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.'

Hurricane Season Again? Greetings from Pensacola Beach!

Red Flag Warning on Pensacola Beach today.

I could have sworn we just got through the last Hurricane Season and here it is again? Well, I figured that was a good reason to make a quick trip to the beach this afternoon to snap some photos of the wild surf.

Today's heavy surf on Pensacola Beach.

Red Flags were out warning beach goers to stay out of the dangerous surf. In spite of the warnings a few surfers were trying to catch some waves.

Me trying not to get blown over by the strong winds.

I've seen rougher surf through the years, but the wind was blowing hard enough that I wondered if I'd become airborne. I could easily believe that Hurricane Season starts tomorrow.

Beach goers at the edge of the surf.

Some hardy souls were walking along the edge of the surf. Lots of salt spray in the air, which gave it a hazy quality close to the surf.

Lifeguards were out in force today.

On the other hand, looking away from the waves the sky was a bright blue with hardly a cloud in sight. Lifeguards were out in force all along the beach.

A view of beach goers, seagulls and the Ferris Wheel.

I took a few photos of the Ferris Wheel which is supposedly relocating to Atlanta's Centennial Park in the near future. Apparently, not enough people are riding the Ferris Wheel to make it cost effective to keep it on Pensacola Beach.

I didn't spend much time on the beach this afternoon. I'm not really into getting blasted with wet sand. I prefer the tranquil beach days with a soft gulf breeze and gentle surf.

Talking about the Beach, Birds and Books

My favorite spot on the west end of Pensacola Beach.

Living on the Florida Gulf Coast, it's no wonder I like to talk about the beach, birds and books. I live only a couple miles from that gorgeous sugar-white sand and emerald waters of Pensacola Beach.

I could spend hours sitting in a beach chair under a big umbrella and watching the seabirds run across the sand at the edge of the surf or circle and dive into the gentle  waves. Although I might like to spend hours each day at the beach, I only go there now and then.




One of the many birds on Pensacola Beach.

The photos in this post were taken last week at Pensacola Beach. It was a hot day, pretty close to 90 degrees, with bright sun, no clouds, a light breeze coming off the Gulf, and only a scattering of people at my favorite spot on the beach. That's my kind of beach day.

I had my Kindle (my old Kindle Keyboard) with me, because I like to read on the beach. Only the beach, the water and the birds kept my attention and I didn't read a word. Some beach days are like that. Some days I just want to sit there with my feet in the sand and let my mind wander.

A perfect place to read or daydream.

Actually, I thought a bit about the book I'm writing, Romance in a Bottle, which is set on Pensacola Beach. But I'm so good at procrastinating. I'd rather think about the book instead of writing. So if you want to know why that book isn't yet available, well, blame it on the beach and too many hours spent daydreaming ... oh, and reading.

Hmm! Reading? Yes, I read every chance I get. I'm a night-owl, so I do most of my reading in the midnight hours. My Kindle Fire is perfect for night-time reading. I can snuggle into bed and the only light in the room is the back lighting on my Kindle. It's loaded with an assortment of great books, so I always have a wide assortment of reads to chose from.

The other time of day when I love to read is in the morning sitting on the patio with my two dogs lazing nearby. My yard is full of song birds, which are the backdrop to whatever I happen to be reading.

I'm rarely reading just one book. Usually I'm reading one during the day on my Kindle Keyboard, which is great for outside reading. Then I'm reading a different book at night on my Kindle Fire. And I almost always have a paperback near at hand, for whenever I have the urge to hold a real paper book in my hands. Then I have my research books, the history of one thing or another, which I dip into now and then. Yes, I definitely love to read.

Over the last several months I've read some wonderful, great, awesome books. So I thought I might share that list of reads with you. I've written short reviews of all these books on Goodreads. So you can check out My Goodreads Page if you have the time.

It seemed to me the best way to list my latest reads is month by month. All of these books were great, wonderful, awesome reads that I can definitely recommend. I like a variety, so some are romances, others are sci-fi, historical fiction, literary fiction, etc. You're bound to find something you'll enjoy in the books listed below. All of these are available as eBooks and many can be found at your local library.

