Temporary Leave of Absence

The previous post will be my last for a while. A bone marrow test last week showed that my father's myelodysplasia has progressed into acute leukemia and he only has a matter of days or weeks to live. As many of you know, I am an only child and it is important for me to go back to Tennessee and be with my parents until the end.

Those of you who live on the island, take good care of it until I return and appreciate every moment of its beauty. Feel free to drop me a line (djzztops@yahoo.com) to tell me about a spectacular sunrise, sunset, high surf, how crystal clear the water may be, or just what a beautiful day you're enjoying. It will brighten my day so much.

I hope each and every one of you share loving and joyful holidays with family and friends.

The dying light

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

~~ Dylan Thomas

Trip to Tennessee

I must make an unexpected trip to Tennessee early this morning and will be away for several days. I will be unable to post photos while gone, but perhaps I will have an opportunity to repost some of my favorites from earlier in the year.

End of the day

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind... Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens, but always pity brought me back to earth..."

~~ Bertrand Russell - (1872 - 1970) -- from "What I Have Lived For,"
Prologue to Bertrand Russell's Autobiography

Morning on the island

"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority."

~~ E. B. White (1899 - 1985)

The Jellyfish

"SpongeBob is the only guy I know who can have fun with a Jellyfish..."

~~ Squidward

Finer than frog hair

When you live on the island, life is finer than frog hair!

[Psssst...this is why your mom told you to always wash your fruits and veggies]

Geico Skytypers!!!!

The Geico Skytypers were 'typing' over the island this morning!


They will be performing at the Blue Angel's Homecoming this weekend!


This was SOOOOO cool, but where's the gekko?


NASP - AIRSHOW - FRI/SAT

The Blue Angels will close the 2006 season with their annual Homecoming at NAS Pensacola this weekend!

Broken wing

Though injured, this poor little fellow seemed to be enjoying the surf.

A golden sea

Before me sets a crimson sun
into a golden sea
The windswept beauty soothes my heart
and shares its soul with me.

~~ Barrier Island Girl

A different perspective

"See things as you would have them be instead of as they are."

~~ Robert Collier

Ripples in the sand

Ripples in the sand, rising and falling gently like the patterns of our life that we cannot see except in reflection.

Time's design

"Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?"

~~ Paracelsus (1493 - 1541)

The life imagined

"Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."

~~Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Wastin' time

"I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time..."

~~ Otis Redding

Remnants of summer

Tiny splashes of color here and there are remnants of summer.

Graffiti

"...he recognized what was indelible about graffiti, the bad penmanship of the group unconscious."

~~ Richard Lacayo, The Night Watchman

Trip to Tennessee

I arrived back on the island last night after a trip to be with my parents in Tennessee. The drive could not have been timed any better to enjoy a spectacular fall display.


The colors were beautiful along the Tennessee River at Nickajack Dam.


A day trip to Crossville, Tennessee, took us into the higher elevation of the Cumberland Plateau so my parents could see the fall colors.


Thar's gold in them thar hills! Actually it's in my parents front yard.


A bit of haze in the air did not distract from the beauty.


A few days later a cold front moves through, bringing rain, and leaves begin to fall. The crimson and gold slowly fade away. Low clouds drift round the hills and spill out over the water. Fewer people stop to appreciate the view, though diehard fishermen ignore the chill in the air.

The Blue Horizon

"Live not as though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow; make yourself good while life and power are still yours."

~~ Marcus Aurelius

Barktoberfest for one

Pee Pup: "Hey, Mom, how come you never take me to Barktoberfest?"

Barrier Island Girl: "Cause you're a spoiled little puppy who doesn't play well with other pooches, you get jealous when I photograph other dogs, and you won't keep your costume on!"

Barktoberfest 2006, Part I

Barktoberfest, the main fundraiser for The Humane Society, was held in Seville Square today. Below are some of Barrier Island Girl's awards for Best in Show:



Award: Best Pirate

"Whattaya mean there's no rum?"


Award: Best Pink Diva

"My beret matches my tongue, oui?"


Award: Scariest dog on the planet

{{{I'm not putting words in the mouth of any dog that looks like this! In fact, I may have nightmares about him for a while!}}}


Award: Best Party-Hearty'er

"I'm pooped."


Award: Most Precious

"I'm simply waiting for tea time, dear."


Award: Most Spoiled

"Mommy, you mean I have to learn to walk like them someday?"


Award: Best use of yellow yarn

"Ja, my name is Inga."


Award: Prettiest Pug

"I'm just here to observe."


Award: Hottest dog

"If one more dog tried to take a bit outta my bun...!"


Award: Best Double-Take

"Dahling, you're simply skin and bones!"

Barktoberfest 2006, Part II

More of Barrier Island Girl's Awards at Barktoberfest 2006!


Award: Best Snoop Dogg impression

"Get back, JoJo! "


Award: Most Patriotic

"So, does the red tie mean you're Republican?"


Award: Most Elegant

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."


Award: Best Behaved!

"We were the Pom Prom Princesses"



Award: Best Pumpkin

"I'm the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"


Award: Best impression of a waif from Les Miserables

"Can we puhlease go home now?"


Award: Biggest Hair

"Don't you just luvvvvvvvvv my leopard jacket? Oh my, you mean it's actually giraffe???"



Award: Best Poker Face

"I'm the King of Hearts."


Award: Most ready for naptime

"My bottle, my booties, my bib, my binkie, my bedtime."


Award: Came closest to biting the photographer

"Back up, sweetie, or Number 14 is gonna make mincemeat outta your arm there."

The Violet

"A vi'let on the meadow grew,
That no one saw, that no one knew..."

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -- The Violet

Peeking at the diary

"The sky is that beautiful old parchment in which the sun and the moon keep their diary."

~~ Alfred Kreymborg (1883-1966) American novelist and poet

An empty bench

"To transform the emptiness of loneliness, to the fullness of aloneness. Ah, that is the secret of life."
~~ Sunita Khosla

The Market on the Island

The Market on the Island is great place to pass time on an autumn afternoon. The outdoor seating area allows you to watch a sunset or boats entering the marina at the end of the day. No need to rush, the Market has great deli sandwiches and delicious hot soups available while enjoying the view.

Wind from the east

A walk on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier yesterday afternoon shows the wind shifting, coming out of the east.

Autumn at Range Point

Another hint of autumn on the island, Goldenrod is blooming at Range Point. AHCHEWWWW!

Actually, Goldenrod is frequently mistaken for Ragweed, the real allergy culprit which blooms at the same time of year.