After Ida

I'm very appreciative that Ida was pretty much a non-event for us here on Pensacola Beach -- at least in my neighborhood. We didn't so much as lose a palm frond in our yard and we had no flooding. Issues of beach erosion and road conditions within the National Seashore may be another story.

Ft. Pickens Road and Bowden Way (the road to Navarre Beach) are both closed. I was hoping that Bowden Way would reopen quickly, but now I'm not so sure after looking at some of the photos in this morning's Pensacola News Journal online. It is going to take a while for the water to drain and the sand to be plowed off the road.

You may check out some of the PNJ photos of Pensacola Beach after Tropical Storm Ida by clicking HERE.

Tropical Storm Ida

Tropical Storm Ida continues to weaken.


Lifeguards keep a watchful eye at Casino Beach, but even the surfers are staying out of this churning surf.

Don't forget that you can check conditions at the beach near the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier via the Island Empress webcam. It is located under "Local Cams" in the left-hand column of this page.

Coming home

Today is the first day I've been able to drive and you can't imagine how excited I was. This afternoon I drove almost to Park East to get photos of the surf. Suddenly, in the distance, I spied the Blue Angels!


Many times the Blue Angels fly over the beach on their way back to Pensacola Naval Air Station after a weekend performance. This time they were returning from Jacksonville, Florida.


It's always exciting to see them return, but today it was especially beautiful with the high surf and golden haze.

As they flew west the F/A 18's began to disappear into the sun.

Suddenly, as they neared Portofino, the jets signaled their arrival home with long, glowing contrails. What a remarkable sight.

Grommets

A couple of tuckered-out younger surfers (grommets) lay atop an old gun turret at Ft. Pickens watching waves sweep into Pensacola Pass.


Surfers lined up along the beach near the Pass catching a few nice waves as the surf started to build this afternoon.

Red flag

Red flags are going up along Pensacola Beach as the surf gets higher.

Ft. Pickens

At least I'm making it to my computer now. This break has given me a chance to organize my photos a bit and I came across this photo taken a couple of weeks ago at Ft. Pickens. It's a great place to spend an afternoon, especially with this cooler weather.

Happy Halloween

Witches hats and pitchforks... Happy Halloween!

Short break

I'm going to be taking a short break from my blog-- hopefully just a few days. I'm heading out the door at the end of this post for Andrews Institute to have my knee 'scoped.

I scheduled the procedure for after turtle patrol season and a couple weeks of company and travel. The physician's assistant said they've had patients who requested waiting until after deer season or turkey season, but 'turtle season' was a first. :-)

A note to friends and family, I won't have access to my computer and e-mails for a while since I'll be separated from the office by a flight of stairs. That alone will inspire me to rehab quickly...or get a laptop!

Wish me luck!

Dance in the sun

"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..."

~~Susan Polis Shutz

Incredible sunset

Wow! What an incredible sunset tonight. After heavy rain overnight and all morning long, we were rewarded with exquisite colors.

American Redstart

Poor little thing, it crashed into a glass door on our deck and was stunned.


It finally became more alert and flew away after about three hours. I contacted Lucy and Bob Duncan, my 'go-to' people when I need help identifying birds and they informed me this beautiful little fellow is an American Redstart. They also informed me how to help an injured bird such as this in the future -- but hopefully it will never happen again.

Crabs - We Got 'Em

I've been hearing from my blog followers that I've been absent of late! Ha! Actually I have either had company or been traveling since October 7th. Today is my first day at home in my regular routine...and it is pouring rain.


So here are a few photos I took Sunday afternoon when my son was visiting and we stopped by Crabs-We Got 'Em for an appetizer.


The surf was flat and the sky was overcast, but it was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the view.