One of the areas I enjoy focusing on I have dubbed the "ForgottenGulf" . This area encompasses coastal Alabama and parts of Mississippi. My favorite subject in this area is Dauphin Island, which for unknown reasons was labeled as "destroyed" by hurricane Katrina by media outlets. Nothing could have been further from the truth and has just added further veracity to my term for the region.
Yes there was damage, I lost a cottage that had been on the glorified but glorious sandbar called the WestEnd. It sat a few hundred feet from the hightide line, it had survived many storms at 13 ft above sea-level and was destroyed by another home hitting it. The house directly behind it was practically untouched. The reason I say the damages were overblown is I have another home 1 mile to the East, tucked behind a dune that only lost a couple screens in the porch. The island was hardly "destroyed" except for the press that even 2 years later have longtime vacationers called in to ask if the bridge has been rebuilt. Of course the bridge over the Mississippi Sound was not damaged and the road to Dauphin Island was opened one day after the storm. The press can be our worst enemy and best friend.
Well onto my story of new blood on the beach. This is not a fish story or an excerpt from a Stephen King novel.
These reports are from myself and an insurance company executive friend:
1) On the day that ThyssenKrupp (a German multinational) announced their 3.9 Billion investment in Mobile county (and not in La) I was having lunch at the Gulf front restaurant, Flamingo Fae's (located at the 18 hole gulf front Isle Dauphine golf club) when I notice a couple near me having lunch. At about that time another gentleman walked in and loudly made known that they were acquaintances but was surprised at seeing each other. The significance of this meeting was they were both German and both had found this little hidden gem independently.
2) A week or so later my friend was down on the golf clubs beach and spied a couple of guys walking the beach dressed in a style seen in Miami and Europe but not on Alabama beaches. When they strolled by he overheard the German language being spoken.
Basically, we are seeing what I hope are scouting parties who will bring more Europeans to our piece of Forgotten Gulf and jump-start the 2nd home market. they are already snapping up primary homes in Mobile (30 minutes inland) so the next step will be to follow in the footsteps of Mobilian's and have a nearby beach or boating home.
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