Hi!

If you're looking for me, I'm now in LA (lower Alabama). We moved to Gulf Shores on August 26, 2006. Not the best timing.... After we got the mud off of everything, we started looking for a  house on higher ground. We're now living 80 feet above sea level in an old house in Mobile, AL.

Several things you should know about Mobile:

1. It has the largest historic district in the US. This is a beautiful old city - sort of a cross between Savannah & New Orleans.

2. Mardi Gras did not start in New Orleans, it started here (at least in the US). Then NOLA bogarted it from us. To give you an idea of how big Mardi Gras is here, it is a city holiday. Almost everything is closed, including the schools. Mardi Gras season is like Christmas season - it lasts for weeks, people decorate trees, etc.

Mobile's Mardi Gras is a family-friendly version of NOLA's. If you flash for beads here, you'll get a night's free room & board compliments of the city.

One of Mobile's most beloved native sons is Joe Cain. He re-started Mardi Gras after the Civil War. After Fat Tuesday, the biggest holiday in Mobile is Joe Cain Day (the Sunday before Fat Tuesday). This is a holiday that only Mobile could create. For more info, see Wikipedia.

For more information on Mobile go to www.lagniappemobile.com. Check out my column, The Real Deal (click on Style).

If you want to reach me, email sharman@sharmanegan.com or call 251-643-4499. I'm not selling real estate right now but I may down the road. In any case, I can refer you to a good agent.

If you ever get to Mobile or Gulf Shores, look me up. I'll buy you a drink at the FloraBama Lounge & Package, the Last Great American Roadhouse.

Hope to see you soon!

Sharman