Barrier Island Girl

Blue skies

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Oh how wonderful to see blue in the sky again. Away, drab gray of winter days!

[Hmmm...actually tomorrow is officially the first day of winter, but you could have fooled me.]

Bundled up

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Burrrrrrrr! It is cold! According to the Pensacola Beach Elementary School weather station, it dropped down to 38 out here on the island -- with 23 mph wind gusts!

Even bundled up in my old parka, it was cold out there. Still, I prefer our snow-white sand over what many folks are dealing with along the northern coast!

Gulf Islands National Seashore: The Treasure of the Gulf Coast

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:46:00 +0000

I was very excited to see a comment from Jill Hubbs, Director of Outreach and Educational Services at WSRE-TV, our local PBS affiliate, informing me that their excellent documentary, Gulf Islands National Seashore: The Treasure of the Gulf Coast, is now available for online viewing. Ms. Hubbs was the writer, director and producer of this remarkable film and even persuaded Ken Burns to narrate the piece which serves as a companion to his series The National Parks: America's Greatest Idea.

About 24 minutes into the documentary you will catch a glimpse of someone who was very special to us: Kirsten Dahlen, our Traveling Turtle Girl, who did so much to educate us with her blog, as she releases tiny sea turtle hatchlings into the Gulf of Mexico.

I am so happy to be able to share this special presentation of WSRE-TV with you on my blog and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rough weather

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Our rough weather continues, as you can see. I took advantage of a break in the rain to go outside and take this photo of Santa Rosa Sound being whipped up by the northeast wind.

A front moved through around 3:00 a.m. (I know this because of a whiplash injury at the age of 20 which has turned me into a human barometer.) Winds gusted up to 40 mph in the overnight hours and even now are sustained around 15 - 17 mph on the beach. Although our temperature is 47 degrees at the moment, I'm relieved they've revised the colder temps originally forecast for next week.

At at least it isn't nearly as cold here as it is with some of my blog friends! The Taylors in East Grand Forks, Minnesota are chillin' with 11 degrees this morning, and the Pattersons in Barrow, Alaska are at {{{drum roll}}} -21 degrees, with a wind chill of -40! YIKES!

Wouldn't it be nice to see sunshine! Even though I wouldn't dare go to the beach when the winds are this high, it would be nice to look out and see sun sparkling on the water again.

Lighted Boat Parade

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:22:00 +0000

It was so very cold and windy during our Lighted Boat Parade on December 11th, that I didn't take many photos. But I decided to go back and show you a couple of my favorites that I took with a long exposure.

Pensacola Beach Christmas Parade

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:57:00 +0000

Although both the Pensacola and Gulf Breeze Christmas parades had to be cancelled on Saturday due to rain, the weather (and fog) cleared just enough for Pensacola Beach to proceed with their parade Sunday afternoon! Yippee!

Sandi Johnson, the current Shaker Queen, is one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet. She raised over $1,000 for various charities and not-for-profit groups such as the Pensacola Beach Elementary School and the Humane Association during Shakerfest this year.

The newly crowned Queen Sugah of the Woolyboogers, was accompanied by a couple of cheery elves!

Attention hound!

Pensacola Beach loves parades and floats and throws...just in case you hadn't noticed.

And nobody dresses up their big-girl tricycle better than Ms. Kimmie!

Most adorable of the parade were the little dancers who hopped, skipped, and kicked their heels all the way from Avenida 10 to Casino Beach.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Pensacola Beach!

MOJO!

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:23:00 +0000

I'm happy to report that my blogging mojo seems to have finally returned and I'm back at it again. I was a bit hesitant to say it out loud for fear it would disappear again, but some of my faithful blog followers, Ryan and Alli Taylor, and their 'Poppie' Dale, held a special mojo party for me in Minnesota this week and it seems to have done the trick!

Four-year old Ryan is a real pro at helping me out during the hurricane season. If you don't remember him, you can check out A story for Ryan on my blog last year.

