Lunch with Friends

April 28, 2025

I had been texting with one of my RV friends. Mary and her husband were camping by Lake Guntersville in AL. Bruce was in communication with her husband, Rick. We were trying to decide where to get together. Decatur and Huntsville are about half way between us, so Rick suggested that we meet at Big Bob Gibson BBQ in Decatur, AL.

I was excited to see Mary and Rick. I had been wanting to try Big Bob Gibson BBQ, so I was doubly excited.

On Saturday (April 26), Bruce drove us to Big Bob Gibson BBQ in Decatur, AL. Big Bob Gibson is a famous BBQ joint and is considered “one of the oldest and most prestigious barbeque restaurants in the world.” It was founded in Decatur, AL in 1925, so a hundred year ago, this year. They continue to win the world championship prize for their BBQ.

We arrived at noon and found the parking to be limited for Cliff the Big Red Truck. Bruce found a spot and carefully pulled in.

Rick and Mary weren’t there yet, so I texted Mary to let them know we had arrived. We went in and asked for a table for four. We got a table after 15 minutes of waiting. I texted Mary our table location.

The service was great. Our waitress kept our water glasses full and checked on us while we waited.

Mary came in and saw us. We hugged. She said Rick dropped her off and was looking for a parking spot. He has a big dually truck as well, so he had to find a parking spot he could fit into.

I told her she looked great. Working with a doctor, Mary had lost 70 pounds. She has just 5 more pounds to lose to reach her weight goal. I am so impressed and proud of her!

Rick came in about 5 minutes later.

Lunch was great fun! We ordered and the food came out quickly. Bruce loved the wings, as they were smoked then fried, giving them a smoked flavor and crispy skin. I enjoyed my loaded baked potato. They put a large amount of BBQ pork on the potato. I had a lot of leftovers to take home. Rick and Mary shared the Big Bob Gibson Combo. They got ribs and smoked turkey, with fries and coleslaw. Apparently, the fries were excellent and Rick ate most of them. Mary really enjoyed the turkey. Rick enjoyed the ribs.

The food was excellent, but I like our local BBQ, Mitchell’s Smoked Meats, better. Mitchell’s BBQ has a more smoky taste, which I like better for my BBQ.

We caught up with each other. Mary was thrilled for me that we had our furniture now. She was impressed with our garden efforts.

Since Big Bob Gibson BBQ was noisy, we decided to go to Delano Park to hang out and talk.

It is a very pretty park, as well as educational.

Rick and Mary had to leave after 45 minutes. They needed to get back to their dogs. We needed to get back to Nox.

Nox was happy to see us.

We were lazy the rest of the day. We had a small supper and watched the sunset.