Bands on the Beach

Bands on the Beach - August 4, 2009

Meet Kiera! Isn't she beautiful? She was having a great time with her mom at Bands on the Beach.

The crowd was gearing up early for a good time!

Lila Cox shows off her Island Times chair. How cool is that.

Buck Lee is taking his "Leave Only Your Footprints Please" campaign

to the next level. Recycling bins have now been placed around Casino Beach in which you can place your plastic bottles, cans and other recyclables.

Another strong proponent of recycling is Lila Cox. Like me, one of her environmental goals is to help eliminate plastic bottles! Lila is working on something special for the cause at our Taste of the Beach event in September. I'll keep you informed and maybe you'll even see me helping her out that weekend!

So look for these marked recycling bins next Tuesday night at Bands on the Beach, or any time you're in the Casino Beach area. We want to fill them up and maybe they will add even more around the core area!

It's the current Queen and King of Coma - Darlene and Don Richards!

Just a swingin'!

Allen Penniman is showing off his very special tee shirt! He and his wife, Janet, are very proud grandparents of Sarah Andrews, who won a gold medal for the United States in the Women's 5,000 meter race at the Pan American Junior Championships in Trinidad last week! Yea, Sarah!

Not Quite Fab was the featured band last night. The crowd truly enjoyed a trip back to the '60's and the music of the Beatles.

As you can see, we ended up with a perfect evening and almost a full moon on display.

Another big crowd.

And what a surprise, if you stayed 'til the end of the concert. The Not Quite Fab band was joined by McGuire's Pipe Band! What a lovely result.

A great way to end a lovely evening on Pensacola Beach.

Osprey

One of the best perks of volunteering for the park is getting closer to the wildlife. When I patrol east of Pensacola Beach in the Santa Rosa area, I pass a large colony of black skimmers, one of my favorite birds. On the west side - the Ft. Pickens area - I get to see large osprey like this! This one had just caught a fish and was having a sushi breakfast as I drove by.


Oops, sorry to interrupt you. No need to go on my account....


But off he goes with the fish tight in his talons.

There's no time to dawdle on turtle patrol. If we find a nest which needs to be relocated, there are restrictions on the time frame within which it must be done. Plus, nesting sea turtles have been known to get disoriented and dehydrated, needing help to get back into the Gulf of Mexico like the beautiful loggerhead at Opal Beach last year. Click HERE to view the photos of the loggerhead and the rescue.

I keep my camera on the seat next to me and grab it frequently, but there's no time to stop and set up a tripod. The birds would be long gone anyway. Vibration of the vehicle increases blur, but at least these photos give you a glimpse of our barrier island stirring at daybreak.

Life is good!

Thank you!

Thanks to all my blog followers, I noticed my sitemeter is going to hit the 150,000 mark today! I've shared over 1500 posts about Pensacola Beach - almost all with photos - since I started my blog in April 2005. Can you believe it! Does that win me a Guinness Book World Record award of some type? ;-)

Some of my blog followers have even moved to the area! Sagar Raste and his beautiful wife, Vijaya, moved here from India! Who knew I had followers halfway around the world!

Judy Kuhn and her family very recently relocated to Gulf Breeze from Indiana. It was fun to read their enthusiasm about the move in her e-mails.

- Mary in California started following my blog when a family member moved here.

- Mary Lou in Missouri visits here with her family of 'Froot Loops' every year.

- Scottie & the Dougal in Atlanta {{{hugs to Doogie}}}

- My friend, Nancy, in Newnan, Georgia.

- Sweet, poetic Lou in Denver, Colorado - formerly from Pensacola, who is currently married to a former flight surgeon for the Blue Angels! Wow! And a great photographer, too!

- Dale and Bonnie Taylor from Minnesota! Their grandson, Ryan, would go out in the yard to blow south and help keep the hurricanes away from us last year!

- Annie Patterson in Barrow, Alaska, who used some of my photos of sea turtle hatchlings to help with her illustrations! [I'll be sure to tell you when the book is released next year and you can see her exquisite illustrations!]

