Sailing Through Summer at The Grand Hotel

We loved dipping our toes in the Mobile Bay at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. Last month Joe, Emma and I spent two nights at The Grand while the other children were at camp. Gloomy forecasts had us worried that storms would curtail our outdoor fun, but we enjoyed beautiful weather. We were so thankful for the sunshine on our shoulders!

Guests at The Grand can enjoy a variety of ocean activities, complimentary with the daily resort fee. Joe is recuperating from surgery on his feet, so we did not venture out this time. On a future visit, I know Carson and Christian would love to set sail.

Boats in the marina linger, ready for adventure.

Emma enjoyed playing on the beach. A bucket of community toys allowed hours of fun in the sand. Sand castles, anyone?

After a full day of play, Emma pauses on the way to dinner.

Fresh local seafood is always on the menu at The Grand.

And fun in the sand and sea are always on the agenda.

Resort activities can keep guests busy from dawn to dusk, but the relaxed pace and tranquil views give a peaceful ease to vacationing at this romantic Alabama destination. I can't wait to return with the other children!

Mary Ashley and Emma are best friends and constant playmates. In quiet moments, I could tell that Emma felt incomplete without her sister by her side.

Emma was so tired after a sun-drenched day of swimming and playing on the beach, she fell asleep at the dinner table -- no doubt dreaming of returning to The Grand to sail through the summer with her brothers and sister along for the ride. I'm dreaming of that day, too!




Congratulations to Debbi, who won the giveaway for our current book club selection, The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog. I hope all of you will join me in reading this great novel this summer.




"Long before we saw the sea, its spray was on our lips, and showered salt rain upon us." ~
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama

Last month while the older three children were at camp, Joe and I took advantage of a quieter house with an anniversary trip to The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, The Grand has been named a Top 125 Golf Resort by Conde Nast and a Top 500 hotel in the world by Travel & Leisure.

The Grand oozes southern charm. While Joe checked into our room, 6-year-old Emma and I were eager to slip through the breezeway to take in the view.

Grand Vistas

The Grand overlooks scenic Mobile Bay. I will share more seaside views in an upcoming post.

I couldn't wait to stroll the walking path around this pond -- camera in hand, of course!

Guests roam the beautifully landscaped grounds on foot or on bicycle.

Grand Play

Emma was eager to seek out the pool, where she quickly made friends with several girls her age.

Joe treated me to a luxurious afternoon at The Grand's European spa, where I felt completely pampered. It was easier to leave the spa when going back to reality meant meeting Joe and Emma at the pool waterfall.

Emma loved playing in the fountain and surprised me by going down the big water slide without hesitation.

Guests enjoy complimentary bicycles for exploring the grounds.

And swings dot the landscape for those who want to pause to take in the view.

The pier allows a closer look at the bay.

 

And hammocks offer a leisurely spot to take a nap.

Grand Traditions

Around since 1847, traditions abound at The Grand. We arrived just in time to hear the thunder of a base drum start in the lobby as a procession wound its way through the grounds gathering guests for an afternoon ritual.

Weather permitting, each afternoon this cannon is fired around 4 o'clock. A historian is available to share tales of The Grand and the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay.

A charming tradition I was eager to experience was afternoon tea in the lobby. Each afternoon at 3, guests converge here to enjoy tea and cookies. This tradition began years ago when guests summered at The Grand. Convening guests was important for coordinating meal times in the dining room. Guests love the simple indulgence, so the tradition continues today.

 

Joe and Emma took tea while I was at the spa. Emma scampered about the lobby while Joe stood in line until Joe heard a deep chuckle and a man behind him bellowed, "Well, hello there. Who do we have here?" Wanting to touch base with Joe, Emma had mistakenly hugged the legs of a stranger! I asked Joe if he had to fight to get Emma back, but he assured me all was resolved when he challenged the other daddy to a series of lawn games. Above, Emma takes a turn at croquet. Thankfully, her daddy dominates at croquet, horse shoes, putting and the like.

Grand Dining

 

I have been eager to return to The Grand since my high school Girl Scout Troop culminated a weekend trip to Mobile with Sunday brunch in The Grand Dining Room. Most of us teenagers had never seen such fine food. One of my friends put a pretty morsel on her plate, unsure what it was. We almost lost our composure when she put the delicacy in her mouth and realized she had just eaten a shaped pat of butter.

We enjoyed brunch during our stay. I enjoyed the locally harvested food and admired the artistry of carved melons that dotted each food station.

 

Hotel restaurants offer tantalizing menus. For an intimate dining experience, guests can reserve a spot in The Secret Garden for a romantic dinner.

Grand Dreams

 

There is more to come, so meet me on the shore of the Mobile Bay for my next post!

"Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Sentimental Journeys

 

With the oldest three children spending a week at church camp last month, Joe and I took advantage of the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary. We kicked off our weekend with a romantic dinner out -- well, as romantic as it could be with 6-year-old Emma in tow. We ended our meal with this sweet conversation.

Me: Thank you for a lovely meal.

Joe: Thank you for a lovely life.

Emma: I like chicken.

Tag along with us this week as we travel to a romantic Alabama destination!

Announcing Our Summer Book Club Selection & Giveaway

I am thrilled to announce our latest book club selection:

The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog

(Click the link above for ordering information.)

