If I haven't mentioned it already, one of my absolute favorite things to do here is to go for walks!
Living in one of the most beautiful, cultural and historical areas of downtown means an endless supply of sidewalks and side roads for exploring.
Today, I set off with nightfall. The weather was an absolute perfect blend of summer and fall. After a bit of a cold spell that had me bundled up in sweatshirts and sweaters for awhile, it was so nice to take a walk in summer heat mixed with fall breeze.
An awesome day like today after a frigid cold spell? - ahh!! it's as refreshing as an ice cold Sunny Delight on a hot summer morning, or a nice strong cup of coffee on a cold, foggy morning...
Anyway, so weather aside, my walk today started off like any other walk - I passed by the old historical churches with their beautiful landscaping. I passed by the bars and restaurants in the center of downtown, and then about a block from the pier, which extends over the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico, I started to taste the salty ocean air...
You never know what you're going to find down at the pier, without fail there is always something that surprises me or takes my breath away. During the summer the pier is always full of crawfish festivals and things of that nature. Sometimes the wind blows just right, like tonight, and you can actually taste the salt of the ocean, before even getting to the pier. The only other time I remember this happening, is one time in the summer, when I passed by a crawfish boil and I literally tasted the crawfish seasoning mixed with the taste of the ocean air, just by walking by. Somehow the way the wind blows sometimes, it just carries the tastes around.
Down at the pier tonight, I was literally breathless looking at a massive vessel that had come into port. A little while back, I wrote about an oil-repair catamaran that was in port, but today another massive vessel stood in port, three-stories high, with cranes and towers and all sorts of other contraptions that made its presence almost seem surreal. Adding to the mystique of the giant vessel, workers could be seen milling about on the second and third story balconies of what looked like living quarters. Sparks from a massive welding project flickered against the night sky. I literally could stare at that boat for hours, it was so intriguing.
Then it was a walk through Historic Village, which is always a treat. I'll have to write a whole post about the village sometime soon, but it literally is like taking a walk back in time. I always like to walk past Pensacola Bay Brewery, a local brewery that technically can't sell beer, so you buy a cup and get the beer "for free." There always seems to be a crowd of yuppie type people hanging around there, sometimes some kind of running club is there - apparently stopping to have a beer or two after their run..
I was once again absolutely mesmerized by what the night had in store, when I passed by Lee Bed & Breakfast, an incredibly charming B&B that sits just across the street from the bay. Tonight they had an event outback. Perfectly placed strands of white lights strung across the back, fenced-in yard make the place look even more magical. Tonight there was live music, a girl was singing some kind of beautiful jazzy sounding music - It made me dream of being an event singer like her... The sound of dishes clanging around and happy company chatting made me dream of being at the event myself... I couldn't figure out however, if I would want to be planning/working at the event, or just attending...I daydreamed away....
Down the street and around the corner, the streets were serene and quiet, the only sound was that of acorns falling off trees in the gentle wind. At this time of the year acorns fall in masses all over the streets and I find myself as intrigued as a child with the sound of their crunch beneath my feet.
And then the rain began to fall...a nice light sprinkle. It was such a perfect sprinkle, that I didn't even bother to rush home. I just ambled along the story-book streets enjoying the smell that the rain made as it hit the fallen leaves. I passed by another B&B that is for sale - the windows were open, displaying its charming interior. I dreamed that one day I would own it...
I was so lost in my daydreams that I didn't even notice that I had never turned my iPod music back on after I had turned it down 20 minutes earlier to enjoy the live music at the previous B&B. As the rain picked up and I consequentially picked up my pace, I marveled once again at the diversity that can be enjoyed in Pensacola.
In about an hour's time, I saw historical churches, tasted the salty ocean breeze coming off the Gulf of Mexico, took in a massive and mysterious boat structure at port, passed through historical streets, saw runners still wet with sweat downing brew at the local brewery where the doors are almost always propped open, took in a magical event at a local B&B, crunched acorns beneath my feet in a light sprinkle of rain, and took in the fresh smell of rain soaked leaves that made me feel like I was far out in the country somewhere, just me and nature....oh I just love Pensacola!!!
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