Krewe of Junkanoo Chili Cook-off

The Krewe of Junkanoo held their Chili Cook-off at the Sandshaker yesterday afternoon. This year the Mystic Krewe of Nereids, an all-female krewe, made their presence known! Elaine Mitchell (above), our Krewe co-chairman, oversees the table preparations.


Our entry was Cowpoke Carl's Cowgirl Chili (C4!) and all the Nereids wore their finest cowgirl attire.


The Chili Cook-off has become an annual fundraising event for the Krewe of Junkanoo and the afternoon also included several raffles, a 50-50 contest, presentation of their new royalty, and much more.


Nancy Kittel models the 'breast-plates' and beads many of the Junkanoo were wearing (and selling) yesterday.


Marilyn LeNormand, one of the founding members of the Mystic Krewe of Nereids travels all the way from Mobile, Alabama during the Mardi Gras season for krewe events. Amazing how such a tiny little thing can have such big heart. She's also a Master Gardener with her own landscaping company!


Elaine Mitchell and other Nereids work on decorating their table and setting up bowls of chili toppings.


Yikes! It's three chili bandidas! Lila Cox, Judy L'Oignon, and yours truly.


Uh oh, this little fellow evidently stumbled upon someone who dwindled to a skeleton while waiting for this year's chili cook-off to begin.


An impostor on the prowl for the best chili on the beach.


Cowpoke Carl (my hubby and chef for the Nereids), stands sentry before the tasting begins.


Little Ms. Peggy Henshall, our own Annie Oakley, right down to her six-shooter.


Paulette Provost! What a treasure she is - multi-krewe royalty with a Cajun flair. We love her!


Cowpoke Carl surrounded with his Cowgirls and Chili.


And guess who won!!!! Yep, Cowpoke Carl's Cowgirl Chili took home first place and bragging rights to the best chili on Pensacola Beach!

Yeehaw!

A Perfect Day

What an incredibly beautiful day on the beach! It doesn't get much better! I took a break during the Krewe of Junkanoo Chili Cookoff to climb high and photograph Casino Beach across the way. A hint of spring is in the air.

Wind patterns

"I was sitting inside reading a book when the wind came knocking at my door inviting me for a walk along the beach."

~~ Author Unknown

Cool clear day

It has been a beautiful, clear, cool day on the coast. After the cold temps, high winds, and frequently overcast conditions we've had so far this year, this day makes everyone look ahead to glorious beach days! Just look at our gorgeous blue Gulf water!



Looks as though I wasn't the only one out and about this morning!

A little piece of heaven

Here is a short video clip of a favorite place to walk on a sunny day. It's so peaceful and quiet, especially on days when only a slight breeze is ruffling the surface of the water. As you can see, the water is crystal clear with beds of seagrass here and there, so its easy to watch the hermit crabs, young fish and shorebirds as you explore the area.

Range Point

One of the loveliest places I enjoy walking is Range Point. At this time of year the inlet to the estuary is generally healed over/filled in, leaving a large expanse of beach which is a beautiful place for quiet reflection.

"Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people."

~~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), "The World As I See It"

Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras

On January 8th the Mardi Gras season kicked off in high gear for Pensacola Beach with the Mystic Krewe of Nereids King Kake Party. March 8th - Fat Tuesday - is only 48 days away and there are krewe balls, champagne breakfasts, parades and more happening every week.

There is a great new website which will help you keep track of all our Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras events, as well as tell you a little about the individual beach krewes, their dues, their charities and their sponsored events. I have already put a link on my website, but you may want to bookmark it for quick reference...although you are ALWAYS welcome to look it up on my blog!

Check it out!

PENSACOLA BEACH MARDI GRAS!

Walk on the Sound

It was finally warm and sunny enough to take a long walk to Range Point and beyond yesterday. One of the rewards was seeing this curious young Great Blue Heron. These birds can be very skittish, but if they get accustomed to people -- especially fishermen who share their catch -- they can get rather bold at times.

As much as I delighted in its curiosity, bold is not always better for either party when it comes to wildlife.

Back to business!

First of all, let me thank all the blog followers who sent me such lovely notes during my absence. In the last couple months of 2010 I really got caught up in my work as a Wildlife Observer for the beach clean-up efforts. Once the 'Sand Shark' operation was shifted from Pensacola Beach to Perdido Key, Wildlife Observers were also transferred to that location.

The change in location meant I had to leave Pensacola Beach around 4:00 p.m. to reach Perdido Key for the 5:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. work shift. The next morning, it was difficult driving home and getting to bed just as the sun was coming up. Most of us Wildlife Observers discovered we were rarely able to sleep past noon. That only left a few hours before time to head out for the next shift. Let me assure you, sleep deprivation is NOT good for your body or your brain!

My work as a Wildlife Observer for BP's subcontractors ended in the last half of December. So, now that I've had time to celebrate the holidays in Tennessee, take a cruise with my husband, and also get my sleeping cycle back to normal, it's time to get back to my other passion: photography and blogging!

I would like to thank all of you who have been so faithful during my absence and, again, all those of you who have taken time to write. I realized, despite this brutally cold weather we've been having, it was time to get off my duff and back to business when someone went one step further and wrote the editor of Island Times to check on me! That's blog loyalty!

So here we go...back to business in Paradise!