Ft. Morgan – Page 5 – Sunset Properties Blog

December 13, 2012

What Not To Bring To Fort Morgan

One of the most common questions we receive is what should I bring to my beach vacation? We put a list of what we provide in your confirmation letter but for those of you planning ahead let me give you a more detailed list of what NOT to bring.

LINENS – We provide linens! Professionally laundered sheets and towels are provided for each property we rent. We also provide a kitchen towel and cloth for your kitchen use. What you will need is BEACH TOWELS. While we typically have several sitting around that were left by guests. We cannot provide them for everyone!

COOKWARE, POTS, PANS, SILVERWARE! All of these are provided! You should have everything you need to make wonderful meals for you and your families. If you need something special like a crock pot, you definitely need to bring that along.

HAIR DYE – For some reason coming to the beach brings out a need for change in our guests! We see this change most often in hair color. I’m not sure why but dying your hair on a beach vacation is an extremely common thing! Not only does this often ruin linens that you have to pay for, it also is basically a waste at the beach. Between the sun, chlorine, and salt water that’s enough to ruin the best hair do.

INSTANT TAN – Ok Guys, you are coming to the beach to play in the sun! I completely get protecting your skin with sunscreen! This is a good thing and we totally support it! There is no need to bring instant tan and apply it while you are at the beach. Almost everyone is here to get a tan, so you are all in the same boat together. So pale people on the beach is the norm. Please don’t bring your instant tan and ruin our linens with it!!!!

YOUR TOOLS – We have a full maintenance staff fully equipped to handle everything from a major leak to a battery change. All you have to do is call us and let us know. We will have someone there as soon as possible to fix it.

YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS – If you check in and you find a cleaning issue of some sort all you have to do is again is call us. We will have a housekeeper in to solve any problem you may run across. We pride ourselves in our housekeeping and never want a guest to feel that they came into a dirty condo. So always call us!

WORK – In this day and age with all of the technology we have it easy for someone to bring their work to the beach with them. We suggest that you never take work on vacation with you. Vacation is for getting away and leaving work behind, relax, get some sun, and have fun. Really take a break even for a few days for the office. Everything can wait or can be assigned to someone else.

PROBLEMS / DRAMA – It is hard to relax if you bring your problems with you. It is good to deal with drama and problems before you come to the beach or leave them behind for a little bit. Being at the beach with the calmness of the water and warm breezes it tends to give people a new perspective on all things in their life so leave those problems and drama behind for a while. Come back with a new view on life.

I am of the opinion that you should leave your phone and laptop behind as well! This is a little extreme for most people but keep in mind service is limited in this area and technology only lets people find you on vacation!

We hope you can make it down to to the beach with packing a little as possible and have as much fun as possible while you are here. If you have any questions on what to bring or what not to bring. We are happy to help! Let us know what you think. What do you have to bring and what should be left behind????

November 15, 2012

It is Time for a Girl’s Getaway!!!!

I don’t know about you but I am ready for a break. Thankfully, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can’t wait. Between the election , the looming fiscal cliff, the hurricane in the North East and one national scandal after another good new doesn’t come along nearly often enough. My personal plan is to spend at least some of my little bit of time off helping the economy! We don’t have much to spend but I will be looking for few special things for those I love. My Plan is to not only hits the Black Friday Sales, but do A little unconventional shopping as well let me give you and your girlfriends a few great ideas!

If you and your girlfriends are heading this way to do some shopping this is the best time and one of the best places areas to shop. We have your traditional stores that are all over the country but we also have Tanger Outlets where you can find almost anything you want if you are shopping for fashion or for your home.

Tanger offers great coupons and they are having a Midnight Madness Sale starting Thanksging night. I may spend a little time at the outlets but my shopping tends to be a little less traditional.

I like to give and get gifts of experiences, maybe a romantic dinner, or a glass blowing, or painting class. The Alabama Gulf Coast is a treasure trove of experience gifts to give. My Dad is history buff, and my Mom loves genealogy. I know some great places to send both of them. There are museums where I can find the perfect book for dad or maybe even get him involved with volunteering for an archeology dig in the area. I think a day trip for my mom to the Creek Indian Reservation in Atmore will help her to add some much needed information to our family tree.