January Reads:

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
Moonraker  by Ian Fleming
Badwater by Toni Dwiggins
Damaged (Maggie O'Dell, #8) by Alex Kava
Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn

February Reads:

Pride of Lions by Morgan Llywelyn
The Last Kingdom (Saxon Tales, #1) by Bernard Cornwell
The Pale Horseman (Saxon Tales, #2) by Bernard Cornwell
The Lion of the North (Saxon Tales, #3) by Bernard Cornwell
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

March Reads:

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
Sword Song (Saxon Tales, #4) by Bernard Cornwell
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

April Reads:

The Burning Land (Saxon Tales, #5) by Bernard Cornwell
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
1356 by Bernard Cornwell
The Abilene Trail (A Ralph Compton Novel) by Dusty Richards
Cowgirl Trail (Texas Trails, #5) by Susan Page Davis
End of the Trail (Texas Trails, #6) by Vickie McDonough

May Reads:

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Long Trail Home (Texas Trails, #3) by Vickie McDonough
BEYOND (BEYOND Series, #1) by Maureen A. Miller
BEYOND: Two Suns (BEYOND Series, #2) by Maureen A. Miller
Secrets of Paris by Luanne Rice
Baby, Don't Go (Southern Roads Trilogy, #3) by Stephanie Bond
Baby, Drive South (Southern Roads Trilogy, #1) by Stephanie Bond

Whew! I didn't realize I'd read so many books over the last several months. Of course, if I'd found the time I would have read a whole lot more.

Now, before I forget, I'd best mention the books I'm currently reading. By the way, these too are wonderful reads.

Currently Reading:

Stella in Stilettos by Jan Romes
Down in New Orleans by Heather Graham
Baby, Come Home (Southern Roads Trilogy, #2) by Stephanie Bond

Well, those books are calling me, so I've got to go. I need to grab a few afternoon minutes to read.

Thanks again for stopping by. Please feel free to mention some of your favorite recent reads in the comments below.

Party Time on Pensacola Beach

Party time on Pensacola Beach.

This being a holiday weekend and all, it's party time on Pensacola Beach. The weather is gorgeous, in the mid 80s to low 90s with a light gulf breeze, warm emerald waters and gentle surf.




The west end of Pensacola Beach looking east.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday, so we spent a few hours on the beach. We prefer the far west end of Pensacola Beach where there are fewer people.

However, for those who want to party, there are always groups of beach goers near the Pensacola Beach pier and near the lifeguard tower on the west end beach near the pavilions.

The west end of Pensacola Beach looking west.

Yesterday there were only a few puffy clouds way off to the west. This afternoon the clouds are building up, but there's still plenty of sun shining through.

I'm not much into crowds, so I prefer a spot where's there are almost no people.

I took these photos yesterday, one showing a party crowd and the other two photos taken from my favorite part of the beach with only a scattering of people. Even on a holiday weekend like this one, there are wide open spaces on Pensacola Beach.

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope y'all have a wonderful holiday weekend.

April Showers Bring May Flowers?

This morning's April Showers in our backyard.

I woke up this morning to the drip-drop, plip-plop, split-splat of April Showers. Hours later the sky is darker and the rain is still coming down. Off in the distance is rolling thunder with the occasional bright flash of lightning and booming thunder almost overhead.

My dog, Dude, is curled up in one of his favorite "safe spots" next to the couch and my bookshelves. Dude, as a pup, eagerly jumped into a neighbor's pool, but now as a two year old "mature dog" he avoids water in most every form, including rain.




Dude waiting for the April Showers to end.

My other dog, Shani, is older and wiser and doesn't mind the rain all that much. She's already ventured outside and then came back inside to shake off all that rain. Ahh, the smell of wet dog.

Dude, on the other hand, will wait all day before he risks the onslaught of those chilly raindrops. He doesn't seem to mind the lightning or thunder today, but the rain, well, that's just not his thing.





Some of my potted flowers soaking up the rain.



My potted flowers are happily soaking up all that nourishing rain. The grass, under a blanket of fallen oak leaves, should be happy too. And then there are all those giant oak trees that need lots and lots of rain.

Now the tourists on the beach, those Spring Breakers who came here for all that Florida sunshine, well, they won't find any sun today. A few hardy souls will venture out in rain gear to walk along the beach, but the rest will sit in hotel rooms and condos watching their vacation time drip away.

Shani showing little concern for the April Showers.

I thought about going over the bridge to take a few photos of the rain-drenched beach, but then decided Dude has the right idea about staying warm and dry inside. This is a perfect day to curl up with a good book and listen to the rain.

Hmm! So what am I going to read today? I'll probably alternate between Bernard Cornwell's 1356 that I checked out from my local library and Susanna Kearsley's The Shadowy Horses which I'm reading on my Kindle Fire. I'm almost always reading more than one book.


