Winterfest!!!

Today, downtown was full of all sorts of hubub...People were all dressed up like elves and other holiday characters. What is going on? I wondered as I walked through the streets of downtown - even the local news crew was out filming the festivities.

Well, apparently it's Winterfest! - just another one of Pensacola's brilliant downtown celebrations!!! just minutes from my house.

Not really in the mood to write today, so I'll direct you to the video straight from the Winterfest website - Check it out!

If you haven't gotten in the Christmas spirit yet, reading about Winterfest and watching the video will do it!

Small talk at the local gas station....

Ok, so no picture again... I apologize - I really should have specified in the blog title that sometimes "pics" would be actual photographs, and other times they would be "pictures" with words.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.... but anyway that is besides the point, I will try to stay within a thousand words here...

..........So, I was at the local gas station tonight, picking up some stuff I didn't feel like running to the store for, when this girl comes walking in that some would describe as "white trash" - a little blond white girl, with grey sweat pants rolled up (likely trying to keep cool with the nice heat spell we've had here lately), white spaghetti-strap tank top, hair pulled up in a unfashionably messy bun, eating on a bag of salt and vinegar chips (well they may have not been salt & vinegar, but s&v are my favorite chips so that's what comes to mind when I recall the situation)....

So I'm standing there at the counter, waiting for the cashier to bag up my groceries, when the little white girl comes walking in, walks right up to the counter and starts craning her neck around toward behind the counter where the cashier stood. She was looking around quite intently, almost like she had left something there and was intently trying to locate it, popping chips in her mouth the whole time.

"Can I help you with something?" the black store clerk said to her, kind of with a puzzled tone.

"U got a phone?" she says in a half inquisitive, but mostly entitled manner.

The store clerk just stopped and looked at her for a minute with a puzzled face, almost like he wasn't sure if he wanted to pull out his jerk personality or his nice one - (I've seen him pull out his not-so-nice side on people before, and I was wondering if he was about to do it now).

I was waiting almost as expectantly as the girl was, because I was curious what he was going to say to her......He kind of took a moment, like a pause for breath and then he asked -

"Is it a local call?" He was still looking at her sideways like he wasn't sure how to react to her.

"Yeah," she said back after a brief moment of looking at him also like she wasn't too sure how she wanted to proceed with her attitude.

He just kind of shook his head and kept bagging up my things....

As I left, their voices trailed off, with him asking her questions, her answering him etc...... I just laughed as I walked out thinking about her audacious attitude, and his reaction, particularly because I'm in that gas station often and I'm quite familiar with the attitude he is quite capable of doling out to someone he feels it being rude or whatever.

Anyway, as I walked home, the whole situation made me kind of think back to the days when I myself didn't have my own phone... It's hard to believe, but back in 2002-2003, I often found myself walking to the lobby of a local hotel just to access the lobby pay phones to make telephone calls.

In those day, I recollected, if I needed to use a phone, I probably would have had no problem walking into a business and asking to use their phone - minus the entitled attitude of course, lol.

In a way though, I saw myself in that girl - well, the me that used to be...so outside the cares and concerns of the "higher social class," ...willing to walk in a random business and ask to use their phone - hec, the car I drove used to overheat regularly and I used to HAVE to stop at places with smoke coming out the hood and wait till it cooled down. I remember quite vividly stopping at an oil change place and waiting there for awhile while the guys took a look at the car, gave it water and I waited till it was drivable again......

The whole scenario tonight just got me thinking ... thinking back to the days when i had to hit up a hotel to make a phone call, back to the days when I finally got "my own landline" and it was such a BIG deal (and having "caller Id" on my landline was like the highlight of my tech life)...back to the days when I knew I didn't fit into "higher society" and part of me just didn't care........

I love these little moments in life that kind of take you back - not that I would want to go back to that necessarily, but amid all the daily frustrations and feelings of inadequacy that can come with striving for more, it is nice to remember where you've come from....and just how far you've come. I look at my Blackberry phone and all the technology I have around me now, and I think - "Wow, the me back then, looking at the me now, would have thought I was quite cool!"

Single in the city....

