Pensacola Beach Waves Goodbye to Tropical Storm Debby

Pensacola Beach, June 25th

I ventured out to Pensacola Beach today to take some "day after" photos of Tropical Storm Debby.

The beach was beautiful. Huge white and gray clouds interspersed with cerulean blue skies. The surf was quite calm compared to yesterday. The winds came in gusts. It was obvious that Tropical Storm Debby is still out there in the Gulf, way off in the distance, sucking moisture from our part of Florida and dumping rains in the rest of the state. But here on the western end of the Panhandle the storm is pretty much over, at least for today.

The west end of Pensacola Beach.

I love watching storms, so I must say I was a bit disappointed that our tropical storm is already winding down. On the other hand, I think it's best for the storm to fizzle out to nothing and go on it's way without causing any more damage.

The Florida Gulf Coast suffered pounding surf, flooding rains and waterspouts. The rest of the state suffered a deluge of rains, tornadoes, damaging winds and power outages. Well, that's quite enough from one storm, thank you very much.

The clouds are still pretty dark to the SE.

Listening to the weather reports, the center of Debby is still stalled out in the Gulf, south of Apalachicola and west of Tampa/St.Pete. Though it's possible the storm can wind back up and take off like a top to a landfall anywhere along the Gulf Coast, it will hopefully die out and go away.

Since this is Hurricane Season, I imagine we'll have more tropical storms heading our way in short order. For now, it's the perfect time to enjoy the beach.

The pier at Pensacola Beach.

Just before posting this I listened to the latest weather report. The Florida Gulf Coast, from Destin east and south is still under a Tropical Storm Warning. So even though our part of Florida is in the clear for now, the rest of the state is still being effected by this storm.

I'll venture back to the beach tomorrow for more pics if there are any changes. In the meantime, check out my next post, "Hunks of Pensacola Beach" for the cute/hunky guys I met on the beach today. Girls, you won't want to miss that post. Just sayin'...

The Pensacola Beach water tower.

Looking at these pics as I'm putting together this post, I can see the sky was still pretty stormy this morning. Obviously, the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are still out there.

Pensacola Beach and Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby, Pensacola Beach, June 24th

Most of my posts have to do with books, but this one is all about Pensacola Beach and Tropical Storm Debby. For several days now we've been watching Debby forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Would the storm actually reach tropical storm force? Well, yesterday it finally became the named Tropical Storm Debby. Now we're all waiting to see if it becomes Hurricane Debby.

Like many others living along the Gulf Coast, my TV is tuned to The Weather Channel. Those spaghetti lines, or spider lines, depicting the possible path of Debby holds us enthrall.

It's a love/hate thing. Storms are exciting and awesome, but also destructive. So on the one hand we'd love to see the mighty power of a hurricane and yet we want to avoid all the bad, dangerous things that come with a storm of that magnitude.

I woke up this morning to a phone call from my mother, who lives in the Atlanta area of Georgia. She wanted to make sure I knew that The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore was at Pensacola Beach this morning. Well, I'd heard last night that Jim had arrived and was already reporting on the storm. For those in "the know" about bad weather, Jim Cantore gravitates to the bad stuff to report on the worst of the weather. So having Jim arrive on our beach, Pensacola Beach, with a tropical storm and possible hurricane heading our way, well, that's not a good sign.


Let me back up to yesterday. It was a sunny, hot, humid 90 degrees. At midnight it was still 90 degrees. When I went outside with my dogs, Shani and Dude, at close to midnight, the air was fragrant with the smell of salt spray and flowers. The air was beginning to stir and there was the prickly feel of an impending storm.

Watching Tropical Storm Debby from the Dock

Now flash forward to this morning. The sky was painted in various shades of gray depending on whether you gazed north, south, east or west. Clouds raced past at breakneck speed, some clouds heading NW and others SW. These are the feeder bands for Debby which is slowly building out in the Gulf.

