The Beach Houses on Pensacola Beach

Pastel colored beach houses on Pensacola Beach.

I happen to love the beach houses on Pensacola Beach. I love the pastel colors, all those balconies, lots of windows, and the awesome views of the sugar-sand beach with it's turquoise-emerald waters.

I love this one, it's one of my favorites.

I always enjoy driving by the beach houses, which, it seems, are much too big to be called beach cottages. I'm always thinking, if I could just win the lottery I'd buy one. But then I rarely play the lottery, so how could I possibly win?

Then I start calculating how many of my books I'd need to sell in order to buy one of those beach houses. And then I realize that it would take me about two hundred years or more to make enough money to buy one. But then I dream about owning my very own beach house anyway, because, you know, a girl has to dream.

I love this one too.

I live only a couple miles inland from Pensacola Beach, just the other side of the beach bridge. So I'm not all that far away. My house is minuscule in comparison and doesn't have a beach or water view. Ah, well. At least I live close enough to visit the beach whenever I want. So I can drive by those beach houses and pick out my favorite, which changes from time to time.

And I love this one.

At least for now, the brighter pink one is my favorite. I thought it was so cool when I took these latest photos and realized that the pink house had this unique cloud just overhead. The cloud looked like an arrow and pointed directly at MY pink house.

And I love this one.

No, I don't know who owns any of these houses. Some belong to year-around residents, others are vacation homes and some are beach rentals. All the ones in these photos are located right across the street from the beach.

Gee, and I love this one too.

Now if someone wanted to give me one of  those houses, well, I'd take any one of them. But for now, the brighter pink one, as opposed to the pale pink one, is my very favorite. Then again, tomorrow I may have a different favorite one.

My favorite pretty pink beach house.

I've always wanted to live in a pretty pink house. Don't ask my why. I mean, I've dreamed about a pink house since I was a little kid. So, who knows, maybe someday I'll have one of my very own?

So, which of these beach houses is your favorite?

On Pensacola Beach - Waiting for Hurricane(?) Karen with Jim Cantore

Me and TWC's Jim Cantore at Pensacola Beach.

Now I have been a fan of The Weather Channel's meteorologist, Jim Cantore, for many years. Jim is pretty much a fixture when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes. He has an uncanny sense of where those dreaded hurricanes are going to make landfall. Some even dare to say that Jim Cantore is a magnet for hurricanes.

This morning at Pensacola Beach. Waiting for Karen.

Well, when I turned on The Weather Channel this morning, there was Jim Cantore reporting from Pensacola Beach. So how could I resist? I live just over the bridge from the beach, so I had to drive over there to meet Jim and to take some beach photos.

This morning at the east side of the Pensacola Beach pier.

I have to say that Jim was very gracious and even had one of his camera crew take a couple photos of us with my camera. (If you're reading this post Jim, thank you so very much.)




Storm clouds above the Pensacola Beach pier.

I handed Jim my card and told him that I'm a local author, I have a blog and I follow him on Twitter. Well, my card has the cover of my book, Outback Love. So Jim said, "Outback Love?" And I mentioned that I'm a romance writer. Jim responded with, "I could use some romance in my life." Couldn't we all?

Surfers this morning on Pensacola Beach.

I told Jim that it was great getting to meet him, but that if he was at Pensacola Beach it meant that Karen is probably heading our way. So meeting Jim Cantore is sort of a good and bad thing. Nice to meet him, but we really don't want a hurricane coming our way.

Awesome storm clouds over Pensacola Beach this morning.

Well, I walked the beach and snapped a bunch of pre-Karen photos. The surf was up and the sun was peeking through the clouds and sparkling on the water. The clouds were gorgeous, as always when a tropical storm or hurricane is in the Gulf.

A view of Pensacola Beach from beneath the pier.

Several surfers were out, but the waves were breaking in such a way that the rides were short. I talked to one of the surfers who said he hoped the waves would be better this afternoon.

The far west end of Pensacola Beach.

Overall, the storm clouds were awesome this morning. At the time of these photos, Tropical Storm Karen was approximately 270 miles SSW of  Pensacola Beach. The actual point of landfall is still unknown.

Seagulls waiting for Tropical Storm/Hurricane Karen.

In spite of the fact that it was really cool getting to meet Jim Cantore this morning, we Floridians would rather have Tropical Storm Karen fizzle out in the Gulf and never reach hurricane strength.

