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By Wayne Smith Oct. 7, 2026 5 a.m. I probably should have still been asleep. Instead, I was looking at hurricane forecasts and portable power stations. Welcome to hurricane preparation on the Alabama Gulf Coast. At that point Wednesday morning, the system in the Gulf was still a tropical storm. Where it would go, how strong it would become and exactly what it would mean for Gulf Shores remained uncertain. There was one thing I knew – if I stayed and lost power, I needed some

Dorinda celebrates a 3-2 Braves win over Baltimore in 12 innings on May 7, 2023 in Atlanta. “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.”— Field of Dreams There’s just something about baseball. Field of Dreams and Ray having a catch with his dad. Who says there’s no crying in baseball? Justin Verlander’s daughter walking him off the mound for the last time. Kirk Gibson. The Babe and the Yankees. And of course, the Braves. It’s always been about the Brave

UNA is scheduled to play its first game in its new football stadium on Sept. 19 against Alcorn State. “Who says you can’t go home? There’s only one place they call me one of their own …” - Bon Jovi, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” Some things change. Some stay the same. This column ties together both, old and new places. Memories of Dorinda. And football and ice cream. A strange combination, true, but you’ll see. We’ll start with football and the new. The man noticed

The Orange Beach Fishing Pier at sunrise on Sept. 8. It’s 1200 miles or so from Gulf Shores to New York City. I love both places – one is home now, the other I’ve visited a half dozen times and want to go back one day. Here, I love visiting the water at sunrise, or just before. Still not too hot, still quiet. It’s where I like to meet Dorinda. Twenty-five years ago, the water surrounding New York City was quiet at sunrise. It was Sept. 10, the day before. Much like the quietn

The box is filled with packets of photographs fresh from storage. The first packet I opened Sunday night was from Labor Day 2000. These photos. Before they had children of their own, they were our two kids. Alex and Baylee. A boy and a girl. Just what we wanted. I don't believe in coincidences. So on the eve of another holiday – another one without Dorinda – my hand randomly pulled Labor Day photos from among dozens of packets. Pictures I haven't seen in a decade, maybe two.

A view of the moon ahead of the Aug. 27 eclipse - and a heart-shaped box around it. One of my favorite memories of my children growing up is sitting on the porch or somewhere with them and looking at the clouds, seeing what shapes we could make out. Seeing their eyes light up and point upward. Maybe we could make out a dog or a dinosaur. Godzilla or a clown. A face. A ship. Or a heart. More on that one in a minute. Looking to the sky. Maybe that's why I enjoy taking pictures

With Dorinda at a Journey concert in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 2017. (First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, Aug. 14, 2026.) “Hello, I’ve waited here for you, everlong …”— “Everlong,” Foo Fighters Music matters. Sometimes it’s the song itself. Sometimes it’s simply the song that happened to be playing during one of the best moments of your life. And sometimes a song finds you on a day when you desperately need it. I recently had one of those days. I was missi

Ellis Cattan, a volunteer at the Gulf State Park Pier, shows a graduation picture of his wife, Linda, during a sunrise visit to the pier. (Photo by Wayne Smith.) By Wayne Smith “… And dream of a girl I used to know. I closed my eyes and she slipped away …”— “More Than a Feeling,” Boston I first met Ellis Cattan one morning in March. At the time, I didn’t know he was a longtime volunteer at Gulf State Park Pier — an ambassador for one of the area’s landmarks. He’s also an unof

Cowboy Johnson performs at Doc’s along with keyboardist Augie Savage. (Photos by Wayne Smith.) “I need an old friend, ‘cause old friends know just what to do on any given day, when to get up in your face, when to walk away, I need an old friend.” — “Old Friend,” Cowboy Johnson Cowboy Johnson is a relatively new friend. But sit down and talk with him a couple of times and it’s easy to see him as an old friend, like you’ve known him for years. And on the morning of April 25, th

Family beach photo from 2006. Some things come back. Some things make a full circle. Haircut styles. Clothes. Whatever pop culture of the moment. So, too, do people. I had a full circle moment shortly before turning 62 on July 20. (Hard to imagine — I lost 40 years somewhere.) Around 1966, my dad bought several houses from property near the University of North Alabama in Florence. The school was clearing land to make room for new dormitories, I’m told. Dad had them moved to h

