Wordless Wednesday

His and Hers

The land on the South side of Gulf Breeze has a slight crescent shape to it with each end jutting out to a small point.

On the Eastern point a man has built a huge glass house with a big glass guest house right next to it.



It's big and interesting to look at as you cruise through Santa Rosa Sound.



On the Western point is another giant house.



This house is completely different from the glass house.

While both houses are compelling to look at, the fact behind them is what I find interesting.

The house on the Western point is owned by the ex-wife of the man who owns the house on the Eastern point.

He's got a house on one point and she's got a house on the other.

I would love to know the story behind that.

All I know is that he got his and she got hers.

Too bad she didn't have a better lawyer - she could own both points LOL

Boats on Parade

The Destin Harbor is always a busy place but every afternoon, a few hours before sunset, it gets really busy.

I never get tired of the parade of boats that come in and out of the harbor.

Fishing boats coming in from their afternoon charters.

Sailboats.





Party boats.




Work boats.





Fast boats.

Big boats, little boats.

Stand up boats, sit down boats.

Luxury boats.



The boat we got married on.



All kinds of boats.

If you're ever in Destin, take an afternoon and visit the Harbor. You'll be amazed at all of the different boats you'll see.

Happy Birthday Oldest

Happy Birthday Oldest Island Boy!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday son!

By Land and By Sea

There is a sound all children know and it always sends them running to Mom screaming "The Ice Cream man is coming!" at the top of their lungs.

The Ice Cream truck comes by our house on a regular basis and every single time he does the kids find me and beg for money.

And the Ice Cream man has things figured out.

Because he comes to the beach too.

He comes by land.



And he comes by sea.


The Ice Cream Man cometh and there is no escaping him.

Gulf Breeze Coastal Watch

Several weeks ago the City of Gulf Breeze took a series of proactive steps to help minimize damage to their shores from the oil.

The police department bought a boat and then found several qualified volunteers to run the boat on a 3 times daily oil watch.

My Dad is one of those volunteers.


Morning, noon and late afternoon they head out on two to three hour runs along the shoreline.

Their three main objectives are to check on the booms that have been placed along the shore, making sure they're still in place, spot and report any oil in the water, and to report any oiled wildlife they encounter.

I got to ride along with Dad and Retired Coast Guard Captain Bill Clark on Wednesday and was really impressed by the effort Gulf Breeze is making.

We left the dock a little before noon and cruised slowly out into Santa Rosa Sound.

Our first objective was to check the booms placed in front of Shoreline Park but before we reached the park we spotted a small oil patch about 200 yards offshore.


Dad radioed in to the Gulf Breeze Police dispatcher with the coordinates of the oil and was told that the Fire Department would respond shortly to skim it up.

Captain Clark deployed a boom filled with oil absorbent fiber which would help soak up the oil as well as mark the spot for the Fire Department boat.


As he was doing that we were approached by two men in a small fishing boat who wanted to report another patch of oil down by the Bob Sikes Bridge.

The Fire Department arrived while we were talking to the fishermen and began skimming the oil with a net. These guys spend their days responding to the locations given by the Coastal Watch boat and any citizen sightings that are called in.


With this patch being taken care of we rode on down to the bridge to check out the report from the fishermen.

Sure enough, another patch.

This location was called in and the Fire Department boat would be coming along soon to skim this as well.

After checking the booms along the south side of the City we rode around the point and out into Pensacola Bay.

A report of oil had been received near the Pensacola Bay Bridge so we were on our way to see if we could locate that.

But we ran into another patch out in the Bay. More booms were deployed and the location was called in.




We reached the bridge and found just a few small patches of oil that were too small to skim and thankfully no big patches were found.

On we rode, checking the double booms that have been placed at the entrance to Gulf Breeze's bayous. These bayous are important breeding grounds for numerous birds and wildlife and it's especially important to protect them.


As we checked the last of the booms a storm moved in, sending us back to the dock.