If you want to see the books I've been reading lately, mostly historical fiction these past few months, check out my Goodreads page: Teri Heyer on Goodreads

I checked Amazon/Kindle this morning to see if there were any April Showers books and found the three listed below. All three are romances (in no particular order):

April Showers by Ann LeValley
April Showers (HQ, A Valley Ridge Wedding) by Holly Jacobs
April Showers (Twelve Months of Romance - April) by Margaret Lake *

*Just added to my Kindle

Well, the rain has been going on for hours and hours with no end in sight. I guess it's time to settle into my recliner and read for a while. Here in Florida, these April Showers are sure to bring a riot of May Flowers.

First Day of Spring

My flowerpots are filled with Spring Pansies.

The First Day of Spring is very welcome. For so many, it seems that Winter has gone on much too long. Here in Florida it seems that Spring arrived weeks ago with the onslaught of Spring Breakers visiting our beaches.

For those of us who live here on the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle, we're not going to complain about the weather. No snowy blizzards or ice storms for us.

The temperature most days has been ranging between the low-60s and mid-70s. Some days the sun is bright and the sky a gorgeous blue. Other days, like this morning, the sky was a cloudy gray with a chilly north wind and a temp in the low-60s. Spring? Well, it didn't look like spring this morning. On the other hand, this afternoon is bright blue skies, a sprinkling of white puffy clouds and a temp in the high-60s. It's a beautiful First Day of Spring with warmer Spring days just around the corner.

For those who love Spring and Romantic Spring Fiction (in no particular order):

Waiting for Spring (Westward Winds) by Amanda Cabot
Snow Melts in Spring (Seasons of the Tallgrass) by Deborah Vogts
Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang*
A Promise for Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Spring Blossom by Jill Metcalf
A Scandal in Spring (Wallflowers) by Lisa Kleypas
Spring's Fury by Denise Domning*
Come the Spring (Clayborne Brothers) by Julie Garwood
Spring Fires (Beauvisage) by Cynthia Wright
Three Weeks Last Spring by Victoria Howard*
When Comes the Spring (Canadian West) by Janette Oke
Spring's Gentle Promise (Season of the Heart) by Janette Oke
A Simple Spring (Seasons of Lancaster) by Rosaline Lauer
Spring My Love (Silver Hills Trilogy) by Ginny Aiken
Spring's Renewal (Seasons of Sugarcreek) by Shelley Shepard Gray
Lilac Spring (Wild Rose) by Ruth Axtell Morren
Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae) by L. P. Dover
Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond
The Temporary Wife/A Promise of Spring by Mary Balogh
The Hope of Spring (Lancaster County Saga) by Wanda F. Brunstetter
It Happens Every Spring (Seasons of Marriage) by Catherine Palmer & Gary Chapman
Spring Meadow Sanctuary (The Shepherd's Heart) by Lynnette Bonner
A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection by Josi S. Kilpack, et al.
Eternal Spring Anthology by Amanda Brice, et al.*
Spring Break by Katherine Applegate
Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews
Spring Fling by Sabrina James
Spring Collection by Judith Krantz
Spring Fancy by LaVyrle Spenser

*TBR on my Kindle

I'm sure I've missed a lot of wonderful Spring Romantic Fiction, so please feel free to add others in the comments below. Thanks again for stopping by.  Happy First Day of Spring!

Yodeling for Yellow

Some of my potted yellow Pansies.

If I knew how to yodel that is exactly what I would be doing right now. Only I can't sing a note, so yodeling is definitely out of the question. So, you might ask, what is this yodeling all about? Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it's a bright sunny day and very close to spring.

It's already Spring Break here in Florida. Tourists from all over the country, and the world, head to Florida this time of year. The temperatures are mild, in the high-60s today and expected to reach the high-70s tomorrow. Before the month is out we should be in the 80s.

This is beach weather for those from colder climates. For me too? Beach weather? Well, not quite. My "old" bones need at least the 80s before I venture down to the beach and into the water. On the other hand, this is perfect weather for walking on the beach.

So what does yellow have to do with Florida and Spring Break and almost beach weather? Well, it's all about gorgeous blue skies, a bright yellow sun, the emerald/turquoise Gulf waters and sand between the toes.

I happen to love the color yellow in all its different shades, from the palest yellow hue to bright canary yellow and everything in between. I love yellow flowers, yellow clothes, yellow houses, yellow cars, well, just about yellow anything. Yellow books? Yep, those too.

