SoWal Scene - South Walton County, Florida Blog

South Walton on the 'Net - The Love Shack Restaurant, Real Estate & More

1) Birmingham News Online - The Love Shack Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach

Lovin' A New Destin-Area Restaurant
Posted by Susan Swagler -- Birmingham News June 20, 2008  

It's funky, fun and family friendly.  The Love Shack decor is simple but tasteful with lots of warm wood and works by local artists.  The tin roof is not at all rusted.

That's because The Love Shack is a brand-new Destin-area restaurant. (It's near the bay off East Hewett Road, which is off U.S. 98 just west of where U.S. 98 and County Road 30A intersect.) Open now for little over a month, it is as funky as the place in the B-52s' song -- but in a nice, rather sophisticated way. For one thing, it's not really a shack; but it is casual enough that families will love it. Also, it appears to have a solid local following -- always a good sign in an area full of touristy restaurants.

Inside, pretty lighting glows on warm wood walls and is reflected and repeated by strategically placed mirrors. These walls are decorated with schools of fish paintings, some on old barn wood, others are sculpture. Most are by local artist Joe Elmore (www.elmoreslanding.com). There also are several paintings by Justin Gaffrey, who has a gallery and studio down the road on 30A (www.gaffreyart.com). His thickly painted canvases of flowers and fish are dramatic and distinctive.

A wall of windows looks out onto a patio with a lovely pool and a small dance floor where a disco ball creates a colorful pool of glittering light. The actual pool, which features several pretty, graceful fountains, is open for diners (the restaurant is part of a new condo complex; everyone shares). Pack your swimsuit if you're so inclined; pack your kids' swimsuits if you want a little grown-up time at your table. Read More...

2)  Wander over to picture-perfect south Walton County
Tallahassee.com By Andy Lindstrom • SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT • July 15, 2008

Strictly speaking, the Beaches of South Walton run from just west of Panama City's high rises to the luxury hotels and maxi-malls of Sandestin by Choctawhatchee Bay.

But the heart of south Walton County's stunning string of world-class beaches and summer homes is County Road 30-A, 18 miles of nostalgia-inducing resort communities fitted around zealously guarded scrub acres and sea-oat-crowned sand dunes that make the area unmatched for gently managed nature in the Florida Panhandle.

Seaside, the state's original planned community of faux Victorian wooden cottages that has served as a template for numerous knockoffs since its early 1980s origins, may be the centerpiece for recapturing summer vacations your grandparents might remember. But more recent developments designed to cash in on that old-time atmosphere such as Seagrove Beach, WaterColor and Rosemary Beach have sprung up along a bustling little road that didn't even exist until the late 1950s.

At present, more than 14,500 rental units — most of them second homes or condos, with an estimated 65-percent to 85-percent occupancy during the summer months — are available along this part of the coast. An amazing 70 restaurants — seven of them rated among the state's Top 200 by Florida Trend magazine — make dining out a major activity.  Read More...

South Walton on the 'Net

Atlanta Journal Constitution online From Atlanta to .... Rosemary Beach, Fla./Rosemary Beach, Fla., is a laid-back enclave ROSEMARY BEACH, Fla. — In the beach version of bocce, it's a good idea to close your eyes when you toss the ball. Whether the sand's wet or dry, it's certain to flick off the ball and into your eyes, possibly throwing off your game.  "We're addicted to bocce," said Ken Gifford, a resident of Rosemary Beach. "Lawn, sand and extreme. In extreme, it's anywhere you want to throw it. Anything in the street is fair game, except through someone's window."  MORE...

The Huntsville Times Online You won't starve along this stretch of road/ Notes from Florida's Walton County Highway 30-A off U.S. 98 in the Panhandle: Seagrove Village MarketCafe at 3004 South Highway 395 at 30-A is an institution, where tourists mingle with local workers chowing down on great po-boys, fried and grilled grouper sandwiches and more. Prices are $8-$10 for lunch, around $18 for platters at dinner. Order at the counter at lunch, or from a server at dinner. As casual as can be, nothing fancy, and very friendly. You can still see the Gulf from the deck, but probably not for long. 850-231-5736.  MORE...