Our two hour boat ride allowed us to locate and mark several patches of oil for the Fire Department to skim as well as assuring us that, for now, the protective booms were secure.

Captain Clark summed up our trip by saying "At least we feel like we're doing something."

How right he is.

Kudos to the City of Gulf Breeze and to those who are helping with their effort.

Meeting Friends

When I started this blog a few years ago I had no idea how many people I would meet.

I use the term meet loosely here because while I feel as if I've known my blogger friends for years I've never actually met any of them.

Until Saturday.

My friend Island Rider sent me an email last week telling me that she would be in Pensacola over the weekend and would like to drop by my parent's house and leave a gift she'd made for me.

Luckily, we were planning a cookout there on Saturday and I was really hoping they would be able to stop by.

Saturday came and while my sister and I were putting the finishing touches on dinner I told her how much I was looking forward to meeting Island Rider.

Not being a blogger, my sister said "Wait, how can you know this woman but never have met her?"

I explained a little about being blog buddies and that after a few years of reading posts and commenting back and forth you feel like you know someone.

A little while later we were out in the yard and guess who came walking around the corner?

Yes, indeed - it was Island Rider and her Beloved.

It was so nice to finally "meet" my friend.

We invited them to stay for dinner but they were on their way to meet their son and wouldn't be able to stay long.

We chatted for a bit and she gave me the most beautiful gift.



Her name is Hot Lips and I LOVE it!

Island Rider is so talented and I am thrilled to be the proud owner of a piece of her work.

I wish I'd thought to have the Island King take a picture of us but as usual that didn't occur to me until after they'd left.

They weren't able to stay long but I really enjoyed meeting them and hope we can get together again soon.

Oil Spill Update

Each day a little more oil washes up on our beaches. It's an odd sort of hit and miss thing - one day it's Okaloosa Island, the next it's Rosemary Beach and then Okaloosa Island again.

Some days there are large tar balls washing up here and yet three miles down the beach the water is clear.

It would be an interesting study in water currents and wind patterns if it weren't so depressing.

This spill has taken over life here in Northwest Florida and that's pretty much all there is in the news, it's all people talk about and it's on our minds constantly.

The Island King has registered with the company that is hiring people for BP to do clean up but so far isn't working for them.

Which seems to be the case for everyone from here that's looking for work.

BP has a company here in Fort Walton Beach that is supposed to be hiring locals to do clean up work but so far BP has been busing people in from God knows where and these non-English speaking people are standing under tents on the beach all day.

They have to wear hazmat suits so it's too hot for them to be out cleaning up tar for more than 15 minutes at a time. They're supposed to start working at night soon but that hasn't happened here yet.

I personally think that the hazmat suits are not necessary.

If the people who are picking up the tar are unable to scoop it from the beach and into a bag without getting it all over themselves they need to hire people who can.

I've spent my entire life on the beach and believe me when I tell you that it's possible to take a shovel, scoop some sand and put it into a bag without getting it all over your chest, back, legs and arms.

Gloves and booties over their shoes are all these people need to wear.

I understand that long term exposure to crude oil is bad for you but you don't have to roll around in it to scrape it off the beach.

Because this is going to be such a LONG term event I'm not going to be posting much about it.

It's sad and depressing and I can't get caught up in the hourly updates the newspaper is giving and I don't want to wander the beach taking pictures of horrible things.

If you want updates you can go to:

The Pensacola News Journal

The Northwest Florida Daily News

The Destin Log

The Walton Sun

As for us, we're going to continue to enjoy the beach when we can and find something else to do when we can't.

Life along the Gulf coast is changing but it's still moving forward - which is what we're going to do.

Happy Birthday Youngest!

Happy Birthday Youngest Island Boy!

It's hard to believe my youngest is 9.

Where did the time go?

It's Here

I've known for weeks now that oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill would eventually reach our beaches.

The images from Louisiana and Mississippi are heartbreaking and the idea that this incredible wonderland that we call the Gulf is dying right in front of our eyes is almost more than I can wrap my mind around.

