Between the Shore and the Shelf!

I find myself living on the Wasatch Front right now.  It is a beautiful part of the Country that I had never seen until this past June.  Fortunately, I have had the time to travel around quite a bit and enjoy the beauty of this land.  Amazing vistas surround me, and now as the snow begins to fall in the Mountains, and the colorful leaves are abundant in the Valley, I have developed a love of the wilderness that surrounds us here.

I live in the "Valley" in Ogden.  If you are a little higher up on the mountain (not actually on the mountaintop, but at the higher elevations of the bases) it is said you live on the "bench" or the "shelf."  Interesting terminology.  The Mountaintops and the Benches have already had snow and many of the tops are already allowing skiing!  I will probably remain a valley dweller, as the snow doesn't fall as often or as deeply in the valleys, and it tends to be quite a bit warmer.
I sometimes find myself torn between this gorgeous place, and my first love...the shore.

In particular, the gorgeous Emerald Coast of Florida.  Sometimes I long for the salty air and the sounds of sea birds.  I miss my friends the dolphins playing along the shore.  I miss the sugar sand of Okaloosa.  A part of me will always be the Okaloosagirl, and so I hold on to my condo at Island Echos.  I hope I can visit there this Spring. 

For now, I will continue to enjoy the beauty of the land here and the time I have with my granddaughters while they are growing up.  Thanksgiving is coming up rapidly and we have made plans with family to have dinner atop the mountain at Snowbasin.  It should be beautiful, and the menu looks absolutely amazing.  In the park across the street from the hotel (we will be in the hotel for about 10 more days before moving to an apartment) they are already wrapping the trees in lights, moving in 40 - yes 40 - little houses that will turn the entire city block into a magical Christmas Card like village!  They seem to do everything in a BIG Way here!   

I love the people here as well as the beautiful scenery.  We haven't had the time to explore the southern part of the state yet, and I am looking forward to seeing more of this amazing State of Utah.  We have a cruise planned to Alaska in May, and that should be yet another bucket list experience.  I have never seen whales in the wild, and am excited about that as well as seeing glaciers.  What an amazing and beautiful country and world we have.  Make sure that if you have the opportunity to step outside the box and see some of it, that you take the opportunity. 

I grew up in a tiny town called Marbury in Maryland.  Two churches, two country stores and not even a stop sign!  I always loved to read, and those books took me places I never dreamed I would see.  But somehow, deep inside me, there was always that desire to travel and to see what was outside that small town.  I have really been extremely fortunate and have traveled in Europe and Asia as well as South America.  I still haven't seen all of North America, but I'm working on it now!  There is such beauty the world over. 

But for now, as I sit here in my hotel in Utah, my heart is somewhere between the Shore and the Shelf.  Part of me loves it here, but a large piece of my heart will always be in Okaloosa. 

Where is YOUR heart?   Where would YOU live if you had a choice? 

PEACE, LOVE & JOY

Linda

Closer To Heaven When You're By the Sea

It doesn't seem to matter if the weather is sunny, rainy, stormy or cold, everything seems better when you are by the sea.

The beautiful emerald green coast with it's white sugar sand beaches can make me feel better even when I am sick.  It's like a magical tonic.  I have never been a person who put any stock in astrology, but my sign is Pices, and sometimes I do feel like I must be part fish!  Every time I set my eyes on that emerald green water I feel like a new person.

This morning as my hubby and I and my little dog Buddy sat on the balcony watching the people truck their stuff down to the shore we all felt that kind of peace.  Even the dog seems happy to be here.  He sits on the balcony peeking between the railings, and watches the sea birds and people go by.  He seems most interested in the sea birds.  I think he would like to catch one!

Early in the morning, the fish school off shore and the dolphins follow closely, circling and feeding on the smaller creatures as they make their way down the coastline.

This afternoon we will go out for lunch at a local Bistro, Mulhollows, to feast on some gourmet food prepared by Chef Dan.  I have to go back to reality tomorrow for a little while, but I will carry some of the peace I have garnered here with me.  Then, hopefully, I will return next month for a refill!  I plan to spend a lot of time down here this Fall, after the "busy" rental season is over. 

Renting seasonal property has been a whole new experience, and one I was not entirely prepared for.  I think that perhaps I will manage the unit myself next year by hiring my own cleaning staff and maintenance people.  The company managing for me has been disappointing to say the least.  Perhaps I expect too much.  But, I will stick out this year and move on when my contract is up.  It is all a learning experience.

