Beach Access

Anonymous 2:30, there was nourishment of the beach done after Hurricane Ivan for sure. "Beach nourishment is the adding of sediment onto or directly adjacent to an eroding beach. This "soft structural" response allows sand to shift and move with waves and currents. Dune restoration is commonly carried out during a beach nourishment project as well." The above quote is directly from The Army Corps of Engineers website concerning beach nourishment: https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Coasts/Tales-of-the-Coast/Corps-and-the-Coast/Shore-Protection/Beach-Nourishment/

This is a picture of what is now known as Beach Access #4 today. The structure in the center portion of the frame to the right of the white building is the old Sundowner condos. This picture was taken Sept 17, 2004, the day after Ivan made landfall. Pay close attention to the shoreline and its' proximity to those buildings.

This picture is from Google Earth on Nov 30, 2004. Notice the dune line between the buildings and the shoreline? The Sundowner is marked as Beach Access #4. As you can clearly see there is a "dune line" that is not there in the first picture. Just as important as that fact is the one that this "dune restoration/emergency berm" project took place all along the shoreline in Perdido Key after Ivan. I have more pictures to show that happening. So that is a short answer to your question about it being done. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

Day ride during a pandemic...

Went for ride yesterday with a few friends. With all that is going on with the COVID-19 pandemic and the call for people to stay at home and government closing down businesses to contain the spread, this is how we do it. Still have the need to get outside and enjoy the day, especially when it is as beautiful a day as it was yesterday. A lot of restaurants are doing curbside pick up for their customers trying to stay afloat until we can enjoy a sit down meal again. One of those is East River Smokehouse in Navarre. We stopped in to grab a dinner plate and have lunch on our ride. The food was delicious and welcome relief from my cooking, thank God!
 After eating, we continued on our afternoon ride going from there up to the Blackwater State Forest. A couple of impromptu drag races, with me on the new bike, were had on the way up much to my delight. Not because I won, because I surely didn't, but because I didn't lose that badly! I managed to stay up with some big inch bikes compared to mine (117ci, 114ci vs 88ci). And since I just bought this new one, as far as I know it is bone stock...... for now. Hehehehehe.
 It is these little moments that make my day and reinforce camaraderie between my friends and myself. Not to mention bragging rights and tales of grandeur to be shared afterwards. I got the new bike up to 110mph and backed out of it at that point, which was apropos as the other guy was constantly pulling away from me by this point.

Fear and the futility in it....

 Well, here we are, April of 2020 and smack dab in the COVID-19 pandemic. The fear of the unknown has caused some severe reactions from our government and our friends and family. This single issue has divided people more than anything else in recent history. Amazing that the HUGE political divide is not entirely reflected in the conversations on this topic on social media. Some people that are at odds on politics actually agree on how we should be responding to the virus. But like National politics there are clearly two "sides" to how that should be carried out.
 I am torn myself on what is and is not appropriate. I have been staying home for the most part, and practice distancing when I do get out as best as possible. I have taken the opportunity to ride solo more often thru the week to avoid going bat shit crazy from isolation. At least I can minimize exposure for myself and others by riding the bike on short scenic rides. As I relayed to two dear friends on a late night call recently, I refuse to live in fear. Fear of this virus to the extent I lock down and stay home constantly. Fear of contracting it and it being the cause of my demise. Fear of anyone I love exposing me to it because they have to work and survive.
 I just bought another bike a couple of weeks ago. I know I can only ride one at a time, but variety is the spice of life. This one is in the Dyna family of the Harley bikes. Lighter and more svelte than Ol' Blue and Crusty. I'm looking forward to taking it on our annual trip in May to the mountains in North Carolina. Yes, I am optimistic and hopeful that we will be restored to some sense of normalcy by the end of May. I don't do well with fear, remember. So the Motorcycle Madness is being reinforced, and I just turned 65 this month. My buddies give me shit about the need for a trike in my future. That may be the case at some point because I won't give in to fear of being able to ride on two wheels. I will adapt and continue on, as I have always done.
 There is a solution to every problem, and it may not be exactly what one thinks is the best way. However it can be one that allows everyone to carry on in a dignified manner and the most beneficial to all. That is what is needed right now concerning the pandemic. A solution that will save lives for those threatened by this virus, and a permanent solution for all. We have the capability to do both, there are some smart people in this world, and I have faith it will happen. So, the  temporary solution to help people fight the deadly effects of this virus is in the combination of drugs readily available and vetted already. We should allow them to be administered to those that are in critical need to save their lives while the great minds search for the permanent solution. The ones that are pulled back from deaths door can help with the research for the permanent solution by allowing their blood to be analyzed and condition monitored afterwards. As it is being reinforced by everyone, everywhere, We Are In This Together!
 The only good thing to come from fear, is the resolve to not succumb to it and idly let it consume you. One erases the futility in it when they resolve to not give in to it. Stay strong, stay focused, and continue to be an inspiration to those that look to you for reference.

