A Perfect Day!

What a perfect day on the beach! I should be working on my inventory for Art & Wine Weekend, but the temps are in the mid-70's, humidity in the low-40's, the surf is calm, and the water is as beautiful as Light Azore Blue Swarovski crystals. I couldn't resist taking a time out for a walk!

Reflection

It is much easier to reflect on life when you're surrounded by the beauty of the island.

East is blossoming!

"The east is blossoming! Yea, a rose,
Vast as the heavens, soft as a kiss,
Sweet as the presence of woman is,
Rises and reaches, and widens and grows


"Large and luminous up from the sea,
And out of the sea, as a blossoming tree,


"Richer and richer, so higher and higher,
Deeper and deeper it takes its hue;


"Brighter and brighter it reaches through
The space of heaven and the place of stars,


"Till all is as rich as a rose can be,
And my rose-leaves fall into billows of fire."

~~ Joaquin Miller (1841 - 1910) Sunrise in Venice

These are photos from Sunday's spectacular sunrise. At one point I stopped shooting the horizon and just pointed my camera up to the crimson clouds to capture the detail and color.

Art & Wine Weekend on Pensacola Beach

This coming weekend is Art & Wine Weekend on Pensacola Beach. I will be participating and once again my tent will be located between Paddy O'Leary's and Island Realty. I'll literally be hanging out my Barrier Island Girl shingle, so you'll be able to find me.

This year I'll have more note card variety packs available in some of my 2009 Barrier Island Girl photos, as well as double-matted photographs of our beautiful island.

To check out a list of all the participating artists and more details about the event, click HERE to look at the current edition of Island Times. You may also stop by the Visitors Information Center or any Chamber member business for an Art & Wine Weekend map.

We're going to have so much fun!

Lion in wait

So how would you like to be toolin' along in your Mule before sunrise and come across something lying in wait for you! Ha! What a surprise this magnificent lion on my patrol yesterday morning.


He was so awesome that I came back and took photos at the end of my patrol! I loved the use of seaweed for his mane.

Someone surely went to a lot of work on this sculpture.

One word of caution to my blog readers - as much as I love sand sculptures, sand pits like the one behind the lion are very dangerous to those who patrol the beach before sunrise. One of the reasons Parks have switched from the use of ATVs to Mules have been accidents (and even a death) from hitting a large sand pit in the dark and flipping the vehicle.

If you see a large sand pit as you are heading in from the beach at night, please take time to fill it in or remind others to fill it in before they leave. It can prevent a bad accident for those who patrol the beach in the dark.

Splash Dogs - Amber Lee Johnson!

Meet Miss Amber Lee Johnson, a beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retriever!


Amber Lee is the dog-daughter of Shelley Johnson, the publisher of our local paper, Island Times. Although Amber Lee has had no formal training, Splash Dogs seemed a perfect fit for her.


At 9:00 a.m. this morning, there was a practice session for those interested and Amber Lee was first in line!

Look at Miss Amber Lee Johnson go!

Back to mom with her toy...

"Mom, I love it! This is so cool! Thanks!"

Amber Lee stood by patiently, waiting her turn with other dogs...

"Mom, please, is it my turn yet?"

"Okay, Amber Lee. Focus...do your thing, girl!"

Shazam! Amber Lee morphed into Wonder Dog!

She can fly!

Look at that distance! Miss Amber Lee Johnson's jump was recorded at 14'!

Amber Lee has now put a Splash Dog pool on her Christmas list so that she can practice for next year's event.

One last note: Amber Lee was a rescue dog and she would like for me to remind you to support your local Humane Society so that beautiful dogs like her can find forever homes. You may learn about the Humane Society of Pensacola and the pets they have available and the guidelines by clicking HERE.

Create the caption!

Here are some 'out-takes' from today's Splash Dog event. As you can see, some of the dogs balked when it came time to jump. I'm simply going to number the photos and let you create captions for them in the comment section. As you can see, Maddie is still my favorite character. Photo #2 is a hoot! Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them (especially photo #5) and see their facial expressions!

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Splash Dogs - Maddie!

Check out Maddie! What a pretty Border Collie. I remember her from the Splash Dog event last year because she had stage fright. Now she's a pro at this sporting event!

Up to the edge...

She takes a leap of faith!

Great job, Maddie!

Maddie's getting a bit more confident now and looks back to check out her competition!

Face painting and balloon races

The children were having a wonderful time at the Pensacola Seafood Festival today. There were all sorts of activities especially for them at Bartram Park, located across the street from Seville Square.



This little cutie stopped by with her parents to check out the face-painting artists and chose a pretty unicorn design for herself. She'll be the envy of all her friends.


And how cool is this! I've never seen this type of race before.


The kids had a great time!

And if I wasn't such a klutz, I'd enjoy this activity myself! Aren't the balloons (or are they parachutes?) beautiful!

The Pensacola Seafood Festival continues through tomorrow!

We will meet again

We will meet again my friend,

A hundred years from today

Far away from where we lived

And where we used to play.

We will know each others' eyes

And wonder where we met

Your laugh will sound familiar

Your heart, I won't forget.

We will meet, I'm sure of this,

But let's not wait til then...

Let's take a walk beneath the stars

And share this world again.

~~ Ron Atchison (Mayor of Inspiration Peak)

One more chance

"O, with what freshness, what solemnity and beauty, is each new day born; as if to say to insensate man, 'Behold! thou hast one more chance! Strive for immortal glory!'"

~~ Harriet Beecher Stowe, (1811 - 1896)

The next moment

"The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose."

~~ Arnold Bennett

Nature's coin

"Beauty is Nature's coin..."

~~ JOHN MILTON (1608 - 1674)

Beauty

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

~~Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)

End of the island

At the western tip of Santa Rosa Island I turned around at the end of my patrol area and captured this shot of Pensacola Beach, about ten miles in the distance. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the high-rise condominiums in the core area.

Gulf Fritillaries

Gulf Fritillaries are evidently migrating along the Gulf Coast right now. I'm seeing them everywhere.


Like Monarchs, which I photographed last month, Gulf Fritillaries also love my red Pentas. I'm definitely going to put more Pentas on my patio next summer.


Just look at that face and lovely pattern. Be sure to click on the photos to see these beautiful butterflies in more details.

Baby shades!

How adorable is this little cutie! Look what she's wearing!


Mommy & Daddy are looking out for her beautiful baby blues with a stylish pair of velcro-strap sunglasses, which you can find online or at children's stores.

To see how important sunglasses can be for young children, especially at the beach, you can click HERE to get the answer from a pediatric opthalmologist!

Whiskers on kittens!

I love this photo of little Maci Drees! She gave me this beautiful smile - even though I was so impolite to take her photo while she was eating - and showed off her adorable kitten whiskers! I secretly wanted to get my face painted at Taste of the Beach, too, Maci!

Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

Winter weather

I enjoy birdwatching now that I volunteer for Gulf Islands National Seashore and have an opportunity to see all types of shorebirds. But it was a surprise this morning when I came upon a flock of Canadian Geese at Ft. Pickens! Judging from the way they looked -- very tired -- I'd guess they didn't come across from a mainland golf course for a day at the beach!


Hmmmmm...is this another sign of a harsh winter ahead? You may click HERE to read the Farmers' Almanac forecast for a frigid winter in Canada this year. The geese may know something we don't!