Jim, you're welcome to visit our beach any ol' time, just please don't bring a hurricane with you.

Lunch at Flounder's on Pensacola Beach

Flounder's Chowder House on Pensacola Beach.

 

 

 

A couple days ago I had lunch at Flounder's Chowder House on Pensacola Beach. It was a Girls Day Out with some friends. Ahh, what a yummy lunch. We ordered a huge mound of Seafood Nachos and split it between us girls.

When it was all gone I realized I should have taken a photo before we dug in. Hmm! I guess that means I'll have to go back there again?

Outside covered seating at Flounder's.

Those of us who weren't driving ordered a Bushwhacker, which is a mocha rum punch. Very tasty. On Wednesdays a Bushwhacker is only $2.00 - a real bargain, which means you might want more than one.

Well, I was driving that day, so all I got was a tiny little sip. Next time someone else gets to drive me home.

Great sea-going decor at Flounder's.

Dessert was a triple-decker, to-die-for, Key Lime Pie. One order is actually the equivalent of half a pie. Well, we shared that too, but believe me, I swear I could have eaten the whole thing. I should have taken a photo of the Key Lime Pie too. What was I thinking?

Eat lunch with a shark at Flounder's.

I have my camera with me almost everywhere I go. I take tons of photos of just about everything. So how did I forget to take photos of the Seafood Nachos and the Key Lime Pie?

The Soundside view at Flounder's.

Well, after we finished eating we all wandered around Flounder's, taking in the sights. The restaurant sits on the Soundside of Pensacola Beach, right on the water. The view is awesome! Seating is inside or outside. The decor is colorful. The food is delicious.

The outdoor stage at Flounder's.

Here's the link to Flounder's in case you happen to be visiting Pensacola Beach.

Flounder's Chowder House - Pensacola Beach



The kids' pirate ship at Flounder's.

Flounder's is a great place to bring the whole family. Kids can play on the outdoor pirate ship or dig in the sugar-white sand.

It's one of those restaurants where you want to sit and stay a while. And you also want to eat, eat and eat.

Flounder's Weather Rock.

Before you leave Flounder's you'll want to check out the Weather Rock. In case you can't read the print this is what it says.

If this Rock is ...

Dry - - - - - - - - - -  Sunny
Shaded - - - - - - - - Cloudy
Sweating - - - - - -   Humid
Hot - - - - - - - - - -   Heat Wave
Hard to See - - - -   Foggy
Rolling - - - - - - - -  Windy
Wet - - - - - - - - - -  Raining
Chipped - - - - - - -  Hailing
Icy - - - - - - - - - - - Sleeting
Spinning - - - - - - - A Tornado
Blown Away - - - - A Hurricane
Floating - - - - - - -  A Tidal Wave
Not Moving - - - - - On a Coffee Break

Me and the Man-Eating Giant Clam.

You'll also want to have your photo taken with the Man-Eating Giant Clam. I couldn't resist and had a friend take my photo.

Flounder's Chowder House is all about yummy food, an ultra-friendly wait staff, and just a great place to sit and visit with family and friends. Not to mention, it's on beautiful Pensacola Beach. This is paradise, baby, Florida style.

Today at Pensacola Beach

Bright sun and blue skies today at Pensacola Beach.

Today I made a quick trip to Pensacola Beach. It was a hot, sunny day, at last. This summer has been a particularly rainy one with lots of cloudy beach days. So my last couple beach posts have included photos of gray, stormy beach skies. I couldn't resist taking a few sunny beach photos today.







A day of zero surf on Pensacola Beach.

I've lived in Florida off and on for over thirty-one years. In all that time, I remember most summers were hot, humid and full of sunshine. Today was a reminder of those days.

No, I didn't laze on the beach today. I was meeting some of my girlfriends at Flounders, a Pensacola Beach restaurant, for lunch. But I'll save all that for another post. After leaving the restaurant I just had to make a quick stop at the beach to take a few photos.

My favorite part of Pensacola Beach.

The tourist season is coming to a close here, so there were very few people on the beach. It was a day of flat blue Gulf waters with almost no surf. There was absolutely no breeze, so the heat was intense. I'm sure if I'd waded in the water it would have been the temperature of bath water.

Some hardy souls were working on a tan, while others stayed under beach umbrellas. Only a handful of people were swimming in the water.

Greetings from sunny Pensacola Beach.