The Huntsville Times Online Tough, green and beautiful Florida's Alys Beach could be wave of future for resort towns  ALYS BEACH, Fla. - When the midday Florida Panhandle sun is blazing down on the buildings of Alys Beach, the notched roofs glow a crisp white. But as the sun drifts west, roofs and white walls soften to a dusty pink, then lavender, and finally gray just before nightfall.  Impressionists understood light changes a scene, and the landscape of the newest development along Walton County Highway 30-A proves it.  In a region that boasts some of the most groundbreaking architecture in the country - Seaside's pedestrian-friendly New Urbanism was once revolutionary - Alys Beach is the next big thing. MORE...

Travel Stories on CelebrityCafe.com Rosemary Beach The hardest story one has to write is one where you have nothing to complain about.  Writing about Rosemary Beach, Florida is one of the most difficult assignments that I’ve ever had to do. Rosemary Beach is so perfect; it worried me that my story would come across as too praising and therefore unbelievable. In addition, since it's such a nice destination to visit, there was little for me to joke about. To further increase the literary pressure, my notes basically seemed to say, "Rode Bike. Ate. Slept. Walked on Beach. Swam. Repeat." MORE...

The Times-Picayune Online The Ogden Heads for the Beach The Ogden Museum of Southern Art opened a branch today (July 3) in WaterColor, a planned community just east of Grayton Beach on Florida's booming northwest coast. The new "satellite" museum has been installed in a 2,200-square-foot former art gallery/coffee shop near the center of the resort. MORE...

 

South Walton on the 'Net - Editorial from the Anniston Star (in NE Alabama)

Related Post: NatureWalk at Seagrove

Editorial notebook: The wrong side of the road
In our opinion | 06-30-2008 | The Anniston Star Newspaper (NE Alabama)
*See Source Article Here*

SEAGROVE BEACH, Fla. — County Road 395 connects U.S. 98 to County Road 30-A, which local boosters designated "Scenic 30-A" and it is, mostly.

As beach developers pushed inland during the late, lamented housing boom, they built on both sides of CR 395. Today, the road divides success from failure and offers a good look at what has — and has not — happened to the Florida real-estate market.

Two developments, Watercolor on the west side and Nature Walk on the east, tell the tale.

Watercolor and the economy took off together. Financed from the deep pockets of what was once St. Joe Paper Co. (the largest private landowner in the state) and set down on property that its developers already owned, Watercolor was designed to attract people with the resources to build houses that were statements of achievement and affluence as well as investments. People did just that. In the years that followed, sounds of hammers, saws and Spanish filled the air.

There is less of that now, but despite the slowdown everything in Watercolor is still clean, green and dripping with prosperity.

South Walton on the 'Net

St. Louis Post Dispatch Online Rosemary Beach, Fla., gives new definition to cookie-cutter uniformity  In the beach version of bocce, it's a good idea to close your eyes when you toss the ball. Whether the sand's wet or dry, it's certain to flick off the ball and into your eyes, possibly throwing off your game.  "We're addicted to bocce," said Ken Gifford, a resident of Rosemary Beach. "Lawn, sand and extreme. In extreme, it's anywhere you want to throw it. Anything in the street is fair game, except through someone's window."  MORE...

Portovert.com Rosemary Beach, At a Glance This upscale seaside village is lush with native plants including wild rosemary, for which the town gets its name. An exercise in sustainable planning, Rosemary Beach boasts environmentally-sensitive buildings and pedestrian-friendly footpaths. But the main attraction is the beach itself. The pristine white sand is possible the cleanest in the state, winning environmental accolades for being one of the healthiest beaches nationwide.  MORE...