After a nice long cozy sleep-in this morning, I hopped in the car and headed out for my ritual Starbucks...and it was on my drive here to Starbucks that I suddenly realized just how happy and free I am to be single on a Sunday morning in Pensacola....

(Pic Above: At a waterside park in Gulf Breeze, looking out across the water at the Pensacola skyline.)

As usual, there was some big event going on downtown today, and as I sat in my car at the corner of 9th and Bayfront Pkwy waiting to take a left, I saw a miserable looking couple waiting to cross the road. - They were the picture of absolute misery to me - woman looking tired, stressed and annoyed pushing a baby stroller, guy irritable and yelling at her, or just plain looking bored and wishing he had another life...

This was that couple - you could hear them arguing about what way to cross the street. The woman looked annoyed, the guy was yelling at her, "You're not making any sense!" and then proceeded to order her which way to cross - "This way! Over here!" he yelled at her....

I must admit, I found the whole situation kind of humorous because it was so stereotypical of "forced family fun" - a family trying to go out and have a good day and then it just turns into a fiasco....But anyway, after I laughed (cause I've totally been part of "that couple" before) the whole situation made me realize just how happy I am to be free and single on a Sunday morning in Pensacola, Florida!!!

Grant it, there are nights I walk down through the "fun" district and fleetingly think how fun it would be to be all dressed up out with a boyfriend out on the town, but this morning I just got my Salted Caramel Mocha, my Sunday newspaper, which is chalk full of pics and articles about the Blue Angels Air Show that I went to this past weekend, and I am feeling happy and free!

P.S. - Look for a special post coming soon with pics and videos from Blue Angels show!!!

A walk in a dreamland...

Ok, I don't have an actual picture for this one, but I'll try to paint one for you with words...

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!!!

Burger in Paradise!!! ... well actually chicken fingers

So awhile back, a bunch of us headed over to Pensacola Beach. But thanks to my navigation, we ended up going about 45 minutes out of the way, lol - don't ask.

By the time we got "there," a couple of us headed over to Surf Burger to wait for the rest - who, btw, had gotten sidetracked at some retail outlet along the way......The chicken fingers and fries here were delicious! ... The rest? ... I turned down lol (see pic below, right).

Golden Arches ....

As I was driving home from work one afternoon, headed south on I 110, a massive golden structure came into view.

I squinted, trying to make out what it was. - At first, I thought a carnival had come to town because the mystery structure looked like a giant roller coaster. But the closer I got, I realized, it was no roller coaster.

As it turns out, I wasn't the only one trying to solve the mystery of the giant golden structure that had suddenly appeared along the horizon of our bay ... Apparently, it's some kind of rig that fixes oil wells. Story is that it docked here at Pensacola Bay because water conditions were too rough in Alabama and Louisiana. Click here for the whole story - It's really interesting!.

According to the Pensacola News Journal, each of the golden gantries weighs 3,400 tons. That's around 6,800,000 pounds each!!!

The picture to the left, as well as the top one above, are some of my favorites because they show the diversity of scenery here

In the picture to the left, you got all sorts of machinery/boat type stuff in the center. Then, off to the right - a gorgeous waterside mansion graces the horizon. Topping it off, some sort of unique bird species hang out on the rocks towards the forefront...

Trip to Molino ... "Yeah, I don't know why everyone wants to get a picture of it, but they do," he wondered.

One of my favorite things about Pensacola is the diversity of scenery. Where else could you be soaking up the sun at the beach in the morning, and an hour later, be taking a peaceful drive through the country with a cup of coffee in hand?

It's just paradise for me...

So the other day, I took a little field trip out to Molino, a small town outside of Pensacola. I hadn't been there before, nor did I know anyone there, but as soon as I heard that it was "country," I made up my mind to take a drive out there.

After grabbing my Starbucks, I headed back across 3 mile bridge, hit I 10 W, exit 10B, then 29 N all the way out to Molino. Once I hit 29N, I thought "oh yeah, this is what I'm talking about."

All in all, it took about 30 minutes to get out there. I knew I was getting closer to the country and further from the city, when I started seeing more and more pick-up trucks. In P'cola, SUV's, Jeeps, and sports-cars are what you see alot of, but out toward Molino, the standard seemed to be nice big pickup trucks.

