Vacancies Abound

We need tourists. Badly. The seagulls are actually having to fish for food instead of being fed greasy potato chips by out- of- towners. We have miles and miles of soft white sand that hasn't been affected. In fact, the majority of the areas affected in the last few days are now clean and open to the public. Check out the pier cam: http://piercam.net/.

No Swimming Allowed

The day we've been dreading has finally arrived. The beautiful powder white sand of Pensacola Beach is now covered in thick nasty oil. It's as far as the eye can see and still rolling in from the Gulf. A beached baby dolphin was rescued but later died as a result of her ordeal. It was heartbreaking enough watching her being pulled from the water. I can only imagine the emotional impact the coming days will have on us. The beach is still open. However, only above the high tide line. The water is closed. Navarre Beach is still clear of oil as of this morning, but with our sister beach so badly hit, we know we won't remain clean for long. I've heard the cure for everything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. For now, sweat and tears will have to suffice.

All Clear

"Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it."
~Tori Amos

Town Picnic

We finally got to have a Thursday night in the park. The last two had been rained out. Local favorites The Rowdies were there and they always put on a great performance. Maybe it's just me, but it sure seemed like there were alot more people than at any park night last year. It's a fantastic way to watch the sunset with some great music every Thursday night from 6-8 PM right behind the Navarre Chamber of Commerce.

Morning Glory

One of our Star of Texas hibiscus blooms finally opened. They are huge blooms and the plant itself grows quite tall. I'm looking forward to when our other bushes start blooming, but they don't even have buds on them yet. It was a really rough winter for them but luckily, they all came back.

Favorite Song

Looking Ahead

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”~Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism

Do You Juana?

Heavy storms came and ran us off the beach on Saturday. Luckily, Juana's Pagoda is nearby. We spent the rest of the afternoon alongside other drenched beach goers and enjoyed a bushwacker or two.

Swamp Grub

We went to the crawfish boil on the back deck of D'wons yesterday. They have one every Saturday at around 1. The price and the food are both excellent. For us, some spicy crawdaddies and a long island iced tea were an awesome way to start an afternoon at the beach.

Violets are Blue

It's been a difficult couple of days around here. From what I've noticed, people are grieving and adapting in their own ways. For some reason, I had an urge to take pictures of flowers...

Sound Check

Thursdays in the park started up again last Thursday. We were at a wedding so we couldn't attend. We were really excited about going last night. When we got there, there were no concessions and no band. We were quickly informed that due to bad weather, the concert had been cancelled. Ironically, it had stormed off and on yesterday, but it was beautiful the entire time we were at the park. Most people who showed up did the same as us and just enjoyed whatever was in their cooler and a nice evening by the sound.

Shattered

According to reports, we are mere hours from complete devastation. Our goal is to keep this blog as upbeat and positive as we can. However, we are grief-stricken over what is happening to our beautiful home. An entire ecosystem is on the brink of complete annihilation, not to mention the livelihoods that will never be recovered. There are dolphins that have lived in the various coves around here for generations. It is not the oil that will kill them, but starvation due to their food supply being destroyed. That is just one example of the sickening events that are in our near future. We will continue to do what we can to help in any way possible and also to pray and hope for any recovery that may come our way. We wish all of our neighbors the very best outcome from this tragedy.

Breaking Waves

"Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life." ~Matt Warshaw

Liberty

We met up with some friends last night for a sunset dinner at TC's Front Porch. We had a great meal, a couple of nice cold beers and some great conversation. Thanks to the very brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, we have the freedom to enjoy such an evening.