There are so many more - some like 'Everyday Gautier' Sylvia that I've never even met but get used to seeing their location on a regular basis. I truly enjoy all the comments and e-mails that come my way, the friends I've made, and the loyalty to my blog.

But whether local or far away, the common thread for us all is our love of this beautiful island and a positive spirit. I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy sharing this little piece of paradise with you! Let's go for another 150,000!

DJ

Clair - da loon

Meet Clair, da loon. I see several resting along the beach around dawn. It is not uncommon for a tourist or someone unfamilar with loons to report them as an injured bird. While graceful on water, their webbed feet are set far back on their body, making it difficult for them to walk or maneuver around on shore.

Apologies to Claude Debussy fans for my bad pun. If the rest of you are unfamiliar with or have forgotten the beauty of Clair de lune, the third movement of The Suite Bergamasque, you may want to check out one of the YouTube versions by clicking HERE.

And if you would like to hear some of the loon's soulful and unique calls, click HERE and listen to 'wail' or 'tremelo' - the typical calls I hear at Ft. Pickens.

Heronymous

A much lovelier photo subject from this morning.


I don't know if it is a he or a she, much less its 'name', so I call it Heronymous. ;-)

Shore surprises

You just never know what to expect when you patrol the beach in the early morning hours, but this is the first time I've ever discovered a 27" television.


Luckily I caught this balloon bouquet before it entered the water. Balloons are very bad for sea turtles and other marine life and shorebirds, but we frequently see them on the beach marking the spot of weddings and other events. Sadly most people don't know that once they get into the water, they can be ingested by turtles and dolphin who mistake them for jellyfish.

You may read an article about the threat of plastic bags and balloons to sea turtles by clicking HERE and HERE

Akimbo

"We spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking. We move along the surface of things [but] there are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper."

James Carroll

Fort Pickens

I realized this morning that in all the photographs I've shown you of the newly reopened Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, I haven't shown you a single one of the fort itself! Completed in 1834, the fort has withstood countless hurricanes.


The fort was the site of the first major battle of the Civil War on Florida soil. It was known as the Battle of Santa Rosa Island.


Designed by French engineer, Simon Bernard, over 21 million bricks were used to build Ft. Pickens.

Despite the damage from hurricanes, there is still much to explore at Ft. Pickens.

There are daily tours of Ft. Pickens at 2:00 p.m. and a beautiful section of the Florida Scenic Trail begins within the fort itself and travels east over marshes and canals.

Lantana grabs a foothold in a crack of the old fort wall.

It costs $8.00 per vehicle to entry the Ft. Pickens Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore and it is good for a period of one week. U.S. citizens who are 62 years of age or older may purchase a lifetime Senior Pass for $10.00 which is good for all national parks!

Pensacola Beach Fire Station

The new fire station on Pensacola Beach had their ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning.


All the trucks were on display.

Jet skis and two four-wheel drive trucks are ready for beach rescue.

A beautiful new station to replace the one destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

A 7,200 square foot building, built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

Containing some 2,000 cubic yards of concrete.

A workout room for the firemen.

Command central.

Room to relax and watch a widescreen television between calls.

Coffee bar and small extra dining area.

The kitchen and seating area.

One of the individual bedrooms with computer access.

Flags fly high at 901 Via de Luna.

Directly across the street is the Pensacola Beach Elementary School, which was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education in 2007.

This little boy is proud of his dad!

Families of the firefighters attended today's dedication with pride. We salute our hardworking men at the Pensacola Beach Fire Department.

When I grow up....

All of us have heard the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I think we know the answer for little Maxwell Van Camp.


Max was mesmerized by the firemen wearing dress uniforms this morning at the dedication of the new Pensacola Beach fire station.


In fact, I think it would have taken a canon firing to get his attention away from firemen Brian Chetwynde and Larry Richardson.

I think there should be a fire truck under the tree for Max this Christmas. How precious!

