Nauga-sighting on Pensacola Beach

The Krewe of Naugas hosted their annual breakfast at The Dock on January 28. This was one fun-lovin' group. The shy or faint of heart need not attend. Just in case you are unfamiliar with the event, attendees show up in their favorite 'jammies -- generally sporting Mardi Gras colors.

I'll be accepting 'donations' to view the risque shots which can not be shown here. :-)



Whoa! Stand back, boys!


Now these are what I call classy ladies. They sleep in tuxes!


This guy has a monkey on his back!


A fan who color-coordinated Mardi Gras with her favorite team.


Two-fisted drinker.


Dahling... how glorious to see you.


Pretty pink ladies.


Hey, I got two more tickets! See?



Ready to rumble!

Watch the rising sea

Alone on the shore I watch the rising sea
while stung by wind-whipped sands.
Almost alone...a moment now shared by ecstasy
and a seagull's loud demands.

-- Barrier Island Girl

Seaside Sonnet

"Gulls swoop and soar in glee above each crest,
In reverie amidst the foam I splash,
On velvet sand, sun-kissed, I find true rest."

-- Denise Snyder, Seaside Sonnet

A Dauphin day

More than 75% of my belongings are still in storage in Mobile, Alabama -- the closest storage facility available when I moved to Pensacola Beach as a full-time resident -- darn hurricanes! Yesterday, after a search for a couple of needles in the haystack of storage, my sweetie and I took a road trip to Dauphin Island.

I was surprised to see what I considered little hurricane damage compared to what we suffered here on Pensacola Beach. Even now we see a few blue roofs in Pensacola, but nothing of that nature was evident as we approached Dauphin Island or even when we first crossed the bridge. All that changes, however, as you reach the west end of Dauphin Island. The further west you travel, the worse the destruction.

I noticed a number of homes did not use pilings typical of those on Pensacola Beach. For lack of technical knowledge, I can only say many of the homes more severely damaged had "skinny" or "square" pilings. Again, on the westernmost end of the island, the type of pilings used didn't seem to matter as much. The storm surge must have been incredible.



The thing that disturbed me most on Dauphin Island was the number of oil-drilling platforms located offshore. It was appalling to look out on the horizon and count the number of them located anywhere from 5 to 20 miles offshore. If you double-click on the photo above, you can see two or three of them in the distance, but there were probably fifteen or more on the Gulf side of the island. There were even a couple of the oil-drilling platforms on the Sound side of the island which were built much, much closer to shore.

If anyone doubts offshore drilling can affect Pensacola Beach, I'd suggest reading the editorial about Florida's offshore drilling fight in today's Pensacola News Journal and a day trip to Dauphin Island!

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060128/OPINION/601280301/1020

My Blue Angel

I'd love to say I got this shot by riding shotgun with a Blue Angel, but if I flew high with these guys, I'd be tossing my cookies all over the place. Not exactly the kind of mile-high club you would want to join.

Actually I got this shot standing in the parking lot of the Welcome Center on I-10. But isn't it cool? And it came with a free glass of orange juice!

Rapture on the lonely shore

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes.
By the deep sea, and music in its roars;
I love not man the less, but nature more."

- George Gordon

Pensacola Beach (ball)

I LOVE Pensacola Beach!

Hokey Pokey!

You put your right foot in...



You put your right foot out...

Right foot in and then you shake it all about.
A crazy girl is stalkin' me, so this bird's headin' out.
I'll ditch 'er, I have no doubt.

Let's do the Hokey Pokey
Bird Hokey Pokey
A beachy Hokey Pokey
This ol' bird is headin' south.


Seacrest (uh, seaBIRD) Out!

The Conductor

"Every natural object is a conductor of divinity--we all dwell in a house of one room..."

-- John Muir (1838-1914) American conservationist

Living by water

"Fish a'hoy," went out the cry!

