Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. We've just passed 1:00 a.m. in "This City." We have a current temperature of 43° that feels like 35° under partly cloudy skies. Later today, after the sun rises at 6:18 a.m., and long before it sets at 5:47 p.m., the day will yield a high temperature of 57 sunny degrees. That's quite an improvement over the cloudy skies and cool temperatures we've been experiencing the past few days. Unfortunately, we'll be leaving these improving temperatures and sunny skies behind on Saturday as we begin our trek towards home. In GH, the temperature is now -1° and it feels like that too. On Saturday when the temperatures here are expected to be 61°, while in GH it will be 21°. Fortunately, we won't be there.

Oh well, enough about what is and the things we can't control. I'd rather talk about the things we can control.

I had a great time with Abaigeal yesterday. We sounded great. I'll admit to a bias, but I was singing on key while Mary was surfing the web. Sugar the Weather Dog was sleeping soundly instead of cowering in her hide-e-hole. It was all good.

Today we have to make preparations and pack for that return trip. Abaigeal is already in her case and most of our clothing is packed, so mostly it is a matter of cleaning the house. That shouldn't take long. Sugar has been shedding less, thanks to her Shed no More™. We have pared down our larder to the essentials that Mary carried with her when we arrived, in addition to a few canned goods that will be going back with us, but that's all.

I guess that sums things up nicely. We met some nice people while we were here and hopefully they'll be her next year. Life and lives can be so fleeting sometimes, and the expected has a way of becoming the unexpected very quickly. People that you know have a way of leaving.

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. Here in "This City", the current temperature is a not so rainy 40° as we drop to the morning low of 37°. Later today, after the sun rises at 6:18 a.m., the high is forecast to be 53°. If everything goes as planned, we'll see 60° on Saturday. Later today, the sun will set at 5:45 p.m.

Yesterday, the weather was so rainy, foggy, cloudy, and in general more like late fall in MI than winter in FL, that Sugar the Weather Dog was fine with not going out. Once she heard the first clap of thunder, a very loud clap in fact, she was off to her FL hide-e-hole to shake and cower. There was a small break in the action around 2:00 p.m., but as the three of us we reached the bottom of the stairs, another clap of thunder sent Sugar into paroxysms of fear and back to her hide-e-hole. It wasn't until late in the evening that I was able to get her outside again. Today should be better.

Once Sugar was safe in her hide-e-hole, Mary and I set out for the local big-box retailer. We made it, got what we needed, and returned to our own version of a hide-e-hole. Mary crafted a great dinner and I was then sated for the day.

Today should be a morning walk, reading two days worth of newspapers, and knitting and cross-stitch for Mary. By the time we are ready to head home on Saturday, the weather will be on the mend, at least here. Further north, we just don't know.

I have no pictures today and no words of wisdom. Ciao.

Good morning PB/GH. It is just past 7:00 a.m. in "This City", where the current temperature is 44° as we rise to a high of 53°. Additionally, there is an alert for heavy rain today, which may include thunder. Sugar the Weather Dog will not be happy. In GH, the high today will be a sultry 18° with no chance of precipitation. What a conundrum.

Yesterday, I spent most of my day watching TV and doing crosswords. Sugar and I took the morning walk, as Mary had to wait for her hair to dry. That's something that a towel and five minutes takes care of for me. We were also expecting a UPS™ delivery, so someone had to stay behind to sign for that. We finally got out to the store for a few things later in the afternoon after that delivery arrived.

Today, with that forecast for rain and thunder, I plan to keep on keeping on, so to speak. Sugar will be sure to assist.

I was watching something on TV early this morning that got me thinking about ancestry and the people who are into researching their own family histories. Naturally, much of that research can only be taken as far back as historical records were kept. I used to teach a genealogy unit in my social studies classes, and the subject fascinated the students as they learned more about their own families.

My personal activities in that area were/are less intense. I am content with where I am now and that's as it should be. Mary can only look back to what she knows of herself from the time she was adopted. She seems content with that too. Adam, I don't know, but he has always had a keen interest in things historical, so he may take a different tack. However, like his mother, half of his history will only begin where Mary's began unless he is very creative. Steph has a family history that he now shares, so that is another place to look too. Still, he always loved his maternal G'ma and G'pa, and so that seemed good enough for him.

