Vacation mishaps create lasting memories - al.com

Vacation mishaps create lasting memories - al.com: "Since large family gatherings at Gulf Shores, Ala., have become quite a tradition for a lot of families in Jackson County, such stories are all over the place.

This year, for our group, we'll remember a disastrous restaurant experience, a jet ski that crashed into the dock and a couple of cooking episodes that went awry. Nothing big, but all the ingredients for family lore.

Here's the scenario that's very familiar here on the coast. My wife, Donna, and her family have, for several years, rented a condo at Gulf Shores for a week in the summer. And everybody tries to free up that week for swimming and beach fun."