Which way to paradise?

Which way should I go today?



Lemons!!!

At least they will be lemons eventually!

 

The 'Super Moon'

What a beautiful moon tonight. I drove east into the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore to find a more quiet place to photograph the event which NASA referred to as a "super 'perigee' moon".

It was simply splendid!!

Sunshine!

Although it's still cold, at least we have sunshine today and the wind has died down! YEAAAAAA!!!

Nauga Champagne Breakfast

The Dock remains home of the biggest pajama party on the island as the Krewe of Nauga comes out for their annual Champagne Breakfast, which benefits the Humane Society of Pensacola. I often wonder what tourists think when they see hundreds of people walking around the core area in their pajamas.


Danah Gibson, one of the founders and a former Queen of the Krewe of Nauga. Last year the Naugas were host to approximately 800 people!!


Young and old alike enjoy Mardi Gras -- and playing dress-up --on the island. Terese Overlade, who looks more adorable each year, is usually spotted near the entrance helping Nauga Royalty with raffle tickets.

Sharon Mattair...hmmmm...something very unusual about those eyes. Take a closer look!

Judy L'Oignon, the reigning Queen of the Krewe of Naugas.

Susie Mardis and Nancy Kittel dress in their best faux-Nauga print finery. Wouldn't want to hurt any Naugas, you know. They're endangered!

Love that weave!

"More, I said!"

A distance relative of the Nauga tribe.

Deb Friedman, a former Nauga Queen and one of our wonderful island originals, sells raffle tickets.

Whoa...invader from the north! How did these penguins get in?

Hey, Morrie, I'm a friend, right? Gotta love a man with connections.

Ahhhh...it's Marilyn, the Energizer Bunny! She really did have giant batteries on her back. Now I know where she gets all that energy!

Yikes! It's those penquins again! Lila, is that you???

Lauren Littleton - the new Queen of the Krewe of Naugas! It's quite a feat that the Queens manage to keep their new royalty a secret each year, but it really pays off with the look of surprise on the new Queen's face when the name is called. Congratulations, Lauren!

Past and present Queens of the Krewe of Nauga.

The Nauga Saga!

2010 Nauga Champagne Breakfast

2009 Nauga Champagne Breakfast<>

Gray day

Although it is another gray day at the beach, the rain and mist finally stopped and the wind died down a little. The high for today is forecast to be 48 degrees.

Incredible as it sounds, there was a surfer in the water! Even though he was in a full surfing wetsuit, I don't know how he did it. The last I heard, our water temperature is in the mid-50's.

Krewe of Junkanoo Chili Cook-off

The Krewe of Junkanoo held their Chili Cook-off at the Sandshaker yesterday afternoon. This year the Mystic Krewe of Nereids, an all-female krewe, made their presence known! Elaine Mitchell (above), our Krewe co-chairman, oversees the table preparations.


Our entry was Cowpoke Carl's Cowgirl Chili (C4!) and all the Nereids wore their finest cowgirl attire.


The Chili Cook-off has become an annual fundraising event for the Krewe of Junkanoo and the afternoon also included several raffles, a 50-50 contest, presentation of their new royalty, and much more.


Nancy Kittel models the 'breast-plates' and beads many of the Junkanoo were wearing (and selling) yesterday.


Marilyn LeNormand, one of the founding members of the Mystic Krewe of Nereids travels all the way from Mobile, Alabama during the Mardi Gras season for krewe events. Amazing how such a tiny little thing can have such big heart. She's also a Master Gardener with her own landscaping company!


Elaine Mitchell and other Nereids work on decorating their table and setting up bowls of chili toppings.


Yikes! It's three chili bandidas! Lila Cox, Judy L'Oignon, and yours truly.


Uh oh, this little fellow evidently stumbled upon someone who dwindled to a skeleton while waiting for this year's chili cook-off to begin.


An impostor on the prowl for the best chili on the beach.


Cowpoke Carl (my hubby and chef for the Nereids), stands sentry before the tasting begins.


Little Ms. Peggy Henshall, our own Annie Oakley, right down to her six-shooter.


Paulette Provost! What a treasure she is - multi-krewe royalty with a Cajun flair. We love her!


Cowpoke Carl surrounded with his Cowgirls and Chili.


And guess who won!!!! Yep, Cowpoke Carl's Cowgirl Chili took home first place and bragging rights to the best chili on Pensacola Beach!

Yeehaw!

A Perfect Day

What an incredibly beautiful day on the beach! It doesn't get much better! I took a break during the Krewe of Junkanoo Chili Cookoff to climb high and photograph Casino Beach across the way. A hint of spring is in the air.

Wind patterns

"I was sitting inside reading a book when the wind came knocking at my door inviting me for a walk along the beach."

~~ Author Unknown

Cool clear day

It has been a beautiful, clear, cool day on the coast. After the cold temps, high winds, and frequently overcast conditions we've had so far this year, this day makes everyone look ahead to glorious beach days! Just look at our gorgeous blue Gulf water!



Looks as though I wasn't the only one out and about this morning!

A little piece of heaven

Here is a short video clip of a favorite place to walk on a sunny day. It's so peaceful and quiet, especially on days when only a slight breeze is ruffling the surface of the water. As you can see, the water is crystal clear with beds of seagrass here and there, so its easy to watch the hermit crabs, young fish and shorebirds as you explore the area.