But I digress. We are all the sum total of our experiences and our own perspectives and interpretations of events. When you realize that someone born in 1980 is now old enough to be elected to the presidency, it changes how you view your life.

So, before the sun sets at 5:45 p.m., I'll add a couple of pictures and say ciao.

Just after sunrise this morning

I like the way this framed picture turned out from yesterday

Gray skies from early yesterday

About 12:00 p.m. yesterday

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. We've just passed 1:00 a.m. in "This City", where the current temperature is 44°, although it feels like 38°. The wind blew so strongly yesterday after the rain stopped, that Sugar the Weather Dog and I took a rather abbreviated walk to pick up the newspaper. Today, the temperature is expected to peak at 56° with a good chance for rain most of the day. Ah well, that's winter in Florida.

Yesterday, Mary and I took a walk to a restaurant nearby. She departed early to meet the owner of our current abode, and when I returned a few minutes later, the wind was blowing even harder. At times, I felt like I might get blown over. As you may know, for me, that's saying something,

I did take some pictures of what the skies looked like yesterday, and I'll share those shortly. In an effort to portray the way it was yesterday, Monday was like night and day when compared to Sunday, weather wise. Once we were in for the day, we stayed that way.

Today, we'll get to that newspaper box again if the weather cooperates. Then I'll settle in again for more doing as little as possible.

The other day, Adam sent Mary a text message that showed a place we took him when he was much younger. He noted that it hadn't changed a bit. While change can be good, sometimes, it just means that it happened, not that it was good. In fact, the pace of change is often too quick for me. A sign of advancing age? I don't think so, just a longing for the slower pace of life that young people abhor and which they want to see accelerated so that they can get on with the business of life. Personally, I think that anyone who says that retirement is overrated hasn't been retired long enough.

All in all, I am enjoying retirement. Mary still works from home, but when she has the time, she enjoys having no set schedule. She has plenty of hobbies to keep her occupied, Needlepoint, knitting, cooking, and reading consume her limited free time. Of course, keeping me out of trouble also uses much of her time. Good for me, not so much for her.

Even in the normally calm bay, the waves were rolling

Not all that inviting, at least to me. Mary loves Mother Ocean in any form

It was a dark and stormy day. Cliched? Yes!

The sun will set at 5:44 p.m., after rising at 6:20 a.m. Ciao.
  

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "This City." A current temperature of 63° will lead to an overnight low of 41°. That's before we rebound to today's high of 59° after the sun rises at 6:22 a.m. and before it sets at 5:44 p.m. There is also a 20% chance of showers. That's not bad. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, bur the alternative north of here is not so great. In GH, the high today will be 12° with a 40% chance of snow. What happens after that is known only to the National Weather Service, and perhaps Sugar the Weather Dog.

Yesterday we took a nice long walk with the aforementioned weather dog before returning to our temporary home and America's Race, the Daytona 500™, which was won by Joey Logano in a "Ford." I was hoping against hope for Dale Jr. or Jeff Gordon to win. Overall, it was a relatively accident free race and well driven by all.

While we were out walking, during the pre-race, post-race, and the race itself yesterday, I took some pictures that I like. I'll share them in a bit. Mary made some great snacks and food for our race viewing. Sliced veggies, dips, and cauliflower with hot sauce were the highlights of her efforts. I even tried celery with peanut butter and found that I liked it. After the race, Mary made nacho chips with cheese. I added jalapeno peppers to mine. Mary wasn't so inclined. We, or at least I, ended our day by watching Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide. Then it was my bedtime.

Today more walking with the intrepid weather dog and some reading.  Now for those pictures.

This shot just caught my eye

Even if Sugar were so inclined, she would not be welcome on the beach

What a great view from the balcony

Same here

Just some clouds I liked

Again, just a great view

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:30 a.m. in "This City," where a current temperature of 56°, will give way to an eventual high of 67° degrees later today, as the wind blows between 20 and 30 mph in the morning, but abates in the afternoon. Sunday there will be a temperature of 70°, accompanied by a  70% chance of rain and possible T-storms. In GH, the high on Saturday is expected to be near 30° with light snow. Sunday, the daily high in GH is forecast to be 15° with less than one inch of snow expected. What a difference between here and there.

The sun will rise at 6:23 a.m. and then set at 5:41 p.m. We'll be changing our location for a few days, as the place we currently occupy is already promised to another party. But, we'll be staying on the beach. Sugar the Weather Dog, Mary, and I have no plans other than to transfer ourselves to the new location after our morning walk.