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ADVERTISE on SoWal Scene

COCOCOZY Blog A Colorful & Spicy Indoor Outdoor Poolside Lounge Space (at Alys Beach) Friend and blog reader Fionuala McGlinchey sent in these amazing photos from her visit earlier this year to Alys Beach - a GORGEOUS planned community on the panhandle of Florida. Alys Beach's property includes luxury private homes, vacation rentals and exquisitely planned and designed communal spaces.  This covered patio space or open-air loggia features rich spice colored walls in exactly the right tone not too bright and not too dark burnt orange...just right enough to make this space colorful, fresh and summer-like.  MORE...

Rental Properties Blog We have vacationed in Northwest Florida, Walton County in particular, for twenty years –- and love it! The best, uncrowded beaches in the country –- reasonable cost –- great restaurants –- terrific beach properties to lease! So we are very enthusiastic about the area –- but what about the economic realities of investing in Florida -- at this time?  Northwest Florida has a vibrant and steady tourist business, with low unemployment. The brand new Panama City International Airport, projected to open in January 2010, will make the area quickly accessible from virtually anywhere in the United States and Europe. It is expected to provide a major boost to the area's economy, and should increase demand for real estate. MORE...

The Village Of South Walton Blog The Florida Panhandle: Five Great Things About A Panhandle Vacation  I fell in love with the Florida Panhandle the first time I visited this hidden Gem. I’ve visited every part of Florida from the East Coast, to the Florida Keys, to the southern gulf and the Orlando area and Clearwater area, but until recently, I have never been to the Florida Panhandle. Once I arrived I knew this was something special.  My wife and I stayed in an upscale condominium located on the nineteen-mile stretch of Rt 30-A called “The Village of South Walton”. This quaint complex of commercial property on the first floor and condominiums above is where we found our paradise.  MORE...

South Walton on the 'Net - Growth and Progress on the WWW

South Walton is finally coming online - finally going live - and I can't tell you how exciting this is for our community!  It's a technological tipping point for South Walton, folks.

In addition to SoWal Scene, Beaches of South Walton, SoWal.com and 30A.com, let's give a warm welcome to the newest members of the South Walton online community -

• Travel 30A - comprehensive area information and forum to connect with the community
• 30AGuide.com (launching soon) comprehensive area information and forum to connect with the community
• Discover30A.com (new ownership) - area information with an incredible "bike tour" of 30A
• 30A Television - covering local events and broadcast online.  Now offering live video streams at local events so if you can't be there, you can still watch the fun online (I love this idea!)

Before I launched SoWal Scene, there were hardly any online informational resources and social networks for our community. Considering that our slice of paradise is almost exclusively tourist-driven, I found that quite odd really.  I don't have the statistics in front of me, but I feel confidant in saying that the majority of 18 - 48-year-olds now use the Internet as their first go-to source in the information gathering process, be it planning a vacation or move, buying a primary or second home, or trying to connect with others in a community.

I know there are those in our community who want to keep this area a secret - who view growth and progress - from brick and mortar growth to online growth to tourism growth - as somehow an end to the charmed way of South Walton life.  Since starting SoWal Scene, I have surprisingly been on the receiving end of some not-so-friendly response from some in the community.  But I do understand - Olivier and I lived here before all the change in the physical and virtual landscapes and the change has been staggering in that short amount of time even since we arrived 7+ years ago.  Change is just hard for many to accept.  Thankfully, South Walton, because of the it's geography and strict building codes, is somewhat immune to irresponsible, greed-driven brick and mortar growth. And more online sources of information about South Walton is nothing but fantastic. 

My final position is - it's inevitable.  More growth is coming - we can't stop it - so we must embrace it and support it.  Let's look at the positive of the growth - more positive information disseminated about the area & more positive physical growth = more tourism and real estate sales = more robust local economy. 

Oh, and life is still charmed in South Walton - I promise.

Backing up Your Data - Mozy.com

South Walton Hacker is a regular feature where Jill shares what she thinks is helpful information and websites she finds on the wonderful world wide web.