Range Point

One of the loveliest places I enjoy walking is Range Point. At this time of year the inlet to the estuary is generally healed over/filled in, leaving a large expanse of beach which is a beautiful place for quiet reflection.

"Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people."

~~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), "The World As I See It"

Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras

On January 8th the Mardi Gras season kicked off in high gear for Pensacola Beach with the Mystic Krewe of Nereids King Kake Party. March 8th - Fat Tuesday - is only 48 days away and there are krewe balls, champagne breakfasts, parades and more happening every week.

There is a great new website which will help you keep track of all our Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras events, as well as tell you a little about the individual beach krewes, their dues, their charities and their sponsored events. I have already put a link on my website, but you may want to bookmark it for quick reference...although you are ALWAYS welcome to look it up on my blog!

Check it out!

PENSACOLA BEACH MARDI GRAS!

Walk on the Sound

It was finally warm and sunny enough to take a long walk to Range Point and beyond yesterday. One of the rewards was seeing this curious young Great Blue Heron. These birds can be very skittish, but if they get accustomed to people -- especially fishermen who share their catch -- they can get rather bold at times.

As much as I delighted in its curiosity, bold is not always better for either party when it comes to wildlife.

Back to business!

First of all, let me thank all the blog followers who sent me such lovely notes during my absence. In the last couple months of 2010 I really got caught up in my work as a Wildlife Observer for the beach clean-up efforts. Once the 'Sand Shark' operation was shifted from Pensacola Beach to Perdido Key, Wildlife Observers were also transferred to that location.

The change in location meant I had to leave Pensacola Beach around 4:00 p.m. to reach Perdido Key for the 5:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. work shift. The next morning, it was difficult driving home and getting to bed just as the sun was coming up. Most of us Wildlife Observers discovered we were rarely able to sleep past noon. That only left a few hours before time to head out for the next shift. Let me assure you, sleep deprivation is NOT good for your body or your brain!

My work as a Wildlife Observer for BP's subcontractors ended in the last half of December. So, now that I've had time to celebrate the holidays in Tennessee, take a cruise with my husband, and also get my sleeping cycle back to normal, it's time to get back to my other passion: photography and blogging!

I would like to thank all of you who have been so faithful during my absence and, again, all those of you who have taken time to write. I realized, despite this brutally cold weather we've been having, it was time to get off my duff and back to business when someone went one step further and wrote the editor of Island Times to check on me! That's blog loyalty!

So here we go...back to business in Paradise!

Gulf Fritillary

We're still seeing several Gulf Fritillary butterflies in the area despite the cooler temps.

These lovely butterflies are common all along the Gulf Coast.

Low tide

We had an incredibly low tide this weekend, lower than I've ever seen it before. If it hadn't been so darn cold and blustery, and if I had on waterproof boots instead of tennis shoes, I would have taken the opportunity to explore!

Mermaid's Purse

Yesterday morning, right after my Wildlife Observer shift ended, I headed toward Ft. Pickens with my friend and fellow Wildlife Observer, Melanie Waite. We were participating in The Great VISIT PENSACOLA Beachwalk.

I was very disappointed in my photos because most of them were slightly blurred. It shouldn't have been a surprise since I did not have a tripod with me, nor would I have taken time to set up even if I had, due to the cold temps and breezy conditions. Secondly, after twelve hours on the beach, then another hour+ on the beach getting to our starting point and waiting for sunrise, both Melanie and I were shivering like hairless chihuahuas, hence more-than-normal camera shake.


But I have to share a couple of photos of the Mermaid's purses which we saw washed up on shore.


Mermaid's Purses are very unusual and I love their name, even though they are really just egg capsules of marine creatures like shark, rays and skates. The one's we discovered yesterday are those of a ray or skate, I believe.

Unfortunately, as I write, it comes to mind that I left them in my vehicle overnight, so this post will come to an abrupt end, with no links, while I rush to remove them and hope I am not stuck with a bad fishy odor in my car for the next six months! Shell Collecting 101: Never leave uncleaned shells in your vehicle overnight!

The Great VISIT FLORIDA Beachwalk

(September 9, 2010)

Tomorrow morning after our Wildlife Observer shift ends, my friend and mentor Melanie Waite and I will join more than 2,500 other people across the state of Florida in The Great VISIT FLORIDA Beachwalk . We laughingly say we want to see just how much thinner we can spread ourselves in one day!

Beach-lovers from St. Augustine to Miami to Pensacola Beach plan to walk at least one beach mile of the 825 miles of Florida beaches tomorrow morning, take photographs between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., and upload them to the VisitFlorida website. We will help them show, as they state on their site, "All of the Sunshine State’s 825 miles of beaches and 1,260miles of coastline are clean, clear and “Open for Business.” We invite you to see for yourself on Florida Live at VISITFLORIDA.com."


(September 19, 2010)

Melanie and I will be walking and photographing Ft. Pickens Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore after sunrise. As all my blog followers know, Ft. Pickens is the most dear to my heart not only because of its beauty, but the hours I've spent patroling it during sea turtle season. Some of my other friends such as Lila Cox and Sandi Johnson will be walking areas between Casino Beach and Ft. Pickens and uploading their photos also, helping to showcase our beaches as close as we can in real time.

(September 20, 2010)

The message will hopefully go out that our beaches are beautiful and there are treasures to be seen and enjoyed in Florida. We are indeed "OPEN FOR BUSINESS"!