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Oil? What Oil? Pensacola Beach Open for Business!

2 Aug By 21 Comments

First of all, can you believe its August? Really? Holy crap. Didn’t we just finish taxes? I keep shaking my head.

Time sure flies when you count your days in blog posts.

Summer if fading fast…not actually in temperature, at least in my neck of the woods, but definitely in days. So this weekend we packed up the car and drove over to Pensacola Beach.  We wanted to try to get one last beach day in for the summer vacation.

Charlotte starts school on Monday and we become a lot more scheduled.

And if you watch the news, I am sure you realize its about ratings and that the beaches must still be 100% covered in oil and to stay away from Florida in its entirety.

Judging even from some of the pictures that I have put up in the past of our local area, I realize that those images are what’s burned in everyone’s mind.

It wasn’t the case this time. Not even in the slightest sense.

The cap is working. The cleanup is working.

The green flag flying and the beach was gorgeous.

GORGEOUS.

FLAWLESS.

CRYSTAL BLUE.

(Just so you know, Charlotte is laying on her tummy on a sandbar, she is not up to her actual head standing up)

We haven’t had a day this pretty since Fathers Day.

There was no oil in in site.

Not on the sand, not in the water.

I can’t tell you where it went.

I can only show you what I saw…which was nothing.

I stopped and asked the Dunes how business was and they said they have been sold out almost every night for the past several weekends. I am showing you what people are now figuring out.

Sometimes when I am out on Pensacola Beach I feel like I am in another country.

I am so glad it’s back.

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We also took out our New Sport-brella. Sport-brella sent this one over for me to test/review out on the beach and share with my visitors.

Generally we have issues with our umbrellas flying off or falling over, not to mention if you are not sitting the right way the sun still strikes your face, but we actually loved using the Sportbrella.

It took Chris about 30 seconds to get it up, placed, and staked in the ground.

Sport-brella is this really ingenious umbrella that is over sized (8 feet) and can sit up traditionally, or has flaps that allows it to stretch more like a half tent, and it shields you and your entire family from the elements in the outdoors. At first I was getting kinda hot in it, I mean it was almost 100 degrees outside, but then we opened the vents up on either side (duh) and the wind blew right through.

That’s why you should read directions first.

It was nice getting out of the sun, having a place to keep our waters, and reading without a glare. Charlotte could spend 10 hours on the beach (if we let her) and sometimes I need a break out of the water.

Sportbrella can also be used to keep rain or snow out and prefect for sidelines of football games, soccer, or whatever you can think of! Earlier this week, Chris set this up in our living room off of the couch and made a tent for us to watch a scary show and eat S’mores in.

After using it, I know exactly why it was a pick on Fox & Friends this past week.

Sport-brella also has a Sport-brella XL (that is 9 feet wide) and a Sport-Brella Chair!

Right now, you can get it it on Amazon for only $54 and free Super Saver shipping. Check out:

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This is Chris, Charlotte, and Aunt Sammi trying to do cartwheels on the beach:

My new Swimsuit:

(yes, I ditched the brown one…)

No. It was not for a bikini.

(If you are wondering, its this one in black Kenneth Cole REACTION Swimsuit)

Spread the word…the beaches are open.

Don’t spend the rest of your summer indoors.

It’s not too late to get your summer vacation in so head over to Pensacola Beach!

~Trisha

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Pensacola Beach Oil pictures and update (july 3rd)

4 Jul By 5 Comments

We ran over to Pensacola Beach yesterday to check out the cleanup progress and to see how the economy and the island was fairing. If you follow my blog at all, you know that it has been a whirlwind of tides, going from massively devastating all the way to crystal clear waters and bleached white sand.


This picture is from June 24th

(more pensacola beach oil pictures from June 24th here  and from June 8th here)

(without oil on the beach, June 21st)

One thing I can say is that the Quietwater area was hopping! For those that dont live here, Quietwater beach is the sound and is across the street from the Gulf.

With people concerned about  dispersant’s and unseen oil on the public side, I have never seen this place busier than I did on Saturday. It was actually quite refreshing. We stopped in to grab some sandwiches and walked through a few shops ourselves.