Thanks, Ryan, Alli and Dale! You're the best!

Ya gotta have friends!

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Two of my favorite friends here on the island are Jim and Lila Cox, who came as a 'Naughty Claus' and Ebinezer Scrooge to the Lighted Boat Parade this evening.

Great disguises because they are two of the nicest people and most valued volunteers on this island. If there is any event for Pensacola Beach, Chamber of Commerce, our Elementary School, etc., you can count on them not only as the biggest supporters, but the hardest workers to make things happen.

Thank you, Jim and Lila!

Christmas ornaments

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:34:00 +0000

I thought you might like to see my favorite Christmas tree ornament. Isn't it a beautiful sea turtle?

My favorite island store, Island Style, carries the December Diamond collection and I try to get a couple of the new aquatic themed ornaments from them every year. Below is another photo of it using flash. It spoils the glow of the Christmas tree, but captures detail of the ornament.

Winter Wonderland

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Ft. Pickens reopened (again) this afternoon and we discovered our own version of a winter wonderland!

Tons of sand cleared from Ft. Pickens Road following Tropical Storm Ida and a subsequent winter storm, made it look more like we were driving through a ski resort than Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Awesome!

Ft. Pickens reopens...again

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:09:00 +0000

The Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore has reopened after thousands of tons of sand dumped onto the road by Tropical Storm Ida and a late season winter storm were cleared enough to allow traffic back into the park.

I took several photos of giant sand dunes created by the front loaders, but the beach was so pretty today that I wanted to share this photo with you first.

Pensacola Beach Christmas Ornament

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:09:00 +0000

I received a note from a blog visitor this afternoon who reminded me about our Pensacola Beach Christmas ornament which is available again this year! He grew up in Pensacola, but now resides in Texas. Seeing the beach sign made him a bit homesick, so he called and ordered two!

I'm sure Santa would love to place one of these on your tree this year, too.

I called Island Style to make sure they have plenty in stock, and they do. The photo above is of the ornament when it is turned off.

When it is plugged into your Christmas tree lights, it duplicates the flashing of the iconic neon Pensacola Beach sign itself. It is awesome!

The ornaments are $17.99, plus shipping and handling. Island Style can take your credit card info over the phone, so if interested you may purchase them by calling 850/934-3100.

Tell them Barrier Island Girl sent you!

Sea Oat Honey

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:09:00 +0000

I was very excited when I received a gift of 'Sea Oat Honey' from Mr. Morrie Drees this week and, as you can see from the jar, I've already been into it a couple of times!

Before Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004, Mr. and Mrs. Drees lived on the sound-side of the island, near the Beach Community Church. It was there that he kept a hive of honey bees which drowned during the storm. Luckily a sealed five gallon container of the honey survived by floating to the top of a confined area during the surge. As you can see from the container he gave me, it is still clear and has a lovely rich amber color.

Mr. Drees said that for honey to have a varietal name it must have 60% of a certain source, for instance, "orange blossom honey" must have 60% nectar from orange blossoms. So although he can't assume his is from sea oats, it surely tastes wonderful and I love the name!

Thanks, Mr. D.!

Jake and Santa Claus

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:24:00 +0000

This weekend I participated as photographer for the Santa and His Paparazzi event on the Boardwalk. It's a sweet and special occasion to see the children interact with Santa. They always surprise me with their questions and comments to Santa. Some are shy, some are very excited, some come prepared, but there are a few who fall into a category all their own, which brings me to 3 year-old Jake.

Jake's parents said he had been very excited on the way to see Santa, but suddenly was not such a happy camper when he got actually got on Santa's lap. His older sister, Ashley, thought perhaps Jake had a flashback to all those times he'd been reminded to be good...and had a teeny, tiny problem.

His parents, Brent and Tara Belongy, had talked to Jake on the way over about what he was going to ask Santa to bring him. Jake said,"Everything on the commercials and in the magazine!" But now Jake slumped rather dramatically in Santa's lap and couldn't be persuaded to talk at all.

