It has now been over 12 years since the passing of our dear friend Frank Brown. In the intervening years, we have become close with his daughter, Karmilla Ali. She is a professional jazz singer, and we have been wanting to go to a gig and see her in her element. We have also kept in touch with Frank's sister Eloise, who is now 87 years old. We hadn't seen either of them since we went to Mobile for Frank's funeral.
We decided that a visit is long overdue. When Karmilla told us that she would be singing at the Gulf City Lodge as part of the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed (MOJO) Jazz Jambalaya at the end of March, we decided to seize the opportunity for a reunion.
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We enjoyed dinner at Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que.Although Moe’s is technically a chain, it originated in Alabama. In the area we are staying in, pretty much everything is a chain. But Moe’s definitely had a local feel. - IMG 1447
Craig had pulled pork with cornbread, house-made potato chips, and mac and cheese, with iced tea to drink at Moe's Original Bar-B-Que. - IMG 1448
I had fried catfish, hush puppies, house-made potato chips, and mac and cheese, with iced tea to drink at Moe's Original Bar-B-Que. Yum! The meal reminded us of Frank, as he had ordered fried catfish when we had taken him to eat at Redbone's in Somerville. - IMG 1449
Our rental car: Nissan Sentra with Texas plates - IMG 1454
We had breakfast at a Waffle House which was literally across the street from our hotel. I had hash browns with cheese and onions, biscuits and sausage gravy, coffee, and orange juice. - IMG 1456
Waffle House with a view of our hotel (Mobile Marriott) Craig had scrambled eggs, hash browns with chili, toast, biscuits and sausage gravy, orange juice, and coffee. - IMG 1459
It was great to catch up with our dear friend Karmilla Ali, Frank's daughter. She met us in the hotel lobby and chatted about life, Frank, and the Patriots! And how much grief she gets from her friends for being a fan, LOL! - IMG 1460
Dinner at BJ's Brewhouse - IMG 1461
Dinner at BJ's Brewhouse - IMG 1465
Dinner at BJ's Brewhouse Craig: PM Porter, Caesar salad, prime rib, cheesy mashed potatoes, garlic green beans, and a cookies and cream "pizookie" - IMG 1467
Dinner at BJ's Brewhouse Steph: Berry Burst cider, baked ziti w/ garlic bread, beignet with strawberries and vanilla ice cream - IMG 1468
Dinner at BJ's Brewhouse Craig's pizookie (awesome server Cebron "Breezy" in the background) - IMG 1480
Karmilla took us to Frank’s grave today. RIP dear friend! We had only seen his headstone in photos (it was installed after we were here for the funeral). It was nice to see it in person. Thank you, Karmilla for bringing us!! - IMG 1483
Visiting Frank's grave (his grandfather was the caretaker of this cemetery and the one across the street) - IMG 1509
#HeartOfMobile Mural by Jeff Bulter (JRB2)