What happens when your redundant data backup system fails?  That is exactly what happened to me a few years ago and, needless to say, I was horrified.

Prior to this, I had lived through one too many computer and device failures to know how critical it was to religiously back up my data.  Thankfully, the data I had lost up to this point was data I could live without and I hadn't yet discovered the wondrous world of digital photography, digital music and the Adobe CS2 Creative Suite.

But now, the data had become much more valuable.  I started to run the "what if" scenario through my head - "What if a hurricane wiped out my computer and I lost all the work I had done for my graphic design clients or my businesses - what would I do - have to redo it all?" "What if my computer just up and died on me and I lost all the digital pictures of I've taken of the boys through the years or paid for to use?"  "What if I lost all the digital music I've purchased over the years?"  Even the thought of these scenarios, all which could happen in a blink of eye, made my stomach drop.

Not able to live with the "what ifs", I started backing up important files on several zip drives but soon realized that was an impractical exercise.  I had so much data and couldn't easily find what I was looking for.  Also, I had misplaced my zip drives a few times (but thankfully always found them) and I realized some of the files I had on them were not files I would want anyone else to find.  I needed a better solution. 

I found it in an external hard drive.  Feeling pretty smart, I shelled out almost two hundred bucks for a top of the line model and spent many hours dropping and dragging all of my data onto it.  Every time I created a new file, uploaded a photo, or downloaded music to my desktop hard drive, I would back it up a second time on my external hard drive.  Aaaahhhh - I could sleep well at night knowing if I had to evacuate for a hurricane or if my computer fizzled on me, I was protected!

But it turned out, I wasn't protected.  One day when I booted up my computer, the external hard drive made a very strange noise and just stopped working.  I couldn't believe it!  I did everything I could to try to fix it - but it was just one of those crazy flukes and couldn't be fixed.  The reality sunk in that my redundant system had failed.  Thankfully, my desktop hadn't failed at the same time so I still had copies of important files there.  But sadly, I had transferred a lot of other things, like personal digital pictures and scanned copies of the last few years of tax information, to the external drive, taking them off the desktop to keep it cleaned up.   I was crushed.  I was told there were companies out there who could try to recover the data but it would cost a small fortune to do so.  I had to walk away.

I was fed up and decided it was time to go to a professional service for data storage.  I now realize that nothing is 100% fail-proof when it comes to data storage but came to conclusion that those who do this for a living probably have multiple layers of redundancy and I was just better off paying someone else to stay up at night worrying about these things. 

So I did a ton of research and found an online backup service called Mozy.  I just can't say enough good things about this service and highly recommend it to anyone that has any files they want to protect ... which is probably pretty much everyone with a computer these days!  There are free services out there, yes, but you get what you pay for and, in all honesty, data backup is not something you should be cheap about.  Mozy is super affordable - for only $4.95/month per computer, I now blissfully know when my desktop and laptop are sitting idle,  Mozy kicks into gear and any files that have been manipulated since the last backup are uploaded via the Internet onto the Mozy servers, sometime several times a day.  It's awesome!

It boils down to the fact that I have a peace of mind about this now.  I have to pay but it's like insurance - you are damn glad you have purchased it if you ever need it.  And remember, even if you use zip drives or an external hard drive like I did, those are physical objects that can fail as well, even though you would never expect it. 

Back up that data, folks!  Good luck!

Mozy Unlimited Backup - $4.95/Month

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South Walton on the 'Net

The New York Times.com Havens | Grayton Beach, Fla. - A Gulf Retreat for the Upscale but Unfussy :: When Mike Ford was in college, he became acquainted with the Florida Panhandle’s coast on spring-break jaunts that lured him to its developed, party-hearty beach towns like Panama City and Fort Walton Beach. So when his future wife introduced him to the small and far-removed Grayton Beach, a low-key spit of sand that offers nothing but houses and beach, where she had spent summers all her life, he didn’t quite know what to make of it. MORE...