[My thanks to Bonnie on the beach this morning for stopping her walk in order to let me get a bit closer to this flock of pelicans.]




"Whatever the reason, I’ve found solace in living by water. Solace and a sense of humor restored. … Water, contrary to even our West’s labyrinthian water laws, cannot be truly claimed. It’s too malleable. Water may reflect us, mirror our deepest selves, but it won’t bear our imprint, our scars. We can in a sense wound it through pollution and our contempt, but more often than not it will wash away those wounds over time. Water leaves no trace of us, though over eons it has left its own mark in the whorls of canyon stone, wide-wandering tributaries, glacial melt. More than volcanic fire and wind, earth is sculpted by water. Perhaps, then, it is from water we can at last learn how to shape ourselves in its image."

-- Brenda Peterson, Living by Water

Last shot of the day

Since my return from Texas on Sunday, the island has been covered with dense fog for most of each day and night. Wouldn't you know I had a dentist appointment this afternoon, just about the time it finally began to move out!

I grabbed my camera and took off for the beach just as the sun was setting. Ahhh...so peaceful.

Head 'em up; move 'em out!

Unless you double-click on this photo, you may not be able to see what is happening.

The beach renourishment has been going 24/7 for weeks now. This morning as the fog lifted I saw the wagons circling to move 'em out. I'm going to miss that old sand dredge with its colorful lights cruising silently by, one trip after another, in the middle of the night.

Foggy morning blues

I'm lost in the fog! What happened to our beautiful sunny days?

Road Trip!

I have to share a few of the photos I took along Mobile Bay during my road trip to Texas. How is it possible for the sky to be this blue or the clouds so dramatic! Who needs fancy filters or Photoshop when Mother Nature smiles? The shot above was taken at low tide, right off the Causeway.



Okay, I know, I have a thing for piers. They're just so darn fascinating to me.



The U.S.S. Alabama still sits at an estimated 6 percent list after her encounter with Hurricane Katrina.

Coffee with a view

I don't know which kick-starts me better, the coffee or the view. Hmmm, perhaps it's coffee with a view.

Home again, home again!

Ahhh, home again! I missed Pensacola Beach so much, despite a wonderful week in Texas.

I get a bit nervous visiting Dallas since my hair automatically poofs up at least a coupl'a inches while there. (What? You never heard "The higher the hair, the closer to God?") I simply can't stop 'back-combing' when in Tennessee or Texas, especially when we're gearing up for the Miss America Pageant!

Pee Pup is relieved to be home since, for the past six days, he shared his Texas digs with Dolly Diva, an 11 month old, wildly flamboyant, flame-haired, hard-drinking Pomeranian. When Dolly Diva is in the house, one must strictly guard their glass. Whether champagne, diet coke, or bourbon and branch, that 10 pound little dog could drink both Paris Hilton and John Wayne under the table.

Pee Pup was shell-shocked at first by Dolly Diva who climbs everything like a squirrel, walks across the back of couches and table-tops in pursuit of drinks and hor d'oeuvres, or an entire Mexican dinner, if available. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, everyone pays for Dolly Diva's indiscretions with her incredibly odious emissions! Even Pee Pup crinkled his nose in disgust.

One bit of advice to fellow travelers: When making a trip from Florida to Texas and back, do not jump to conclusions regarding foul smells and your travel companions in confined areas. For example, refrain from exclamations such as, "Oh my gawd! Was that you or the dog?" (especiallly after a few days with a gassy, tiara'd Pomeranian). It really could be a paper mill -- or the Mississippi River.

How great it is to be back in Paradise -- and fresh air! Yehaw, y'all!

Texas bound

I am leaving for Dallas, Texas this morning and will be gone until next weekend. Always mindful of my blog visitors, I took some extra shots in the past few days so that I can continue posting while I'm away!

