SoWal Scene - South Walton County, Florida Blog

SoWal Scene List of 5 - 5 Not-So-Obvious Things to Do to Prepare for Hurricane Season

It's official - we have our first "major" Atlantic hurricane of the 2008 Hurricane Season - Hurricane Bertha. 

Thankfully, as most living on the coast know as we hawkishly follow this information from June to November, it's headed away from the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern seaboard but still threatens lonely, isolated Bermuda. 

From the National Hurricane Center, the latest data:  "AT 500 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BERTHA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.4 NORTH ... LONGITUDE 53.3 WEST OR ABOUT 675 MILES...1085 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 1035 MILES...1660 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA."

It's an extremely emotional mind play we on the coast have to go through every year.  When there is a monster looming out there in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic ocean and you find out it's shifted course and no longer headed your way, somewhere in your moments of cheering over the fact that you know your ass is going to be saved, the realization creeps in - while you're celebrating your good fortune and thanking your lucky stars - your neighbor or some other coastal region is about to have their world turned upside down.  Living here during the nutty 2004 hurricane season when Ivan destroyed much in Pensacola and the tragic 2005 season that produced Katrina, I can now wrap my mind around just how serious hurricanes are.  So yes, I'm glad it's you Bermuda and not me but damn, I feel a lot of guilt admitting that.

Regardless, as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and Hurricane Preparedness is pounded into the psyche of coastal and island dwellers. Strangely, though, I would say the majority don't act until we are directly threatened. (See the poll below).  Is it because we know if it's the "big one" there is nothing we could do that will save us?  Or maybe wishful thinking - like if collectively we don't prepare, somehow we will be spared?  Or do most of us just leave so we know we don't need to stock up on supplies?  I don't know - but I am one of those that waits until we are under the gun to take serious action.

Hurricane Bertha has inspired me to start thinking about the "what ifs" and the things that I need to do to prepare.  For a great list of obvious preparedness reminders, visit the NOAA's website on how to prepare.  As someone that has had to evacuate several times through the years, here is what I feel are 5 important maybe not-so-obvious things to do to prepare for hurricane season.   As always, add your own wisdom and tips in the comment section below.

SoWal Scene List of 5 - I scream, you scream, we all scream for icecream!

One thing that really struck me when we moved to the Emerald Coast was that the old-fashioned ice cream parlor and ice cream stand is - not absent per se - but definitely hidden from the social and cultural landscape.  It is totally ironic since this is Florida - hot, humid, muggy Florida!  You would think there would be a gazillion ice cream parlors around.  But, strangely, there is not.  Another irony is that ice cream here is not cheap.  I recently paid almost $10. for two single scoop cones!  Growing up north, this American institution is a big part of the summer social culture.  The ice cream parlor during the summer is a place where people, young and old, congregate to socialize and hang out.

When we lived in St. Louis, I was a stay-at-home parent, always looking for things to do with the boys and to get out of the house to meet other people.  Jaunts in the wagon to The Custard Station, a neighborhood frozen custard parlor, were a several-times-a-week occurrence, especially since it was located on an active railroad line and near a community playground to boot.  The boys loved going there for all the obvious reasons!  But this wasn't a unique thing for me personally.  Growing up in Milwaukee, Kopps Frozen Custard and DQ were places I spent a lot of time at.

So what gives here?  It struck me that maybe, because traditional neighborhoods - where commercial businesses are within walking distance to the majority of those living in a given area - are absent in South Walton, with the exception of the new urban communities on 30A,  that this is why the ice cream parlor doesn't hold much community significance here?  The reality in South Walton is that, unless you live in a new urban community - which is not where the majority of the local population lives, you have to drive everywhere. 

I don't know what the real reasons are, but I do know I miss this tradition.

So, where can you get your ice cream fix in South Walton?  Here is the SoWal Scene List of 5 - 5 places to grab a cone, malt and banana split.  Enjoy!

