Bald Eagles at Dekle Beach

As my husband and I were relaxing on our deck, one of the magestic Bald Eagles frequently seen at Dekle Beach just soared along the canal with a flock of small birds chasing close behind. They first flew across the sawgrass marsh, and as the Eagle lit in a cedar tree, the little birds began bombarding him likely to dissuade him from finding their nests. The huge Eagle, slightly annoyed, continued his flight and landed on the long dock extending into the Gulf, frightening away all the seagulls that like to rest there. It was quite amusing watching the smaller birds harrassing the Eagle while the seagulls gave it all the space it wanted. OK, I have to go now. My husband just finished cooking the fresh catch of mullet he caught a couple of hours ago. Dinner is calling. It doesn't get any better than this!

Permitting Update on Magnolia Bay

The $700 million Magnolia Bay Marina & Resort project continues to face some challenges, as the property owner, Dr. J. Crayton Pruitt, and developer, Chuck Olsen, press forward with the development plans. In addition to a marina and 100' wide channel, the plans include the building of condos, a hotel, a helicopter landing pad, a public aquarium, a marine science lab, and commercial space for shopping and restaurants. The state and federal permitting agencies are requiring further modifications to the current plans before the permits will be granted. The developer is working on changes that he feels will allow the project to to be approved.

An April Day at Keaton Beach

Today, as I drove around Keaton Beach, I marveled at the overflow from the parking lot at the Public Boat Ramp and the Keaton Beach Marina. A number of vehicles with boat trailers were parked in long lines alongside the road waiting for their owners to return from a sunny, though breezy, day of fishing. As I drove down to the tiny spit of land that we lovingly call our beach, I noticed that it was also somewhat packed with young people enjoying the sun and water even on this April day well before the hot rays of Summer warm the Gulf. This was an unusually busy day for this time of year. The overflow of boat trailers is more frequent during Scallop Season, July 1 through Labor Day in September, when visitors from all around come to harvest the succulent mollusks. If you have never dined on bay scallops, you are missing a real treat. And half the fun is diving for them on the sandy bottoms and among the seagrasses of the coastal flats. That is one of the special activities I love in this wonderful county I call home!

Blue Grass Festival

The 5th Annual Florida State Blue Grass Festival was held in Perry this weekend, April 6-7. The Festival featured The Grascals, who were named IBMA's "Entertainers of the Year" in 2006. Other entertainers on hand to perform included Bits of Grass, Sweetwater Special, Melissa King & Phatgrass, US Navy Band Country Current, Wilson Family, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Bluegrass Parlor Band, Still House Band, Deep Creek Bluegrass, Ryan Holiday, Swinging Bridge, Tallahassee Fiddlers, and Ernie Evans & Southern Lite. In addition to the musical performances, visitors from across the Southeast attending the Festival also enjoyed arts & crafts, food concessions and a chili cook-off.