Santa did his best to get Jake to confide in him, but nothing helped.

Finally we realized Jake actually seemed upset with himself, though no one could figure out why.

His mom and sister talked to Jake and eventually discovered why he was so inconsolable...

It was because...he hadn't brought his list! Now this may not seem a big issue at first, but when you consider that Jake wants "everything on the commercials and in the magazine," that's a lot of pressure for a little fellow to handle when he's sitting on Santa's knee and realizes he left his list at home.

Jake's dad, Brent, leaned over to reassure him that it would be okay and that they would e-mail the list to Santa when they got home. At this point Jake firmly told his dad, "I'm tired and I need a nap!"

I'm not sure that Jake will get everything on his list this year, but I think his family definitely will when Jake receives his first Oscar for lead actor in a comedy.

I requested permission from Jake's parents to share the photos of his visit to Santa with you, and they generously agreed. His mom shared with me that when they left the Boardwalk his sister Ashley carried a tired little Jake all the way back to the car, whereupon he asked his folks if they thought a trip to McDonald's would recharge his batteries.

Uh, Santa, could you add a recharge to Jake's list.

[Note: Jake might be upset if I didn't let you know that he will turn four on December 21 - but that's another list.]

Island SOBs

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:31:00 +0000

The SOBs (which stands for Sisters of the Beach) traded in their tiaras for Santa hats yesterday afternoon during their annual luncheon at Flounders. Although I had a few stops to make at other events, I definitely made time to stop by and capture some of the fun with photos. Bunkie Hewerdine and Paulette Provost (First Mate of the Krewe of Wrecks this year) were so festive!!!

Mimosas, champagne and frequent toasts.

Melanie Waite is one of my fellow sea turtle patrollers in the summer. This year she earned a beautiful gold pin for 1,000 hours of volunteer work with the sea turtle program.

A gator girl at the party!

Chrissy Cook found an inventive way to keep her booted foot safe after recent surgery.

Amy DePew believes in Santa and has the sweatshirt to prove it!

Gwen & Danah Gibson with Sharon Mattair. I think everyone who has ever met Danah thinks she should have her laugh marketed. You can't hear her laugh without laughing along!

Jayne Drees Redmond sported some high antlers! Jayne was so nice to help me out at the Mardi Gras parade earlier this year after I became the photographer for the Krewe of Wrecks.

Karen Hagford and Elaine Mitchell. Elaine is current Queen of the Nereids! Remember the Nereids incredible mermaid costumes at the Mardi Gras this year and their choreographed dance after the parade! Wow!

The ladies made sure their wait staff at Flounders knew how much they were appreciated after the luncheon! I actually thought I saw some of them blushing!

One of my favorite shots from yesterday! Bunkie's 4" heels (or were they 5"?) finally got the best of her, so Gwen helped transport her to the group photo. You must click on the photo to see those incredible shoes in detail -- and see if you wouldn't have been in the same boat!

Check out the next issue of Island Times to see a group photo of the SOBs!

Gulf Breeze Pet Fest

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:44:00 +0000

One of the fun things about having a photo blog is being able to show you a lot more photos than the local papers. This was one of the charming faces they missed yesterday at the Gulf Breeze Pet Fest.

Poor baby looks so sad. Perhaps it's because no one has adopted this gentle giant yet. Please check out this link to the Northwest Florida Great Dane Rescue. They have many wonderful dogs who need good homes.

Or even consider becoming a foster home!

Ah ha! There were some amazing exotics at yesterday's Pet Fest.

I must admit to not being overly fond of reptiles, but this fellow was pretty incredible.

What a beauty! Look at those ice blue eyes.

Sizing up the competition.

Hey, Buddy!

A Bichon angel...and she actually has wings to prove it.

Representing the exotics, these two young ladies have three entries, but you'll have to click on the photo to spot them all.

Back side of the dog...

This is the front.