My sister in law is starting a new career now that her boys are all in school and she is in need of a little wardrobe update. I think I am going to get her the biggest bang for her buck. There are tons of resale shops across the area. A gift certificate or two or a preloaded debit card, maybe even cash would be great for her and of course a baby sitter for her and a shopping buddy.

For my little nephews, I think either movie tickets or zoo tickets, although they are big fans of toys like every other little boy.

Maybe a little online shopping for that. For my brother well he is a little more tricky. A planned guys night for him and buddies, or brother in law or a trip golfing with some friends. My husband is the most tricky of all. He is kind of techie but loves new experiences too! So I think I will be getting him something for his current technology and maybe a great new sweater or scarf and well I don’t know but I’ll figure it out.

In this area there are tons of unique stores, outlets, thrift stores, antique stores and specialty shops. Basically you can find anything you are looking for in this area for everyone on your list! So pack up your shopping shoes, your girl friends and your beach towel. Knock out your shopping and then relax and enjoy the rest of your girls getaway in the sun!

October 31, 2012

Enjoy Thanksgiving at the Beach!

The Beach is not the first place you think of to celebrate Thanksgiving. Let me tell you the Top 10 Reasons to Have Thanksgiving At The Beach!

10. You can bring your traditions with you or leave them home. Turkey at the Beach is great but seafood is our speciality here. You can pick up your seafood Thanksgiving to go and enjoy the afternoon at the beach.
9. No fancy china! If you come to the beach for Thanksgiving your vacation rental is the fully equipped with all you need for the simplest to the fanciest dinner.
8. No Decorating! You don’t have to worry with holiday decorations when you have the beautiful beach scenery just out your door.
7. No Snow! Escape the cold weather for warm sunny days and cool evenings.
6. Swimming on Thanksgiving Day! Some of my favorite memories are swimming on Thanksgiving with all of my cousins before and after dinner.
5. Sales, Sales, Sales at the Tanger Outlets only 40 minutes away.
4. No cleaning prior to company coming and no big cleaning after they leave. Do your dishes take the trash out and put the dirty linens by the washer. Your Done!
3. Invite the family. There are houses available if you want to stay together or everyone can have their own condo and go their separate ways.
2. Cooking or not when all is done you are still at the beach! Warm days, beautiful sunsets, sandy toes, and salty air.
1. Great memories are guaranteed any time of year at The Beach!

October 31, 2012

The Blue Angels Are Coming Home

Our favorite High Fliers are heading home this week! The Homecoming Air Show is held at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, on Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3, 2012. Gate admission is free. Gates open at 8 am each day.The show begins at 9 am, with the Blue Angel Flight Demonstration Team scheduled to fly around 2 pm. The Blue Angel pilots do sign autographs after the show. Over 100,000 people are expected to view the show daily. Visitors are directed to the air field parking from both gates, but are encouraged to use the shuttle parking lot to avoid very long walks. Buses will make the rounds, taking patrons to and from the air show site. The show includes static displays of aircraft of all types, food, beverage and vendor booths, virtual reality experiences and other attractions that make this show a favorite excursion for folks from all over the country. There will be a Kids’ Zone, virtual games and bungee jump to entertain children of all ages. For those who have never attended an air show, be advised the aircraft can be VERY noisy and young children need protection for their ears. It can also be windy on the tarmac and layers of clothes are recommended. Patrons may bring blankets and chairs, however, no coolers, backpacks, food, drinks or pets are allowed. (Baby and infant needs are allowed – but no glass bottles) Small camera and diaper bags are allowed but subject to search. A handicap area is set aside for wheelchairs and an accompaniest only.
Admission: Gate admission is free. Bleacher seating is available for pricing and to buy tickets visit Blue Angels Website . https://www.naspairshow.com/

October 24, 2012

Fort Morgan Ship Wreck

A must see while you are here was recently unearthed during Hurricane Isaac. Hal Scheurich recently wrote the article below for Fox10tv.com. Be sure to visit the ship while you are here. It will be covered up again soon!

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WALA) – Only a shell of what she once was, the 150 foot sailing vessel thought to be the Rachael, is attracting attention again on Fort Morgan. Word had spread that the storm surge from Hurricane Isaac had uncovered her once again and plenty of folks came with their cameras.

The Rachael was an early 20 ^th century schooner that ran aground. Buried for decades, hurricanes expose what’s left of the vessel every few years.

