A Saturday Morning at the Farmers Market

Another Saturday a few weeks ago at the farmers market. The weather was warm. Making it especially nice to linger. So I did.

And this Saturday there was something else that made me want to linger a little longer. A three woman string band. The music was soft and almost mystical. There were soft notes riding the sunlight on a breeze through the trees. Sweet.

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Aldous Huxley, Music at Night and Other Essays

Pensacola Christmas Parade 2011

Last Friday evening, Drew and I went downtown to watch the Christmas Parade. It was quite impressive...lots of floats, bands and people.

These pictures are not so great. Low light and moving objects make for a bad photography combo. But, here they are anyway.

I don't know how Christmas Parades are in other parts of the country, but this was the beginning of our parade.

December in Florida

My quest for Santa

I went to the flea market this morning on a quest to find Santa. But I didn't find him. I showed the photo, inquired. Felt like Nancy Drew sleuthing about. I did talk to Norma and Sandy in the front office and had a nice lead. Norma said she remembers him, but his name escapes her. So, I am to call her back.

But, I did get a couple of photos from the market.

"I bottle  emotions and place them into the sea for others to unbottle on  distant shores..."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Saul Williams

Looking for Santa

My mission this weekend is to find this man. Not a normal man. But Santa. A little strange. But not for this time of year I suppose. At least my chances are hugely increased.

I took this picture last year at the Gulf Breeze flea market. Now I would really like to get a model release from him. So off to the flea market I will go. Hi ho hi ho.  Wish me luck.

"She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end & I said I didn't really think there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till June that year."
¸.•*´¨`♥ StoryPeople

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 6

Well, this is the last set of pictures from this years Seaside Community Yard Sale. What a fun day. Spent with family. Good food. Good company. Sunshine.

"Don't wish me happiness  I don't expect to be happy all the time... "
¸.•*´¨`♥ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 5

More of Seaside. And the next picture is of the couple behind the Airstream trailer. Intriguing. At least to me it was.

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 4

More from our day at the Seaside Community Yard Sale. These are more or less images of me wandering about and photographing what catches my fancy. Not the yard sale per say. More of the community.

"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Friedrich Nietzsche

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 3

You really never know what you will see at this yard sale. Jars of marbles. Vintage dresses. Galvanized watering cans full of lavender. Pink ribbons. Red framed mirrors. Blue enamel tea pots. Old suitcases. Furniture with so much character that you swear it is talking to you. Leopard print lampshades. A child's smocked dress...the list goes on and on.

A feast for the eyes and the imagination.

"Keeping up the appearance of having all your marbles is hard work, but important."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 2

"... padding along a trail where other walkers had broken ground before me. And then I found an extraordinary bouquet."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Mary Rose O'Reilley, The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd

Seaside Community Yardsale 2011 - 1

This is our second year of making the trip to Seaside for the Community Yardsale. It is so much fun! I especially enjoy it for the picture taking opportunities. And I always find a bargain or two.

"So many versions of just one memory, and yet none of them were right or wrong."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

It is our choices that show us what we truly are...

A few random shots from a couple of different markets. One in Pensacola, the other in Seaside.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
¸.•*´¨`♥ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I hear the train a comin'...

One morning I wanted to go to the tracks. And Graffiti Bridge. It is so much fun photographing it. Always changing.

"I hear the train a comin, ' It's rollin' 'round the bend,  And I ain't seen the sunshine,  Since, I don't know when..."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Johnny Cash

A Gallery Night

"The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Louis Armstrong

A day at the pool

Last summer Nikki doggie sat for her neighbor. Said neighbor had a pool and said we were welcome to use it. So. We did!

This is Gumbo, the reason for the doggie sitting. Isn't he adorable?

Gumbo

A night on the streets

An evening in Pensacola...Gallery Night.

"He smelled the garden, the yellow shield of light smote his eyes, and he whispered, "Life is so beautiful."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Mario Puzo, The Godfather

Grand Marlin

We have discovered the Grand Marlin Happy Hour! It is a great place to get a fantastic $5 burger & fries and breathe in the ocean air.

"Dining is an art. When you eat to get most out of your meal, to please the palate, just as well as to satiate the appetite, that,my friend, is dining."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Yuan Mei

How does one become a butterfly?

The little caterpillar finally turned into a butterfly. I was there shortly after she shed the chrysalis.

She slowly spread her wings. Then folded them together again. Like she was surprised she could do it. Testing them out. Her little legs were wobbly. At one point she was on my hand...my arm.

For a day she stayed. Letting her wings dry. Getting to know them. Now she is gone. Living her little butterfly life.

These are pictures of those first moments. Late afternoon. New life. Each picture amazes me. I'm in so much awe.

