Important things

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

~~ Doug Larson

Old memories and young hopes

"We must always have old memories and young hopes."

~~ Arsene Houssaye (1815 - 1896)

Visiting the beach

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting quite as much for a few days. I drove to Tennessee last week for my mother's eye surgery and then brought her back here for a few days to visit and rest up.


Mother visits probably could not be categorized as a time to rest up since we mostly go shopping, but she enjoys it so it still counts as 'resting'.

We visited Portofino one afternoon and mother enjoyed the view of the island and the sparkling water of the Gulf and the Sound.


She always gets upset with me because I make her "laugh too big", but people have to laugh with their eyes or they aren't really laughing. You know know what I mean, I'm sure. Even with mother's dark glasses you can tell she's laughing with her eyes in this photo! :-)

This morning we're driving over to Sweet Home Farm in Elberta, Alabama to buy some of their delicious cheese and let mother see their small herd of Guernseys and the cheese-making operation. They are only open on Friday and Saturday.

The Grouch!

If you're feeling a wee bit grouchy like this fellow here (click on the photo to see that scowl close up), perhaps it's because we need more sun!

Rain, rain, go away,

Give us back our sunny days!

When the last round of thunderstorms pass through tonight, they say we're due several days of sunny, warm temps. YEAH!!!

Middle Tennessee trip

I just returned to Pensacola Beach from a trip to Middle Tennessee. My mother was having cataract surgery on both eyes last week, so I drove up to be with her, help out, and then bring her back to Florida for a few days to rest up.


Springtime is beautiful, especially in Middle Tennessee. My home town of McMinnville, Tennessee is even more so because nursery stock has been the main industry of the county for as long as I can remember. Growing up, signs leading into McMinnville all proclaimed, "Nursery Capital of the World". It surely seemed accurate.


All the photos I'm posting were taken in my mother's yard. This photo of a white lilac bush is one of her favorites and so fragrant.


There are over 200 nurseries listed in the area Yellow Pages or online, but that doesn't count all the small plots of nursery stock here and there. Even children sometimes tend their own small area of nursery stock and help out by (don't faint) mowing with push or riding lawn mowers, or driving tractors.

Mother is very proud of her bleeding hearts this spring. They are especially beautiful in the morning when dew-covered.

Her nandinas are hanging low with berries, which the birds will enjoy all summer.

It won't be long before the pansies begin to fade as temperatures start to climb...

but she enjoys the splash of color they provide at her doorstep through the winter.

The poor tulips have been battered by some of the fierce spring storms this year.

Patches of Bermuda grass between her yard and the neighbors will begin greening up soon. It's quite appropriate that this subdivision is named "Rolling Hills", as you can see from this photo. If I had stepped even 25 feet to the left you would have been able to see Ben Lomand Mountain in the distance.

Everyone has their paradise and Middle Tennessee is that for many people -- generally not those with allergies like me, however. Still, everyone appreciates the beauty of this area of the south.

USA Today loves Pensacola!

What a great article about Pensacola in today's USA Today travel section! But now thousands will know the secret of our Pensacola Beach paradise! Yikes!

You may read the article by clicking HERE!

Good memories

We see a lot of this on the beach - people capturing a sunset, the surf, the shoreline, and good memories of their time on Pensacola Beach.

Some of my blog followers once lived here and circumstances have distanced them from the place they love. I'm glad I'm able to keep them connected to the little paradise which means so much to us and enjoy all the comments and e-mails they send my way.

Reassurance

“You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too."

~~ Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

This idyllic place

"Discovering this idyllic place, we find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time stands still and beauty overwhelms.

~~ Author unknown

The rose petal

"...There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence."

~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Jazzfest 2009

Yesterday turned out to be a lovely day for Jazzfest in Seville Square. Folks kept piling in as the day progressed. I didn't get photos of the performers. I just sat back and enjoyed the performances and captured what was going on around me.


I enjoy watching people dancing, they're so happy and smiling. Dancing seems to chase all the worries away.


This nice gentleman had a small area set up for children to play along with him and provided harmonicas and kazoos...


And what a good time they were having.

They took it very seriously!

I think we had some budding musicians in the crowd!

Papa dancing with his little sweetheart, Ava.

"Swing me, papa!"

Jazz, spring breezes, and softly filtered sun under live oak trees in Seville Square. I've often wondered how old these beautiful trees are.

Dancing and swinging for joy!

Wow, who knew they still had singing telegrams! I had to give this fellow a plug.

"So, kid, how's the singing telegram business going? Ya know I might be available for a little part-time employment since my IRA is down..."

Is there anything better than a day in the park with your dad, your dogs and your Radio Flyer wagon?

I love Jazzfest!

Look at this little fellow, his tiny pink tongue and wedge cut! Isn't he adorable? Shih Tzu's are generally very loving and have a sweet disposition.

Dogs aren't allowed in the park, but generally it's not a problem if they are in a stroller like this little fellow. He really seemed to be enjoying Jazzfest this afternoon -- or perhaps it was just all the attention he was getting.

Fishin'

"I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there."

~ ~Robert Altman

Pensacola Beach polar bears

Here's a video of six-month old Princeton, a Great Pyrenees pup, playing to the camera, then annoying the heck out of ten-year old Ollie. They were visiting from Taos, New Mexico and blended right into our sugar-white sand like polar bears on Arctic ice, so I called them our Pensacola Beach 'polar bears'.