• Heavenly Shortcakes in Seaside : located behind Central Square in Seaside | 850.231.2029.
• Kilwin's Chocolate and Ice Cream at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin | 850.837.9445
• The Sugar Shak at Rosemary Beach - N Barrett Square | 850.231.3655
• Frost Bites at Seaside in the Airstream in the Town Center
• Sugar Pies Café at WaterColor on 30A - next to Starbucks | 850-534-5008

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Free WiFi in South Walton

Over the last month and 1/2, I have been working from home.  I actually have my own office in Santa Rosa Beach  - it's an awesome space, too!  Tucked away in a beautiful little patch of pine flatwood forest, I find myself constantly inspired when there.  But the county is doing some major road work in front of building and I never know if I'm going to be able to drive into the driveway.  More than that, though, I tend to go through cycles of needing a change of scenery.  I am one of those people that needs change - a lot of change - and often - to stay motivated.  So the fact that I can't gain access easily to my office some days doesn't bother me at all - it's given me the excuse to change scenery for a spell.

But I'm getting ancy again.  Working and living in the same place has it's perks - you can stay in your jammies for as long as you want, you can whip up something to eat in your kitchen at any time, your productivity increases as you don't have to see or talk to anyone if you don't want to, you can be there when the kids get home from school, and you don't have to manage feelings of guilt over leaving your pet alone 5 days a week for hours on end.  Not too shabby!

But after a few weeks, it starts to happen - at least it does for me - you start noticing how filthy the house is.  Walking by those piles of bills and laundry become a constant reminder of how much you have to do.  You begin to feel a bit disgusted with yourself that you are "starting your day" by showering and dressing at 2 in the afternoon.  Catching up with saved programs on the DVR over lunch no longer is an isolated incident.  The bed beckons you during that mid-day slump for a nap.  Things just start to fall apart!

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Summer Activities for the Kiddos

It's that time of year again for many SoWal parents - the mad scramble to find activities for the kids during their summer break.  Surpisingly, South Walton is still evolving as far as being an area that can claim it offers many options for quality year round childcare and summer camps and programs for local residents.  Baby steps - we're getting there. 

When we first moved here in 2001, there were really no options for parents so we must keep perspective - it is getting better.  For example, when the boys were in preschool, we had to make the hour-long round trip to the Roane School in Destin Monday through Friday.  Today, we now have a few excellent church-based preschools in SoWal.  I have heard there are long waiting lists to get into these already - attention fellow entrepreneurs - there is an oppoturnity here for someone to open up similar programs!

For summertime, parents have always gotten very creative - some end up hiring nannies, others send their older children to camps out-of-state or to stay with extended family, and others just do the shuffle with their offspring, signing them up for a bunch of activities throughout the summer all around the Emerald Coast, shuttling them between friends houses and that sort of thing.  I can hear some say, "Well, you have the beach!".  We do - and we all spend a lot of time there - but it's not enough to keep a child entertained for an entire summer.   

Preteens now, we have decided to send our boys to camp - one to Wisconsin, the other to Pennsylvania - and do the shuffle for the rest of their break.  I have been looking into some other things for them to do as well and it has inspired this week's SoWal Scene List of 5 - 5 summer programs for the kiddos in SoWal.  Enjoy! 

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Things that just make life a little easier

I think a common misconception about living in a beach town is that locals spend most of their time sitting on the beach, fishing, surfing, partying ... you know...doing anything except working.  While it is true that there are those fortunate, savvy souls amongst us who have amassed great fortunes and are living out their dreams to be at the beach, the reality for the rest of us is that we still have to get up and get busy to pay the bills and feed the kids....sigh. 

Fortunately, beach towns tend to have their own, mellow tempo and it's hard to hold on to stress after a hard day at the office when your drive home takes you past an arresting sunset over the water.  BUT, we are not immune to the stressors of modern day life that most Americans are faced with.  Everyone is so busy - even people that live by the beach!

I am personally having a particluarly stressful week.  The boys are on spring break and I always forget how nutty things get when we are off our structured 9 to 5 schedule.  I'm juggling work this week with shuttling the boys around several times a day as well as managing all the other mundane responsiblities of life - grocery shopping and cooking, laundry, taking care of the dog, keeping house blah blah blah.  Throw in the fact that spring break means big business for the resorts so I see Olivier on average about 2 hours a day - I'm an island in this sea of responsibility.  Let's just say I am finding myself in a maniac state more than I care to admit right now.