Well, I'm off to the showers so I can get ready for a fabulous lunch with my sweetheart! 
See you at the beach!

Youth and The Young At Heart

I remember hearing many times that "youth is wasted on the young." I don't know if that is necessarily true, but I do feel sometimes that we rush through our youth trying to get to the next "goal", not taking time to enjoy the small milestones and accomplishments.

Some of you may wonder why the name "Okaloosa Girl" or exactly what an Okaloosa is.
Okaloosa Island is a small strip of powder white sand along the beautiful emerald green waters of the Florida Gulf Coast. It is the place I go when I want to feel like a girl again.

My hubby had a tag made for me this Summer while we were on Okaloosa Island. It is a large ocean wave with "Okaloosa Girl" written across it. My daughter took one look at it and said, "Mom, you are not a girl! Why not Okaloosa Woman?"
I laughed and said, "Because when I am in Okaloosa, I feel like a girl!"

It's true. When I go stand by that beautiful emerald green water on that powder white sand, something magical happens to me. My husband noticed it the very first time we visited there. I take a few breaths of that salt air, and it is like my spirit is whisked back to the very first time I saw the Ocean and smelled the salt air. I was sixteen years old the first time I saw it.

My Aunt had invited my sister and I to join her at her vacation home in Ocean City, Maryland. I can vividly remember coming up over the rise of the bridge across the Bay and seeing the ocean spread in front of me. It was an amazing feeling! Suddenly I knew that this "ocean" would always be where I would feel most at home.

I had grown up on the banks of the Potomac River in Maryland and had always spent a lot of time on the water, but this....this magnificent ocean, was something like I had never experienced. I was instantly invigorated.

I was lucky enough to live in Ocean City for 15 years after I was married. I came to know the many moods of the ocean, and loved each and every one of them. The ocean always drew me to God...it was so like Him. It is so deep, so mysterious, so much is hidden below the surface. It can be smooth and calm one minute and raging the next minute, and you never know when it will change. It is always there!

Like I said, I have always loved the ocean but something truly magical happened the first time I crossed the bridge to Okaloosa Island. Suddenly I was transported back...back to being a girl again. Thus the name "Okaloosa Girl." When I am there on the Island, I am suddenly years younger. My creative side comes out again and I begin to paint and write and "live." My husband loves the "Okaloosa Girl." She rides wave runners and goes crabbing like a little girl. She laughs more.

Someday, we will retire to Okaloosa Island. I look forward to those days with great anticipation. I will never grow older there, just better. Some might tell me it is unwise to move to the ocean when you are growing "older" and might need a little help at times. But I have a feeling that there, on that beautiful island, I won't actually grow older, but better.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

Here's a nice light meal that will make you feel like you are at the beach even in the middle of Winter!

You may use a hot dog roll or a flour tortilla for this "roll".

1 Small Lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise (may use light mayo if you like)
2 TBSP chopped green onion tops
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
3/4 pound chopped cooked shrimp (get your grocer to steam them for you
at the store, and save time!)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
4 white/wheat hot dog buns (or tortillas)
4 Boston lettuce leaves

1. Grate 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind from lemon.
Squeeze lemon to measure 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice. Combine lemon rind
juice, Old Bay, mayo and green onions in large bowl. Add shrimp and celery,and
toss gently.
2. Top each bun with 1 lettuce leaf. Spoon shrimp mixture evenly onto lettuce
leaves...Serve immediately. By the way they have GREAT SHRIMP on the Gulf Coast!

Yield 4 Servings....Calories 220

Sunday Morning on Okaloosa Island

For two Summers straight, we have been lucky enough to spend a month at the beach! Okaloosa Island is my favorite beach on the East Coast.

If you would like to the get best deal on a wonderful condo, let me suggest VRBO, which stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner! These units are privately owned but managed by management companies and directly rented by owners. They are clean, beautiful and much cheaper that those rented by rental agencies/realtors in the area. We have actually done this three times and have been more than pleased with the result.

If my son doesn't come up with some other plan, we will probably spend Thanksgiving on Okaloosa Island again this year. Ft. Walton Beach has a really nice Thanksgiving Dinner on the Pier each year a couple days before Thanksgiving which is FREE to anyone who wants to come. The take DONATIONS from those who want to/can afford it to help defray the cost to the City. I was so impressed with this because there are so many homeless and hungry people, especially in the warmer states where they go to avoid the freezing weather. It is a kind and charitable thing to do, and Ft. Walton seems to be a kind city.