As you may notice, Princeton is chained to the stairwell support, with scraps of other leashes and ropes he chewed through in the background. He was quite the escape artist when we turned our backs - as six-month old pups can be - jumping our fence like it was no more than a puddle. When he is fully grown, he will be even larger than Ollie. Folks can get a bit intimidated when they see an animal his size coming their way and we didn't want Animal Control to be called.

Ten-year old Ollie is a sweetheart and has a quiet disposition -- unless a coyote shows up -- and he puts up with Princeton most of the time, as you'll see here. But his expression when I stir Princeton up seems to say, "Did you have to wake the brat?"

Please feel free to post the captions you'd add for Princeton or Ollie!

At the shore

"Does the song of the sea end at the shore or in the hearts of those who listen to it"

~~ Khalil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

First time to Pensacola Beach

My brother-in-law, Bob, has visited us a few times at the beach, but this is the first time his wife Mary and stepson Charlie have made the trip from Taos, New Mexico. I think Charlie (above) is enjoying himself during his Spring Break. He turned 18 on March 23!


Mary was interested in the creature (hermit crab) she discovered in the shell, but decided not to add it to her collection. She prefers her shells without any surprises.

Happy Anniversary to me!

I can't believe this is the fourth anniversary of my Barrier Island Girl blog! With a few exceptions during family emergencies, I've been at it consistently the whole time. My blog viewers have been supportive, encouraging, and kind.

I have met many special people and learned more than I thought possible. The only thing I would do differently about the blog is the name -- I'm a bit long in the tooth (old) to be identified as Barrier Island Girl! Still, it is what it is and even when I'm 70, I will feel like a barrier island girl on this special, beautiful island which heals the spirit and leaves you feeling blessed.

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true."

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fishin'

All set up to catch something on the beach! "No luck so far!" they said.

Great Pyrenees!

Look who came from New Mexico for a visit! It's Ollie (on the left) and Princeton (right)! See how sweet-natured 150 lbs of Ollie is when that little whippersnapper Princeton chews on his ear.


If there are any reports of a polar bear roaming the island, never fear. Princeton managed to jump the fence and escape for a while today. They blend right in with our sugar white sand.


You don't get better security than this! Can you imagine someone breaking in and being confronted with an expression like this which says: "Need somethin' buddy!"

Woofapalooza!

I've been looking forward to Woofapalooza which took place this weekend. It was scheduled for yesterday, but due to bad weather it was rescheduled for today. Below are some of the photos I took which reinforce my belief that life is simply not long enough to adopt all the different breeds of dog I love.


King Leo! I can't remember the entire proper name of this tiny Pomeranian, but I assure you it was much bigger than him. He's fully grown and the most adorable little Pom I've ever seen.


What sweethearts these two were, sweetness and light. Doncha just want to hug 'em both!


An elegant profile on this lovely Great Dane. Oh how I'd love to take him home with me. If you are interested in one of these gentle giants (and I have been privileged to belong to one in the past), please check out the website of Northwest Florida Great Dane Rescue.


How did they color coordinate those ears to your tongue, sweetie?!


Simply super! It's Supergirl and her companion Superdog!


Uh oh, give it up mister, you're fixin' to be herded!


Tie-dyed and proud of it!


"I'm all about 'Bama, m'am."


Oh my! Is this a hang-dog look or just a hangover?


This Brussels Griffon looked slightly like an old English teacher of mine, but its disposition seemed much sweeter.


Ahhhhh...look at those soft brown eyes.


Time for a drink.


A little pug, quite a picture in her pretty pink attire.


"I can touch my nose with my tongue. Wanna see?"


"Scruffy"! Now please do not get upset if you're the owner. This little fellow looks like the shaved-down version of an abandoned little dog we once rescued and gave that name.

"I love you, mom...so can we please go home now?"

Big ears and bigger heart,

all the rest are tiny parts.

"I only wear pink cashmere, dahling. Keep those animals away from me!"

Ooooh, another great profile on this chocolate lab. What a beauty. And don't you love a guy who color-coordinates with his dog? How did he find a shirt the exact same color?

Yikes! Yellow fever!

I love doggie Doggles! It's even cuter when their Doggles match their feather boas.

Oh look, it's a bird dog. {{{hee, hee...rim shot!}}}

"Holy kibble, Rosco, what have we stumbled into! Have you ever seen so many dogs in costume?"

Bad dog! (Not really. His mom just dressed him that way.)

Ahhhh...do they give out an award for sweetest expression? Just look at that adorable face.

Stand back. These are trained terriers. They can make you 'ooh' and 'ahh' in five seconds flat.

"The poem says, 'When I am old, I shall wear purple...' it doesn't say dye me purple!"

Stroller babies.

A couple of English (?) Mastiffs. Now I realize they are smaller than some mastiffs, but if you don't think they are very big, look at the size of the paw that's stepping on the lady's foot.


The Pensacola Junior Humane Society is a great group and can always use your support. You may visit their site by clicking HERE.


Another great group is the NW Florida Great Dane Rescue. You may visit their site (and their available dogs) by clicking HERE. Great Danes are frequently referred to as gentle giants, but can be difficult to place due to their size. You can help them by donating money or supplies, volunteering, or providing a foster home if qualified.


A pile of pups in the park.


The parade proceeds down Government Street to Seville Square where a music festival was going on.

And finally, bringing up the rear, is the little red fire truck from Rosie O'Grady's.

Everyone seemed to have a good time and hopefully this will become an annual event for Pensacola.