While Mary was on her chat yesterday, I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the cloudy skies. During her chat and in a subsequent conversation with her friend, she learned more about a note taking program that she introduced to me. Mary has promised to help me get it working on my computer when we get home to GH. While cloudy skies are not the sunny skies that we have been enjoying recently, they had a certain beauty that I couldn't resist photographing. I'll include some of those pictures shortly.

Today, I plan to assist in our relocation, that includes the relocation of Abaigeal, and then I'll get down to the important work of doing as little as possible. Sugar will have to explore her new surroundings before she can settle in.

Here are those pictures I promised.

I took this shot while sitting in the front yard. 

This view as looking in the same direction, but from the driveway. The sunny skies are visible behind he clouds

Another shot from the sitting position

A mostly blue sky seen from the driveway

I'm not sure how this picture came to be

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "This City." We have a current wind chill of 32° due to the prevailing 20 mph winds. The actual temperature is 38°, based on the forecast from the National Weather Service. That should be as low as we get this morning. Wednesday night and last night, we did as requested and turned on the outside water faucets to prevent the pipes from freezing. In GH, the current temperature is -8°, but it feels like -26° with the wind. However, it will get up to 26° by Sunday. Here, the temperature will rise to 69° on Sunday with a 50% chance of scattered showers. Scattered snow, or scattered showers, you choose. The sun will rise at 6:24 a.m. this morning and set this evening at 5:41 p.m.

Yesterday, we discovered a cookbook of recipes from England in the center island downstairs and Mary needed to make a few copies for her archives. That sent us across the bridge to get those and some additional groceries. We are planning a small party to watch the Daytona 500™ on Sunday afternoon.

Sugar the Weather Dog took us for a walk yesterday morning. We didn't get very far as the winds produced cold conditions. We should do better today as the temperature rises to 55 sunny degrees. We have noticed that the sun here makes the air temperature rise more quickly than it does in GH.

I got in some time with Abaigeal yesterday and that is always a good thing. Music is a balm for the soul.

Today, we have plans to stay in and stay out of trouble. That's another way to salve your soul. Mary has a work chat at 1:00 p.m. today, and so I"ll stay out of the way. That's easy with newspapers, crosswords, Abaigeal and TV.

That looks like enough to adequately describe today and the last few days. Ciao.

Good morning wherever you may be. It is just past 9:30 a.m. in "This City", where the current temperature is a brisk 36° as we head for today's high of 52°. With the current 20 mph winds, it feels like 27° I anticipate that Sugar the Weather Dog will be getting a short walk this morning. I doubt that she will mind very much. Fortunately, we are not in Buffalo, NY, nor many other points north of
here. Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, are all experiencing cold and snowy conditions. In GH, there have been reports of crashes on Rte. 31. As Micheal McCloud says in one of his songs, "Oh what the heck, I think we'll just stay right here. In fact we will be, for an additional week.

The weather will be sunny for the next few days, with temperatures in the 50s and windy conditions tomorrow. By Saturday, the temperature will rise to the lower 70s, but on Monday, we show a 70% chance of rain with temperatures in the lower 60s. I'll take it.

Mary and I went out yesterday in search of a place to stay and that took us to Navarre, and around the bend here on the beach. We found a place close to here that could accommodate us and the intrepid weather dog until the end of the month.

I did take some pictures in the Gulf Islands National Seashore along the way, which I will share shortly. In many ways I understand why people vacation here, but I don't understand why they live here, when they could be living in the Midwest. Each to his or her own I guess.

During the morning walk yesterday, we had to pick our way around the flotsam and jetsam left over from the Mardi Gras Parade on Sunday afternoon. Sugar wanted to sniff everything and pick up on some of the more interesting flotsam, so we had to restrain her.

Today I plan to do very little outside of that morning walk with Sugar. More time with Abaigeal, more newspaper reading, and more crossword solving. What's not to like?

The sun has already risen and it will set at 5:38 p.m.

So as promised, here are some of yesterday's pictures.