My yellow floral oil painting.

Besides writing, I'm a part-time artist, which means I paint in oils or acrylics when the mood strikes me. I love to paint florals. And yellow flowers are sooooo much fun to paint.

One of my favorite floral paintings is a bouquet of yellow flowers with two red-orange Gerbera Daisies. I did that painting back in 2004 while I was recuperating from back surgery. I couldn't do much of anything for the six weeks following the surgery, but I could paint.

I think I did some of my best paintings during those six weeks. I also read a whole lot of books during those weeks, but then I'm always reading a whole lot of books.

Well, as I've mentioned in previous posts, colors represent different phases and memories in my life. A couple months back I started writing posts about colors (Seeing Red, Passionate About Purple, Think Pink and Lovely Lavender). This morning I woke up and said, "This is a yellow day."

When I was a kid I always dreamed about having a yellow farmhouse. I wanted it to be two stories with white shutters and a huge painted-white wrap-around porch. I wanted that farmhouse to be right in the middle of acres and acres of land, with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs and any other critters I could think of. Well, that yellow farmhouse is still a dream, but maybe someday ... you just never know.

When I was sixteen my parents bought a bright yellow Corvette Stingray. Wow! That was an awesome car. I wanted so badly to be allowed to drive it, but I had to wait until the following year. One day, when I was a freshman in college, my dad finally relented and said I could drive the Corvette to pick him up at work. Was he crazy? Allowing a seventeen year old to drive a Corvette? And on a rainy day too?

Well, I took the turn onto the freeway on ramp (in So-Cal) at too high a speed and did a 360 and then some.  I remember thinking that I'd better die in the crash, because if I didn't my dad was going to kill me. I must have had a guardian angel looking out for me that day, as the vet came to a stop about a foot away from a concrete embankment. I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart still pounding, looked up and there was Forest Lawn Cemetery right before my eyes. That was an instant reminder of where I could have been. By the way, I learned to be a very careful driver after that.

My parents never heard that story. When I picked my dad up from work he asked how the drive went. I think I said something like, "Just fine." Dad had a twinkle in his eye, so maybe he sensed that I drove the vet much too fast that day. Now my mom, who is probably hearing this story for the first time as she reads this post, is saying "You did what?" Hey, what can I say?

Years later my husband and I bought a canary yellow Jeep Wrangler with a black removable top. It pretty much looked like a giant bumble-bee, but boy was it fun to drive. We had that yellow Jeep for several years until we traded it in for a big white truck.  A truck? White? What were we thinking? But that's another story, another post.

I remember a bright yellow mini-dress that I wore to a high school dance. I wore it with yellow fishnet stockings, purple shoes, a purple headband and purple sunglasses. Hey, those were the late sixties and mod-dress meant bright colors. So yes, my dress was a hit. And I did wear those sunglasses while I danced in my fishnet stockings in the gym.

I remember another bright yellow dress, so many years later. My husband and I were on a mini-vacation in Jamaica. We were staying at Wyndham Rose Hall outside of Montego Bay. I spotted this gorgeous yellow and white striped dress and I just had to buy it. The skirt was cut in overlapping triangles of solid yellow and then yellow and white striped. I wore that dress off and on for many years and it always brought back memories of Jamaica, the warm Caribbean waters, Jamaica Delights (a tropical drink with pineapple juice, coconut milk and three different kinds of rum), balmy temps and reggae music (and yes, I can reggae).

Well, I could go on and on talking about the color yellow in my life, but then this post would be way too long. So to wind things up I'll add a few yellow books. It's not surprising that one of my favorite yellow books is John D. MacDonald's One Fearful Yellow Eye (Travis McGee Series #8). I've read every one of the colorful books in the series and plan to read all of them over again. Yes, I'm in love with Travis McGee, but don't tell my husband.

Another favorite yellow book is Patricia Falvey's The Yellow House. This novel is awesome! I have a hardback copy which graces my bookshelves. Some books stay in your memory and this is one of them, a book to read over and over again.

A yellow book I'm looking forward to reading is Louis L'Amour's Showdown at Yellow Butte. I have just about all of Louis L'Amour's books in paperback (all keepers) and have already read over half of them. I love every one, so I'm sure to love this one too.