We love our Sundays on Okaloosa Island. Waking up early, you can watch the dolphins play offshore. They seem to have such joy in living! There are large swarms of tiny fish sometimes splashing up the coast, making quite a racket as they shimmer, jumping and swimming by. After the joy of watching the beautiful wildlife, we like to dress and head for Big City American Bistro. The Sunday Brunch there is Out of This World! The atmosphere is lovely and ecclectic, the servers (especially Casey!) are attentive and professional and the Mimosas are only $7 for all you want!
The cost of $15.95 is really reasonable when you see the huge selection of high quality food available. There is an Omelette station where they make the best omelettes with great ingredients including shrimp, spinach and cheeses. There are fresh salads and soups and fresh sliced roast beef, turkey, and fish. So much to choose from that it is hard to decide, and each bite delicious. For those of you who love dessert, there is a fabulous dessert table, and they always seem to have the most sweet, huge strawberries with chocolate fondue! Cakes, pies, and pastries galore will tempt anyone who tries to resist!

After lunch, if you can still walk (and you probably need to!) go to the City Park on Brooks Street and stroll along the Bay or out on the dock, or, if you really are too full to walk, sit on one of the picnic tables under the huge spreading oaks and watch the boaters go by. It makes for a marvelous day! Sometimes there will even be a band on the bandstand in the center of park. Ft. Walton has more parks than most Southern Cities, and they are all meticulously maintained.

So, take a weekend soon or even a week and head South to Ft. Walton and Okaloosa Island and take in the beauty and peace available there. You won't regret it!!

Storm Wisdom

I have a small Boston Terrier who is absolutely terrified of thunder. I always know when a storm is coming about fifteen minutes before it arrives, because he begins to shake and tremble. The next thing he does is head for either the kitchen, which has no windows, or the bathroom. He is definitely smarter than most humans.

This Summer when I was at the beach, there were numerous thunderstorms. I was always appalled to see people not only staying on the beach, but playing in the water! Last year while were were at Okaloosa Island, a family of four were stuck by lightning while sitting in beach chairs. Fortunately, although the Father stopped breathing for a while (his teenaged son gave him CPR), they all recovered after only a night in the hospital. Most of the time victims of lightning are not so lucky.
My sister in Maryland had a friend killed by lightning last Summer while attending a local picnic. Believe me..lightning is deadly.

I have always taught my children if you HEAR thunder...come inside immediately! As I said previously, I find it amazing that so many totally ignore an approaching storm at the beach. This Summer, the lifeguard stations even sounded alarms to clear the beach, and many did not do so until a bolt of lightning struck extremely close to the beach. These aren't children I am talking about, but parents with small children walking along the beach and watching the approaching storm! Okay, if you want to kill yourself have at it, but please leave the kids at home!

I once had a neighbor who was terribly afraid of storms. She would run around the house unplugging everything, but then she would jump into the tub and take a shower during the worst of the storm! Lightning can strike the pipes in your home and come right on in and strike you. Lightning can strike your wiring and come in through the top of your electric stove...no cooking during a storm! Lightning can come in through your television and become a fireball that travels through your home destroying everything in its path. Lightning is dangerous.

When you are outside during an approaching storm you need to seek immediate shelter. However, there are a few places that may seem sheltering which are not. Any small building with no sides, like a gazebo, is NOT shelter, but may actually draw the lightning to you. No trees...even if you are walking close to a tree, lightning may hit the tree and travel through its branches and jump off and get you. If you feel something like your "hair standing on end" it means a lightning strike is imminent...crouch down as low to the ground as you can and tuck your head down...after the strike passes, proceed to your nearest available shelter. A car is shelter, but you MUST NOT BE TOUCHING any metal part like the door handles etc., as what happens is the lightning travels through the car and around it before going to ground. A motorcycle is not shelter...neither is a bike.

I used to sail quite frequently in the ocean, and you can see for miles and miles out there. Let me tell you this, lightning can strike many miles out in front of the storm from which is proceeds. If you can hear thunder you are in danger!

Teach your children to wait at least 30 minutes after they hear the last thunder to return outdoors. Stay Safe and have a great Sumer!