On the way to Navarre

Mother Ocean was angry

A nice picture from a moving vehicle

Back on the Beach

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "This City."  A current temperature of 55° appears to be about as low as it will get this morning. Later today, we'll see a high temperature of near 70°, albeit the chance of rain increases to 40% as the day wears on. As the week progresses, the cold weather that has been plaguing the rest of the country will visit us in the form of 50° temperatures. Oh well, that's winter in Florida.

We had a great day at the Mardi Gras Parade yesterday. I was able to gather a large amount of pirate booty as the floats passed by, I'll include some pictures from the parade and of that booty later in this blog.

Otherwise, not much was happening around here. Lot's of people came to the parade, reminiscent of the Coast Guard Parade in our own fair city. Here it happened in February instead of late July/August. We spent some time on our deck and also at the parade itself. What an experience.

We also took a rather abbreviated walk with Sugar the Weather Dog, due in large measure to the crowds that began gathering at 10:00 a.m. yesterday morning. We should be able to get out this morning when the crowds are gone and the hubbub has died down.

The sun will rise at 6:29 a.m., and set at 5:38 p.m.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are those aforementioned pictures.

In addition to Mustangs, there are also Jeeps™

The parade stretched on for a mile or more

My Booty

Pirates get a lot of emphasis on "The Beach"

Next year I need to get pink hair, or any hair for that matter

By popular demand, blue skies 

Just like in GH, a pipe band was part of the parade

It was non-stop traffic prior to the parade

Parade goers occupied the median along Via De Luna Drive

Along with the EMS service, Escambia County's finest were also well represented

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "This City." A current temperature of 33° is as low as it will get this morning. Later today, the temperature will increase to 63 sunny degrees. Sunday there is a forecast for 58° and partly cloudy skies for the Mardi Gras Parade here on the beach. In Michigan, there are blizzard warnings up, with 45 mph winds and snow that will blow around easily. More snow near the "Big Lake."

Yesterday, we took the abbreviated morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog. We came home and had breakfast and then Mary and I drove to Destin for a look around. On the way we passed Mary Esther, Ft. Walton Beach, and Navarre. None of those towns seemed to be an improvement on Pensacola Beach. We did have a nice lunch in Mary Esther at a place called Hot Heads™. They make tacos, burritos and bowls using a similar system to that used at Subway™. You choose your ingredients and they assemble them into a taco, burrito, or bowl. Not inexpensive, but very tasty.

To get to Destin and the other towns, we started out on the beach road from Pensacola Beach and exited onto Rte. 98 at Navarre Beach. This was midday and traffic was on the heavy side.

We returned to Pensacola Beach and stopped at Shaggys™ our local favorite watering hole, for a happy hour libation. With a little help from Mary, I took some pictures for Adam's enjoyment in the parking lot at Shaggys™.

Yes, there are Mustangs in Florida. The one on the right is a Shelby.  Yesterday, I saw an older Stang that was race built, replete with tunnel ram, traction bars, drag slicks etc. It was on the street, but why?

Today, we'll take the usual morning walk with Sugar. We should make it a bit farther today as the weather will be warmer, and that gives me more motivation. I plan to get in some additional time with Abaigeal in addition to working some crosswords. Mostly I plan to do as little as possible. I will enjoy the sunny skies and the warm temperatures. What's not to like?

The sun will rise at 6:29 a.m., and set at 5:34 p.m. Ciao

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "This City." A current temperature of 41° that feels like 34° due to a strong wind, is a tad cooler than yesterday's high of 64°. Today we can expect a high of 53°. We'll rebound on Saturday to a high of 62°, then on Mardis Gras parade day, we'll drop to 56°. While we are likely to see 62° on Monday, there is also an 80% chance of rain in the evening. Like Donny Osmond and his brothers sang so long ago, the temperatures will be like a Yo-Yo.

Yesterday, we took a nice walk in the morning in our shirtsleeves, as we accompanied Sugar the Weather Dog. The wind was blowing a bit, but it was comfortable. Later, Mary and I decided to walk towards the downtown area, to check out some of the bars/restaurants on the local boardwalk, but this being the off season, most were closed on days other than weekends. The few that were open had people smoking. In Florida, the law allows a bar that derives more than 90% of their income from liquor to allow smoking in the bar. Coming from Michigan as we do, we just can't handle that anymore. Before we left, I got in a few tunes with Abaigeal.

Today, we may take an abbreviated walk, and then drive down the beach towards Navarre Beach. If the winds continue to blow, we'll stay in the car. I also plan to play with Abaigeal again.