“It’s just something that you really have to go see,” said Adriana Mutan as she walked around the burnt wreckage taking pictures. “I mean, I’ve seen so many pictures…heard so many stories and now I’ve seen it.”

According to the Alabama Historical Commission, the three mast schooner met her fate in 1930 while carrying a load of timber. Commission archeologists Amanda Hill said the belief is the vessel ran into a storm and had too few crew aboard to maintain control. According to interviews with witnesses that were alive at the time of the wreck, the ship was looted of its cargo and set on fire.

The ship has been exposed several times over the decades from beach erosion during hurricanes. The last time was during hurricane Ike several years ago. There was always speculation as to its origin. Many even thought it may have been a blockade runner during the Civil War. Assistant Professor, Greg Cook of the University of West Florida helped put those rumors to bed after doing a study of the vessel in 2008.

He noted that many of the riggings were post Civil War and dated to the early 20 ^th century. After some more digging, it’s believed that the Rachael was designed and built in Moss Point, MS in 1919.

Billy Berrey grew up in Gulf Shores and remembers seeing the ship as a child. It’s now closer in than ever and he’s worried about the amount of attention it gets.

“I’ve always thought it would be kind of cool for them to excavate this thing and move it…preserve what they can and take it to the museum,” said Berrey. “The last time it was uncovered, people were pulling things off of it.”

There is a problem. The ship now rests on private property and the folks that own the homes are concerned about liability in the event someone gets hurt by the wreckage. They would like to see, at very least, the ship covered up.

The Alabama Historical Commission looked into that after hurricane Ike but found that it would cost too much to do anything with it and since it’s on private property, the owners would have to foot the bill. They did say they would assist if someone else funded the effort.

For now, the ship will sit until Mother Nature decides to cover her back up once again. Owners just ask that sightseers like Dusty Bones and his family respect their property while they visit.

“We really like history. We like going to see things like the Battleship and stuff like that, so to see a piece of this is really interesting.”

Although much is now known about the ship than just a few years ago, there is still much mystery and intrigue. Who was on board and where were they going? Was it a hurricane or just a bad storm that caused her to run aground? They’re all questions that keep visitors coming to the little stretch of beach with they’re cameras ready to capture a little piece of

August 29, 2012

Hurricane Isaac Aug. 29 10 am

We had a few updates from the beach. All properties seem to fine a t first glance. Our maintenance guys were able to get through the high water to take a look at things. The power is back on for now at the end of the island and Becky will be in touch with you if you are coming in today. Isaac has stalled a bit so we still have highwater on the road for a little longer. Be sure to check out our Facebook fan page for current updates at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sunset-Properties/5872428286

Thanks to Becky, Jim, Mark & Kathy for all of your above and beyond work during the storm!

August 28, 2012

Hurricane Isaac Aug. 28, 4 PM

Hi Everyone,

This is your update for Tuesday Afternoon. At this time all of our staff are in their personal homes or with family. We are seeing bands of heavy rain and wind come by every 3 to 4 hours north of the beach. Below is a message from the beach!

Hi Guys, the electricity just went out and yes, it’s really HOT here. The City of Gulf Shores just turned off our water due to flooding. They shut it off from the Mexican Resturant through the end of Ft. Morgan Rd. The road is completely covered in water from the Mexican Resturant all the way through the west side of Navy Cove. It is about level with the middle of a car door. (Hope that makes sense). I’m trying to get photos and will upload as I can. Oh, our waves here are about 16′ -Whoo Hooo – Surfs up Dude!

Isaac is still predicted to hit near New Orleans as a Catagory 1 after 8 PM this evening. Be sure to visit Face book for Videos and updates! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunset-Properties/5872428286

We still plan to be back in full swing in the office by Thursday morning! See ya soon guys!

August 27, 2012

Hurricane Isaac update Aug.27 1P.M.

Hi everyone! This is the first of our updates for Hurricane Issac. For those of you who are owners. We have picked up, locked up and boarded up as needed. We will be finishing these processes and sending our staff home to take care of their personal property tomorrow. Below is the most current update from the city. There are a few road closures pending at this time.

Gulf Shores, Ala – August 27, 2012 – City of Gulf Shores officials have announced no anticipated road closures or access restrictions to the island throughout the day today.
Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 27 the City anticipates closures at Highway 59 and Zoo Road and Highway 135 and Highway 182 at Beach Boulevard. Residents and others with proper credentials will still be given access to these areas until further notice.
City officials do not anticipate any interruption in utilities; however, the potential still remains for disruption as conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

Sunset Properties Beach Update Aug. 27

August 10, 2012

Best Beaches In The U.S.A.