In most of my posts I include a list of books. So in this case it's a list of Yellow Fiction. I haven't read any of the books listed below, but they all sound like great reads. Some of them have already been added to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Yellow Fiction (that's fiction with yellow in the title, in no particular order):

Yellow Crocus: A Novel by Laila Irahim*
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Tapestry: Strands of Blue and Yellow by Cady Elizabeth Arnold
Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance #1) by Peggy L. Henderson*
Yellowstone Redemption (Yellowstone Romance #2) by Peggy L. Henderson*
The Yellow Palace (Inner Seas Kingdom) by Jeffrey Quyle
Secret Past (Yellow Creek Novel #1) by Anna Sugg
Ghost Thunder (Yellow Creek Novel #2) by Anna Sugg
The Yellow Rose of Texas by Shannon Richardson
Yellow Rose Bride (Historical Romance) by Lori Copeland
The Yellow Birds: A Novel by Kevin Powers
Strawberry Yellow (A Mas Arai Mystery) by Naomi Hirahara
The Yellow Rose (Lone Star Legacy) by Gilbert Morris
Pushing Up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Mystery) by Leann Sweeney
The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins
In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal
Chrome Yellow and Other Works by Aldous Huxley
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Gilman Perkins

Another of my oil paintings with yellow flowers.

*On my Kindles

I had a fun time putting together this list of yellow fiction. Please feel free to add more in the comments below. Thanks again for stopping by.

YOooooDoooOOLeeeeng YeeEELLooooOOO ... (that's me trying to yodel).

A Sandcastle on Navarre Beach

A Sandcastle on Navarre Beach.

I have always been in love with sandcastles. Growing up in southern California, my family went to the beach most every weekend all summer long. Laguna Beach was my favorite, because of the rocky shoreline that revealed starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures when the tide was out. I also loved Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, because of all that sand which was great for building sandcastles.

At an early age my parents taught me how to build a sandcastle using my hands to form the walls, then digging the moat and forming the outer walls. Fingers worked just fine to create windows and doors. No, we didn't have plastic forms to build sandcastles back then, just our hands and a lot of imagination. When the castle was complete, my dad showed me how to drip sand onto the structure to create the roof, spires and other decorative elements. Then it was all topped off with an assortment of seashells and colorful sea glass.

These days people use plastic forms and a variety of plastic shovels and rakes to build a sandcastle. It's still a fun thing to do, but not quite as unique and artistic as the ones I built as a child.

Yesterday my husband and I attended the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival. I expected to see an assortment of sandcastles, but such was not the case. Instead, there were the following sand creatures: a crocodile, a sea turtle, a gorilla head, horse heads, a snake, Humpty Dumpty, a giant eye and a giant face. Oh, there was also a race car, but only one sandcastle. Go figure. You can see the lone sandcastle in the photo above.

I'd love a beach festival of just sandcastles, but maybe sandcastles aren't popular these days? Oh well, I guess I'll have to go down to the beach and build my very own sandcastle, just to see if I still know how to do it the old fashioned way. On the other hand, when Hurricane Isaac battered the Gulf Coast several weeks back, I walked along the beach collecting plastic forms, rakes and shovels for building sandcastles. I wondered how all those brightly colored plastic forms ended up abandoned and half buried in the sand. Anyway, I now have enough plastic tools to build a modern day sandcastle.

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any photos of those sandcastles I built all those many years ago, when I was just a kid. Well, at least I have the memories. One of the things I remember from those long ago days, was watching the rising tide wash away the sandcastle at the end of the day. There was something special about creating a momentary work of art, a sandcastle here for a few hours and then gone.

For those who might be interested in the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival which continues through Sunday, here's the link with all the info.

Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival

If you want to see more photos of the sand sculptures I mentioned above, and some enticing photos of Navarre Beach, check out the two blog posts I did yesterday.

For those of you who know I love to make lists of great books to read, well, here's a list of sandcastle fiction. (Listed in no particular order.)

Sandcastle Fiction:

Sandcastles by Luanne Rice*
Sandcastle and Other Stories by Justin Bog**
Sand Castles by Antoinette Stockinberg**
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Sandcastles by April Hill
The Sand Castle by Rita Mae Brown
Sandcastles of Love by Sydell I. Voeller
Castles on the Sand by E. M. Tippetts
Sandcastles by H. H. Campbell
Sand Castles and Seashores by S. C. Harvey

All of the above books are available in eBook format.

*A book I've read and very much enjoyed by one of my favorite authors, Luanne Rice. I actually have a hardback copy of this keeper book.

**To-Be-Read Books on my Kindles (Two, my old Kindle Keyboard and new Kindle Fire).

Note: My book list above would have been longer, but there aren't that many sandcastle books. So maybe I need to write one? Just sayin'...

