"The Island"

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It was over 30 years ago. I still recall the briny scent from the Gulf of Mexico as my family crossed the old two-lane drawbridge that led us to Pensacola Beach. It was the first trip to the Island for us kids, and my parent's tales of adventure on the sugar white sands and fishing right out the back door were finally becoming a reality.

They were both raised in Pensacola, so coming back to the Island was as exciting for them as it was for us. Over the previous weeks their stories of long walks on the beach, crystal clear water and star filled evenings had built our expectations impossibly high. How could anything measure up to their exotic remembrances?

Then the wait was finally over as we drove up the oyster shell drive to our cottage on the sound. Even before the door to our summer house was unlocked we kids were wet to our knees and totally enraptured. It was all true. This was unlike any other place on earth. We stood immersed in that magical feeling only an island can impart.

We had left the continental United States and were floating in the Gulf of Mexico. An Island, we thought. Removed from civilization and charged with adventure! A fantasy land where the rules from the "real world" didn't apply and anything seemed possible.

Many years have passed since that day, but time has not diminished our attraction to Santa Rosa Island. We come here because it differs from the mainland; the slower pace, the natural beauty, the colorful people. Things that make up that unique set of circumstances known as "island life". We're removed, both geographically and psychologically, from the routine and the familiar. Stand on the beach and gaze out at the boundless Gulf, and one can't help feeling liberated and released. The vast combination of sky, sea, and sand conspire to throw wide the doors to our hearts and souls.

I invite you to peruse the contents of this book on which I've worked nearly as long as I've called the Island home. It won't take long before you start feeling like that smiling, carefree child you always had inside you, scampering down the pristine shores of the Island.

You may purchase The Island from TERRA NOVA Publishing.
The book is $29.95. Free shipping within the continental United States.
Florida residents add 7% sales tax. Allow 1 - 2 weeks for delivery.
Please send check or money order to:

TERRA NOVA PUBLISHING
301 S Adams St
Pensacola Fl. 32501

Phone orders: (850) 439-1931