I really have fallen down on the job of keeping this blog going. It is roughly 5 years later and I am adding to my list of posts. A lot has changed over the years. First and foremost I am now RETIRED! Yep I finally took the plunge and retired two years ago now. I don't regret it one bit, and the cool thing is I still go back to work for Cox every now and then as a contractor. I work with my lifelong friends and ex brother in laws doing the same thing I did before, installing equipment and cabling it up in the MTC and STC in the Gulf Coast region so far. It's not an every day gig, just occasionally.

Also, I have another granddaughter! Whitlynn Anne Douglas. She is 2 1/2 yrs old now. I love her every bit as much as Ava Rose, who is going on 10. They both have complete rule over my heart and I still try to spoil the shit outta them as much as I can. I am on a fixed income you know..... LOL. Life is so much more fun with small ones around. Tomorrow I plan on taking Ava with me to the local County Commissioners meeting. She needs to be introduced to how her government works! I have become a little more politically active in my retirement. Go figure.

I still struggle with my diabetes and work on keeping it in check, not doing so good with that however.... I still love riding my bikes and even bought an ATV before I retired. I got one that Ava Rose and I can ride together. She loves to ride it, but I don't get to take it out too much. That's something I'm gonna have to rectify this fall. This summer has been brutal with the heat. We have had 100 degree plus days for weeks. My old body just can't take the heat so much anymore.

We went on our annual bike trip this year and rented a house in Waynesville N.C. that was just amazing! Spectacular views all around the house. It was on the ridge of the mountain and quite a trip to get to. But, definitely worth the effort and money spent. I'll try to add to this site more often as I remember and have things to share.

My Ava Rose!!!

I'm in a writing mood tonite, so I'll make a second blog entry....

I hit the Powerball earlier this month for a hundred bucks. I didn't realize it until this past weekend when I finally got around to checking my tickets. So with that cash in my pocket, I went to pick up Ava from day care as I normally do on Monday. We have a routine of going to Taco Bell for dinner, her choice of choices! So she asks if we can go when we are walking to the truck and this is our conversation......
"Not today honey, I have a surprise for you!"
"Oh boy Pop Pop, I love surprises!What is it?"
"Well, if I tell you then it won't be a surprise will it?"
" No, but I love surprises!"

Duly noted, and filed! So I head towards Target which is right down the road. As we start to turn in, she notices and gets all excited....
" That's Target, Pop Pop! That's my favorite!!!" (Just about everything is her favorite, for reference...)
"Yes indeed, that is Target, honey."
" Are we going there?"
"Yes we are, honey."
At which point she lets loose with a very excited giggle, she knows that her surprise lies in said store..... warmed my heart to no end.
"Pop Pop is going to let you pick out a couple of toys, and that is your surprise!!"
"Can I go to the little girls section? "
"you can go to any section you want!"

I thought her little head was going to explode. She was amped to the max at this point and I could barely get her outta the seat she was squirming so bad. It struck me at that moment just how much I enjoy spoiling the shit out of this kid. I don't know who was more excited, her or me. I chuckled so much watching her pick the toys she wanted. I tried to make sure she looked at different things to be sure what she wanted was what she got. She quickly made up her mind on two items and before I knew it we were on our way to the checkout counter.  I tell her we have to go by the grocery store and pick up some milk on the way home, and she is ok but anxious to get home to start playing with her new toys.  We pull into the parking lot of the shopping center and as we are headed into the grocery store she spots Beall's outlet store.
"I wanna go there, Pop Pop."
"And what do you want there?"
"I need some new shoes, Pop Pop"

OMG!!! She is already a shopping hound......

And the cycle is complete once again, like mother, like daughter...... I flash back on a shopping trip long ago with her Mom, when she was roughly the same age. We went to the Mall to find a certain pair of tennis shoes she just had to have. Now I know why it gives me so much pleasure to spoil this child! It's because I have spoiled her Mom and Aunt Maddie all of their lives to the very best of my ability!!!!!! It's genetic engineering at work, I can't control it. Hell I don't even try anymore, that's the truth. At least with her Mom and Aunt I held back some....... I think, I'm pretty sure I did, maybe....... but with Ava, no freaking way, I have no control. It's the beauty of being a grandchild, the grandparents have a moral obligation and downright legal right to spoil and pamper in any way , shape, or form, so help me God!!!! At least I'm not the only one doing it, both her Nana's and Grandpa  are just as guilty as me. Remember, we have a moral obligation and God given right, by golly!!  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! In the end, I think I got the most out of that deal, I got to watch my Ava Rose light up with a big smile and make her feel special, which she is, no doubt.