To Florida and Back Blog - We no longer live in So Cal...we live in So Wal! Brittany and Brooke got us bumper stickers that say, "SoWal". What is SoWal you ask? Don't worry, we had no idea either. It means South Walton, the county we currently live in. So, to this I say...we no longer live in SoCal, we live in SoWal (if only for the summer)!  Did I ever mention the town we live in? Its called, Seaside - which is about 45 minutes outside of Destin (which is the main town in this area). Seaside is small town U.S.A. - complete with the beautiful town center where there are bands that entertain the crowds on the warm, balmy nights.  MORE...

The Memphis Blog - Just outside of the Florida Panhandle town of Destin, the beach towns and hamlets which make up what’s better known in these parts as the Beaches of South Walton are each worthy of a getaway.  What’s not to love about the sugary white sand and emerald waters which grace this part of the Gulf Coast? Add in luxurious homes, condos and charming inns and B&Bs, the excellent dining and a bit of shopping, and it’s a beach vacation par excellence. MORE...

Cybergolf.com There is something oddly familiar about the Seagrove Beach community on the Emerald Coast of the Sunshine State - even if you've never been there, it seems like a town stored in your memory bank. And then it hits you: you've seen this place in the movies. This region, which is sandwiched between Fort Walton Beach to the west and Panama City to the east, was the location for shooting of the Jim Carrey film "The Truman Show." And it is as pretty and meticulously planned as a movie set on a sound stage. MORE...

The Sunday Paper The Beaches of South Walton, Fla. boast local, organic cuisine When I was young and growing up in South Florida, days at the beach were focused on swimming, sunning and playing in the sand. Food was an afterthought. Mom would bring a big cooler packed with tuna fish sandwiches, apple slices, Pringles potato chips, cookies and lemon-lime Gatorade sip-ups, and whenever I was hungry, I’d scarf down my choice of munchie and run right back into the sand. MORE...

South Walton on the 'Net

Green Building Elements: Eco-Tourism gets Political Boost - I remember reading the little placard on the bathroom vanity advising me to hang my damp towels with curiosity. We were on vacation and it was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing. We did this at home, but it seemed more practical - a way to avoid doing laundry each night. There was also a note about turning the lights out when we left our room. Little things.  MORE...

Thicket - Alabama Redefined: 2008 Beach Guide - For decades, one thing alone has lured travelers to the Northern Gulf Coast. Before developers erected the first condominium, there was the beach, miles of white sand stretching to the horizon. A coastal tourism empire grew from sand and sea, bringing thousands of visitors and multi-million-dollar developments. MORE...

Annechovie Blog - Alys Beach is a relatively new resort community located in the beautiful Florida Panhandle. The beaches there are unparalleled in natural beauty. A few elements that set it apart from being just another high-end development are it's emphasis on sustainability, unique architecture and a sense of community. It was named for the matriarch of the town's founders and has a special quality of laid-back sophistication coupled with a family-friendly atmosphere. MORE...

Imageguy Blog Back From Florida One of the first developments on 30A is a community called Rosemary Beach. They’re almost finished building there and the community is thick with beautiful architecture, lush plantings, beautiful colors, and the feeling of comfort and luxury. I had many images of Rosemary Beach but only included about a dozen in the slide show I took down with me, so felt the need to expand on my collection while there to give a little better representation. It’s not hard in a community like this one to find beautiful images. MORE...

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South Walton on the 'Net

Alys Beach in the New York Times :: Dean Trevelino and Genna Keller, longtime business partners, with  their families bought a lot in Alys Beach, a new hurricane-resistant development of family villas and courtyard homes in Florida’s Panhandle in 2006. The two families, both from Atlanta, are building a 2,500-square-foot three-bedroom three-bath home with a plunge pool in the courtyard. It should be complete next month and is large enough to accommodate both families simultaneously. MORE...

sustainable dezine Blog :: Seaside, Florida and the roots of New Urbanism - Family and friends have been traveling to Seaside, Florida for a week at the beach for at least a dozen springs. Several years ago, in response to the growing cost of Seaside rentals, nearby Grayton Beach became the place to stay. The higher costs in Seaside are testament to the public response to the place, the first community to be built using the precepts of new urbanism, or neotraditional town planning. MORE...