After a late breakfast, my husband and I drove to the beach, only a couple miles from our house. Just a hop, skip and a jump over the bridge and we were there facing the building force of this Hurricane Season's first Gulf storm.

I must say the waves were awesome. Now by southern California standards, where I grew up and learned to surf, these waves are nothing. But considering Pensacola Beach rarely has waves more than a couple feet in height, these are awesome waves for this beach.

Now, my surfing days ended decades ago, but I still love watching the waves. There should have been surfers out there, but a Red Flag Warning was posted and no one, not even surfers, were allowed out there. I guess the lifeguards didn't want to be forced to make any rescues today.

There were a fair number of lookiloos out on the beach. Some, like me, ventured to the edge of the surf. Most stood way back and just watched. This being a Sunday and all, it was obvious that many locals left church and drove straight to the beach. Even for people who have lived here all their lives, and seen many a tropical storm and hurricane, seeing the beach under storm conditions is a big draw.

We looked for Jim Cantore, but didn't find him anywhere. I imagine he was taking a break when we were walking the beach. Too bad, because I would have liked to meet him. Maybe tomorrow if he's still here? On the other hand, if Jim stays at our beach then that may not be a good omen.

I took a few dozen photos of the beach. In person, the surf was choppy and awesome. Unfortunately, the pictures I took don't do it justice. My husband took some clips with his movie camera, so I'm hoping he got some good footage to post on youtube.



Tropical Storm Debby, west end of Pensacola Beach.

We'll probably venture back to the beach tomorrow to take some more pictures, assuming Debby increases in force and is still close by. She'll most likely be a hurricane by then. Like I said, I'm awed by the power of a hurricane, but don't really want it to make landfall anywhere. I'm sure we can use the rain all around the Gulf Coast, well, maybe not in Pensacola, but so far no rain for our part of the Florida Panhandle. 

Stormy greetings from Pensacola Beach.

In reality, it's too bad we can't send the tropical rains to Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico to put out their fires. But nature doesn't work that way. One part of our country burns while another part get deluged with rains and another part gets torn apart by winds. Go figure.

As I'm writing this, The Weather Channel just reported that the projected landfall is Apalachicola, Florida, to the east of us. Debby is supposedly only moving at 6 mph, so still a long way out.



The Grass is Always Greener ...

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Why am I one of THOSE PEOPLE? Why am I always looking beyond the next hill? The next mountain? The next whatever? That is something I have asked myself over and over again since I was a small child. I have never been content to stay in one place. I always want to see whatever lies over the horizon.

I'm a descendant of a long line of adventurers, malcontents, nomads, travelers, wanderers, pioneers. In my lineage are Viking raiders, Scottish Highlanders, Irish warriors, British pilgrims, German immigrants, American pioneers. So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I'm always wanting to travel somewhere else, to move to a place I've never lived before.

In my last post I mentioned that my husband, Ben, and I have been married for thirty years as of last Friday. My response was, "Let's go for another thirty years." Ben said, "What???" Of course, we fully intend "to keep on keeping on" until our final days, whenever that may be. In the meantime, we both have "itchy feet" and are ready to try something new for the years ahead, assuming we do have some years ahead.

We started out so many years ago as kids living next door to each other in southern California. No, we never dated as kids, just neighbors and friends. It wasn't until many years later, as adults, that we met up, married and started our adventures together. In thirty years we've lived in Florida, Nevada, Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Florida. Are you seeing a pattern here?

For some reason we keep returning to Florida as if drawn by a magnet. It must have something to do with the glorious beaches, the tropical temperatures and all that nature which surrounds every bit of Florida. It certainly couldn't be due to the hot/humid summers, the vicious mosquitoes and no-see-ums that sometimes eat us alive, the hurricanes that send us into hiding now and then, the alligators and water moccasins that cruise our inland waterways, or the sharks that cruise our beaches.

