Floating on sunshine

Thank goodness the rain has stopped. For three days we've had intermittent downpours on the beach. I'm ready for sunshine and low humidity, but not for low 60's at night! {{{shiver!}}}

Another sunrise

Seagulls, a willet, and a sanderling walk along the beach during this short video clip of sunrise on Pensacola Beach. We still have June grass washing ashore this late in the season, but shorebirds enjoy foraging through it.

Be The Match!

Having my own blog allows me the freedom to go totally off topic if the notion hits me. This is one of those times.

For a few years I have considered taking the steps to join the Bone Marrow Registry.


A few weeks ago my kit arrived, but sadly got pushed aside using a busy schedule as my excuse. This morning, however, I decided this was the day to make a commitment.


I took four swaps inside my inner cheek and the whole process took less than a minute.


But who knows how much time may be given to someone else if a match is made.

If you are interested in learning more about the National Marrow Donor Registry, click here to Be the Match

A quiet sunrise

A quiet sunrise looked over the horizon at me - soft, silent, and unhurried. Nothing can rush it. Nothing can slow it down. It is perfection.

A Second Look

Sometimes we have to stop...


allow ourselves to get a wee bit closer...


and take a second look...

to see someone's or something's true beauty.

Sunrise

"Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leave you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing, and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you."

~~ Max Lucado

Taste of the Beach

Casino Beach was hoppin' this weekend as more than 20 island restaurants turned out for the third annual Taste of the Beach.


Each business offered small plates of their signature dish or drink. Prices ranged between $2.00 - $5.00.


And at the end of the festival a People's Choice Award was presented to the restaurant which received the most votes.

The Dog House Deli received praise from my husband for their Red Beans and Rice.

There were several new participants this year, including Margaritaville Beach Hotel, Frank & Lola's Love Cafe, Castaway's, The Grand Marlin, and Beach Pops.

This is becoming a very popular event, so be sure to bookmark the new Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce website and watch for the dates next year!

Sea Oats

The sea oats have ripened and seedheads are full. I have them planted all around my house, so birds have already started swooping in for snacks throughout the day. If only they grew as fast on the beach as they do in my yard, we'd have dunes to the sky by now!

Taste of the Beach

Taste of the Beach Travel Tumblers (say that 3 times in a row!) will be available at the event today.


On one side of the mug is the Taste of the Beach logo, on the other is the sponsor's logo: Levin-Rinke Realty (yellow); The Grand Marlin (blue); Sandshaker (green); and Pensacola Beach Chamber (orange). Each mug is $5.00 and during the two day long event you may have free refills of water when you bring your travel mug back to the tent.


Ten dollar tees from the Pensacola Beach Advocates which remind everyone to Be Kind to the Beach are also available.

Taste of the Beach

Taste of the Beach begins tomorrow, so be sure to head out to Casino Beach this weekend where most of our great island restaurants are offering their signature dishes!

Later today I'll also share photos of this year's tee shirt and water bottles. As my blog followers know, I was very excited about the Be Kind to the Beach recycling and reuse program which the Pensacola Beach Advocates, Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Santa Rosa Island Authority teamed up to promote last year. This year they will be offering brand new water bottles for you to purchase and you'll see a preview of them all right here this afternoon!

'Vettes on the Beach

Pensacola Beach has so much going on in the next couple of weeks: Taste of the Beach, the 'Vette Show, Art & Wine Weekend.


As you can see from a couple of last year's photos at the 'Vette show, there are some gorgeous vintage corvettes on display.


This event is generally held on the first day of Taste of the Beach - which is tomorrow, September 18th.


Come on out to Casino Beach and have a great time.

Art & Wine Weekend

Don't forget that the Pensacola Beach Art & Wine Weekend is coming up October 2 & 3. It's just around the corner, so put it on your calendar and come by my tent to say hello and see some of my Barrier Island Girl photos like the one above and also new notecards available this year.

Nature's gift

Standing on the beach at dawn is like opening a birthday present - you never know what you will find until first light uncovers a spectacular gift!

The Egret

Egrets are very shy and it is difficult to get photos of them, much less a video clip. I saw this fellow looking for breakfast at Ft. Pickens this weekend.

Winging it

As the sun peeps over the horizon, sea birds rouse and wing their way from shore to the Gulf, looking for schools of baitfish.

