My pew

"If I were called in to construct a religion, I should make use of water"

-- Phillip Larkin (1922 - 1985)

As my regular visitors know, I am currently in Tennessee. My mother suffered a serious break of her left femur this past Monday. Tuesday night she underwent surgery and had a rod inserted to stabilize the bone and begin her long journey to recovery. Wednesday morning she received a transfusion due to the amount of blood she lost during the operation. On Friday, however, she was improving enough to be moved into the rehabilitation wing of the hospital.

While not at the hospital, I'm also taking care of my elderly father who is not doing very well himself. In fact, I'd prefer to bring mother home and drop my obstinate daddy off at rehab. The nurses, however, did not offer that option.

I would like to thank each of you who have left encouraging comments on my blog. They mean a lot to me. It was quite a surprise when I finally had a chance to log on and read them all.

JoeB, thank you for the compliment, but I was never a teacher, just an only child who hid out in my room and read a lot. You don't even want to know about the summer I fell in love with Sherlock Holmes and really used the ol' flashlight-under-the-covers trick to get through the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Terror at the post-midnight shrieking of a neighbor's peacocks during Hounds of the Baskervilles, eventually ended that routine .

Mimi, I am SO disappointed that I missed your visit to Pensacola Beach. I was hoping to meet you and the whole Froot Loop team! Next year, for sure, okay?

As it appears now, I will spend the majority of the next three months in Tennessee. Mother will be restricted from weight-bearing on her left leg for three months. Hopefully, after the first month, I will be able to come home for at least one week and return to Tennessee for one or two -- at least until she is able to be totally independent again. Until that time, there are miles to go before I sleep.

Although I have no new photos, I went back and found my favorite shot and am re-posting it. It is the one which gives me the most peace and sense of well-being -- no insult to little Chipper, of course! My mother has dial-up Internet service, so I rarely have time to log on and even check my e-mail. This photo will get me through the rough times.

Thank you again to all my friends and blog visitors.

DJ - Barrier Island Girl

Leave of Absence

I would like to thank all the visitors who have left compliments on my Barrier Island Girl blog regarding my photography and other postings. I appreciate each and every one of your comments and have enjoyed getting to know some of you as friends.

I fell in love with this island when I first visited it five years ago, and nothing has changed one iota since. I have been happier since moving to Pensacola Beach than at any other time in my life and I started this blog to share those feelings with you. The best way to show you how I felt was to let you see the island through my eyes -- or, in this case, through my camera lens.

This afternoon I received a call that my mother suffered a bad fall and will have to undergo surgery tomorrow. Consequently, I am heading back to Tennessee tomorrow for an unspecified period of time.

I do not know how long I will be absence from my blog. Although I'll keep my camera near, I will not have access to my computer and software to edit and post photographs. Depending on how long my mother remains in the hospital, I may have enough material to write a few columns now and then. But somehow, I think I will be so sad, missing my beautiful island, that my heart may not be in it.

I hope you will check back occasionally to see if I've returned. I would expect to be in Tennessee off and on for approximately six weeks -- or until my parents get tired of my cooking. Then again, being an only child, daddy would be quite willing to wrap me in cotton and lock me away in a pink bedroom full of dolls and stuffed toys, forcing me to eat a Hardee's steak biscuit for breakfast every morning. His greatest disappointment in life was that I grew up.

However, with your well-wishes and good thoughts {{{"There's no place like home; there's no place like home."}}} I will click my ruby slippers together and return to my emerald island very soon.

Sincerely,

DJ - Barrier Island Girl

A 'Chipper' little guy on the beach!

I think I'm in love -- with an 8 week old puppy named Chipper. My readers will have to educate me on whether he is a Labrador Retriever or a Golden Retriever. He is adorable and fluffy-soft and full of life. The biggest challenge was getting a photo that wasn't a complete blur as he bounced from one spot to another.



"I'm gonna get that bug...or shell...or sand stuff. I'm gonna get it. I'm gonna......."



"Got it! Hey, where'd it go? I'm gonna get it!"

After the storms

After a round of heavy storms last night and this morning, the sky cleared and sunlight sparkled on the Sound.

One last look!

Here was one last look and one last shot before a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning sent me running for cover!

Movin' in

The storms are moving in!

Thunderboomers ahead!

Looks like we're in for some rough weather tonight. Thunderboomers ahead!

Morning at The Marina

I stopped by the Market on the Island this morning just to get a shot of the beautiful cloud formations beyond the Marina. The water and the sky have been even more gorgeous than usual in the past week or so.

Glorious Pensacola Beach day

Look at what a glorious day we're having on the beach! I'm so lucky to live here.

Sunset on Pensacola Beach

What beautiful colors on the beach tonight. Little do I know of cirrus, stratus and cumulus clouds, but there were so layers of what appeared to be different types that it made for an unusual shot.

Sandcastles

"...I don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun sets and the tides take - applaud. Salute the process of life and go home."

-author unknown

Contemplation

"Beauty in things lies in the mind which contemplates them."

-- David Hume

Solace

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature... Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be…amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

-–Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank

Colors of Easter

The most beautiful colors I've seen this Easter weekend are in the Gulf of Mexico along the coastline of Pensacola Beach.

Cobia boats

It may be slightly difficult to see on a small screen, but the Cobia boats are out in full force now. A Coast Guard helicopter is checking on the boats and the beach.

The Gulf water has warmed and there are schools of small fish here and there, also known to Cobia as 'lunch.' The water is incredible!



A small boat looking for Cobia. You can see a lookout standing on the flying bridge.

Coasting along

This guy just seems to be coasting along.

Sunning on the Sound

A beautiful day to relax and enjoy the colors of Santa Rosa Sound. Children love to build water-filled corrals for hermit crabs.

Missin' my view

I'm visiting my parents in Tennessee again, missin' the view from my condo. Although things are beautiful here in middle Tennessee, last week's tornadoes caused considerable damage in both Warren County (where my parents live) and in Sumner County (where I lived before moving to Florida).

I should be on the road to Florida very soon, meanwhile I look at this photo and sigh.

Afternoon walk

I think the birds are getting used to me!



Hmmm...maybe not. Buh-bye!

Wind beneath my wings

Ahhh...to be able to soar high above Santa Rosa Island for a bird's eye view.