While we were out, I took two new pictures of the smoke from what was dubbed a controlled burn in Gulf Breeze. The smoke made a large plume, which you'll see shortly. In spite of the smoke, you;ll still see the blue skies that predominated most of the day.

The sun will rise at 6:31 a.m. today, and then set at 5:34 p.m.

Taken from the deck of our local favorite watering hole, Shaggys. The smoke originated in Gulf Breeze, across the sound.

See the explanation above

I took this a few days ago, but it nicely illustrates the boardwalk and the blue skies normally seen over the sound

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. At 4:30 a.m. in "This City", it is 46°. We anticipate that's as low as it will get this morning  Right now it feels like 43° due to the light winds. Today a high of 62° will be followed by a high of 53° on Friday, then 62° on Saturday. Those temperatures will be followed by 53° on Sunday. In short, a roller coaster ride of temperatures for a few days. Like they say, that's winter in Florida.

Yesterday we took a nice morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog. She is moving into middle age and a brisk pace quickly gives way to a slower trot instead of a full pull on the end of the "Human Puller."

In the afternoon, Mary and I decided to use some of our time to travel to Pensacola and visit the lighthouse that is located on the grounds of Naval Air Station, Pensacola. We had no idea what to expect, but it turned out that we were pleasantly surprised by a small museum, and a very tall lighthouse. We opted not to go all the way to the top which would require 117 steps up, but more importantly, 117 steps down. Having done a lighthouse before, it is the down trip that takes more out of your legs.

We did take some pictures to commemorate our visit. I'll share those shortly. Otherwise, we didn't do any of the things that we had planned. That's okay, because there is always another day. We came home to watch some news and then a movie with the intrepid weather dog.

The sun will rise at 6:31 a.m., and set at 5:34 p.m. In between, there will be sunny skies.

Now for some of those pictures.

As you approach the lighthouse and grounds

What's a museum without a tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard?

This is an old lighthouse and keeper's quarters

This gives a nice perspective

Naturally, the ocean is nearby

Yep!

At the top is the light and it's Fresnel Lens, used to magnify the relatively weak light so that it can be seen out at sea

The sky was blue, and the day was sunny

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "This City." A current temperature of 38° feels chilly when compared to Monday's high, but when compared to the snow and ice of the north, we'll take it. As the lady that Mary, Sugar the Weather Dog, and I met on our early afternoon walk said, "This is winter here in Florida."

We didn't accomplish much on Tuesday, but that was the plan. We ate a late lunch after lolling around in bed for most of the morning. Then we took that aforementioned walk. Sweatshirts and hats were all that was required here, versus heavy coats and boots in the North.

We have no firm plans for today either. I will get in some time with Abaigeal and that's my plan that I'll be sticking to. Mary may have other plans, but that is up to her.

I downloaded those pictures that I mentioned yesterday, so I'll include a few now. The sun will rise at 6:33 a.m. and set at 5:32 p.m. In between, there will be more sunny skies.

Our first stop in Pensacola on Monday

The Sullivan family had some money n the early 1900s

One of the memorials in the Veteran's Memorial Park. This one to the families of service members

Across from the Veteran's Memorial, is this memorial to missing children It is located on the Gulf

This is a close up of the sculpture that depicts the circular nature of family life

Ciao.

Good morning. Yes, it is morning, and I didn't get up until 7:00 a.m. The sun has already risen at 6:33 a.m., and it will set later at 5:32 p.m. In between, we will have a sunny day and a high of 60°. According to the forecast supplied by the National Weather Service, we'll see today's high later this afternoon. Right now, the 43° temperature feels like 36° with the 10 - 20 mph winds. Looks like a sweatshirt kind of morning as Mary and I take the morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog.

Yesterday we traveled to the city of Pensacola to visit St. Michael's Cemetery and the Veteran's Memorial Park. In many ways, the cemetery was more uplifting than the Veteran's Park. I'm betting that Mary will have more to say about that. I did take a series of pictures which I will include in a future blog. Right now I"m just too lazy to go downstairs and get my camera.

However, I can add a little bit of blue sky to my blog.

The sky as viewed from our abode.

Today we may return to Pensacola to see some things that were closed on Monday.

So as Forrest Gump was fond of saying, I'll leave you with this. "That's all I have to say about that." Ciao.