Jardin Nuevo Mexicano

One of the reasons I love staying with my in-laws in Albuquerque is that the guest bedroom we stay in overlooks their beautiful garden. They are excellent gardeners and always have lots of intriguing plants that are indigenous to that area. This time of year the yard is teeming with wildflowers. There are so many that they seem to hover as if stemless. I have no idea what the 'bloom' in the last photo is and neither did anyone I asked. It has a hideous plant at the bottom of it and my sister in law said that large blossom shot up out of it in 3 months time.

The Lake

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are." ~Osho

Land of Enchantment

We spent the weekend with family in New Mexico. I'm always struck by the stark contrast in the landscape there compared to Navarre. Everything from the architecture to the food is completely different. It's dry and brown and full of creatures like prairie dogs and road runners. It is also incredibly beautiful.

Hope

We finally got the news we've been waiting 85 days to hear. The oil leak has been stopped! We're told not to get our hopes up, but it's really hard to not celebrate. Hopefully, this is a permanent end to this devastating crisis and we can focus solely on the clean up effort.

"So tell me all your troubles
I'll surely tell you mine
We'll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke and
Have a glass of wine
That's where it always happens
The same place every year
I come down to talk to me
When the coast is clear"
~Jimmy Buffett

Salt, Limes and Tequila

We recently spent quite a bit of time at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Hotel out on Pensacola Beach. It's incredible. It has an air coastal Florida sophistication to it and at the same time, a kind of come in and put your feet up feel to it. The high rise views are from rooms 606 and 700. They are really comfortable with very large bathrooms and every other amenity you could want. The pool and its large deck are definitely the best spot to watch the Blue Angels show and I'm sure it will be the place to be for years to come.

Parrotheads Unite

We watched the live broadcast of the Jimmy Buffett and Friends concert at where else, but the new Margaritaville Hotel. It has a really fun outdoor bar called the Land Shark Landing where we had incredible Pina Coladas and Margaritas, of course. The weather, the drinks, the crowd and the music combined to form an idyllic afternoon.

Fat Albert and Friends

Red, White and Blues Weekend ended yesterday and it was, as usual, a great way to spend the some extended time with your toes in the sand. The Blue Angels put on a loud, fast and awe inspiring show. The crowd was definitely smaller than in years past, but the locals came out in droves to show their support. The water was beautiful and with the exception of some June grass floating here and there, it was quite clear. For a couple of days, life on the Gulf Coast felt normal again.