The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-14
SUMMER AND WINTER
 RESORT IS GULF COAST

 whipping breeze and the song of the pines,
 Along the white and winding road are the most picturesque villages of Co1en. Bayou La Batre and Little Riv- CT. The three embraced in territory, four or five miles long, and on two white and shining shell roads, are enough to make a tour of no inconsid- erable interest. In the winter, when the section is in the stage of It's least &C., tivfty, the bay, its shell roads and its cottages are clean, restful and in- spring landscape.
 The cottages. those that are homes in winter. and those that have guests only in summer are cleanly and neatly kept. House and fence are kept fresh with paint. The dark green in the orange trees are to be seen in nearly every yard. And in nearly every lot and yard the bare branches of the pear and the pecan trees are seen in atnos- phere which is SO warm and kindly, that although 1t is February one would expect the one to come forth in cloudy dress of white. and the other to doff the sudden green uniform of spring.
 Churches, for there are six along the stretch of shell roads about. churches and stores are no less neat, no less attractive than the flower yards. the homes and fonced in or chards which surround them. and the winding white roads are not the only thoroughfares for the people of this choice of pisturesque ocadian village. The bayous, the twisting bayous with their native store of fish and oysters are no less a thoroughfare, with the gliding sail boat. the puffiing launches and the slow moving row boat.
 The whole is as picturesque, and far heater than any of the English ship ping villages which painters have been pleased again and again to put upon canvas.
 others, that Captain Peter F. Alba, of Mobile, has established a beautiful summer home, but which he finds so attractive he occupies summer and win ter. The villa of Captain Alba is no less known throughout Alabama Tor its beauty than for the spontaneous hospitality. for which 1t is the stage.
 The owner Is q kindly, gentle cfti- zen of Mobile of independent means, who Is spending the evening of a long, active and eventful life. in the quiet and the beauty of this useful section. As sunnmer residents go here he Is an old one for he has been here for nine years and for nine years he has been improving and beautifying the home and grounds of his home which he oc- cupies all of summer and most of win ter, although he has a large and hand some residence In the city of Mobile. which he occupies when some of his numerous business affairs call him in- sistently to the city.
 T am here just as much as I can be-" he says. T am only away when can't help myself"
 The home place of Captain Alba here a AAva aH-s-a <g.-- farms, yards, lots and barns. About Coden and Bayou La Barte he owns several hundred acres. The postoffices of the two places are two miles apart. With the remarkable movement to the coast, with that love of the sea that every man feels, property along Por- tersville Bay has jumped upwards, like boom town real estate city prices are asked and given for building lots here in sight of salt water.
 It is a beautiful place of Captain Alba with it's slope of lawn to the se- rene waters of Coden Bayou. With it's lawns, it's parks, It's iron gates. with its posts and Iron chains it looks not unlike an Italian Villa. The fronts of the first park, for there is not less than three of them, is divided from the shore of the bayou by series of tall Iron posts all in white and blue. Iron chains are looped pictu-esquely from post to post The looped chain and posts are broken for a wide graveIed entrance. to the boat landing. A few feet away is the clean white boat house, which is a sort of garage" of row boats and launches. The matted Spanish moss hangs from the trees, swings and lolling places deck the green of the lawn and the, live oaks are useful and soothing. In the rear are two other parks where one can woo nature in her every mood,
 Entrance to, the spacious grounds is made through D wide iron gate. which swings open at the touch of the bug gy wheel. There are no less than six automatic gates on the place. a de- tail which shows, how the place has been improved.
 The house is a unique study in it. self. The main part of it at least 100 years old. It was built by John Raley, member of one of the old families who earliest learned the delights of the delightful climate of the Gulf. IL was covered with black cypress century ago when it was put up and until this good day the same shingles are on the roof.
 The walls are of. cement the stud ding and ceiling of heart pine and neith- CT has been replaced in the century, that has gone. They are now as they always were and to all appearances good for many years. From time to time, and to give expression to the open handed hospitality which is char acteristic of him Captain Alba had added room after room in the pleasant irregular way in which so many South ern houses have had additions, more for comfort than for architectural sym metry.
 In one of his sonnets Bayard Taylor described the highest degree of happiness for any human as, An Arab with a stranger for his guestw The line might be applied to the laird of this vilia--for such is his idea of hos