(July 3rd)

Across the street on the main beach (Casino Beach), the dangerous surf deterred beach goers more than oil on the sands  did.

And while the main signs of what was last week were gone,  there were sporadic chunks of oil reminding us of what we still have left to fight.

It didn’t take more than digging our toe in the ground to see layer and layer of oil underneath, but it appears that the beach goers just spread out their blankets, put up their umbrellas, and parked their butts ready to ignore it all.

We even saw some people swimming, although the lifeguards were quick to warn that the tides were strong.

The beach motto has always been to please leave only your footprints…

Too bad those footprints are still speckled with oil…

~trisha

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New Pensacola Beach Oil Pictures, 06/24/10 & 6/25/10

25 Jun By 21 Comments

Pictures I took on Pensacola Beach of the oil slick around 7pm Thursday June 24th.

Casino Beach/Public Beach, 6/24/10

(see the little sand crab?)

My shoes after walking the beach

This is Casino Beach this morning at 8:30am, 6/25/10:

I am honestly not sure what happened to all the oil. Its either covered by sand, cleaned, or washed out. The pictures above are from last night and these are from this morning- same EXACT spot.

Its kinda eerie to see it change so much overnight.

From the Pier, 6/24/10:

(notice the green algae? It’s all over the place. I couldn’t find anyone who knew what it was. I even spoke with someone from the Historical Society and she didn’t know either. Rumor has it that it might be the chemical dispersant but I don’t know the truth to it. It does stink.)

Ft Pickens Area, Thursday June, 24th, 2010

Ft Pickens Area Friday June 25th, 2010, 8:30am



Housing around Ariola block 1000 ( Friday morning, June 25th)

Its easy to share this post by tweeting or stumbling if you like.

I’ll continue to update as I have new information and photos. You can easily access all past photos by going to my Pensacola Beach category to surf Pensacola Beach or Dauphin Island.

~Trisha

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Pensacola Beach New Oil Photos (June 24th)

24 Jun By 29 Comments

I just went to the beach this evening to see if the news was telling the truth. It was horrifying. The same beach you can see in the post below, the same white sands, the same beach that Charlotte was snorkeling in….this is our new view at Pensacola Beach.

It was heartbreaking. It took my breath away.

More photos coming as I edit… comments welcome.

~trisha

New Photos Pensacola Beach Oil Photos are Up here from June 24th and June 25th

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Pensacola Beach Oil Update, June 21st

21 Jun By 11 Comments

We went to the Gulf yesterday on Pensacola Beach and I was expecting some major damage. Considering we just went a few weeks ago and the signs of oil were leaking up on the sands in front of the housing, I assumed that our next visit would be filled with a lot more tradgedy.

I have to say that not only was I pleasantly surprised, I was actually shocked with how incredible the beaches were looking.

White sands for miles, no sign of oil anywhere and cleaning crews (complete with litter scoops) combing every inch of the sand to keep the beaches in pristine commission.The waters were so clear and calm, in fact, that we saw sting rays and two little sharks. Apparently the oil is being blamed on bringing some of the wildlife closer, so keep aware in the water.

btw, small + shark generally do not go together in my world, but they were sand sharks

Ill let the pictures speak for themselves…this is my dear Pensacola Beach (the same one Obama walked on via the news last week) just yesterday.

(These were taken in front of the Holiday Inn on the Ft Pickens side-which btw is a great hotel to stay at. We always see Dolphins from the balcony there.)

I bet you didn’t know the waters in Florida were this beautiful, huh?

I also went over to the 1100 block of Ariola and took pics in the exact spot that I took these oil pictures a few weeks ago, and here are updated shots of that area:

Much of the seaweed that was covering the ground has now been covered with sand itself, you can see seaweed sticking up from the ground, so it was hard to tell if all the past oil was cleaned up or had just been now covered with blown over sand. But judging by the amount of crews out there, I would hope they got a good bit of it.

There is some black seaweed washing up sporadically.

I have had a lot of people email me and ask if they should still come on vacation and if there will be oil on the sands….the truth is, as you can see form these photos, the amount or area that any oil or tar balls is located changes from moment to moment.