Magallano Mournings Blog Post on Seaside :: Today, I would like to share one of my favorite places on EARTH! I recently spent the day there with my best friend in the whole wide world while we were on spring break. If you have never been, and you get the chance to go, DO NOT MISS IT! If I had millions of dollars to spend on anything I wanted, I would quit my job, purchase a house here, and open a shop in the square....this is my most wonderful fantasy!  MORE...

1-800-GOOG-411

South Walton Hacker is a regular feature where Jill shares what she thinks is helpful information and websites she finds on the wonderful world wide web.

You just gotta LOVE Google.  I was listening to NPR the other day and heard a segment about Google's new free 411 service called GOOG-411. 

In South Walton on vacation and can't find your vacation rental office or restaurant?  Call 1-800-GOOG-411 to find and connect with local businesses (it's for business listings only, not residential information).  It connects you directly with the business you are trying to reach and if you use your cell phone, say "text" and it will send a text message with the business information to your phone.  SOOOO cool!

Watch the clip below which gives you the full overview of how to use GOOG-411 or check out their website HERE.

Happy surfin' South Walton!

Blogging vs. Message Boards

South Walton Hacker is a regular feature where Jill shares what she thinks is helpful information and websites she finds on the wonderful world wide web.

Those that know me well know that I am a total computer geek.  I was born with a predilection for computers - I remember my first day in computer class in my junior year of high school in the mid-80s when computers first were introduced to the public - it was an epiphanous experience for me.  I was the only girl in all of the computer classes who could program my centipede to do some really cool tricks!  I was hooked.

Fast forward 20+ years and, although I'm not programming for Google (hmmm....sigh), I spend the majority of my day fused at the hip to one of my computers.  As such, I get asked all the time for computing advice, for information about the Internet, information about where I spend my time online when not working, about graphic design, etc.  Because I absolutely love talking about all things Internet/computers, I thought I would start a new feature here - South Walton Hacker - to share with those interested what I know and what I find on the Internet - there are so many fun, informational and helpful places to visit on the world wide web, folks!

So, for my first South Walton Hacker post, I thought I would address something I have been asked countless times about since starting SoWal Scene: "What is the difference between a blog (short for weblog) and message board?"

South Walton on the 'Net

Traveler's USA Notebook :: Rosemary Beach is a luxurious, walkable haven with spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico. Perfectly positioned on the rapidly booming Florida Panhandle (please don’t say “Redneck Riviera") and just a few minutes’ drive from Panama City, RB’s awesome beach  is a heavenly helping of white powdery sand and soft shuffling surf.  MORE....

Southern Exposure Blog :: Thoughts from Jason Comer, Alys Beach Developer - I have been meaning to post this article from Jason Comer, developer of Alys Beach, for some time now. I am glad to say I have been busy and am just getting to it. The article, entitled "The Smart Money", gives a great overview of the real estate market and the south walton area. These days people don't seem as edgy about future investments here(and the smart ones see what lies ahead), however, I think this article from the Alys Beach Gazette, is timely. Please forgive the length, the article does not have a link online so I'll post the entire article here. Have a beautiful day(I hope you are on the Emerald Coast)!   MORE...

International Visit Florida (UK) :: Walton County is an anomaly along the Panhandle's Highway 98, a demure sigh between the exciting amusements of Panama City Beach and Destin-Fort Walton Beach. It remained relatively undeveloped for many years. But recently posh, progressive housing and resort developments have sprung up alongside the natural wilderness. Even with all the new development, however, the beaches along South Walton County will remain largely state-owned and preserved in their natural state of sand pine forest, freshwater lakes, emerald green Gulf waters, and those knock-out, snow-white sand dune beaches.  MORE...