My week has inspired me to post 5 ways you can lighten the burden of a busy life and businesses in South Walton that you can contact to help you out.  Enjoy!

SoWal Scene List of 5 - A quiet weekend night in SoWal

Last week was a particularly busy one and filled with administrative-type activities, leaving me little time for my much needed creative pursuits and one of my daily rituals - keeping up with my favorite blogs. 

It wasn't until Saturday night that I finally found myself free of obligation.  Olivier and I shared some time together - unfortunately hard to come by when the season starts to heat up - over a beautiful 2002 Z'IVO Pinot Noir and a comfort-food dinner - pasta with garlic studded, slow-roasted shredded pork, squash, tomatoes and zucchini topped with asiago cheese and crunchy baguette and butter.  Exhausted from a hectic spring break work week, Olivier ended up falling asleep pretty early so I decided to open another bottle of vino and spend the rest of my evening playing catch-up online.

Well, what started as a innocent night of surfing over one more glass of wine ended up to be an innocent night of surfing over...ahem... 3/4 of a bottle of wine on top of the 2 glasses I had at dinner.  Yes, indeed-y, I caught up with my blogs ... but was also compelled at 11:30pm to catch up with a few people.  Yes, folks, I performed the dreaded drunk emailing ... and at 37 years old, it's such a degrading thing to do.  Lord, I do not recommend it under any circumstance.

The following was the doozy of the night.  Let me preface it by pointing out that this was sent to someone I really admire professionally and do not really know that well.  I have omitted names and changed a detail to protect the identity of the poor soul on the receiving end but the rest is, sadly, verbatim:

Hi (bleeeep)!

Enjoyed a bottle (or 2?? :)) of Z'VIO wine tonight - WOW!!  Good stuff and you and your wife must try some!

Anyhow, I've been meaning to tell you that the fact that you are calling yourself "Early Adopter" for (bleeeeeppp) just is AWESOME!!!!  Early Adopter?  I so understand the significance of that - early adopter in the marketing world these days that is!  You rock, sir! 

Cheers ... and burp ... LOLILOLOL

J.

You rock, sir?  Burp?  Holy **%# ...shame...shame....shame....shame..... Thankfully, for my peace of mind,  I graciously heard back from this individual the next day and am happy to report he does not think I am a crazy, stalking lunatic!

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Living Green in SoWal

When I drive my lil' one to Bay Elementary in the morning, we take Dick Saltsman Rd., a lonely dirt road that meanders through beautiful Point Washingon State Forest where it's not uncommon to see deer, snakes and other wildlife - it's really pretty and a great trip to start my days.

Needless to say, I was horried yesterday morning to see two very large construction debris piles plopped right on the side of the road!  How in the name of God could someone in good conscience just illegally dump this crap right in the middle of nature?  To save a few bucks or a trip to the proper facility?  The new blue wayfinding signage doesn't fire me up - it's stuff like this that does.  I hope the idiot is caught.

It inspired me to post 5 ways we can all go about living a little more lightly in SoWal.  Don't worry, committing to living greener doesn't mean you have to forgo your washing machine or use collected rain water to flush your toilets - although if you are an all-or-nothing kind for person, then by all means!!  Little changes are better than no changes at all.  Don't forget, folks, our individual little changes collectively combine to produce big results.  Start today!

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Nothing Like a Good Cup o' Joe

I absolutely love coffee - I have drank so much coffee in my life, I consider myself a connoisseur.  I used to drink coffee morning, noon, and night.  The smell of it brewing is glorious. Sitting in a café with a good book or friend, an Americano and a good pastry is one of my favorite past times. I just love everything about the experience of drinking coffee!  But unfortunately, coffee no longer loves me.  After a 21 year love affair it has recently turned on me and all of a sudden, my beloved beverage now tears my stomach, and nerves, to shreds.  How could this be? 

