CHRISTMAS ON THE BOARDWALK: MOSAIC MONDAY #2

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

-- Norman Vincent Peale

The Zoo at Northwest Floridal may be closed, but thanks to the efforts of one of our businessmen, "Zoo Lights" (the traditional Christmas display installed throughout the Christmas season at the Zoo) has found a new home this year. Some of the Zoo Lights' displays of animals are adorning the Portofino Boardwalk on Pensacola Beach. The animals and other lights and decorations throughout the island have added a festive air to our beloved beach.

 

Visit The Little Red House to see more Monday Mosaics.

SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY: Weekend Reflections #3

If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water.

- Loren Eisley

 

To enjoy more Weekend Reflections click here.

THANKSGIVING WISHES

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Image by Norman Rockwell.

The groceries are bought, the pastry is made, the turkey is thawing, the vegetables are picked and the kitchen is a hubbub of activity. I wish all of my friends a very happy Thanksgiving filled with gratititude, family, friends, and, of course, great photos.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

ANNIVERSARY ROSE

Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day. ~Gene Perret

A son's lovely contribution to the celebration.

DEEP PURPLE

Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that's for thoughts.

 ~William Shakespeare's Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Ophelia at IV, v)

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS #3: A WHARF REFLECTED

Shops of Bowen's Wharf, Newport, RI

180 degree FRIDAY#2--ARCHWAYS

FORT BARRANCAS

The arched corridors looking south...

and looking north.

HERON ON PATROL

You can observe a lot by just watching. ~Yogi Berra

Looking out over his domain.

Who goes there?

To many people. I'm outta here.

A PAINTED BIRD

A wonderful bird is the pelican,

His bill will hold more than his belican. (or belly can)

He can take in his beak

Food enough for a week,

But I’m damned if I see how the helican. (or hell he can)

~Unknown

Once an endangered bird, the brown pelican has recently been taken off the endangered species list. There really are a lot of them around here. I love to watch them glide gracefully just inches over the water. However, when they spot a tasty treat below, they plunge from on high and hit the water like a dive bomber.

 And you find them in the most surprising places!

Meet Jazzican who makes his home at The Oar Restaurant in Pensacola. He's just one of many of these  

"Pelicans in Paradise" sculptures, painted by local and national artists, found around the city. To see more of these arty birds, click on the link below.

http://www.ci.pensacola.fl.us/live/ART.ASP?PAGEID=6601

MOSAIC MONDAY 1: FLORA

Flowers from many places photographed over the last two years.

SILHOUETTE

Last night was one of those nights that you hope you can lock in your memory for a lifetime. The sunset was beyond spectacular and changed in color and intensity every few minutes. I finally gave up trying to take a good picture, realizing that what I was seeing could not be captured by a mere camera. So, I poured a glass of wine and sat on the dock with my dog and just watched.

A poor representation of last night's light show.

FIRE SKY

Softly the evening came.

The sun from the western horizon

Like a magician extended his golden wand o'er the landscape;

Twinkling vapors arose; and sky and water and forest

Seemed all on fire at the touch, and melted and mingled together.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Escambia Bay lit by the setting sun.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS 2

PILINGS

Still water; mirror reflections

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

The last sunset before Ida blew into town.

THE AFTERMATH

"The first rule of hurricane coverage is that every broadcast must begin with palm trees bending in the wind." ~Carl Hiaasen

We toiled for nine hours to bring everything on ground level upstairs and discovered that we had way too many plants in pots and too much outdoor furniture and garden art. Boats had to be moved to higher ground and bikes brought indoors. Hurricane shutters had to be put up and closed. By the time we finished, Ida was not as threatening as when we began preparations, but we spent the night at a hotel anyway. Our yard is prone to flooding and our cars are always at risk, so it's easier to leave and come back when the storm has passed. This is what we found.

Yes, those are waves in our yard. The dock is mostly underwater.

The front yard didn't fair much better, though the water is not quite so deep. Fingers are crossed that Ida was truly the last storm of the season. Now begins the clean-up.

NOVEMBER HURRICANE!?!

The preparations are done, the shutters are on and now we're just waiting to see how much punch Hurricane Ida has by the time she reaches Pensacola. Hopefully not much. She's a tropical storm right now and we hope she stays that way as she makes landfall here sometime early tomorrow morning.

This is an AP photo of the surf on Navarre Beach this morning, already kicking up some pretty good sized waves. Should all be over by tomorrow evening without, I hope, very little damage to the area.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

This was taken while boating down the Blackwater River.

IN OCALA

I heard a neigh. Oh, such a brisk and melodious neigh is was. My very heart leaped with the sound. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Just returned from a four day visit to Ocala, Florida while attending the Florida Statewide Master Gardeners Conference. It was my first visit to this part of the state and I was surprised to learn that Ocala is horse country. There are 600 horse farms in Ocala, and there were stables in the rear of our hotel where we made friends with a lovely old boy in the paddock behind the hotel.

Isn't he sweet?

What are you hiding in those hands? An apple? How about a carrot?

The rear of the hotel offered a lovely area of stately Live Oak Trees dripping with Spanish Moss. Beyond the fence is the paddock.