Unfortunately I have discovered one quirky problem when utilizing drafts. All those posts will be dated January 13th -- the day they were created. Consequently you will have to scroll down to January 13 to see a new post each day. {{{sigh -- blondes and technology have such a low row to hoe.}}}

The only remaining problem is tearing myself away from the window -- and the incredible sunrise this morning -- long enough to pack. And put a tiny sprinkle of our sugar-white sand in my shoes to assure my return!

Postings scheduled:

Friday - January 13th - Above the clouds
Sunday - January 15th - Benches and benches
Monday - January 16th - Sea Fever
Tuesday - January 17th - These boots are made for walking
Thursday - January 19th - Gift of the seagull

Fishing

"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn."

-- Chuck Clark

Benches and beaches

Benches and beaches at Casino Beach on a glorious Sunday morning.

"What makes you come alive? What stirs your heart? Some of you have embraced a life of caution that has made you bored. You need to listen to your heart. The biggest risk is not pursuing your heart."

-- Seth Barnes

Amen! And I pursued my heart all the way to Pensacola Beach.

Sea Fever

"I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume and the seagulls crying."

-- John Masefield (1878-1967), "Sea Fever"

Gift of the Seagull

"A lonely seagull flies the winds
majestic...soaring...gliding wings...
A single screech sounds from the sky
Come fly with me.. come here and fly

My spirit floats to be a part
I feel the beating of its heart
My soul, one with this bird of sea
Now knows what it means to fly free..."

-- Munda

These Boots Were Made For Walking

These boots were made for walking
and that's just what they'll do,
but this man walked right outta his boots
and straight into the blue. {{{{sea, that is}}}

-- Barrier Island Girl
(apologies to Nancy Sinatra and Jessica Simpson)

Above the clouds

"...Above the clouds there is always light,
beyond the mists and stormy clouds of life,
there where our Dream still shines bright..."

-- James Knight

Pretty Boy!

And the parrot is really cute too!

Polly wants a smack(er)

Typical blonde, I was so enthralled that I forgot to get names! And how often do you see a guy riding around with a parrot on his handlebar?

January in Pensacola Beach!

Pensacola Beach is having spectacular weather in the middle of January! It is incredible!

If you see someone making a fool of herself on the beach, never fear, it's just me -- Barrier Island Girl -- enjoying the weather while groovin' & movin' to the sounds of Bob Marley.

"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet
Make you want to move your dancing feet..."

-- Bob Marley

Tide me over

I must say, the residents of the latest condo complex on Pensacola Beach are a bit crabby!

Farewell to Colin!

Colin, a faithful blog visitor, is graduating from the Navy air traffic control school tomorrow and leaving Pensacola for Whidbey Island, Washington. I had to get a good shot of the beach this afternoon, just to remind him what he'll be missing!

I wish you the very best of luck, Colin, and thank you for all the nice comments you've left on my blog.

Here is a link to Colin's blog if you'd like to follow his journey:

http://navyatc.blogspot.com/

Oh happy day!

Beauty as we feel it

"Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable;
what it is or what it means can never be said."

- George Santayana

When sunny gets blue

"When Sunny gets blue, her eyes get gray and cloudy,
Then the rain begins to fall, pitter-patter, pitter-patter..."

--- Nat King Cole

Palm'y day in paradise

The past couple of days have been incredible -- 70 degrees, sunny, and lovely cloud formations! Life is good in paradise.

Unfortunately we are getting ready for a taste of winter. The high tomorrow may be around 48 - 50 degrees and the low around 28 - 30 degrees. {{{{burrrrrr}}}} That's called a 3-dog night in Tennessee, cause it will take at least three dogs to keep you warm.

Now where did I put those long-handles I packed away when I left Tennessee?

Surfer Girl

Twilight in the east

There was a beautiful evening sky over the Gulf of Mexico. I wish you were here to see the soft colors of the sky as they blend into the water.

Empty slips

Empty slips are a very good sign: the captain has a charter or the owner has a beautiful day for boating.