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
A Florida live oak at Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
A wooded lot on Racetrack Road was recently cleared. A business was gained, and a couple of hundred trees were lost. But that’s not the whole story. A bit of smog control disappeared into the woodpile. Trees help filter pollutants… READ MORE
Jogging every morning has allowed me to become intimately familiar with my neighbors’ sprinkler systems. I feel sorry for my neighbors. While they sit at work, comfortable that their yards are being watered, I am dodging clogged pop-up sprinklers or… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
When you’re next at a bookstore or newsstand, be sure to pick up the premiere issue of Vent magazine. Vent is published by Marta Randall, who is the wife of somebody you probably know: Rush Limbaugh. What you don’t know… READ MORE