A holiday weekend is coming up. The beach weather should be perfect. At least for those three days the beach will be packed with people. But for those who want the beach pretty much to themselves, just head to the far west end of Pensacola Beach. That's my favorite spot and even on the busiest of beach days there are very few beach goers there.

Hmm! I may just decide to visit the beach this holiday weekend. Sun, sand and warm Gulf waters. Ahh, that's my idea of paradise.

Pensacola Beach is waiting for you. So y'all come visit sometime soon.

A Beachin' Birthday

Me celebrating my birthday on Pensacola Beach.

I'm not much into birthdays. In fact, I don't care for birthdays at all. However, since birthdays come and go, there's not much I can do about having another one.

My grandson asked me not too long ago, "Nana, are you old or are you really old?" Hmm! Not much of a choice. I'm not old enough for Social Security so I said, "Just old." I suppose there are worse things than getting older. Just sayin' ...





Looking south toward the squall line.

Well, today seemed like a good beach day. Cloudy, with only bits of blue sky showing through and a temp in the low 80s. A tropical breeze was blowing in off the Gulf.

My husband and I spent only about an hour at the beach. The surf was a bit too rough for me. I prefer no surf, just flat emerald waters, so clear I can see the white sand and the tiny crabs and little fish. Today the water was dark green and churned up too much to see anything below the surface.




Even darker skies to the west.

I snapped a bunch of photos. To the south was a squall line of dark clouds and rain. To the west the clouds were even darker. To the east the sun was shining through the clouds and the surf was adorned with diamond sparkles. To the north the sky was cerulean blue with puffy white clouds.








The sun was shining through the clouds to the east.

We've been having a lot of stormy beach days lately. I love the tropical storm clouds and the fact that the beach is almost empty those days.

On non-stormy days Pensacola Beach is packed with summer tourists and the sugar-white sand is hot, hot, HOT. That's when the Gulf waters are turquoise and emerald green and feel like bath water.

Cerulean blue skies with puffy white clouds to the north.

The wind was picking up today and an extra strong gust sent our striped umbrella tumbling end over end down the beach. My husband had to sprint after the umbrella. That's when we decided it was time to pack up and head home. The squall line was coming in fast and it would be raining on the beach before too long.








Hemingway and a Corona with Lime.

Back at the house it seemed like the perfect time to sip a Corona with lime and read a little Hemingway. A Happy Beachin' Birthday to me!

Have a Beachin' 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from a stormy Pensacola Beach.

Normally a 4th of July on Pensacola Beach is hot, hot, HOT. However, it seems this year is going to be a bit different with dark cloudy skies and intermittent rains. Instead of a temp in the 90s, this 4th of July is supposed to linger in the high-70s to low-80s.

Well, considering we've had weeks of extremely hot and humid weather here, this is a welcome reprieve. On the other hand, holiday beach goers might have preferred our usual hot beachy weather.

Today was stormy on Pensacola Beach (facing east).

I couldn't resist taking an assortment of beach pics today. The dark storm clouds were gorgeous. While I was snapping pics the rain started to fall. No lightning or thunder to accompany the rain, so the beach goers didn't seem to mind. The rain was light, so I didn't mind it either.

A few beach goers enjoying the rough surf.

The surf was pretty choppy, which meant a Yellow Flag Warning (rough surf and rip tides). A few hardy beach goers were playing in the surf, though most seemed to prefer sitting on the sand and just gazing at the water.







Darker storm clouds facing west on Pensacola Beach.

No, I didn't venture into the water today. I prefer those ultra-calm days with little or no waves. Way, way, way-back-when I would have enjoyed body surfing, but now I just walk along the edge of the surf on rough days.



Looking north on Pensacola Beach from the edge of the surf.

For those heading to Pensacola Beach for the long holiday weekend, well, you'll still have a great time if you don't mind a little rain. The fireworks on the sound side of Pensacola Beach should be great. Expect a crowded beach on the 4th and some pretty heavy traffic.

My favorite part of Pensacola Beach (the far west end).

As for me, I preferred today's less crowded beach. Most beach goers were sticking pretty close to the beach in front of the pavilion and in sight of the pier.

A lone bird on the far west end of Pensacola Beach.

Me? I prefer the far west end of Pensacola Beach where there was hardly a person in sight. It was pretty much just me and a few birds. Ahhh, just the way I like the beach.

I hope y'all have a wonderful, fun-filled, Happy 4th of July!

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.