Walk to Eden Condominiums 5Km round trip...

We got up very early this morning to see the sunrise on the beach! The sky becomes the most brilliant shades of pink, blue and purple...
The sun is just about to rise over the water ... it is a bit cloudy so we won't really see it up for a while. this morning we are walking about 5 kilometers round trip so no worries...we shall witness it all...


When it finally breaks past the clouds the colours change from misty, and muted tones to bright and vibrant ones. The sea is shimmering and there is the promise of warm weather ahead. As we walk we have our hoodies zipped up to the neck and hoods up ...


Richard picked up on these footprints and said well these are the footprints of a true beachcomber... I thought ' why is that ? '... he said "look closely" and sure enough the perfect footprints are of two different shoes, worn by the same person! Was it too dark when he ventured out...

Our destination...the EDEN Condominiums...get it? Eden in Paradise on the lost key....

This morning another thing happened as we walked. I had spotted a large Shark's eye shell protruding from the wet sand, just 'asking' me to come and pick it up. I ran over to get it and turned around to show Richard. Just then another beachcomber, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, came walking up to me quickly with his hand outstretched. He was tall and had a ruddy complexion, like he lived here by the sea, and his clothes were warm but worn around the edges. His outstretched hand was covered with fingerless gloves so that he could shell without getting them wet. As he approached me he said "here these are for you, they are just like that one you found" and he gave me three amazingly large and perfect samples of Shark's eye shells.

As quickly as he had approached me he was gone again in the opposite direction to us down the beach. I couldn't find his footsteps in the sand as we moved away from him nor as we returned on our walk back to our familiar surf...

Mist off the Gulf of Mexico...

This morning Richard ventured out in the weather in 22F (- 5.5 C) to see how the beach was and he saw "steam" coming off the water. The water is warmer than the air! He also saw fish jumping out of the water and birds feeding on them...Neat!

Arizona is looking better and better!!! :-)

HANGOUT Breakfast!

Richard and Suzy (our Friend from Seattle) and I went to the Hangout for breakfast this morning. It is a place right on the beach. It was beautifully decorated and we watched the birds and fog roll in out the huge open garage doors that serve as windows.

It was a "red flag" day meaning sea dangers at the level of HIGH HAZARD. This indicates high surf and/or currents present.

There was an amazing decoration of bells on red ribbons hanging at the entrance that was absolutely breathtaking.

Beach....ahhhhh....

The day here is absolutely beautiful! It is 70F ( 21C ) and there is a slight breeze blowing off the sea. We took a long walk by the beach today and really enjoyed the warmth of the water and the fresh sea air. The sea oats on the dunes seem a little stronger and longer than last year...maybe they had a better summer!

I love to get my feet in the water and usually come up from the beach soaked to the waist but today I was a little more careful ... it was Richard who waded out into the water.

There is a steep fine to bring dogs on the beach so we are walking Rudy and Reggie around the Yacht club portion of this beautiful little park and they are content.

Later today I will be posting about the Sting Ray we saw in the water and that Rich got great shots of and also a little about the sea shells...We are off the get some fresh fish in Pensacola at Jo Patty's Seafood...

A Little About the Area ...

Pensacola, the city we are close to is one of the oldest settlements in America. It is less than 20 miles to the east.

Excellent venues for food and entertainment on the Emerald Coast are plentiful in this area. We have heard a lot about the restaurant and Seafood vendor Joe Patti's and we can't wait to visit it soon. Joe Patti's Seafood Company originated in 1931 from the back porch of Captain Joe and Anna's home in Pensacola.

We are also very close to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley, Alabama. The city of Mobile is about an hours drive away.

Entertainment around here includes night spots on the Beach:

"The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package (aka The Flora-Bama), located on Perdido Key in Pensacola, Florida, is a beachside oyster bar, nightclub, and Gulf Coast cultural landmark, touted as being America's "Last Great Roadhouse". The Flora-Bama takes its name from its location only feet away from the Florida-Alabama border (it is officially located entirely in Florida). The bar was originally in Florida but due to a dispute between the two states about building a bridge over the Perdido pass, Florida gave Alabama the land from the pass to the bar in exchange for not having to pay for construction of the bridge.....There is live music to be had every day of the week, with usually at least five bands playing on Saturdays. It is still a spot likely to attract celebrity visitors, with faces such as Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Kid Rock, and Kenny Stabler sometimes seen amongst the patrons." .... Wikipedia

Another hotspot is The Hangout (http://www.thehangoutal.com/) where Highway 59 meets the Gulf. This is a beach gathering place dating back to the 50's. The web site is under construction but there are some cool old photos there. We went there for breakfast and had a table that looked out over the Gulf. The windows are huge garage door type openings that can be retracted completely to give the feel of having breakfast right on the shore! They are open for breakfast lunch and dinner and the Bar is open late of course!