Image by Del Stone Jr.
Instead of New Year’s resolutions, or a madcap review of 1998, I offer this take on the upcoming 12 months. January: In an effort to lure shoppers, downtown Fort Walton Beach merchants and chamber officials come up with a catchy… READ MORE
This Christmas I received many, many newsletter updates about my friends, their families and their lives. I enjoy these epistles, but I come away from them feeling inadequate, which is a nice way of saying I come away from them… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Shannon Holman. https://www.flickr.com/photos/shannonholman/
They came by email and they came by telephone and they came by fax and even good old Uncle Sam’s snail mail. And almost to a man and woman they cried: Kick the flickers. You folks really hate people who… READ MORE
This photo has been largely agreed upon as having been taken at the Palm Theater in Fort Walton Beach, although some doubt remains. I was unable to find the name of the photographer. If anybody knows the identity of the photographer, please let me know. I'll be happy to include a credit or remove the photo, if the photographer would prefer. I found it under a Creative Commons license and it appears to be available for use.
First they closed the Stardust. Now, the old Palm Theater has burned to the ground. Ashes to dust. For me, the Palm, called The Picture Show these past few years, had assumed a warm and comfortable place in memory, like… READ MORE
Image courtesy of NOAA. — As the dark clouds and the muddy waters swirl, let us pause to express our gratitude. It could have been worse. Much worse. The hurricane could have been named “Monica,” leaving bashful journalists deprived of… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Freepik.
If this column leaves you steaming, don’t call me to complain. I’m not here. In fact, I’m on vacation. I intentionally waited until I was far, far away before publishing this column, because I am a gutless weenie. You’ll see… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Clinton_by_Gage_Skidmore_(1).jpg
Like many of you, I watched television Monday night as President Clinton admitted to the nation that he is a liar. Unlike many of you, I am not ready to forgive and move along. I have not written about any… READ MORE
The author poses with a scrub jay in this photo that was taken in the 1970s during a Stone family vacation. Image courtesy of Delmar S. Stone Sr.
Every time I speak against the rising swell of pollution, congestion and destruction that is overwhelming the Asphalt Coast, quivering snouts emerge from the quagmire to squeal for pearls. “Show us the numbers,” they demand, and then they cast forth… READ MORE
Life goes on, even when it has nowhere to go. Last Tuesday was a dog day to be sure. The heat pressed down on Racetrack Road in shimmering waves that seemed to liquefy the asphalt, and torrid devils of oxygen-starved… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
Got lots of interesting feedback from last week’s epistle about trees. Okaloosa planning manager Pat Blackshear agreed that tree preservation is a good thing and said the county is trying to stop the kind of thing that happened on Racetrack… READ MORE