Please feel free to comment below and add any sandcastle books that I might have missed.

Before I forget, I came across a how-to book about building sandcastles. So in case anyone is interested, here it is:

Sandcastles Made Simple by Lucinda Wierenga

A Turbulent Summer

A turbulent summer day on Pensacola Beach.

Some summers are laid-back, tranquil, peaceful, but not this one. This is a summer of political battles as we in the U.S. face an upcoming presidential election. It is also a summer of turbulence around the world, in Europe, the Middle East, pretty much wherever people are seeking justice and freedom. I am not going to get into the individual battles, or even dare to say who is right or wrong, just that this is truly a summer of the winds of change.

Here on the Gulf Coast we had sunshiny days interspersed with mighty storms. Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Isaac wrecked havoc along our coast. It was an awesome beauty and yet terribly destructive.

Today I wanted to write a blog about the end of summer. I thought about the sugar-white sand of Pensacola Beach, the turquoise water, the gentle gulf breeze. I thought perhaps I could write something light-hearted and fun. But the words wouldn't come. I didn't feel that way about this particular summer.

I selected the above photo, taken on August 27th at Pensacola Beach, which depicts the turmoil of this summer. The sky shows a hint of blue, a possible promise of better days to come. The turbulent surf represents the turmoil, unrest, strife that has occurred around the world all season long.

The books I'm reading lately reflect this sense of turmoil and unrest. This morning I finished Tim Vicary's The Monmouth Summer, which I have to say is an awesome read. It's a novel about the summer of 1685 when the protestant Duke of Monmouth and his followers attempted to depose the papist King James II of England. Frankly, I can't think of a better book to read at this time.

This afternoon I started reading Tim Vicary's The Blood Upon the Rose about Sinn Fein and the IRA in 1919 Ireland. Again, this is a perfect read for these turbulent times.

I'm also reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (the centennial, hardback, library edition of this novel, all 1168 pages, which will take some time). I read this previously, back in my college days, during the tumultuous Vietnam War era. Reading it now, I find different messages in this book. I won't say that I agree or disagree with Ayn Rand's philosophy, only that I find it an essential read for these times.

As usual, I've put together more lists of books. I selected ones that depict the turbulent times of the past and present -- war, strife, a struggle for survival and freedom. The first list is books I've read recently or in the past that I highly recommend. The second list is books of similar themes that I hope to read. Many of the books on the second list grace my bookshelves or Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my new awesome Kindle Fire). When you peruse these lists, I hope that you find some books that you'd like to read. These are listed in no particular order. Most of the books listed are available in eBook format.

My Recommended Reads:

The Monmouth Summer by Tim Vicary
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Desert Crucible by Zane Grey
Exodus by Leon Uris
Trinity by Leon Uris
The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Through a Dark Mist (Robin Hood Trilogy, Bk1) by Marsha Canham
In the Shadow of Midnight (Robin Hood Trilogy, Bk2) by Marsha Canham
The Last Arrow (Robin Hood Trilogy, Bk3) by Marsha Canham
Sons of Liberty by Marie Jakober
Only Call Us Faithful by Marie Jakober
Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen
The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Pretty Birds by Scott Simon
The White by Deborah Larsen
Hawaii by James Michener
Shogun by James Clavell
The Fort by Bernard Cornwell
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

Some books on My To-Be-Read List:

The Blood Upon the Rose by Tim Vicary
Cat and Mouse by Tim Vicary
Shades of Gray by Jessica James
Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel by George D. N. Coletti
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
A Town Called Alice by Nevil Shute
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Where the Mockingbird Sang by David Wilson Atwood
War Brides by Helen Bryan
Far Away Home by Susan Denning
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Hope (Bk1) by Herman Wouk
The Glory (Bk2) by Herman Wouk
Acts of Faith by Philip Caputo
The Unknown Soldier by Gerald Seymour
Le Miserables by Victor Hugo
Armageddon by Leon Uris
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna

I've left a lot of books off these lists, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment. Once again, please feel free to add suggested reads in the comments below. List books you've read and recommend, ones to be read and even ones you've written yourself. Thank you all in advance for adding to these lists of great reads.

What Are We Reading This Summer?

My Summer Reads

What are you reading this summer? For readers, this is a very important question. Summer is supposed to be a time when we relax. Vacation time. Beach time. If nothing else, summer is a state of mind. However you chose to look at it, summer is different from the rest of the year. The weather is hotter, often scorching hot. In tropical climbs like Florida, summer brings tropical storms and dreaded hurricanes.

