HARBOR WALK AT WEST END OF DESTIN

Bob under a huge tree

Part of Destin harbor. Note Linda at the right.

Note boards where charter boats hang the fish for pictures.

One of the charter boats coming into the harbor.

Some fishermen at the harbor entrance.

Not many people out yet, but lots of shops and restaurants here.

2011 Tues. March 8

Relaxing morning, then for lunch we went to McGuire’s Irish Pub at the far west end of Destin. Very unique - dollar bills stuck everywhere including the ceiling, Irish music playing, they brew six of their own beers, waitresses all wearing long green skirts. I had shepherd’s pie and Linda had corned beef and cabbage - excellent, large portions, so we have another meal of leftovers. I had their red beer, and it was excellent. After lunch we rode down to Crystal beach and went for a walk. We now see lots of college kids on early spring break - beaches are not crowded, just several groups of 5 to 20 kids. Very windy, so good wave action, but not many in the water - mostly sunbathing. On the way back, we went to the Commons mall, had a free large mocha latte at Starbucks, watched the people walking by, and came back for a lite supper.


FL WEATHER: High 68, low 62. Temperature is good, but it is windy, mostly sunny.


FL NEWS: EDITORIAL: The other agenda for Florida
Listening to politicians’ promises, you’d think the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature is all about cutting the state budget, creating jobs and curtailing the size and power of government. Well, think again. There’s another agenda on the table, one devoted to making government more intrusive and centralizing more authority in Tallahassee. Want examples? Check out these proposals:
1) A bill promoted by gun-rights activists would prohibit doctors from asking patients about guns stored at home, and would prohibit doctors from refusing to see patients who balk at gun-related questions. Inquiring doctors could be fined $5 million or jailed for five years. Doctors may have perfectly valid reasons to ask about guns at home, whether out of concern over spousal abuse or to encourage child safety. The bill talks about “the privacy of the patient,” but the privacy that’s REALLY being violated here is the private relationship between patient and physician. Legislators have no business sticking their nose under that tent.
2) Another bill would base 50 percent of a schoolteacher’s evaluation on student performance on the FCAT. This is yet another attempt to link teachers’ salaries to student test scores. By doing so, it would de-emphasize local principals’ evaluations and place more emphasis on massive, state-approved assessment tests. Thus, another layer of decision-making would be shifted to Tallahassee.
3) A package of immigration bills would require all Florida businesses to use the federal work eligibility database known as E-Verify and would require local police to check the immigration status of anyone they arrest. These and other measures … represent an overactive government. Florida’s economic boosters are complaining.
Truth be told, bills like these are common during each legislative session. While legislators take an ax to the budget, they should also take an ax to these proposals.