And she got some furry slippers from Beall's.......... Come on, you knew it was gonna happen.......

Health & Food, or lack thereof .....

Hello again! True to form it has been awhile since I checked in. Madison is doing ok, thank God, although I feel like she has moments when it haunts her. I think of her (Princess), quite often myself and pray that I can see her, if that is in God's plan.
I have not been feeling too good myself. I had to have a stent put in due to a blocked artery, a couple of months back. I had this strange sensation for about a week or two in my chest. I liken it to the time I smoked Kool menthol cigarettes. I first noticed it when I was out in the yard working or actually piddling around. It was cold out and I took in a deep breath. That was when I noticed it, for lack of better description, an air conditioned chest sensation.  Kinda like smoking menthol cigarettes but more intense. It went away after I went inside and sat down, and I had that same sensation several times over the next week or so. It increasingly got a little more intense. It usually occurred during any kind of physical exertion. Then one morning getting ready for work it was real intense and all I was doing was putting on my shoes and bending over. That was it, I drove myself to the hospital that specializes in cardiac emergencies.
They immediately took me back and started monitoring and taking blood and all of that. I was in the hospital for the next 3 days gettin' fixed. I have never been so damn bored in all of my life! Three days doing nothing but watching TV, playing on the internet with my iPad and eating shitty hospital food, dammit man!!! My only saving grace was all of my family and friends coming by or calling to check up on me. I really appreciated all of the love shown to this Crazy Old Bastid', it warmed my hurt deeply.
My diabetes is really giving me fits of late. I am trying to get my blood sugar down to respectable level but it seems to be more elusive than the fabled pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow. It seems like no matter what I do it does not have the desired results. I'm taking three different diabetic medicines, two different insulin shots and one pill. I take a total of 5 shots between the insulin types a day, when I can remember to take them. I'm pretty good at doing the shots first thing in the morning, and in the evening, but the one at lunch is hit and miss.
Damn, I just checked my blood sugar since I was thinking about it and it was 134! That is the lowest I have hit in forever. And this is about 3 hours after eating my dinner!! I had a salad with blueberries, strawberries, sunflower seeds, cranberries and easy on the croutons and Zesty Italian dressing. I'll have to remember that and start eating more salad. I just can't eat salad all the time though, and therein lies the problem. Being a bachelor and incapable of cooking worth a fuck, I rely on quick meals thrown together from, or out of a package. That is THE problem..... my diabetes and my heart condition are confirmation that I need to change my way of eating.  I can't always eat the right thing but I can make a conscious decision to eat the right thing more often. Which is why I chose the salad with all the berries in it. And it paid off. Now I just have to refrain from "snacking" on the wrong thing before retiring for the night. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this getting old thing ain't for pussies!

Grief

I know I don't update this as I should but this is my sounding board. I write down what is going thru my mind at times when I'm being reflective. 

Today is a sad, sad, sad day. My youngest daughter Madison gave birth today to her 21 week old baby. The baby, Princess, did not make it. Madison is consumed with grief and it is breaking my heart into a million pieces to witness it. I hurt when she hurts, it's just the way it is. I want to be able to ease or remove her pain, but there is no way or no words that will do that.

 I can't say I know what she is going thru, because I have not lost a child or had a life inside me. I know that I would be totally devastated if something were to happen to her or her sister, God forbid. I am grieving my grand daughter, and my heart aches badly and I am saddened by the knowledge I will never get to play with her like I do my other grand baby Ava. I was so looking forward to spoiling her as much as I could. God will have to do that now, for me.

I worry that this will be the catalyst of Madison falling into depression and losing herself. It's easy to say " You'll get thru this.", when it's just as likely she won't. She will never be the same, ever again. If she does come thru it, it will be with a big hole in her heart and life. I know that my love and support will be helpful and critical to her well being, I just pray that our collective love is enough to do that. 

Grief is a natural process to the situation. And it takes time to ease that grief, but it never truly goes away. It is always right there, in the corner of your heart, waiting to twist it into a knot, and knocking you for a loop.

I love you, Princess, with all of my heart! While God takes care of you, He and I will be watching over Mommy!