Usually I read all of our book club selections before they are announced, but I heard such glowing reviews of The Master's Wall that without reading the first page I knew it would be a perfect choice. So I am reading this selection right along with the rest of our group, and it is wonderful! 

HE FIGHTS FOR HIS FREEDOM. SHE FIGHTS FOR HER LIFE. TOGETHER, THEY FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER.

After watching Roman soldiers drag his parents away to their death, David, a young Hebrew, is sold and enslaved to serve at a villa outside of Rome. As David trains to become a skilled fighter, he works hard to please his master and hopes to earn his freedom. However, an opportunity to escape tempts him with its whispering call. Freedom beckons, but invisible chains hold him captive to the master's granddaughter, an innocent girl with a fiery spirit. David vows to protect Alethea from his master, the murderous patriarch, and contrives a daring plan—sacrifice his own life to save hers.

G.A. Lewis of Summit Book Reviews enthuses, "This is a keeper. Ms. Rog skillfully blends coming-of-age, social inequity and tested faith into a delightful, heart-rending tale of courage, failure and redemption."

Author Robert Liparulo says, "It’s a grand thing to find an intriguing story told by a talented storyteller, and that’s just what we have in The Master’s Wall by Sandi Rog. This story has it all: ancient Rome, authentically depicted; a hero worth rooting for and a feisty, charming heroine—all flowing through a rousting tale beautifully spun. Rog—and every reader—has a winner with this one."


Author Tamera Alexander calls the book "Powerful, faith-challenging, epic in nature."

Several people have told me The Master's Wall is the best book they have ever read. So are you intrigued? I hope you will read along with us! Leave a comment below to be entered in a drawing for a copy of The Master's Wall. Add separate comments if you follow A Little Loveliness on my sidebar, by e-mail or on Facebook. I will announce the winner soon!

And if you can't wait to start reading, find this great book in the link below.

The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog

Home to Harmony Book Club Meeting

Our congregation's recent ladies book club meeting took us to the picturesque little town of Harmony, Ind., the setting of our spring book selection:

 Home to Harmony by Phillip Gulley


(Click the link above for ordering information.)

The book is a series of vignettes about the citizens of Harmony, as observed by lovable Quaker minister Sam Gardner. Pieced together, these short essays give a nostalgic, tender view of hometown America.

Since the book is written from the viewpoint of a minister, we asked our minister's wife, Mia Medlin, to open our meeting with devotional thoughts. Mia shared memories of the congregations she and Randy have served -- from Randy's first full-time preaching job when they were newlyweds, through their years raising children and growing churches, to their present work -- and first grandbaby -- with our congregation, the University Church of Christ. Mia shared touching moments and lessons learned through the years. When Mia recounted the ways Christians rallied around them during challenging times, we were reminded how precious our Christian family is.

As we looked back down the road Randy and Mia have travelled, we could see God's blessings in each step. Like Sam mused in Home to Harmony, "Sometimes I feel like I'm sitting at God's table and I've just had one piece of blessing when God smiles and says, 'Here, Sam, have another.' "

For this hometown celebration, we planned a backyard barbecue theme. Three of us did fun summer tablescapes. The first photo shows a glimpse of my table, a Fourth of July picnic theme in red, white and blue. Above, you see Nancy Itson's Corn and Sausage Days Festival table in black, yellow and green.

Nancy is an avid fan of Phillip Gulley and the Harmony series, so she incorporated fun details from the book, like place cards for some of the characters in the book.

Missy Jones used her favorite summertime dishes and bright napkins to add vivid color to her watermelon table. I loved her attention to detail in sprinkling watermelon seeds around the table.

Along with fresh-cut garden blooms, Missy brought sweet potato plants she picked up from a nursery. Missy said she likes to buy plants that she can use to decorate for a party, then add to the landscape of her home. This is a great tip for getting more for your money.

We asked guests to bring a favorite backyard barbecue dish, and we enjoyed a delicious summer meal of BBQ sliders, chips and dip, baked beans, and an assortment of colorful salads. Missy prepared an iced tea bar with freshly brewed unsweet tea served with simple syrup, artificial sweeteners and fresh fruits for flavoring. She also brought the refreshing watermelon salad pictured above. I ended our meal with summer sundaes with homestyle vanilla ice cream in waffle bowls topped with  sweetened berries. We always enjoy such a wonderful balance of delicious foods at our book club meetings!

"The Chicken Noodle Dinner is the event of the year for the Circle and they take it seriously -- and don't you forget it. If you are elected to the presidency of the Friendly Women's Circle, you had better be able to pull off the Chicken Noodle Dinner or impeachment proceedings will commence." ~ Sam Gardner in Home to Harmony



We enjoyed such a lovely summer book club, I think even the toughest critic in the Friendly Women's Circle would approve.

If you have read any of Phillip Gulley's books in the Harmony series, please share your thoughts in the comments below. And be sure to stop by tomorrow for the announcement of our newest book club read -- and a chance to win a copy of the book.



"Sometimes what we think we need isn't what we need at all, and what gets thrown in for good measure is that which fills our hearts." ~ Sam Gardner in Home to Harmony by Phillip Gulley