There's just something about Florida that draws us back every time we move away. We've been back here for three and a half years this last time. Now we're getting antsy to venture off to parts unknown. We've been cruising the Internet looking for that perfect place to retire, at least for the next few years. Maybe not a forever place, but someplace to "sit a spell"

Our current sights are heading in the direction of New Mexico. We've vacationed there through the years and always thought it would be a great place to live. So much beauty, so much history. To live near the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Trail. Taos? Santa Fe? Abiquiu? Angel Fire? What incredible places for we two dreamers.

So the last few days have been spent looking at houses via Realtor.com and other real estate sights online and talking to a realtor friend about selling our house here in Florida. The housing market in our part of the state is starting to make a comeback. So maybe our timing is right? Or maybe our timing is all wrong. We're adventurous souls, so we'll toss the dice and hope that lady luck is with us this go-round.

I don't know if we'll follow through with this idea, but it's certainly worth dreaming about.  So what do you all think? If you could drop what you're doing and venture off to somewhere else, where would you go? I'm hoping that you all will add some comments and let us know about those places you'd love to live, even if it's just in your dreams.

By the way, Ben just reminded me that "The grass is always greener over the septic tank."

Life's a Beach at Pensacola Beach

Today at Pensacola Beach

My husband and I went to the beach today to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We fell in love all those years ago on Pensacola Beach, so it seemed like a fitting place to go. (Well, we fell further in love in New Orleans at Mardi Gras, but that's a different story.)

Anyway, it was a beautiful day at the beach, but windy as all get out. The beach umbrella lasted just a short while before it started to crumple and had to be packed up.

Behind us, to the NW, the sky was getting darker by the minute and we could hear the rumble of thunder. The skies over the water were a bright cerulean blue with some scattered puffy white clouds. 

The surf was rougher than I like. My husband swam, but I just waded knee deep. I'm not as strong a swimmer as I used to be, so I don't swim on days like this.

The beach wasn't too crowded when we first got there. So it was nice to just sit and watch the waves and the sea birds. In short order busloads of teens arrived and they swarmed over the beach. It was like a giant tide of teens heading in our direction. The tranquility broken, it was time to head home.

I had taken my Kindle with me to the beach, but didn't end up reading. All I wanted to do was sit and look at the water, the clouds, the birds and the few people who wandered into view.

There was one tall, lean, broad-shouldered hunk with a tattoo on one bicep and a sexy six-pack. There was a also a hunky surfer dude with a tattoo around one bicep, long blond hair and a six pack too. Hmm! My husband said, "Check out the blond." He meant the cute blond chic in the black bikini. Hey, it was a good day to people watch. What can I say?

Normally I would spend some time at the beach reading. I almost always have a paperback with me. This time I brought my Kindle. I have to say it's great to bring to the beach. Mine is packed with every kind of book imaginable, including some great beach reads. Well, this brings me to the beach books part of this post. Below are some beach books that I hope you'll find interesting. (Please note that the books listed are in no particular order and all are available as eBooks.)

Beach Books I've Read:

Bluewater Killer by C.L.R. Dougherty
Widow's Tale by Maureen A. Miller
Mai Tai One On by Jill Marie Landis
SEAL of My Dreams by Stephanie Bond, et.al.
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Key West by Stella Cameron
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe
Firefly Beach by Luanne Rice
Beach Girls by Luanne Rice
Beachcomber by Karen Robards
A Shore Thing (Otter Bay) by Julie Carobini
Murder on the Rocks (Gray Whale Inn) by Karen McInerney
A Dangerous Harbor by R.P. Dahlke

Beach Books TBR in my Kindle:

Endless Summer by Christopher David Petersen
Stay Close, Novac! by Jan Romes
Summer with Fidel by R.G. Lawrence
Deception in Savannah by C.L.R. Dougherty
Memories by Deanna Lynn Sletten
South Beach Cinderella Sharon Potts
All Keyed Up by Mary Stella
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham
Summer Secrets by Barbara Freethy
Iguana Bay by Theresa Weir
Bulls Island Dorothea Benton 
Trouble in Paradise by Lynn Byer
Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio
Chasing Sunsets (Cedar Key) by Eva Marie Everson 
Florida Heatwave by Michael Lister
Letters on Balboa Island by Kathy Holmes
Safe Harbor Judith Arnold
Confessions of a Beachcomber by E.J. Banfield
Mai Tai Butterfly by JoAnn Bassett
Key Lime Blues (A Wes Darling Mystery) by Mike Jastrzebski
Beyond the Misty Shore by Vicki Hinze
The Fisherman's Daughter Sydell Voeller
Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams

Beach Books on my Wish List:

Bluewater Vengeance by C.L.R. Dougherty
Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini
Truffles by the Sea by Julie Carobini
Beach Roses by Jean Stone
Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire
Barefoot Season by Susan Mallory
On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
Moonshell Beach by JoAnn Ross
Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax
The Beach Club by Elin Hilderband
Beach House Memories by Mary Alice Monroe
Suddenly One Summer by Barbara Freethy
On Shadow Beach by Barbara Freethy

More Beach Books:

On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
I Have a Secret by Cheryl Bradshaw
Wild Point Island by Kate Lutter
Life's a Beach by Malena Lott
The Honeymoon Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee
Beach Flirts by Lisa Scott
A Week at the Beach by Virginia Jewel
Beach Rental by Grace Greene
Hot Fun in the Summertime by Chicki Brown

YA Beach Books:

On the Line by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper
Before You Go by Ella James

I'm sure I've missed a bunch of great beach books. So please feel free to mention them in the comments below and I'll add them to my list.

In Memory of Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is a name that brings a warm fuzzy feeling to my soul. It goes back to my childhood days when I first read  Dandelion Wine. New tennis shoes and summer were never the same after that.

I was saddened to hear that Ray Bradbury passed away yesterday. Certainly he has left behind an empty place where he once had been. Of course, living into your 90s is something that most of us only hope to obtain, so it can be said that Ray lead a good, long and productive life. I counted up his books, thirty-six in number, unless I've missed a few. What a treasure trove to leave behind to mark your place in the world, in the universe.

Ray Bradbury holds a special place in my heart. Back in my college days, in 1979, I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Ray Bradbury. I was mesmerized as I listened to him speak. His eyes sparkled as his voice wove words of magic through my soul. I laughed, smiled, sighed, dreamed, sat there enchanted by his words. I was truly in awe of the man and his books.

Afterwards a few of us wandered down to the podium to meet Ray Bradbury. He smiled and talked to each of us. When it came my turn, I reached out to shake his hand and tell him how I admired him for all his wonderful books. I explained to him that I was writing and that I dreamed of one day being an author. He held my hand in both of his and gazed deep into my eyes. Then he smiled and said, "You're going to be an author some day." Just like that I felt he'd bestowed the power of being an author onto me. It was a heady moment for sure. I was certain that he knew, really knew, that day would come to pass.

In all the years since my few moments with Ray Bradbury I've carried his words with me. He has been a guiding light and an inspiration for every word I've ever written. I could never claim to be anything in comparison to the great Ray Bradbury, only that he somehow knew I'd be an author sometime in the future.

Now that I have four ePubbed books to my name, I have to say that Ray Bradbury was able to see into the future and knew that I could fulfill my dream of being an author. How can I not hold him in the highest esteem? I shed tears for the passing of a wonderful, brilliant, enchanting, inspiring man, an author whose words will live way beyond his mortal years.

I went to the library today and checked the shelves for Ray Bradbury's books. I found six of his books, two of which were favorites of mine from those long ago days, and four I'd never read before. I brought home The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I put in a request for Fahrenheit 451, surprised that in our whole county library system they only have one copy of that great book. How could that be? Don't people read Ray Bradbury today? The book has been requested from a library 20 miles away.