Not ready to give up completely on coffee, I now drink one very watered down cup in the morning to get me rolling and then switch to green tea which, thankfully, I have quickly become very fond of. 

And of course, I am still able to spend a lot of time in cafés around South Walton - I just now order tea.  So what are my favorite places in South Walton to have a coffee or tea?  Here is my list of 5:

Down dogging it in SoWal

LIke it so typically happens in small towns around the country, by the time we catch on to something new - be it a new fashion trend, new diet fad, new exercise trend, new hair style, new type of cuisine - it is regarded as last year's news or a passing (or passed?) fad in the big cities.  Yoga falls into the former category in South Walton - but insert like 5 years for the 1 year.

I found yoga (or did it find me?) a few years ago when a friend and yoga instructor, Lori Klinger, organized a small class in someone's home.  A Type A personality, the more I practiced yoga and meditation, the more concentration and focus I gained and my stress level plummeted - I was hooked.

Seeking to deepen my practice, I began studying at Dragonfly Yoga in Fort Walton Beach and still study there when I can.  It was the nearest yoga studio to South Walton at the time, but I soon realized the drive was way too impractical.  So what did I do?  I opened a yoga studio of course!  Full of optimism and convinced this is what the community was ready for, OneYoga Boutique Studio - South Walton was opened in '06 to fill the void I felt - a space devoted exclusively to the practice of yoga and meditation.  A tiny space, my plan was to grow organically and expand with the yogi community I sought to create.

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Hair of the dog.

Olivier and I had an impromptu dinner party at our house last night with a few friends.  Olivier made an incredible dinner for us  - roasted chicken that he had rubbed with naughty amounts of herbed butter to keep it juicy, roasted potatoes cooked to perfection with a caramelized crust and a white, fluffy inside, a spinach and romaine salad with olives, a cheese plate, baguette, and marbled cheesecake and ice cream for dessert.  It was simple food prepared perfectly and was delish!!

In addition to overindulging on food, I overindulged on wine as well and am paying the price today.  When I am around a table with great friends, great food, and copious amounts of wine, I find I tend to lose myself in the moment as well as with how many glasses of wine I'm consuming. 

My headache and cotton mouth have inspired me to create a list of 5 ways to manage in hangover in SoWal.

1. Go to Bud and Alley's at Seaside for some Bloody Marys to put a bit of hair back on the dog!
2. Grab a greasy cheeseburger with all the fixins, fries, onion rings and a milkshake to coat and calm the stomach at Flip Flops Grill on 30A in Seagrove.
3. Get a deep tissue massage and then hit the steam room after to sweat the alcohol out of your body at Serenity By the Sea Spa in Sandestin.
4. Get a gallon of water, grab your iPod, and head to the beach for a nap.
5. Go on a hike through Point Washington State Forest - exercise and being in nature is a great way to take your mind off of how horrible you feel.

SoWal Scene List of 5 - Things to do on Sunday in South Walton

68 degrees, sunny, in early January - glorious!  Just snapped this photo looking north over the Bay at the end of Cabbage Rose Lane in Point Washington.  It is a beautiful day in South Walton...we are so lucky (hehehe). 

Olivier, the boys and I are about ready to hop in the Jeep and spend some time outdoors but I thought I would give you all my list of 5 things to do on a Sunday in January in South Walton on a day like today:

1. Head to the Red Bar in Grayton Beach for a Bloody and brunch.  They usually have music playing on Sundays and if you can grab a table outside, you could easily spend a few hours eating, drinking, relaxing and talking with locals and tourists.

2. Grab a beach chair and a great book and head to the beach for a few hours of reading or just hanging out.

3. Pack a picnic and a frisbee and spend a few hours at Eden State Garden.

4. Grab your bike or rent one at Big Daddy's Bikes and take a leisurely ride down the 30A bike path, stopping for lunch or a coffee along the way.

5. To end the day, grab a bottle of vino and your favorite people and have a sunset cocktail at the beach.  This is one of my fav things to do on Sunday and we usually don't get to do it until spring!

Happy Sunday, South Walton.  What are you doing today?