For the past two weeks I've watched the oil move closer and closer to us and have been driven to take my children to the beach.

Daily.

We've snorkled the grass beds. Played in the surf. Walked the beach looking for seashells. Rolled in the sand. Played in the boat. Spent hours sitting in the water soaking up every last moment.

And we've waited.

Until now. The oil has arrived and the day that we've all dreaded has come.

Wednesday morning large tar balls started washing ashore on Okaloosa Island.

Lots of them.

By Thursday afternoon they're also along SanDestin and Topsail beaches.



A 25 square mile mass of oil is drifting 1 mile south of us and coming our way.

The East Pass was closed at 7:oo Wednesday night. They'll reopen the Pass for the outgoing tide and then close it again as the tide starts to come back in.

The hope is that the booms will keep oil out of Choctawhatchee Bay.

The sad reality is that this is what happens to these booms on a regular basis.


The booms pull lose or are sucked under by the current which renders them ineffective.

There are a lot of theories out there about ways to protect the Pass but so far the Coast Guard and DEP seem to think these will work the best.

I believe that it's important to try every possible solution but the reality is that no one knows what - if anything - will work.

Our waters are now closed to fishing. Devasting for the people who make their living from the sea. We're home to the largest charter boat fleet in Florida and our boats are trapped in the harbor and the fish they should be catching are dying in oil.

The economic effects are going to be staggering.

The realization that the Red Snapper my son caught last week might very well have been his last is heartbreaking.

Meanwhile oil is still gushing into the Gulf. Because while BP was able to drill at that depth they're unable to fix anything at that depth.

And our paradise has become a shore lined with booms and tar and oil.



I haven't mentioned the wildlife we're seeing - I'm afraid if I go there I may start to cry and won't be able to stop.


This whole mess is like watching a loved one die a slow and painful death.

The hardest part is that this isn't like a hurricane. Even with a devasting blow like Ivan you ride it out and then pick up the pieces and move forward.

It will take decades - if that - to clean this up.

Here Comes The Bride

One of the disadvantages of getting married on a public beach is that you never know who your wedding coordinator will stage your wedding next to.

A true nightmare moment would occur if you realized your wedding would be taking place mere steps from us.

Which is what happened to the couple who got married last Saturday.

About an hour before sunset two men came down the beach with poles and flowers and went to work setting up a pretty little oasis on the point.


It was obvious that the group behind them were getting ready to leave but we weren't going anywhere and the wedding party was going to have to walk directly in front of us to reach their destination.

Which made my SIL and I nervous.

I was worried that the Island King or his brother would say something embarrassing but it turns out that my SIL was worried about me.

She looked at me and said "If you say "Don't Do It!" I'm going to smack you."

She knows me well.

And then we both warned the kids that they had to get out of the water when the bride walked by because both of us had visions of them doing flips or something that would splash water all over her wedding gown.

My BIL decided that they needed music as they walked by which sparked a debate of what kind of music we should play.

I voted for a funeral dirge, my SIL wanted silence, the Island King voted for Taps and my BIL wanted the traditional wedding march.

My SIL won and we decided not to inflict our opinion of what kind of music they should hear on them.

Right before sunset the groom and another couple walked by but the Island King and his brother were arguing over who plays horseshoes better and didn't notice them.

But then the bride came down the beach.

And stopped right in front of the Island King.

She was waiting for the signal to walk on out to the point and she was waiting right next to my husband.

I looked over and realized he was talking to her.

Oh no. What is he telling her?

Run away? There are other fish in the sea - are you sure you want this one? Don't do it?

After what seemed like an eternity they signaled for her to come and she started walking again.

The Youngest Island Boy and Cousin B both stood up and the Youngest said "You look beautiful!"

Which made her smile.

It was a pretty ceremony.


At one point they both wrote something in the sand


And then scooped up whatever they'd written and put the sand in a jar.


Which I thought was a nice idea.