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, July 17, 2026.) Dorinda helps Alex with his sunglasses on the beach in July 1993. By Wayne Smith "In another perfect life, in another perfect light, we run, we run, we run, run."— "Run," Foo Fighters I can't tell you the last time I went running. I can narrow it down to probably five or six years ago. I used to hate running. Hated it. Now, with it a struggle just to walk, I like to dream about running again. I work ou

(First appeared for Gulf Coast Media in The Baldwin Times, July 10, 2026.) With Dorinda at Fernandina Beach, Florida, on July 4, 2020, a few days before her birthday. By Wayne Smith Gulf Coast Media Contributor Dear Bear, "How I wish, how I wish you were here." You know the words to the Pink Floyd song. Today would have been your 58th birthday. And as I sit here this morning, a week after one of the most joyful weekends I have experienced in a long time, I find myself thinkin

(First published for Gulf Coast Media in The Baldwin Times on July 3, 2026.) With Rhys and Rynn after meeting her for the first time May 30. "The waiting is the hardest part." Tom Petty fans will recognize that line immediately. Last month, it was quite literally part of my life. I was in Florence waiting to meet my new granddaughter, Rynn, who carries part of her Dee Dee's name with her. Rynn — named in part for DoRINda — was born May 28. And she is beautiful. Just like her

(Column first appeared for Gulf Coast Media in The Baldwin Times, June 26, 2026.) With Dorinda before the storm-shortened Foo Fighters concert at New York’s Citi Field on July 17, 2024. “ … If everything could ever be this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again …”— Foo Fighters, “Everlong” Sometimes the best laid plans … That came to mind last week when our Gulf Coast beaches were filled with rows and rows of seagrass. The City of Orange Beach posted on soci

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, June 19, 2026.) Aimee Bertucci with her friend David Walters. (Photos courtesy of Aimee Bertucci.) “Thanks for all you’ve done. I’ve missed you for so long. I can’t believe you’re gone …” — Opening lyrics from Alter Bridge song, “In Loving Memory” You never know where a meaningful conversation might begin. In my case, it started in a Gulf Shores barbershop. I walked in looking for a haircut a few months ago and walked

(Note: Liza and Kerri completed their journey of visiting all 30 Major League ballparks on June 28 in Minnesota. Column first appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, June 12, 2026.) With Liza and Kerri ahead of the June 3 game in Atlanta. (Wayne Smith photos.) There was something about meeting Liza Subik in person that reminded me of my Bear. I just couldn't put my finger on it. After a nine-inning baseball game last week at Atlanta's Truist Park, though, I fina

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, June 5, 2026.) Dorinda when we first bought our condo in April 2022. Do I or don’t I? On the eve of meeting my new granddaughter — actually the early morning hours ahead of meeting her — I struggled with a decision. That’s nothing new — much like my father, I struggle sometimes making life decisions. Dad, now, he’d call one person after the next asking their opinion when faced with doing this or that. Ultimately, he’d

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, May 29, 2026.) The author with his best friend and wife, Dorinda, in 2011. By Wayne Smith Gulf Coast Media Contributor The famous sports writer Red Smith — no relation — was once asked if it was hard to write a daily column. His reply: “Writing a column is easy. You just sit at your typewriter until little drops of blood appear on your forehead.” This, my friends, is one of those columns. And it’s about friends, some

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, May 22, 2026.) A view of the Seattle waterfront and Public Market at sunrise from a hotel rooftop. (Photos by Wayne Smith.) By Wayne Smith Gulf Coast Media Contributor “In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines …” My dad used to sing those words when I was a boy. Not loudly. Just every now and then, usually sitting on the tailgate of his truck near the backside of property he owned outside Florence in the

(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, May 15, 2026) Liza Subik sits in the dugout at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where she threw out the first pitch for the Mariners game against the Braves on May 4. (Photos courtesy of Liza Subik.) By Wayne Smith Gulf Coast Media Contributor You may never get the opportunity to meet Liza Subik. But her story is one worth discovering, one where she is circling as many bases in her life as possible. Her goal is simple in con