Beach babes!

Summer friends Emma and Jared Rodriguez and Lauren Pinkston attended the dedication of the new Pensacola Beach Fire Station on Via de Luna this morning. Emma and Jared are visiting their grandparents, Mike and Chrissy Cook. Lauren is the daughter of Dr. Tracey Pinkston.

Ten year old Jared, already a skilled gymnast, shared his plans to be in the 2016 Olympics! He's somewhat concerned that he's taken a week off from practice to visit Pensacola Beach, but I have no doubt that with his level of dedication and confidence we will see him there in 2016.

You heard it here first!

Discovering Gautier

An unusal post for me, but I discovered something special tonight that really excited me. For several years I have had a blog follower from Gautier, Mississippi and at last I know who it is -- sorta!

Bloggers know few statistics other than a visitor's internet provider (a number or AOL, Verizon, Bellsouth, etc.), location (city/state of internet provider) and the amount of time they spend on the blog. My follower from from Gautier (pronounced go-shay) has been faithful for so long that I almost worry when they aren't there when I check my daily stats!

So, Sylvia from Gautier, Mississippi, I am very happy to meet you! I discovered who you are tonight during a Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event. Your friend, Lee McLaughlin, said "My friend from Gautier starts her day with a cup of coffee and your blog."

"Gautier? My every-day Gautier!!!!??"

Lee wants you here for a girls' weekend and I have told her I have to meet you when you make the trip! Anyone who follows Pensacola Beach as closely as you should not be visiting here! Girl, you should LIVE here!

Go Gautier!!!! I can't wait to tell you -- in person -- how wonderful it has been to have you as a blog follower!

Walking on clouds

“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them."

~~ Leonard L. Levinson

Heron nest at Ft. Pickens

What a great discovery at Ft. Pickens! It's a nest with two blue heron chicks! Unfortunately my strongest telephoto lens is only 250mm, which not nearly enough to get decent shots of the chicks.

If you're a local and would like to know where to go to view the nest, please e-mail me!

Top 5 places to retire

If you didn't catch it in this morning's USA Weekend, be sure to check out the number 2 spot on the list of Top 5 Places to Retire.

Passion flower

A lovely passion flower blooming along the Florida Scenic Trail in Ft. Pickens.

Clouds at morning

"I saw two clouds at morning,
Tinged with the rising sun,
And in the dawn they floated on,
And mingled into one..."

~~ John Gardiner Calkins Brainard (1795 - 1828), Epithalamium

Sunday sunrise

I hope you didn't miss the beautiful sunrise this morning.


By the time this photo was taken, I had already patrolled to the edge of Pensacola Beach and started back toward Ft. Pickens, looking back occasionally to get another photo of the sunrise.


Impressive Cumulonimbus clouds added drama. They also added a little rain at times!

How lucky am I to see Pensacola Beach at dawn! The only downside of the morning was no sea turtle activity.

Snowy Egret

I first noticed this beautiful snowy egret at Ft. Pickens a couple of weeks ago, but it has been difficult to get a photo because he/she is very skittish. Also, most of the photos I take on patrol are not sharp due to the vibration of the Mule, but I was happy to finally nab one of this beauty, especially one that shows his bright yellow feet!


Although the snowy egret is not endangered or threatened, it is listed as a species of special concern in Florida because its numbers have been dwindling since the 1950's

As always, you can learn more about the subjects of my photos by clicking on highlighted text which contain links with specific information.

Blog issues

I'm having some problems with my blog, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon and perhaps I'll post some photos this afternoon.

I'm happy to see my B.I.G.ettes (blog followers) function is working again. I'm not sure where you all disappeared to for a while, but I'm very happy to see your smiling faces are back again!

UPDATE @ 12:30 p.m. : Well it appears my B.I.G.ettes are off and traveling again. Wherever you are, I hope you're have a lovely visit in the etherdom and that Blogger.com sends you back soon. Send e-cards. ;-)