Now, about that trip.

The Marriott in Mobile is a pretty hotel. House vodka and grapefruit at the bar is $8.50 a pop.

The natives at the meeting were restless. The president of the board, a Birmingham woman, is passive-aggressive.

Our unit itself is in good shape. The contractor did remove the carpet in the front bedroom to prevent the growth of mold, but otherwise it looks just fine. Nothing is missing. The drapes are fine. A small area rug and some mats will need replacing.

There was evidently a lamp broken in the front bedroom sometime the past summer before the hurricane. Someone replaced it with something that in no way matches the other, and I was never told. How long has that been the case? When we left just before Memorial Day everything was in good order. Good grief. We changed rental companies after the hurricane hit, and I understand that they are much better.

We are looking at a certificate of occupancy in our building sometime this summer.

Overall, Orange Beach looks good. Clean-up is impressive and building efforts are progressing nicely. Newer condos are full, but the beach road is still eerily dark at night. Many more will be available in the spring.

Something that I had never thought about that came up at the meeting is that the insurers of these buildings along the Gulf and the Atlantic are the same companies that insured buildings in the areas hit by the recent tsunami. What a vast mess.