"How does one become a butterfly? They have to want to learn to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Trina Paulus, Hope for the Flowers

Melancholy Micro

Feeling a bit on the melancholy side. So I put on my micro lens and set out. To my yard. Did it get rid of the melancholy? Well, I forgot about it for a bit. Here are the pictures.

"When that slow-motion, silent explosion of love takes place in me..."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Vladimir Nabokov

Some more of Windmill Market

"We laugh and laugh...and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife)

A trip to Windmill Market in Fairhope

One Saturday this summer we went to Windmill Market in Fairhope, AL. This little Alabama town is more artsy that any other place I've ever been. Just puttin' that out there for discussion.

"Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Edgar Degas

Flowers from my yard

Yes. It's true. All of these flowers bloomed in my yard this summer. At one time or another. It was a riot of color.

" small visitors to the garden hopped and splashed and made the most of the day that was becoming fair and sunny."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Juliet Marillier (Heart's Blood)

Let's do the beach

Summer is ending. Even though it's still warm and summery, it is officially autumn now. Here are some summer beach pictures.

"She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl."
¸.•*´¨`♥ John Green (Paper Towns)

The Paoli Wedding

We took a little 4 day trip to Illinois for a very sweet wedding for our good friends, Daniel and Nikki. I was able to take a few photos and here are some of my favorites once again in chronological order. I'm liking chronological order. It's makes so much sense...

Keep off the dunes

I'm getting a folder full of beach pictures. So, since I've finished the VACA2011 series, I decided to sneak in a little beach post before the next trip. Which, is going to happen tomorrow. Yes, another trip. Back to the homeland. Illinois for a wedding. Get ready for some cornfield pictures!!

"If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Marilyn Monroe

VACA 2011...Part 14

We packed our bags after breakfast and headed out. Did a little ride about Grayton Beach, down to the water then back to Seaside for one last time before heading home.

"Cottons Produce" a sign on a fence going to the beach

VACA 2011...Part 13

Our last day of our little vacation. Short. Sweet. sigh

I was enamored with this little shed. And the sign on the back.

"I lay in bed and listened to the screen door swinging open and shut with the breeze,"
¸.•*´¨`♥ Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

VACA 2011...Part 12

After finding the Truman House we just drove around looking for the bridge that D wanted to see.  Finally we came upon it.

VACA 2011...Part 11

This is too funny. D said, with a little hesitation, that I'm up to Part 10 of VACA 2011. Like that is a bad thing. Does he not notice that Part 10 was day two of our VACA? I still have the rest of day two and day three. And, if he had truly been paying attention, he would know that it is all in chronological order! So. Dear. Bear with me through the rest of VACA 2011!! Off to the rest of day two.

I forgot to mention on the last post, that we lunched at Bud & Alley's on the beach. It was soooo good! Those crab cakes. Just when I thought they couldn't come close to the ones we had at the Red Bar, they did.

This was our view from the upstairs dining area where we enjoyed lunch.

VACA 2011...Part 10

After the movie in the park, we gathered our chairs and headed back to our room. We were tired after a long day and settled in.

"But, enough of that for now. Let’s get lost again in the starry night."
¸.•*´¨`♥ William P. Young (The Shack)

VACA 2011...Part 9

The walk continues. I circled around and back to 'downtown' Seaside.

Seaside bicycle

VACA 2011...Part 8

I continued my walk through Seaside. It was a warm evening, but wonderful for a stroll...and apparently a wonderful night for a party on a front porch.

"Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

VACA 2011...Part 7

After eating that fantastic dinner at the Red Bar, we went back to Seaside for the evening. There was a movie in the park which we were going to watch. We picked our place in the park and I walked around a bit to take some pictures.

This is such an interesting building. I have always liked the doors. And the burnt orange color wall color is so eye catching.

VACA 2011...Part 6

I left D sitting by the tower by the sea. And I walked by the little shops along the boardwalk. They always have such pretty things. Expensive. But pretty.

VACA 2011...Part 5

After getting acquainted with our new surroundings we headed to Seaside. And we mosied around.

I always love the line of Airstream vendor trailers. #1 I have a huge love for food from a trailer. My reasoning:  if you have something really good and you feel you have to take it to the streets, it has to be awesome. #2 I have often played with the idea of my own rolling food trailer...home-made burritos. Right down to home-made refried beans and hand rolled tortillas. But. I digress.

VACA 2011...Part 4

The Library. Or common area. It had a couple of old rattan chairs with funky zebra covers. There was a wall of glass cabinets holding the book collection and CD's. I found out later that the extra toilet paper was in the cabinets below...sorta self serve. A really nice old piano was against one wall with some sort of homage to elephants on top of it. A sign on the piano read:  Don't play the piano before 9AM or after 9PM. I think it disturbs the elephants.

