Sitting, reading, dreaming and gazing out at the world ...

Shoreline Park, a perfect place to gaze at the world.

Some days all I want to do is find the perfect place to sit, read, dream and gaze out at the world.

Lucky for me that I happen to live on the Florida Panhandle and close to the beautiful beaches of the the Gulf of Mexico. This is the land of water, water, everywhere. So almost anywhere that I can sit and look at the water is the perfect place to read, dream and gaze at the world.

Since I'm also a writer, it should be the perfect place to sit and write too. But some days it's best to leave the writing to those voices in my head. Some days it's best to just sit and maybe think about writing.

Shoreline Park is one of those places where I can sit in the shade of a gazebo and gaze out at the world. Hmm! Is that where the word "gazebo" came from? Just wondering.

Well, last night was a rip-roaring storm that brought an abundance of lightning, thunder and rain. The temp yesterday reached the mid-90s, but the much needed rain dropped it back down to the low 80s. Ahhh, a temporary reprieve from those hot, hot, HOT days of summer.

The air today is humid, thick, heavy, almost dripping. The rain could start again any minute. But then the sun breaks through the clouds for a moment or two. Then it's cloudy once again.

This is one of those days where I don't feel like doing much of anything.

Talking about the "Supermoon" and Books

A photo I took of the "Supermoon" last night, 6/22/2013.

Last night was the first I heard about the "Supermoon." It's been all over the news and the net for days, but it only just sank in when my husband pointed out to me last night that I needed to look at the moon.

Now this is uncharacteristic of me. I've always been fascinated with the moon ever since my dad bought my brother a telescope and we gazed at the moon, up-close, and saw all those mysterious shadows and craters. Simply awesome!

As the "Supermoon" rose over the treetops last night I snapped several photos. The best of the bunch is the one in this post. My camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V. It's a great little camera (purse size and fits in the palm of my hand), but it isn't particularly designed to take moon photos. So I was pleased to get such a clear photo of the "Supermoon."

Now what's so great about this month's full moon? The moon is closer to the earth for this cycle, so the moon appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. Well, after gazing at the moon last night I have to agree that it looked bigger and brighter and awesome.

Some links to check out:

Supermoon Sunday - NASA.com

Don't fear the Supermoon - Space.com

VIDEO: "It's a 'Supermoon'! - The Weather Channel

My dogs went out into the darkened front yard with me last night while I took photos of the moon. They gave me that funny look of "Why are you taking photos at night?" They didn't even bother to look at the moon. 

Now my dog, Dude, who knows how to howl, didn't even bother to howl at last night's "Supermoon." However, the actual full moon is tonight, so maybe he'll give it at least a little howl as the moon rises over the treetops?

Now all this talk about full moons brings to mind werewolves. Yeah, I have a fascination with werewolves too. In the wee hours last night, just before it started to rain, my dogs and I went out front again to look at the "Supermoon" one more time. The clouds were drifting around the moon, creating an eerie effect. I couldn't help but check over my shoulder for possible werewolves. Any rustle in the bushes caught my immediate attention. But my dogs, Dude and Shani, weren't the least bit alarmed. So I guess we didn't have any werewolves lurking around our house last night? Oh, but the full moon is actually tonight. Oh, my!

My very fav werewolf movie is the 1981 classic, "An American Werewolf in London." I've watched that movie so many times. Absolutely love it!

An American Werewolf in London - Blu-ray Edition

'Moon Over Madness' on my Kindle Fire.

Now it seems to me this is the perfect time to talk about MOON books and particularly those that pertain to werewolves. So in case y'all didn't know, I wrote a paranormal, romantic comedy about, yep, you guessed it, the moon and werewolves. I included witches, vampires, ghosts, dragons and a dog named Jake too.

My mom insists this is her favorite one of my books and thinks it should be made into a movie with actress Shirley MacLaine as one of the witches. What can I say? Thanks, Mom. I loved writing MOON OVER MADNESS and hope y'all will love reading it too.

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle


MOON OVER MADNESS - Barnes&Noble/Nook


MOON OVER MADNESS - iTunes/iPad



Connie Flynn's 'Shadow on the Moon' on my Kindle.

I thought this would be the perfect time to list some of the MOON fiction reads on my Kindle. Note, some of these reads include werewolves too.

