Busy Weekend

We got just a little taste of what it must be like here later in the year because we are having temps about 15º warmer than normal and it was Presidents' weekend.

There was a memorial of some kind for a native, Yancer Spencer III, a surfer who died of a heart attack while surfing in Malibu. He was only 60 years old. He is attributed with putting Pensacola Beach and the Gulf of Mexico on the surfing map. Hundreds gathered.

This is the pier that I've taken pix of before. I've never seen people here before this.

This appears to be a news helicopter. There is a man sitting in the door with a large camera.

There was lots of activity in the air and in the water.

My sister and her husband called in the early afternoon to see if we wanted to meet at Flounders for a drink around 4. They drove over here and we walked over. Every eatery and bar between here and there was overflowing with crowds who'd come to the beach for the weekend. Traffic was backed up and there were long waits to cross over the bridge back to Gulf Breeze and the mainland. We were told it would be a 30 minute wait just to get a drink. We walked back to our place stopping at a small liquor store for beer and snacks and adjourned to the balcony to watch the dolphins and visit.

I was thrilled to see this display.

On Saturday, my sister invited us over for dinner. Her husband grilled shrimp marinated in oil and sweet/sour sauce on skewers.

This is just a small sample. He made oodles.

Meanwhile my sister made red beans and rice and her brussels sprouts side dish. You can find the recipe here. She substituted cashews for the pecans and added fresh mushrooms and craisins. Spectacular!

After dinner we walked on the sound and I took a picture of a sunset from a different perspective.

 

I am suddenly realizing that February is fast passing and it will soon be time to head for home. I have mixed emotions about that. I am so loving it here, but it is always so good to go home, too.

 I had the most wonderful news today. My son hasn't had a cigarette in 4 weeks. I am so glad and impressed. I used to be a smoker (before he was born) and I remember how difficult it was to quit, but I sometimes think it was the best decision I've made yet in my life.

I just got back from about an hour and a half in the gym and am all wet and sweaty and in need of some breakfast. I am hoping most of the weekend crowd has gone home so we can get the island back to the quiet little place it's been all along until this weekend. We don't have any specific plans for the day and I like it that way. We just roll with it and really feel that this is vacation.

I hope you are warm and dry and feeling good today. I will try to do some art this week. I've mostly been taking pix and visiting with my sister and her husband. I guess those activities qualify as art - the art of photography and the art of conversation .

xoxo