I do believe that you should still come on vacation. There are hundreds of miles of insanely beautiful beaches to enjoy and as you can see here, our experience changes each day. Regardless, you can find a spot to settle where the coast is clear for your family. If you  are concerned I encourage you to call over to the Pensacola Beach visitors bureau where they can give you an update on the beaches and its cleanup efforts.

~Trisha

Other posts you may be interested in:

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Pensacola Quietwater Beach Oil Preperation & Cleanup

21 Jun By 1 Comment

Yesterday we went to the beach; the gulf and the sound both.

Quietwater (now called Portofino) was oil free, although the news mentioned that the oil has gotten into the pass on Pensacola. They were out there cleaning up sea grass in preparation for potential landfall to make it easier on cleanup.

We saw no glimpse of tar balls, sheen, or any oil as of yesterday (june 21st) and got to enjoy the water-which was low enough to wade all the way out to the pier at only waist high.

There were some sting rays basking pretty close to land, so watch your feet if you wander out.

Pictures of the Gulf on Pensacola Beach from yesterday being updated in a bit. I am just uploading and editing to fit here.

~Trisha

Other articles you may want to look at:

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Pensacola Beach Oil Spill Pictures

8 Jun By 81 Comments

As I promised in the other Pensacola Beach Oil spill post, I am adding these pictures from the oil Chris and I found on the beaches.

I grew up here. My dad had 3 houses here and the only reason he finally moved was because he got sick of the hurricanes claiming them. He now lives in the mainland instead of the island, but is still local. My mother in law works on the beach doing rentals. You can imagine how that is impacted.

This is my home so I take none of it lightly.

Casino Beach itself seems pretty clear of any issues we saw for swimming or hanging out, so dont let these pictures discourage you from going to the beach for the day. The Quietwater Bay (at the time of these shots) was also clear for swimming.

While you are there support local business and buy a sandwich or something. :-)

I took these pictures down on the 1100 block of Ariola Street in front of all the residential. As you can see the oil looks like little specs of dirt up and down the beach, much of it caught up in the seaweed. In fact when we were walking down the beach, it blended in more than the macro lens on my camera makes it seem. It was Chris that realized that the little black specs everywhere was the oil and we started looking further.

There were some larger clumps that are more sticky and some solid pieces as well. Its true that you must keep the beach free of trash because we did find a wrapper of some sort that was carrying a lot of oil. If you are out there and see trash, please pick it up.

This cleanup has to start with us being clean.

Keep the prayers alive for the Gulf Coast.

~Trisha

Other articles you may be interested in:

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Oil Protesters on Pensacola Beach

7 Jun By 9 Comments

Yesterday Chris and I went over to Pensacola Beach. Its quite the circus. Between the 17 news crews, live stories being broadcast, and the oil protesters, it was an event unlike anything  I have ever seen in the  20 years that my family has lived there.

You can go here to see my Pensacola Beach Oil Spill Pictures of what we found.

One thing I can say is that even though every major media outlet in the country is there doing a story on how horrible it is, and yes, there is oil on our beautiful white sands and I wont dispute that, however the beaches were still wonderful to visit, hang out on, and be in the water.

(how do you like the  irony that these news trucks probably get 10 miles to the gallon?)

There was a sandcastle competition going on, people were drinking, playing volleyball, surfing, kids were running and playing- I think the seaweed that washed up was more inconvenient than the oil tar balls that were evident in some areas.

There is this huge dooms day mentality and I have to say that after seeing it, it wasn’t dooms day.

It was annoying at best (atleast right now) and I have the utmost confidence that the community is pulling together to make sure its cleaned up safely and quickly.

But I can tell you that there was nothing really there that would prevent me from going to the beach, taking Charlotte to the beach, or even getting in the water.

If you have a vacation planned to this area, please still come. The water is warm and the people are friendly!

~Trisha

P.S. I know a lot of news is going around about the oil spill and people are looking for pictures. to use on their websites. You may use mine on your site if you need one, HOWEVER do not remove my copyright and you must provide a link back.

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