You can estimate my location if you note the tip of the fishing pier in the distance. June grass is still heavy in some areas - as shown along the shore above - but nothing like the thick mats we were seeing last week.

Sea Turtle Quiz

Here is a test for all my blog followers! Just how much do you know about sea turtles? Follow this link to a National Geographic quiz about sea turtles, get your score, and perhaps learn even more about these ancient creatures!

National Geographic Sea Turtle Quiz

Fins!

I captured a short video clip of this fella feeding on bait fish while patrolling at Ft. Pickens this morning. Perhaps someone can identify the type of shark by the dorsal fin and give us a length estimate.



Can't you feel 'em circlin' honey?
Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
and you're the only bait in town.

~~ Jimmy Buffet, "Fins"

In remembrance

In sadness we remember September 11, 2001, and the overwhelming emotions that followed. Too often our world can be changed in a heartbeat - as it was with 9/11. We do not forget, but the human spirit perseveres to move ahead.

"After a stormy period of mixed feelings of prolonged sadness, there comes a calm. After we become convinced that we are at the very brink of eternal despair, or fear, or guilt, or sadness, we are given a reprieve. We have a breathing space that eventually leads to whole days that have personal value and offer us the opportunity for affection. Then we recognize that no period of misery is endless and unrelenting; it is instead, changeable."

~~ Carol Staudacher, A Time to Grieve

The Observation Tower

The World War II Observation Tower at Battery 234 in Ft. Pickens is silhouetted at daybreak.

I've noticed there are still a couple of Full Moon Walks at Langdon Beach (which is located with Ft. Pickens Area -Gulf Islands National Seashore) scheduled this fall:

Full Moon Walks (Ft. Pickens) at Gulf Islands National Seashore

Dates: 9/22/2010, 10/22/2010

Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Location: Langdon Beach gulfside

Details: Full Moon Walks Wednesday, September 22, 6:30 p.m. and Friday, October 22 6:00 p.m. Enjoy the full moon on the beach while learning about the importance of dark skies to the park`s endangered sea turtles. Meet at Langdon Beach, gulf side. (1 hour)

Fees: $8.00

Contact: Steamer Lawhead
850-934-2629

Sunday at Pensacola Pass

It is great to see boats, fishermen, and lots of sea and shorebirds at the western tip of the island at Ft. Pickens and Pensacola Pass again.

Bamboo Willie's - Anything that Floats...

Labor Day Weekend on Pensacola Beach brings around one of our most fun (and wet) events on the island: Bamboo Willie's Anything that Floats and Bath Tub Races.


I took this photo around 1:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, but two hours later you wouldn't be able to see much of our white sand in a retake. Pensacola Beach really needed folks to come out and support their businesses after "the summer that wasn't" -- and boy did they get a crowd on Sunday afternoon. Traffic was backed up all the way to Gulf Breeze mid-day.


This little fellow didn't mind as we switched to 'island time' and delayed the race for those caught in the traffic jam. He just started practicing his short-board moves. What a cutie!


Here come the bathing beauties! {{{Tiny bubbles}}}

The VFW float wins their first race...and, yes, those are empty gallon jugs.

They don't call this event "Anything that floats" for nothing!

And they're off.

Father and son make a great team and win this one.

The Hampton crew pulls ahead.

Row...row...row your tub.

Wow! The Women's Club did an awesome job and won their race.

SRIA member Thomas Campanella waits for his round! Isn't this much more fun than those SRIA meetings, Thomas?

The gold of the dawn

Night's darkness is the bag that bursts with the gold of the dawn.”

~~ Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

June Grass

It was startling to see huge mats of June grass (Cladophora) which washed ashore around Langdon Beach this morning. As you can see in this and the following photo, there was also a sheen on the water.


I have no way of knowing if the sheen is related to oil or algae, but I will share one link about June Grass/Cladophora which you may find interesting: Definition of Cladophora.


Under the heading of "You can't teach common sense", I made a note of two swimmers splashing around and having a grand time just 50 ft. or so from this mess. Onlookers just shook their heads.

YIKES! It looks like 'gators or rows of alien creatures crawling ashore!

Bizarre, isn't it?!

A new day

"God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road."


~~ Isak Dinesen (1885 - 1962)

At the pier

I decided to swing by the pier on my way home this morning just to see if they had a problem with June grass washing up there also.

Yep!