South Walton on the 'Net

The Travel Channel Website Florida Panhandle Beaches - Discover the secrets of Florida's panhandle beaches. :: "Planning a Florida vacation without doing your research is likely to land you in expected destinations such as packed-to-the-gills South Florida or not-so-delightfully tacky Daytona Beach.  To experience Florida's most pristine and beautiful beaches away from the masses, consider passing on the perpetually populated peninsula and set your sun-loving sights on the state's loneliest region - the panhandle - instead. MORE...

Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine (Feb 2008) - A Florida Panhandle Beach | Redefining the Tourist Town ::
Nine years ago in these pages, I wrote about the tiny town of Seaside, Florida, one of the most charming destinations in all of the Sunbelt. Nearly a decade later, I returned to Seaside to see how being “discovered” had ruined it; this is Florida after all.   Seaside was created in the early 1980s by a visionary developer, Robert Davis, who owned a tiny plot of Gulf Coast land on a thinly developed stretch of the Florida Panhandle. MORE...

True Ancestor Blog - Living in "The Truman Show" ::  "Last weekend featured yet another trip -- this time, a trip to the Florida Panhandle for a board meeting and a weekend of eating and drinking too much. Aside from that, the most interesting part of the trip was staying in Watercolor, a new "Traditional Neighborhood Development" adjacent to Seaside, one of the original New Urbanism developments by the pioneering architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.  MORE...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know - Where Do I Spend My Time Online?

I have received several inquiries from folks about my favorite online sites and blogs ever since I posted the last SoWal Scene List of 5, where I had mentioned a favorite daily activity of mine is to check in to my favorite online spots. 

I just need to veer off topic for a sec. - I want to preface my list by saying "thank you" for taking the time out of your busy schedules to speak with me!  I love love LOVE to hear from my readers so please keep on talking to and emailing me!  I am all ears and the beauty of email allows you to reach me 24/7.  So please keep your questions, comments, suggestions, feedback coming!

Anyhow, back to the question asked .... As a life long computer junkie and, now, as a full time web publisher, I definitely spend a ton of time online.  When you spend as much time as I do behind the screen, you become good at finding the information you want, and sometimes need, pretty efficiently on all fronts. 

So what are my favorite sites and blogs?

South Walton on the 'Net

Coastal Living :: Bold and Beautiful in Rosemary Beach The March issue of Coastal Living features the interiors of a home in the gorgeous Florida Panhandle town of Rosemary Beach. MORE...

WaterColor Inn and Resort Earns Two Palm Designation from Florida's Greeen Lodging Program WaterColor Inn and Resort Earns Two Palm Designation from Florida's Greeen Lodging Program (Forimmediaterelease.net) The WaterColor Inn and Resort on Northwest Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast was awarded the Florida Green Lodging Program’s coveted Two Palm status last week at the Green Lodging Conference. WaterColor is one of just three hotels in the state to attain this level of certification. MORE...

Architectural Digest & The Redneck Riviera The magazine is making a seaside splash in April with Architecture and Interior Design by Robert A. M. Stern Architects. (Photography by Peter Aaron/Esto). I did not know that the Florida panhandle used to be called the 'Redneck Riviera'. MORE...

Giant Development with a Gentle Footprint  The matriarch of any family usually has the most profound presence while using the gentlest approach. So it should come as no surprise that Alys Beach, a sustainable, concrete home development named for the mother of a local family, will leave as little impact on the environment as possible. MORE...

My dream vacation… This is “Inn by the Sea” in Seaside, Florida. Isn’t it lovely? What makes it even lovelier, in my opinion, is the interior, which was entirely decorated by the team at Vera Bradley. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big fan of Vera Bradley - I’ve been a collector since I first saw their designs at my old LNS 15 years ago. MORE...