For those of us who live in Florida, summer is six months long (winter is two weeks at most). So what dates do I use for a Florida summer? I'll stick with the summer tourist season, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. So before I go off on another tangent, let's get down to the real reason for this post, What are we reading this summer?

Now first off I can hear my mother asking, "We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" She used to drive me nuts with that question as a kid.  Funny, all these many years later, she hasn't asked me that question lately. Okay, I told you, I have a tendency to go off in different directions.

What are we reading this summer? I really want to know. I, for one, have read some great books, many of them Indies and I've reread some old favorites. So I'm going to share them with you, just in case you care to know. On the other hand, I really want to know what you're reading too. Have you found some exciting/thrilling/enchanting/memorable reads?

As a writer/reader I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. Things like plugging away on my work(s) in progress, marketing my books that are already published, editing (yeah, I hate that part), blogging (I love that) and Tweeting (just plain fun). Reading fits in there somewhere. "So many books, so little time."

So now we're down to the "I'll show you mine and you show me yours." Sheesh! We're talking books silly. I'll tell you what I've been reading this summer and what I hope to read before the season is over and you'll (hopefully) do the same via the comments below. This is also a time where you can shamelessly mention your own books too (as suggested summer reads) and even include your blog addy and Twitter ID. Readers need to know what great books are out there.

Here's a list of all my reads since Memorial Day weekend. I heartily recommend every single one of them. This is the order in which I read them.

Golden Boy by R. G. Lawrence
Judgement Tramp by J. D. Currie
Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief (short story)
Hurricane  (A Novel of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane) by Janice Thompson
Drinking with Dead Women Writers by Elaine Ambrose & A. K. Turner
Hurricane, A Short Story by R. Narvaez
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Stay Close, Novac! by Jan Romes
Sullivan's War: Prologue - Sergeant Riley's Account by Michael K. Rose
Sullivan's War: Book 1 - All Good Men Serve the Devil by Michael K. Rose
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I'm currently reading (almost finished) the following:

Short Stories by Michael K. Rose
Wool (Omnibus Ed.) by Hugh Howey (soon to be an awesome movie)

Whew! Now that I've listed them all, that's more books than I'd realized. I'm a night owl and have a difficult time falling asleep, so I do most of my reading at night. Though sometimes I take a break for much of a day and just read. That's how I relax and how I rejuvenate my brain.

Now here's my wish list of the books I hope/plan to read by summer's end (not necessarily in the following order):

Tales from the Spanish Mustang by Benjamin X. Wretlind
Summer with Fidel by R. G. Lawrence
Sullivan's War: The Complete Adventure by Michael K. Rose
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (read previously in my college years)
Mark of the Loon by Molly Greene
Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi
Bluewater Vengeance by C. L. R. Dougherty
Land of the Noonday Sun by Carmen DeSousa
Haunting Refrain by Ellis Vidler
Kiss Me by Jan Romes
The River Between (The River Series, Bk 1) by Jacquelyn Cook (I have the whole series)
Bradbury Stories by Ray Bradbury (may take me all year to read the 100 short stories)

Note - This is just my short-list for summer reading and is bound to change with the addition of other books I discover along the way. Reading, after all, is a wonderful journey of exploration and enjoyment. I'm always asking myself, "What should I read next?" That's the joy of it, not knowing which path you'll take next.

I'm now the proud owner of two Kindles: my old Kindle Keyboard (still running after 2+ years) and my new Kindle Fire (a birthday present last week from my husband). I have more eBooks than I can count on my Kindles and archived in the cloud. With the exception of the Ray Bradbury books, all I'm reading these days are Indie books on my Kindles. Once again I attest that "Indies Rock!"

Please take a few moments of your time to comment below. What enjoyable/notable books have you read so far this summer? What do you hope to read before summer is out? Do you have a book(s) of your own you'd like to recommend for a summer read? We readers want to know these things, so please jump in with the books you think we'd love to read this summer. Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to your summer reads.

Blue Angels Air Show at Pensacola Beach

 Blue Angels Air Show over Pensacola Beach on July 12th.

Today was the practice run for the Blue Angels Air Show at Pensacola Beach.   As always, it was an incredible show. Simply breathtaking!


Yesterday at 8:00 am was the first practice run for some of the maneuvers over the beach. Today it was a full practice run for the Blues at 2:00 pm. Tomorrow, Friday the 13th, is a full dress-rehearsal at 2:00 pm.