Here is an overall view of that room with the cabinets of books, the chess table and the rattan chairs. Note the floor...the painted green was the flavor of the day. The stairway led downstairs to the dining room.

VACA 2011...Part 3

Up in the library was a little nook. Complete with two rattan chairs dressed in zebra print and polka dots. The arms were painted forest green. They were beside a window facing the North. I enjoyed those chairs a couple of times.

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Mark Twain

VACA 2011...Part 2

We stayed at the Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse in Grayton Beach. I really don't know where to begin with this place. Retro without trying. We described it as Florida Kitschy. The Urban Dictionary defines kitschy as so tacky or lame that it has a certain ironic appeal. That really sums it up. D said that a younger him would have turned around and walked out. The new more enlightened him just enjoyed it for what it was.

I said it was like a cross between staying at my Aunt Effie's and Grandma's house. I think the Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse was channeling my Aunt Effie. She was a trend setter.

It was not about pampering. None of that nonsense. That where the similarities to my Grandma came in. She was old school German. No pampering there either. And definitely no nonsense. (But she had a warm and loving heart.)

I'm not even sure if it was about clean. It was what it was. And they served a good breakfast. Don't be misled by "Coffee" in their name. This was not a coffee house coffee...more like a truck stop coffee. But, I don't judge. It was coffee.

As soon as we got in I started to take pictures of our room.

There was a matching one on the other side of the bed. (Do you see that bedspread? circa 1950.)

VACA 2011...Part 1

We took a little vacation before D has to go back to school. This is his week between classes, so we went to Grayton Beach. I'm going to post the pictures that I took...as I took them. So it will be planned randomness. A photo journal of our vacation in a timeline. Exciting!

Grayton Beach is, in the scheme of things, relatively close to us. Perfect. Not a long drive. And beautiful. Also close to Seaside. It all works in our favor.

First stop was en route to our lodgings. It was a little area by the road with a beautiful view of an inlet. We had always wanted to stop. This time we did.

I adore the 3 beach umbrellas on this sign

Watching the clouds...

"Dear friend, let me lie beside you watching the clouds until the earth covers us and we are gone." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Jeanette Winterson (Written on the Body)

pelicans in paradise::4

Another addition to my Pelicans in Paradise series...PeliJoc Doc. He lives in the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze. He is adorable!

"Creativity is intelligence having fun."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Albert Einstein

The Gulf Coast

Just a few images from Pensacola Beach and up Fort Walton way...some of the Gulf Coast. Only the most beautiful stretch of heaven around!

"Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Barbara Alpert

Palafox Market...2

Sometimes the flowers are beyond description. Glowing with color.

So. Take a stroll with me and enjoy the market.

"The sunflower is mine, in a way."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Vincent van Gogh

Palafox Market...1

This little farmers market is really blossoming! Each time I go there are more people, more booths. More fun. Obviously, from my first photo, some of them were taken on Mother's Day. I so loved the little chair with all the pink flowers.

A bit of Grayton Beach

We stopped at a little cafe which happened to be a bed and breakfast in Grayton Beach...Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse. Loved this little place so much that I believe we are going back next month to spend a weekend there! I'm so excited!! So, here is a preview of what I fell in love with.

"...and what appeared to be a stormy sea transformed into a bright bouquet ..."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Peter Lerangis (The Sword Thief)

Off to Seaside we go...7

The last of this Seaside trip. I really fell in love with photographing textures on this trip. A basket of scarves is what set it all in motion. So warm. So lovely.

"Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Gail Lumet Buckley

Off to Seaside we go...6

Well...we are on part 6. Only one more to go after this one!

I had mentioned the pottery. This is one example of some of their work.

"... keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Off to Seaside we go...5

"Love is like the little red toy wagon you get for your Christmas... It makes you deliriously happy and you just can't leave it alone."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Mario Puzo (Fools Die)

Off to Seaside we go...4

"The entire summer was perfect, the kind of summer everyone should have. "
¸.•*´¨`♥ Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)

Off to Seaside we go...3

And so it continues...

"... I love everything about motels. I can't help myself."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Bill Bryson (I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away)

Off to Seaside we go...2

The trip to Seaside was so much more to me this time than 'the beach'. Somehow cloth, texture, tactile...all worked into my feelings during the visit. I saw beautiful racks of clothing. Folds of material. Baskets full of twisted, colorful scarves. Shelves holding seashells and blue glass jars. Warm rows of hand crafted pottery. Baskets of candles. Wooden boxes overflowing with metal stars. It was all warm, comforting. So in this Seaside series, Off to Seaside We Go, you will see evidence of this.

The light and sheerness of this rack of blouses whispered to me. I was in awe.

"Today's woman likes to have a hint of lace showing under a white blouse..."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Barbara Lipton