In P'cola, when you see a truck hauling something it is likely a boat - probably some people on their way to a beautiful local waterway. Out toward Molino - the pickup trucks were hauling four-wheelers and things of that nature. Tractors and tractor supply stores lined the side of the road.

I loved it!

I was amazed to see what I think were cotton fields, lining the sides of the roads as well. I hear about cotton in

relationship to the south all of the time, but actually getting to see cotton fields was pretty awesome. I almost

wanted to start singing Johnny Cash's "In them old cotton fields back home," (great song by the way) CCR's Version is great too! ... Just before

heading into Molino, I stopped for a fuel break at the Tom Thumb at the corner of Hwy 29 and 97.

I was so delighted to see more fields of crops on either side of the road. There was even a boiled peanut stand just across the street from the gas station.

The air was so fresh, crisp and clean. I was also quite pleased to see the most handsome, shirtless country boy pumping gas. His tan back turned toward me - I just stopped and stared. There was a girl in the truck with him, but I didn't care.

After fueling up, I headed into Molino itself. It was just how I pictured it, even better. I felt I had driven right back through the tv set into Andy Griffith world.

Everything was so quiet, so peaceful, so untouched by the commercial busy feeling that seems innate to bigger towns. I was delighted to see lots of trailers. Lots of people sat out on their front porches. One little girl sat on her front trailer porch, eating a bowl of cereal. Something just seemed kind of unreal about this life.

Part of me longed for this kind of life of just carefree simplicity. It's funny, while most people daydream about being rich and famous, sailing around on boats and parading around in fancy cars in fancy houses - I daydream about this kind of life - the Molino life - just hanging around on the front porch without a care in the world. I think that's why I like taking these little trips into the country - while I'm driving around I just kind of daydream about what it would be like to live in this world, with a simple job, a good country boy, and a bunch of kids running around that I'm always cleaning up after.....

Anyway, back to reality....So I drove up and down the quiet streets of Molino quite taken with its unique charm. When I saw this cool little old vacant-looking brick building, I pulled the car over and hopped out to get a picture. No sooner had I taken a picture or two, than a middle-aged man that was cleaning up brush nearby came walking over toward me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I, a little annoyed with his unexpected presence, said "Um, taking a picture of that building,” kind of looking at him like “Why do you care?”

"Oh," he said. "Well I live there."

He had that small town country ambience about him, and in some remote way he kind of reminded me of Conway Twitty, but I wasn't really in the mood to socialize and truthfully, I wasn't sure if he was angry with me, or just curious.

"Omg!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that. It looked like a vacant building to me."

"No," he said. "I live there, and everyone is always stopping to get pictures of it."

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah, I don't know why everyone wants to get a picture of it, but they do," he wondered.

"Yeah, well it just looks like a really historic place or something. Anyway, sorry if it bothers you," I said, coming around to being more sociable.

...we chithchatted a few more sentences then I went on my way.

Not too much further down the road, I found a marvelous red dirt road that instantly reminded me of the Brooks and Dunn song "Red Dirt Road." It was quite bumpy and went slightly downhill all the way down to a set of railroad tracks

I was stopping to take pictures and video all along the road, wondering to myself how many people were looking out their trailer windows wondering "what the hec this girl was doing taking pictures of their neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon."

After I had my fill of taking pictures and exploring little side roads, I meandered around to find my way back out of town. "I'll eventually get there" is the attitude I had about getting back to town, so I didn't use my GPS, just kept making turns and heading in the general vicinity of where I thought the road back home would be.

And that is when I discovered one of the finishing touches to my trip to Molino, and that was a street sign that said "Joanna Ln." "Omg!" I exclaimed to myself, slammed on the breaks, turned around in a country church parking lot and headed back towards the road to get a picture.

It seemed the grand finale for my wonderful day in Molino. I went home that evening even more in love with Pensacola than I was before....I mean I really felt like I had been gone somewhere far away all day. Just that morning I was marveling at the ocean as the wind tossed the waves around wildly, and now, here I was 30 minutes away, short only the gas and coffee money, with a camera full of pictures and a heart full of new experiences.