The big Air Show is Saturday, starting with the pre-show at noon followed by the Blues, with the show ending around 2:00 pm. If you have any plans to attend the air show on Saturday, be sure to get there early in the morning. Otherwise you could be stuck on one of the bridges for hours in bumper to bumper traffic.


My husband and I never go to the Saturday show.  Too many people, too much traffic. Today, on the other hand, was just perfect. The parking lots were full. We had to park in the sand, which is okay when you have 4WD. Some people made the mistake of parking their cars in the sand and the vehicles were buried up to the axles. Pensacola Beach is huge, so in spite of the crowds there was plenty of room to spread out.

Fat Albert heading for the clouds.

Well, it couldn't have been a prettier day for a beach air show. Cerulean blue skies dotted with white puffy clouds. Off to the north dark clouds were building for a storm, but over the beach it was perfect.


The show opened with Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules, flying just over the top of the pier. Awesome! After a couple passes, Fat Albert climbed almost straight up toward the clouds.


The Blue Angels, F/A-18 Hornets, came screaming in minutes later. They did more complicated aerobatic maneuvers than I've ever seen before. A full hour of jets going every direction, including straight up and straight down and then pulling out at the last second.

Blue Angels performing the cobra.

Unfortunately, my digital camera isn't the best when it comes to taking pics of the Blue Angels. The shutter speed isn't quite fast enough, but I still managed to get a few good pics. When two Angels did the cobra, they were going slow enough that my pic turned out great.


My husband took much better pictures with his digital movie camera. He plans to put some of the clips on YouTube. In the meantime, my pics will have to do.

The Blue Angels were awesome!

If you're within driving distance of Pensacola Beach, then you ought to head on down to see the air show on Friday or Saturday.  The traffic shouldn't be too bad for Friday's show, but be sure get there early in the morning for the Saturday show.


I've seen the Blue Angels fly over Pensacola Beach more times than I can remember. But I still head to the beach to see them perform every chance I get. I have to say, today's show was awesome.

A beautiful day for an air show.

The Gulf couldn't be more beautiful today. Gentle surf at the perfect temp. Lots of people, but plenty of room to spread out.


No swimming was allowed while the show was going on, but the minute it ended nearly everyone headed for the water.


Note: Yes, I did swim today. No, I don't wear a bikini, heaven forbid at my age (old, but not too old).  No, my husband and I are not in any of these pictures.

Happy 4th of July from Pensacola Beach!

Happy 4th of July from Pensacola Beach!

The 4th of July along the Gulf Coast is all about the beach, in my case, Pensacola Beach. Since this is a tourist destination the beach is packed. So here are a few pics of a very crowded beach.

Those not on the beach are most likely having a family gathering somewhere. Perhaps at a park, a campground, or just at home. This is a big day for barbecues, which is what we have planned. My husband is the chef at our house. The menu: Texas style barbecued ribs, to-die-for potato salad, corn on the cob and ranch style beans. Yum!

For many this is a day of family gatherings and nighttime fireworks. For others it's a quiet day at home, at least it's quiet until the neighborhood fireworks get started.

Looking west on Pensacola Beach.

My dogs, Shani and Dude, aren't all that crazy about fireworks, but they don't freak out. Shani will go off to the most soundproof part of the house, a bathroom. Dude will stomp around, huff and puff, and "Ahh-rooooo!" his complaints now and then.

When I was a kid growing up in a small southern California town, the 4th of July was a big deal. The whole town turned out for a parade followed by a family oriented gathering at the park. It was a day of baseball games, cotton candy and a carnival atmosphere. At night we'd spread out big blankets, stretch out and watch the fireworks directly overhead. "Oooos and ahhhhs" would be voiced by all.

Looking east on Pensacola Beach.

One year, when I was nine, I got to ride on a float.  I was a 4th runner-up for writing an essay "What the American Flag Means to Me." That essay won me a spot on the float. Alas, the essay is nowhere to be found, but the memories are still there.

As I sat there on the float, looking out at the crowds, I dreamed of someday becoming a real writer. Some dreams are slow to fruition, but heck, I'm getting there. I'm an author and people are reading my books. I guess it doesn't get much better than that.

The holiday beach crowds.

As for me, I'm not all that keen on crowds these days. So I'll be watching my fireworks on the TV.

Best wishes to all of you for a great, fun, happy 4th of July!

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.