MOON Reads on my Kindle (in no particular order):

Shadow on the Moon (Werewolf Series #1) by Connie Flynn
Dark Moon by Rebecca York
Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray
Mocha, Moonlight and Murder by MaryAnn Kempher
Song of the Orange Moons by Lori Ann Stephens

Marsha Canham's 'Pale Moon Rider' on my Kindle.

Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham
Moonlight on the Nantahala by Michael Rivers
Irish Moon by Amber Scott
The Light of the Lovers Moon by Marcia Lynn McClure
Sailing Down the Moonbeam by Mary Gottschalk
Three Moons Over Sedona by Sherry Hartzler
Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens

Anne Stuart's 'Moonrise' on my Kindle

Moonrise by Anne Stuart
Under the Desert Moon by Mary Tate Engels
Orchids in Moonlight by Patricia Hagan
Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer
Moon in Leo by Kathleen Herbert
Sarah of the Moon by Randy Mixter
Fever Moon by Carolyn Haines
Rustler's Moon by Jim Jones
The Valley of the Moon by Jack London


I hope y'all find some great reads in the list above. Thanks again for stopping by. And don't forget to take a look at the "Supermoon" tonight. Oh, and don't forget to watch out for werewolves too.

A Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kind of Day

A mixed dozen of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

The first day of summer and it was a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts kind of day.

Now and then I have a Girls Day Out and meet with one or more of my girlfriends at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Pensacola. This morning it was Betty and I and some very yummy donuts. Betty bought a couple dozen donuts to take home and for friends. She got a dozen still-warm original glazed and a dozen assorted. They looked so yummy that I had to take some photos.



My yummy Key Lime Cake donut.

I only ate one donut, a Key Lime Cake, which was fabulous. Believe me, it took a lot of willpower not to eat a dozen.

Imagine sitting there for a couple hours watching all those warm donuts coming off the conveyor belts. A couple hours of looking at the glass case filled with every kind of donut imaginable. A couple hours of watching one person after another downing one donut after another. Not to mention a couple hours with all those yummy donut smells.



My Key Lime Cake donut was as tasty as it looked.

Shouldn't I win some kind of award for sitting there all that time and only eating one donut?

So you ask, why did I only eat one donut? Thinking back on it, I'm asking myself the same question.

Well, at the moment I was thinking of summer and wearing a bathing suit at the beach and not wanting to look, well, you know, like I shouldn't be wearing a bathing suit. So I only ate one donut. And now I'm thinking I should have eaten two or three or four.


Tonight I'll be dreaming about those donuts I really should have eaten. I mean, how many calories are we talking about? In the overall scheme of things, would it have made that much difference to eat more than one? I swear, on our next Girls Day Out I'm eating at least two donuts. Or maybe three?

In case you want to go there: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Pensacola, Florida

Shades of Summer - Hot Summer Reads

Coffee and 'The Monmouth Summer' by Tim Vicary.

Tomorrow is the first day of summer. So this is the perfect time to start stocking up on great summer reads. For that reason, I decided to give you a list of some of the summer reads on my Kindle Fire.  I hope you find some you'll enjoy in the list below.

Barbara Freethy's 'Summer Secrets' on my Kindle.

Summer Reads (in no particular order):

Summer of Fire by Linda Jacobs
The Monmouth Summer by Tim Vicary
Summer Secrets by Barbara Freethy
One Summer in France by Bev Spicer
Summer's Storm by Denise Domning
That Summer in Cornwall by Ciji Ware
Summer Lovin' by Donna Cummings







Denise Domning's 'Summer's Storm' on my Kindle.

Last Summer by Teresa Weir
Summer with Fidel by R. G. Lawrence
The Days of Summer by Jill Barnett
Summer Storms by Rebekah Lyn
One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake
Summer Days by Susan Mallery
Endless Summer by Christopher David Petersen

Ciji Ware's 'That Summer in Cornwall' on my Kindle.

Summer Rose by Elizabeth Sinclair
The Summer I Learned to Swim by Shannon McCrimmon
Summer on the Mountain by Rosemarie Naramore
Secrets of the Lost Summer by Carla Neggers
Summer by Edith Wharton









Thanks for stopping by. I hope y'all have a wonderful summer filled with lots of great summer reads.

NOTE: Please feel free to add your own summer reads in the comments below.

Shades of Summer - It's all about the Sun

A metal art sun hanging on my patio.

Summer is only a few days away. Those hot, sultry days languishing in the sun. Feet in the sand and sipping a Tequila Sunrise. Doesn't that sound fabulous?

Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it has felt like summer for the last month or more. Hot sunny days, tropical breezes, sugar-white sand and warm Gulf waters. And yet we haven't even reached the official start of summer.

A copper sun on the weathered cedar fence.

This morning I got to thinking. What does summer mean to me? Yeah, that sounds just like some grade-school writing assignment. Hmm! I guess summer is all about the sun. A sun so intense you have to wear sunglasses when stepping outside. A sun so hot that shade is a welcome entity.

A sun hidden by vines.

I grew up in Southern California where the sun shines pretty much 365 days per year and where it feels like summer almost every single one of those days. I was always barefoot, except when I had to go to school. When the dismissal bell rang I'd slip off my shoes and run barefoot all the way home.

I had a year-around golden tan back in those sunshiny California days. I practically lived at the beach. I spent hours lazing on a beach towel and consuming one great read after another.







A painted pottery sun on the cedar fence.

Yes, summer for me has always been about the sun. So maybe that's why a variety of suns grace my yard? A metal art sun hangs from the lattice-covered patio. More suns hang on the weathered cedar fencing. I guess you could say I love the sun.

I hope you'll stop back from time to time to read more of my 'Shades of Summer' posts. You won't want to miss the next one about 'Hot Summer Reads.'

Dude and the Dog Park

Dude in action at the dog park.

My dog, Dude, is a sociable guy who loves going to the dog park. In fact, he's passionate about going to the dog park. So that's where we go most days for an hour or more of action-packed fun.

The meet and greet.

Fortunately, the dog park is only about a mile away from our house. So it's easy to make a trip over there once a day, when the weather is nice. Now and then, if Dude is insistent, we go to the dog park twice a day.

Two holes are better than one.

Twice a day? Believe me, some of Dude's dog buddies go to the dog park three times a day.






The goalie.

I've had dogs most of my life, but never one who loves the dog park. So this is a relatively new thing for me.

Dude is two and a half. Well, a few months ago I thought, Why not take Dude to the dog park? How was I to know this would become a big part of our daily lives?




Discussing the play.

Dude can be napping and suddenly he'll wake up and insist it's almost 3:30 and we need to make our afternoon foray to the dog park. I swear he can tell time and knows to the minute when he needs to let me know I have to get ready to head to the park.





Mixing it up.

If I take longer than a few minutes to gather up his dog collar, some bottled water, my wallet and car keys, well, Dude starts nudging me in the direction of the front door. If I dawdle too long he stomps his feet, barks and then starts spinning in circles at the door. At that point we absolutely have to walk out the door.




King of the Sand Hole?

At the dog park it's high-speed action interspersed with water breaks and a five minute rest period in the shade of the huge Magnolias and Naval Live Oak Trees.

Today I decided to take my camera to the dog park to get a few photos of Dude and his dog buddies in action. Today there were only eight dogs, but sometimes it's as many as fifteen dogs of all sizes and breeds.




After the game.



Lately, the big game is "King (or Queen) of the Sand Hole." Since we live close to the beach, our dog park has lots of sand and sand is perfect for digging. One or more dogs will dig a hole, or sometimes two. Then the game is on.

They confer with each other to plan their strategy. There's almost always a goalie or two. The winners change from one minute to the next.

To heck with chasing a Frisbee or tennis ball. This Sand Hole game is much more fun.




My older dog, Shani, would rather stay home.

I hope you've enjoyed the photos of Dude and his dog buddies.

A special thanks to the team: Harley the Australian Shepherd, Abby the Husky, Bella the Chocolate Poodle, Dice the Black and Tan, Abby the Golden and Dude. Watching from the sidelines: Morgan the Golden and Jumbo the Chihuahua.

Note: My older dog, Shani, doesn't care for the dog park. She'd rather stay home.

Joe Patti's - A Pensacola Icon

The Captain Joe and Joe Patti's Seafood.

I love seafood, so it's not surprising that Joe Patti's is one of my favorite places in Pensacola. Shrimp, grouper, oysters, red snapper. Ahhh, I could go on and on. Joe Patti's is the place to buy any kind of seafood you can imagine. Then take the purchases home and cook up a storm.


You can't miss the Joe Patti's sign.

I'm lucky in that my husband is the chef in our household. Oh, I can cook alright, but I don't particularly enjoy it. My spaghetti and lasagna is fabulous. Yes, ask anyone who has eaten one or the other. But my husband can cook anything and give it a 5-Star rating. His fried oysters, grilled grouper, etc. are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

You can buy all kinds of yummy goodies at Joe Patti's.