The Wooly Booger Bawl

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:51:00 +0000

It was a dark and rainy night... but still great for the Kiss the Hurricane Goodbye Wooly Booger Bawl on the beach.

The Wooly Boogers came together to celebrate the end of the hurricane season and also crown their new Queen Sugah.

Outgoing Queen Sugah Kathi did a fantastic job of keeping the hurricanes away this year. Now everyone waits as she announces who will take her place.

"Moi!!????" Shelley Johnson, editor of the Island Times, seemed truly surprised -- and it's not easy to pull one over on this lady who knows everyone and everything happening on this island!

Passing of the tiara and beads...

Queen Sugah Shelley! We're betting she has some powerful gris-gris to protect us from the hurricanes next year too.

There to help celebrate was Queen Sugah Shelley's handsome son, Jeremy, and beautiful daughter-in-law Rachel. You can see that one of the Queen's favorite gifts last night was a pink-feathered fan.

Entreaty to Queen Sugah

Oh, Queen Sugah, draw us near,

Ease our Wooly Booger fears.

Protect our island night and day,

And keep the hurricanes away!

After Ida

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:43:00 +0000

I'm very appreciative that Ida was pretty much a non-event for us here on Pensacola Beach -- at least in my neighborhood. We didn't so much as lose a palm frond in our yard and we had no flooding. Issues of beach erosion and road conditions within the National Seashore may be another story.

Ft. Pickens Road and Bowden Way (the road to Navarre Beach) are both closed. I was hoping that Bowden Way would reopen quickly, but now I'm not so sure after looking at some of the photos in this morning's Pensacola News Journal online. It is going to take a while for the water to drain and the sand to be plowed off the road.

You may check out some of the PNJ photos of Pensacola Beach after Tropical Storm Ida by clicking HERE.

Tropical Storm Ida

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Tropical Storm Ida continues to weaken.

Lifeguards keep a watchful eye at Casino Beach, but even the surfers are staying out of this churning surf.

Don't forget that you can check conditions at the beach near the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier via the Island Empress webcam. It is located under "Local Cams" in the left-hand column of this page.

Coming home

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Today is the first day I've been able to drive and you can't imagine how excited I was. This afternoon I drove almost to Park East to get photos of the surf. Suddenly, in the distance, I spied the Blue Angels!

Many times the Blue Angels fly over the beach on their way back to Pensacola Naval Air Station after a weekend performance. This time they were returning from Jacksonville, Florida.

It's always exciting to see them return, but today it was especially beautiful with the high surf and golden haze.

As they flew west the F/A 18's began to disappear into the sun.

Suddenly, as they neared Portofino, the jets signaled their arrival home with long, glowing contrails. What a remarkable sight.

Grommets

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:25:00 +0000

A couple of tuckered-out younger surfers (grommets) lay atop an old gun turret at Ft. Pickens watching waves sweep into Pensacola Pass.

Surfers lined up along the beach near the Pass catching a few nice waves as the surf started to build this afternoon.

Red flag

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Red flags are going up along Pensacola Beach as the surf gets higher.

Ft. Pickens

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:47:00 +0000

At least I'm making it to my computer now. This break has given me a chance to organize my photos a bit and I came across this photo taken a couple of weeks ago at Ft. Pickens. It's a great place to spend an afternoon, especially with this cooler weather.

Happy Halloween

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Witches hats and pitchforks... Happy Halloween!

Short break

djzztops@yahoo.com (Barrier Island Girl) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:40:00 +0000

I'm going to be taking a short break from my blog-- hopefully just a few days. I'm heading out the door at the end of this post for Andrews Institute to have my knee 'scoped.

I scheduled the procedure for after turtle patrol season and a couple weeks of company and travel. The physician's assistant said they've had patients who requested waiting until after deer season or turkey season, but 'turtle season' was a first. :-)

A note to friends and family, I won't have access to my computer and e-mails for a while since I'll be separated from the office by a flight of stairs. That alone will inspire me to rehab quickly...or get a laptop!

Wish me luck!