MORE FROM THE BEACH AT DESTIN



The pier at the Boardwalk near Ft. Walton Beach

Kids in the surf

The Crab Trap restaurant on Crystal Beach (our favorite) just east of us.

We ate here, looking out one of the open window spots to the beach.

Sanderlings running in and out of the surf

Pretty sky and surf

2011 Sun. March 6

On Friday, we left Destin to go to stay the weekend with my brother & wife, Tom & Pat, at Panama City Beach. My sister & husband, Jean & Dave, also came from Tampa, so we had some time together for the first time in about two years. We all stayed at Tom’s condo at Marriot’s-Bay Point - very nice place in a secluded area, overlooking the bay. He has a new job in Panama City, so he has rented this condo for a year, and maybe longer. We ate out at some nice restaurants, did some sight-seeing in the area, and on Sat. we visited St. Andrew State Park, one of our favorite places. The wind was out of the south, so there were lots of surfers and kite-boarders out at the beach at the breakwater at the entrance to the bay from the gulf. Jean’s husband had a great round of golf at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Bay Point. We came back to Destin Sun. night, and Jean left Mon. morning. Lots of good talks, lots of laughter, and lots of teasing. Wish we could do this about once a month instead of once a year, at best.


FL WEATHER: High 60, low 40. Very cool and cloudy all day, not very pleasant to be out.


FL NEWS: Okaloosa joins 7-county effort to make BP pay up
Nearly a year after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, seven Northwest Florida counties are renewing efforts to hold BP responsible for the disaster. Okaloosa County commissioners signed a joint resolution last week calling for further environmental assessment, more economic recovery money and a multi-state coalition. Nearly a year after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, seven Northwest Florida counties are renewing efforts to hold BP responsible for the disaster. Okaloosa County commissioners signed a joint resolution last week calling for further environmental assessment, more economic recovery money and a multi-state coalition. The resolution also is being signed by commissioners in Santa Rosa, Escambia, Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties. “We are all pulling in one direction instead of going in our individual directions,” Okaloosa County Commission Chairman James Campbell said. “This is kind of a rarity.” Speaking with one voice is vital for the recovery of Northwest Florida, Campbell said. “It’s important for the quality of how we live here,” he said. “We’ve never dealt with something like this before.” The seven-county resolution calls for the affected areas to be allowed to take near-shore water sam-ples to identify any remaining oil and have it removed. “What is important to all of us is that we have proper sampling,” Campbell said. “We don’t need to be getting the samples from BP. We need independent sampling that tells the truth.” Northwest Florida officials also want beach renourishment be the top priority of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. The seven counties say they also expect all research within Florida’s near-shore waters to be conducted by local institutions and universities.