Recently an owner sent an email to us with a report on the cleanest beaches in the United States. We are so thankful that Gulf Shores is considered one of the cleanest places to visit! Take a look below!

Editor’s note: On the list of 5-star beaches, Maryland’s beach was originally incorrectly listed here. It is Ocean City.

Bacterial contamination from stormwater runoff and sewage helped make 2011 one of the worst years in more than two decades for health-related closings and warnings at U.S. beaches, a major environmental group says.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s annual assessment, released Wednesday, analyzes government data from more than 3,000 testing locations nationwide. It found that water quality at America’s beaches remained largely stable last year, with 8 % of water samples violating public health standards, the same as the previous year.

But there were 23,481 closing and advisory days in 2011, the third-highest level since NRDC began compiling their reports in 1990. That represented a 3% drop from 2010, which marked the second-highest number of closings and advisories since the group started its surveys. (The worst year, according to the NRDC, was 2006 with 25,643 closing or warning days.)

The Great Lakes region had the highest violation rate of beachwater standards – 11% of samples in 2011 – while the Mid-Atlantic’s Delmarva region had the lowest, with 4%. Individual states with the highest violation rates of reported samples were Louisiana (29%), Ohio (22%), and Illinois (12 %). States with the lowest rates of contamination last year – just 1% – were Delaware and New Hampshire.

For the first time this year, the NRDC has mapped more than 6,000 beaches nationwide, providing monitoring, closing and advisory information for more than half of them.

The searchable map includes a dozen beaches that earned the group’s five-star rating for violating health standards less than 5% of the time and for following such best practices as testing more than once a week and posting advisories online as well as at the beach. They include:

California’s Newport, Huntington State and Bolsa Chica
Alabama’s Gulf Shores Public Beach and Gulf State Park Pavilion
Delaware’s Dewey Beach
Maryland’s Ocean City Beach
Minnesota’s Park Point Franklin Park and Lafayette Community Club Beach>
New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach State Park and Wallis Sands
Texas’ South Padre Island

On the flip side, 15 “repeat offenders” stood out for persistent contamination problems over the past five years. They include portions of:

California’s Avalon and Doheny State Beach
Illinois’ Winnetka Elder Park Beach, North Point Marina and North Beach
Louisiana’s Constance, Gulf Breeze, Little Florida, Long and Rutherford
New Jersey’s Beachwood Beach West
New York’s Woodlawn and Ontario
Ohio’s Euclid State Park and Villa Angela State Park
Wisconsin’s South Shore Beach

Beachwater pollution nationwide causes a range of waterborne illnesses in swimmers including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear, nose and throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments, neurological disorders and other health problems. For senior citizens, small children and people with weak immune systems, the results can be fatal.

According to the NRDC, the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed updates to federal water quality standards – due to be finalized this fall – “miss a critical opportunity to better protect beachgoers from the dangers of swimming in polluted waters,” and would put 1 in 28 swimmers at risk of getting a gastrointestinal illness.

August 10, 2012

Lightening Glass! Not what you expect!

We’ve all seen the movie set in this area where the main characters fall in love when struck by lightening as children. The movie shows this beautiful swirling glass sculpture created by the mixture of lightening and sand. In the real world these little lightening creations are called fulgurites. Fulgurites (from the Latin fulgur meaning thunderbolt) are natural hollow glass tubes formed in quartzose sand, silica, or soil by lightningstrikes. We were actually brought a few of these interesting pieces of glass by a friend of the company and they are not what I expected. They are formed when lightning with a temperature of at least 1,800 °C (3,270 °F) instantaneously melts silica on a conductive surface and fuses grains together; the fulgurite tube is the cooled product. This process occurs over a period of around one second, and leaves evidence of the lightning path and its dispersion over the surface. Fulgurites can also be produced when a high voltage electrical distribution network breaks and the lines fall onto a conductive surface with sand beneath. They are sometimes referred to as petrified lightning. The glass formed is called lechatelierite which may also be formed by meteorite impact and volcanic explosions. Fulgurites can have deep penetrations, sometimes occurring as far as 15 metres (49 ft) below the surface that was struck.