They weren't out there long and as they all came walking back together the Island King said to the groom "I'm going to tell you what I told her. Never give up. Never quit."

Whew. I'd been afraid to ask what he'd said to the bride earlier.

After they were gone the Island King suggested we go stand on the rose petals they'd scattered and renew our vows to each other.

I told him I'd be glad to but not until we'd written a new contract. There are some things that aren't in the first one that need to be.

Like put your underwear in the dirty clothes basket and not on the floor next to it.

And look for your stuff before you ask me where it is.

I could go on but you get the point.

He wasn't offended because this is not something new. He knows I want a new contract and I want it signed in blood before I say "I Do" again LOL

Fortunately for this bride all went well. I was worried for her when I realized she'd have to get married next to our family but they rose to the occasion and no one said or did anything embarrassing.

Turns out I can take them out in public - Just not often.

Culinary Throwdown - Mango Gazpacho

The fabulous LaDiva Cucina is the host for this round of the Culinary Throwdown Challenge and she's chosen Picnic Basket as the theme.

I haven't been able to participate in the last few throwdowns but when I saw this one I knew I had to play.

The oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill is coming our way. It's inevitable and really only a matter of time before we see oil and tar here in Destin.

Knowing that our days in the water are numbered we've spent EVERY day at the beach for the last two weeks.

Which means almost all of our dinners are eaten picnic style on the beach.

Sitting here, eating out of our laps.


Or here, on the boat.


My first thought for this challenge was seafood but to be honest we've eaten so much seafood in the past month that our standard dinner fair has become this.



Boiled shrimp and fried fish.

Easy to pick up by boat and eat in the sand or on the boat.

But starting to get a little old.

So for the Throwdown Challenge I decided to get creative and make a cold, light, summer soup for dinner.

I found a recipe for Mango Gazpacho and that sounded so good I gave it a try.

Not too many ingredients and all of it nice and fresh. Except for the parsley which I forgot to get and ended up using dried.


I wondered about the orange juice giving it a smoothie kind of flavor but there were a lot of good reviews for this soup so I assumed that wouldn't happen.

I put the mango, orange juice and olive oil into my 30 year old blender (which works better than any new blender I've ever tried)

And pureed it.

I added chopped onion, red pepper, cucumber, garlic, jalapeno and a little salt, pepper and parsley for flavor.

And got this.


Hmm. I'm not really loving how this looks.

I gave it a taste and guess what. It's a mango smoothie with some veggies floating around in it.

Which is not appealing.

Well damn. It's Tuesday evening and too late to do anything else so I guess we'll have to go with this.

Except...

My children are completely burnt out on the beach. They don't want to go. The Youngest Island Boy told me that his mouth is becoming permanently disfigured from his snorkel and that his skin is wrinkled like a prune all of the time now.

This is bad. I'm in the last hours of the throwdown, I've made this God-awful soup and we ARE GOING TO HAVE A PICNIC. Dammit.

The Island King pulled the "I've got to work card" and the Oldest Island Boy whined with a headache but Island Girl and the Youngest Island Boy agreed (reluctantly) to help their Mom finish this challenge.

So off to the beach we went.

Neither of them had seen the soup so they were both quite surprised when I pulled it out of the cooler.


But they tried it.


And had the same reaction I did.


They were pretty ticked off when they realized they'd been dragged to the beach to eat bad soup.

I was afraid that might happen.

Which is why I packed roast beef sandwiches too.


I'm actually very disappointed. I really thought this might be my chance at winning the Throwdown.

I make a mean fish sandwich and can cook shrimp to perfection but I decided to try something new for this and it bit me in the butt.

Oh well. I did learn that Mango Gazpacho is terrible and that we're sticking to fish sandwiches for our dinners on the beach.

The recipe that I used can be found here if you're interested in trying a Mango Smoothie with Vegetables.

But I'm warning you - it's ain't that great.

For some good picnic food go here and see what everyone else came up with.