In the meantime, I may go to Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million and buy some copies of his books instead. Of course, I can always order his books online or download them onto my Kindle, but it seems that in this case I really should make a trip to a bookstore.  I imagine I have a copy of Fahrenheit 451 tucked away in a box somewhere, but it could take me close to forever to find it.

I'm sure Ray Bradbury means many things to many of us readers/writers/authors. I'm hoping you'll add your thoughts and memories of Ray Bradbury and his books in your comments below.

Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction

A stormy day at Pensacola Beach.

June 1st is the start of Hurricane Season. Here on the Gulf Coast we take this time of year seriously. Hurricanes are no laughing matter when they reach our coast. Nature's might is horrifying and awesome at the same time.

I have a love/hate relationship with hurricanes. I'm overwhelmed by their beauty, yet hate their destructive power. As a writer and artist I'm transfixed in the face of a storm, any storm, even a hurricane. I find myself searching for words and colors that describe the magnificent demon that dares to destroy all in its violent path.

As a school age child I first learned about hurricanes when I read A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. From that moment on I had this great yearning to be in a hurricane, to experience that mighty destructive force first-hand. Now remember, I was just a kid and kids only think about the excitement, the thrill, and not the fact that hurricanes maim, kill, destroy. All I thought about was the power of the wind.

My interest in hurricanes is what first made me want to move to Florida, years before I actually moved here. Hurricanes and Florida have a long history and I thought that if I moved here I'd most likely experience a hurricane somewhere down the line. That was in my young, invincible days. As an adult I'd like to think that I'm older and wiser now. Well, I'm definitely "older," but still not sure about the "wiser" part. Now, though I still have a fascination with hurricanes, I'd just as soon they stay far away from Florida and the Gulf Coast.

My husband and I first moved to Florida back in 1982. Gee, was it that long ago? Both of our parents had retired to Florida, so it was a logical choice. Plus, my husband was born and raised in southern Alabama, so the Florida Panhandle was close to home for him. Anyway, this area had been ravaged back in 1979 by Hurricane Frederick. Though its landfall was Dauphin Island, Mobile, AL, the Florida Panhandle had a significant amount of damage. (Hurricane Frederick, Sept. 13, 1979)

On our first vacation to New Orleans, my husband drove us through beautiful Biloxi and Pass Christian, Mississippi where Hurricane Camille in 1969 devastated the area. (Hurricane Camille, Cat.5, Aug. 17-19, 1969)

A few years later, in 1985, Hurricanes Elena, Juan and Kate wrecked havoc on the Gulf Coast. (Hurricane Elena, Sept. 2, 1985, landfall near Biloxi, MS) (Hurricane Juan, Cat.1, Oct. 31, 1985, landfall near Pensacola, FL) (Hurricane Kate, late Nov. 1985, landfall near Port St. Joe, FL)

In 1995 Hurricane Opal hit the Florida Panhandle in the area of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan, which made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL, pretty much destroyed Pensacola Beach. In 2005 Hurricane Dennis made landfall in Pensacola. It was followed by Hurricane Katrina which devastated all of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans. (Hurricane Opal, Cat.3, Oct. 4, 1995) (Hurricane Ivan, Cat.3, Sept. 16, 2004) (Hurricane Dennis, Cat.4, July 10, 2005) (Hurricane Katrina, Cat.5, Aug. 29, 2005)

Now once again we're facing another Hurricane Season. Those of us who live in hurricane prone areas diligently watch the weather forecasts. We eye the spaghetti pattern predictions of possible landfalls. We worry about highs and lows and weather patterns. We keep an eye on those tropical depressions birthed from the coast of Africa and watch them cross the Atlantic, heading west. The Caribbean? The Gulf of Mexico? The East Coast? Florida? The Florida Panhandle? No matter where a hurricane makes landfall, it leaves a path of destruction. We pretty much hope and pray the tropical storms and hurricanes do loop-de-loops through the Atlantic and leave the rest of us alone.

