Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
One Love, One Ocean
On a hot summer Saturday night, the front door of Surf Burger on Pensacola Beach brings a smile to my face... the hula fries were top notch, as always!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Taking Comfort
What does a 13-year-old do while waiting for her breakfast? Why, take pictures of course! With all that is changing around us, it's nice to know some things never change. You can always count on the Waffle House in Gulf Breeze to be consistently ... Waffle House!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A Gorgeous Mid-Summer Day
This morning, the water felt wonderful. The sand felt wonderful. The air smelled wonderful. But...
Once the oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster began washing ashore in June, my enthusiasm for taking photos took a vacation. However, this morning I wandered out to Pensacola Beach just to see how things were going. On July 21, on a beautiful, warm morning at around 10:00 a.m., I witnessed water as clear and beautiful as I'd ever seen here. Sand clean and soft, and bright white. And a surreal almost complete lack of people to enjoy it all.
Sadly, with health warning signs posted everywhere and BP clean-up crews still here, this community is suffering in a huge way. The unknowns are frightening people -- both locals and tourists -- away. Even though the water and beach "look" great, and the air is salty and fresh, no one seems to know if there are unseen dangers in the waters, the air, and buried just under the surface of the sugar white sands. Some are taking their chances and enjoying themselves anyway. But most others are staying away. And Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach and the surrounding communities are hurting. Badly.
Once the oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster began washing ashore in June, my enthusiasm for taking photos took a vacation. However, this morning I wandered out to Pensacola Beach just to see how things were going. On July 21, on a beautiful, warm morning at around 10:00 a.m., I witnessed water as clear and beautiful as I'd ever seen here. Sand clean and soft, and bright white. And a surreal almost complete lack of people to enjoy it all.
Sadly, with health warning signs posted everywhere and BP clean-up crews still here, this community is suffering in a huge way. The unknowns are frightening people -- both locals and tourists -- away. Even though the water and beach "look" great, and the air is salty and fresh, no one seems to know if there are unseen dangers in the waters, the air, and buried just under the surface of the sugar white sands. Some are taking their chances and enjoying themselves anyway. But most others are staying away. And Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach and the surrounding communities are hurting. Badly.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Somber Sunrise on Pensacola Beach
The smell of oil was thick this early Sunday morning as my daughters and I took a somber sunrise walk on Pensacola Beach. The tar balls are getting larger, and more numerous. I wondered if they had made their way into Pensacola Bay and if they were hitting the shores of Gulf Breeze yet...
The BP cleaning crews were out already, picking up the tar balls and blobs.
This little crab seemd to be suspiciously eyeing the tar balls coming in with the surf. I silently apologized to him, and to the shore birds diving into the waves to catch their breakfasts.
As we left, although we thought we were very careful to avoid stepping on tar balls, we all had gooey tar on the soles of our feet.
The BP cleaning crews were out already, picking up the tar balls and blobs.
This little crab seemd to be suspiciously eyeing the tar balls coming in with the surf. I silently apologized to him, and to the shore birds diving into the waves to catch their breakfasts.
As we left, although we thought we were very careful to avoid stepping on tar balls, we all had gooey tar on the soles of our feet.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Tar Ball
This "tar ball" on Pensacola Beach yesterday looked like a rock at first. It was a little over an inch wide. Once I realized what it was, I started to see several along the waterline. It is the first sign of what is to come.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Oil begins to come ashore today
On this picture perfect warm summer morning, Margaret and I went out to Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island to walk along the water's edge and take some pictures of the still-pristine waters and sand. As we pulled in to the parking lot at Casino Beach, we heard the news that tarballs were beginning to be found on the beach this morning. It is impossible to describe the sorrow that permeates this community today.
Friday, April 30, 2010
What a difference a month makes.
At the end of March, Gulf Breeze was celebrating Seagrass Awareness Day at Shoreline Park. Now, we are facing perhaps the most devastating natural disaster in our history.
As I drove out to Ft. Pickens and the Gulf Islands National Seashore on this overcast morning, I noticed a few people standing on the beach here and there, just staring out to sea. Some fishermen were casting their lines, probably thinking "Will this be the last weekend of fishing until...?" We are all stunned and outraged, that this could be happening to our beautiful home. Smiles have faded, replaced with a touch of sadness on most faces, and our neighbors and friends are wondering how this will affect our economy, our wildlife, our quality of life that we cherish.
The pictures we post on this blog in the days and weeks to come might not be very pretty, but they will tell the story of Gulf Breeze and the surrounding area as we face this next tragedy.
For now though, enjoy these bloom stalks from a plant growing in the white sands at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island.
As I drove out to Ft. Pickens and the Gulf Islands National Seashore on this overcast morning, I noticed a few people standing on the beach here and there, just staring out to sea. Some fishermen were casting their lines, probably thinking "Will this be the last weekend of fishing until...?" We are all stunned and outraged, that this could be happening to our beautiful home. Smiles have faded, replaced with a touch of sadness on most faces, and our neighbors and friends are wondering how this will affect our economy, our wildlife, our quality of life that we cherish.
The pictures we post on this blog in the days and weeks to come might not be very pretty, but they will tell the story of Gulf Breeze and the surrounding area as we face this next tragedy.
For now though, enjoy these bloom stalks from a plant growing in the white sands at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Seagrass Awareness Day
It was Seagrass Awareness day at Shoreline Park South today. Activities and wildlife displays were centered around educating the public about the importance of seagrass preservation in Santa Rosa Sound.
(Thanks to guest photographer Nadia for the photo of the turtle!)
(Thanks to guest photographer Nadia for the photo of the turtle!)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Spring is here!
After the coldest winter on record, finally spring has arrived in Gulf Breeze! Dogwoods are blooming and spring break is just around the corner...
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