Why I Am An Okaloosa Girl

For the second summer in a row, I was fortunate enough to spend nearly a month on Okaloosa Island. The Island is in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. It is only a small strip of land stretching along the Gulf Coast of Florida, and the far end of it is actually part of Eglin Air Force Base. But, the end closest to the highway is lined with condominiums and homes. A lot of the condos are older units built before 1980.
Both times we have stayed on the Island in the Summer, and again last Thanksgiving, we stayed in one of these condo units.

To say that Okaloosa is beautiful is an understatement. It is one of the most lovely, peaceful places I have ever been. Unlike Panama City Beach, which is noisy and crowded with tourists on noisy rental scooters, Okaloosa is quaint and quiet. If you want more excitement, cross the Bridge to Destin, Florida and you have got all the tourist areas and shopping you could ever dream of. But on little Okaloosa you have what I love most about the beach. The sand is the color and texture of sugar. The water has so many shades of green and aqua that you can not describe it simply. It isn't called the Emerald Coast for nothing. Then, there are the dolphins who swim up and down the shore every morning, splashing, playing and just enjoying themselves as they hunt for breakfast.

The water is crystal clear and warm. The skies are the bluest of blue and you are frequently greeted by the most incredible sunrises with clouds in shades of white, pink, blue and lavender. Tiny fish swim around your feet if you stand still in the water. At night small children with bright flashlights hunt "ghost crabs" and squeal with delight when they catch a glimpse of one.

On the bay side, children catch dozens of hermit crabs to play with in the sand. You can even buy nets and catch blue crabs to steam for your dinner. And speaking of dinner, The Old Bay Steamer on Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island has some of the best steamed seafood I have ever eaten! It seems like everything you could possible want is available within minutes of this tiny paradise. I can't continue on without mentioning one of our favorite places to eat. The Big City American Bistro has a Sunday Brunch for only $15.95 that is so expansive and delicious that we never miss it! They have $5.95 lunches during the week and their food is always superb! Their wait staff, including our favorite waitress Casey, are attentive, kind and professional.

Driving to the Gulf Coast is easy, but they also have a wonderful Northwest Florida Airport available now too.

If you are looking for a wonderful place to relax in the Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring, I can tell you honestly that you will never find a better location. Prices during the high season average about $225 a night Gulf Front, but in the Fall (and it is incredible there in the Fall) prices go down to about $110 a night for a two bedroom condo on the Gulf Front! Try it. I can promise you you won't be disappointed!

Travel In Puerto Rico

I was fortunate enough this past month be able to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Our accommodations were about 25 miles outside of Old San Juan at the St. Regis.  This exclusive Resort and Spa at the foot of the El Yunque Rain Forest proved to be beyond my wildest expectations.  The St Regis encompasses 483 acres of beautiful, natural and professionally landscaped gardens, ponds and oceanfront townhomes, suites and homes. 

We rolled in to the St. Regis after passing down some lovely, tree lined "one and a half" lane roads just below the peak of the El Yunque Rainforest.  The entrance was lined with lava rock fire bowls and beautiful statuary, plants and fountains.  The Koi ponds at the front entry to the luxurious lobby were filled with large Koi who will actually suck your fingers if you dip them over the edge!

To say that our Suite was beautiful is an understatement!  The view across the gardens and out to the ocean was incredible!  The room was expansive and the spa like bath included every luxury including a television in one of the mirrors. 

Included in your accommodations are the free use of kayaks, paddle boards, bicycles and sailboats.  All you have to do is sign them out.  You are driven from the lobby across boardwalks through jungle like areas to your own suite.  Although the resort was completely booked while we were there, you seemed to be virtually alone because of the vastness of the Resort. 

The food at Molasses and the Sea Grape Restaurant was of the highest quality, and the selection fantastic.  My companions and I tried nearly every appetizer on the menu at Molasses and each and every one was better than the last! 

Every, and I do mean every, single employee was professional, courteous and attentive to every detail.  I can honestly say that in all my travels in this country and abroad, I have never been anywhere I liked better. 

If you enjoy luxury and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere, I highly recommend you try the St. Regis.  If you like the party life, Old San Juan is only 25 miles away, and the limosine ride is a pleasant one.  Try the Mandarin Restaurant in Old San Juan for another treat.

I will post more later about San Juan, as we traveled from the St Regis Resort and Spa to Vieques for more fun!

Have a great Sunday, and RELAX!