.

He readily offered up his own photography services to snap a picture of the three of us for preservation and documentation of the big day.

What a delightful day (so delightful it was worthy of it's own theme music, you can listen to over at Jen's blog)!! I found another fun place to eat at Big Daddy's......

And I got to come face to face with Jen, the one that has been "with me" blog wise for the last two years (almost). Jen was the second commenter I had (second only to the notorious Hewy of No Sleep in Helena.) I had no idea, really, what a blog even was back then. I had made my own as a challenge to my computer illiterate self. Over the past two years, Jen and I have emailed back and forth, we have prayed together, we have spoke over the telephone....and now on this day....I had a real live meeting with someone I find very special. One that I consider a friend.

My only regret of the day...that they were out of Big Daddy T-shirts! I wanted to get one for my own Big Daddy. The restaurant, Little Daddy promised that there would be some coming in soon. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Aside from that little let down, It is a perfect day! Indeed!

If you ever find yourself at Big Daddy's Grill, tell them Leigh sent cha!
You can read the Dust Bunny Hostage's post about our meeting here and I can guarantee you will find her as witty, engaging and delightful as I do.

**You can find more photography taken at Big Daddy's Grill, as well as other interesting places at my Smug Mug Site. **



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as a sidenote, after seeing how dishelved I had allowed myself to become, I went and bought myself a haircut, as seen in my profile picture. You know I am always fretting over finding a new do...it seems I just keep going back to varied versions of that cut. Oh, well. It does look a bit better than the longer version. Anyway....