Barrier Island Girl's Blue Angels Photos

Barrier Island Girl snapped some terrific Blue Angel photos during Thursday's practice session on Pensacola Beach. (Click the photo on the left for an eye treat).

These and other photos can now be purchased off the shelf at "Tiki Jake's" in Gulf Breeze, located in what locals persist in calling the "Publix shopping center." Officially, the name of the new shopping center is the unmelodious "Sea Shell Collections Shopping Center," apparently honoring the ancient Allan Davis Sea Shell Souvenir store that for decades fronted the Gulf Breeze site, but is no more.

Or, save on gas and order photos directly from Barrier Island Girl's on-line virtual sales shop.

Fruit du Festival d'Art

We went. We saw. We bought. Is it really art? Who cares?

Arts Festival

Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival
Friday-Sunday
Nov. 2-4, 2007
Seville Square in downtown
Pensacola, Florida

"That beauty which is meant by art is no mere accident of human life which people can take or leave, but a positive necessity of life if we are to live as nature meant us to... ."

-- Oscar Wilde, Art and the Handicraftsman
(1882)

Annual Pensacola Arts Festival

It may be a little strong to say, as Pensacola promoters do, that "The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is one of the most highly regarded and popular arts festivals in America." After all, there are thousands of arts and craft fairs every year. There also seem to be thousands of self-appointed experts who aspire to grade such things. The GGAF doesn't even register with most of them, such as Art Daily, Art Fairs International, Kara Art, Festival Net, and so on... and on... and on.

But it is a first-class event. Without much doubt this coming weekend, at least, it's the best juried arts and crafts fair anywhere in the U.S.

Greg Lawler, who runs the"The Definitive Guide to the Best Juried Art & Craft Fairs in the United States" gives it a B+ -- and he's a tough grader.

We don't pretend to know anything about art festivals, but we know what we like. And we look forward to the Greater Gulf Coast Art Festival every year. Stop by if you can.