Breakfast at... Shoreline

This great blue heron was fishing for breakfast Sunday morning at Shoreline Park South, and didn't seem to mind the two young girls 5-10 feet away snapping pictures. These serene creatures, some of whom nest and hunt in our neighborhood, are quite accepting of people... as long as we don't get TOO close.

Live Oak at Shoreline

This is one of Margaret's favorite live oaks in town, so she photographs it often. It stands watch over Santa Rosa Sound, just a few feet from the water, at Shoreline Park South on this fall-like Sunday morning in August.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

It is a picture perfect morning in Gulf Breeze, for seagulls, young photographers, and everyone else enjoying the water in Santa Rosa Sound.

Claudette's Gift

Margaret took these shots of a log washed up on the beach at the Ft. Pickens area of Santa Rosa Island. The huge surf was bringing up many unusual things from the ocean floor, thanks to the 35-40 mph sustained winds from the remnants of Claudette as she came ashore Monday morning.

Almost there...

On the Pensacola Bay Bridge, about to enter Gulf Breeze on the way to the Gulf of Mexico and some hopefully choice waves.

Naval Live Oaks

A morning walk in the Naval Live Oaks Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. First, a tree that was cut and left along the waterline is surounded by drying sea grass. Then, a flowering shrub in the sand with the Bob Sikes Bridge and Pensacola beach in the distance.

Palm Tree Frog

A little evening rain really brings out the tree frogs - one of Margaret's favorite subjects. This one is almost the exact color of the saw palmetto he claimed as his own.

Hiding in plain sight

These utility lights overlooking the baseball fields at the Gulf Breeze Recreation Center are home to a pair of Osprey (look closely on top of the righthand set of lights). Walking through the park on a quiet afternoon, one can hear the chicks chirping as they are fed. These large raptors eat fish almost exclusively, usually mate for life, and obviously adapt well to urban settings.

Blue Angels Weekend

Thousands of visitors are visiting in and driving through town today for the annual Blue Angels air show out at Pensacola Beach. Below, swimmers enjoy the waters of Santa Rosa Sound from Gulf Breeze's Shoreline Park Pier (a good alternate viewing site) while waiting for the show to start. Pensacola Beach is in the distance, with the Gulf of Mexico beyond it.

Home of the Dolphins

We're back after a 2-week break from the blog!

Margaret took this photo of one of the numerous artistic installations at Gulf Breeze's schools. This painted tile mural outside the entrance to Gulf Breeze Middle School celebrates our mascot - the Dolphins - and our award-winning middle school band.

Don't Miss the Good Stuff

I've said it before... if you insist on driving everywhere you go, you miss the good stuff. On a walk down Fairpoint Dr. recently, Margaret decided to take some photos of the unique garden decor of one of our neighbors. "There are some very interesting people in Gulf Breeze," Margaret says. Good stuff.

Flight

A skateboarder ignores the oppressive June heat at the Sunset Skate Park, a popular hangout for young people year-round.

Wilderness

The Northwest Florida Gulf Coast has a unique brand of wilderness, consisting of scrubby sand dunes, stands of pine and oak, and blinding white sand beaches, populated mostly by shore birds and snakes. At the newly reopened Ft. Pickens Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore - just across Santa Rosa Sound from Gulf Breeze - there are still stark reminders of hurricanes Ivan (Sept. 2004) and Dennis (July 2005). The recovery is ongoing...

Seaside Sepia

Just a couple more from our short visit to Seaside. The simplicity of the architecture, while extraordinarily beautiful in the soft pastels the town is famous for, is especially lovely in sepia as well. Margaret captured a sign at Sundog Books, and a pair of ocean-front cottages.

A Boy and His Board

What summertime is all about - a boy heads for the beach on a Friday afternoon in the town of Seaside, Florida.

Sunset over Pensacola Bay

Margaret's latest sunset shot, taken Thursday evening looking towards NAS Pensacola from Ft. Pickens gate on Santa Rosa Island.

Pensacola Beach at Sunset

At Pensacola Beach as the sun sets on Wednesday evening, the colors of the sea, sky and sand deepen.

Pick me!

Surfboards at Innerlight, waiting silently, patiently, for the chance to go for a ride...



Man's first death is the random potential
Of aeons before conception,
And the surf, merging life with form,
The surf is creation and rebirth.

- from "Cicada Sun" by Hugh Cook

Doors ~ Ft. Barrancas

One of the more beautiful doors inside Ft. Barrancas, onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.

School's Out!

Local businesses in Gulf Breeze proper are wonderfully accommodating to school kids who gather to socialize in the afternoons. Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream is just one of the after-school destinations for friends throughout the school year. Margaret took this picture Friday as she and her friends were enjoying a treat and signing yearbooks.