Joe Patti's is more than just seafood. They have everything there, from deli meats and cheeses to yummy bakery goods to sauces, wines, souvenir t-shirts and hats, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. It's one of those places where you want to wander around and look at everything and then you'll want to buy.



Joe Patti's Memorial Reef Project.

On Wednesday I went to a Red Hat Ladies luncheon at NICK'S Boathouse. You can check out my previous post for more about that outing. Anyway, after a yummy lunch, some of us Red Hat Ladies went over to Joe Patti's.






Metal Art on Joe Patti's Memorial Reef.

One of the things we went to see is Joe Patti's Memorial Reef Project. The barge reef, which is adorned with lots of cool Metal Art, will be sunk offshore as a fishing and diving reef. If you get a chance, be sure to check out Joe Patti's Memorial Reef in its temporary location moored behind Joe Patti's Seafood.

Blue Angels Metal Art on Joe Patti's Memorial Reef.

Here's the link to: Joe Patti's Seafood

A little info on Joe Patti: Joe Patti - Pensapedia

If you want to read more about Joe Patti's Reef:

The Joe Patti Memorial Reef - Pensacola News Journal

Joe Patti's Memorial Reef 2013 - YouTube

Joe Patti Reef Project - WEAR ABC 3 TV


Before I forget, when you visit Joe Patti's you might want to eat at Captain Joey Patti's Seafood Deli. You're sure to find something yummy to eat.

Captain Joey Patti's Seafood Deli - Menu

Now my stomach is growling. How about yours?

Red Hat Ladies

Red Hat Ladies: Judy, Betty and I.

 

My girlfriend, Betty, belongs to a group of Red Hat Ladies who meet once a month for lunch. So Betty invited me to join them today for their "Red Hot Renegades June Luncheon." How could I resist that kind of invite?

NICK'S Boathouse, Pensacola, Florida.

The luncheon was at NICK'S Boathouse in Pensacola. The restaurant is right on Pensacola Bay with a huge trellis covered patio facing the bay. A beautiful view with a tropical Gulf breeze, yummy food and an awesome group of Red Hat Ladies. What fun!

Here's the link to NICK'S Boathouse - Pensacola, FL

Some of the patio seating at NICK'S Boathouse.

Betty and I split a "Spinach and Artichoke Flatbread" which was quite tasty and just the right amount for a light lunch. In addition to spinach and artichoke, it was topped with marinara sauce, tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese. Yum!






The Red Hat Ladies at NICK'S Boathouse.

The Red Hat Ladies ordered an assortment of different seafoods for lunch. As I recall, every plate was cleaned and everyone was pleased with their choices for lunch.

A to-die-for yummy chocolate dessert.

Then came dessert for those who still had room for something else. One of the ladies ordered Key Lime Pie and I noticed she didn't share. (Nope, I wouldn't share Key Lime Pie either, which is one of my favs.)

Two ordered some death-by-chocolate kind of dessert of huge fudge brownies topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup, whip cream and a cherry. Well, extra spoons were delivered to the table and we all had to try that chocolate delight. Check out the photo to see this to-die-for chocolate dessert.

Some of the inside seating.

The service at NICK'S Boathouse was great. Our waiter was wonderful and readily agreed to snap several photos of our group. As I already mentioned, the view was gorgeous and the Red Hat Ladies were a delight. I can't wait until the next Red Hot Renegades Luncheon.

I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of NICK'S Boathouse so I could share them with you. If you happen to be in Pensacola, I'd recommend that you stop there for a yummy lunch or dinner or even just for a drink.

The fish tank at NICK'S Boathouse.

The inside seating is really nice, but sitting outside and gazing at the beautiful bay is even better. It was such a tranquil setting, I could have stayed there for hours.

Oh, don't forget to check out the 450 gallon fish tank in the restaurant. I've included a photo of that too.

Me as a Red Hat Lady.

For the record, Betty let me borrow a Red Hat for the occasion. Next time I'll be dressing in purple and sporting my own Red Hat. Hmm! I really liked that borrowed hat, so I just may have to borrow it again.

Betty also loaned me one of her books:  THE RED HAT CLUB by Haywood Smith

A special thanks to the Red Hot Renegades. It was great getting to meet all of you and I'm looking forward to the next luncheon. Until then, I hope you'll join Betty and I at our regular hang-out at Krispy Kreme in Pensacola for some yummy donuts and coffee.

Our regular hang-out: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Pensacola, FL