Now as I said in the title of this post, this has to do with Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction. Where does the fiction part come into play? Like I said, I have a fascination with hurricanes, so over the years I've found myself drawn to hurricane fiction. I'll pretty much read any work of fiction that has a hurricane as a major character.

On the off-chance that some of you out there have this same fascination with hurricanes, I've decided to list some of that great hurricane fiction. I've divided my lists up between Favorite Hurricane Fiction, Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle, Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List, YA Hurricane Fiction and More Hurricane Fiction. There are some great reads in all these lists, so I hope you'll give some of them a try.

Favorite Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Eyewall by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
Hurricane by Karen Harper
Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans by Rosalyn Story
Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate
Dungda de Islan' by C.L.R. Dougherty (non-fiction)
Hurricane, A Novel of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane by Janice Thompson
Hurricane, A Short Story by R. Narvaez 

Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle:

Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief
Dancing in a Hurricane by Laura Breck
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth Jones
Anti-requiem: New Orleans Stories by Louis Maistros
Rooftop Diva, A Novel of Triumph After Katrina by D.T. Pollard
The Storm Killer by Mike Jastrzebski

Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List:

Summer Storms by Rebecca Lyn
The Hurricane by Hugh Howey
The Hurricane Lover by Joni Rodgers
Outcome, A Novel (There's more than a hurricane coming) by Barbara Ebel
Hurricane by Jenna Lynne Duncan
Hurricanes & Hangovers by Dear Miss Mermaid
Eye to Eye with a Hurricane by Audrey Phillips
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
Against the Wind by Virginia Kelly
Onslaught by Teri Thackston
When Seagulls Fly Inland by Ann Davis
The Storm is Coming: An Anthology by Various, Ed. by Sarah Holroyd
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mystery) by James Lee Burke

YA Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi
Stolen by the Sea by Anna Myers
Back Creek by Leslie Goetsch
A Death on the Wolf  by G.M. Frazier
Oliver's Surprise (A Boy, a Schooner and the Great Hurricane of 1938) by Carol Newman Cronin
Cape Cod Surprise (Oliver Matches Wits with Hurricane Carol) by Carol Newman Cronin

More Hurricane Fiction:

In Hazard by Richard Hughes
Stormy Murder by Marthanne Shubert
Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues by Kalua Lauber
Carolina Hurricane by Shannon Dauphin
Of Winds and Rage by F. Mark Granato
Down in the Flood by Kenneth Abel
Hurricane Warning by Ginger Simpson

I'm sure I've missed a lot of great hurricane fiction, so please feel free to comment below and mention other hurricane books (fiction and non-fiction) that you'd like to recommend. Also, at the bottom right column of my blog is a list of Hurricane Links for those who want more information about hurricanes.

Updated on 6/5/12 (see below)

Hurricane Non-Fiction (books that look interesting)

Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams
Isaac's Storm (A Man, A Time & the Deadliest Hurricane in History) by Erik Larson
Infinite Monster (Hurricane Ike 2008, Galveston) by Rhiannon Meyers & Leigh Jones
Hurricane Audrey (The Deadly Storm of 1957) by Cathy C. Post
Island in a Storm (Aug. 10, 1856) by Abby Sallenger
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico by Barry D. Keim & Robert A. Muller
The Great Hurricane 1938 by Cherie Burns
Hurricane Camille: Monster Storm of the Gulf Coast by Philip D. Hearn
A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems
Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford
Black Cloud (The Deadly Hurricane of 1928) by Eliot Kleinberg
The Great Deluge (Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and...) Douglas G. Brinkley
Katrina, A Journey of Hope by Anthony Veltri
Hemingway's Hurricane by Phil Scott