Bill's Blog

“What,” you ask, “are the oil conditions in the Destin area?”

Nervous.

It’s 1:17 pm, Friday, June 18th.  Don’t forget Father’s Day this weekend [which I had, until Sheree reminded me this morning].

This morning was an odd morning to visit the beach.  According to all reports, the oil effects are encroaching this area.  Nonetheless, it was the most people I’ve seen on the sand and in the water.

Great photography, huh?  Thank you, iphone.

Remember that I’m in Miramar Beach, on the Frangista side.  Where is that to Destin, you wonder?  Here’s a map of the beaches that I’ve snagged from www.destinoilspill.com.

So far, according to the reports that I’ve heard, and what I’ve seen firsthand, our area is still untouched be the ill-effects of the oil.  Folks [including my family] are still out and about, enjoying the beaches as much as ever.  The mood, though, is nervous.  I talked to 2 fellows this morning, both local business owners, who have already seen a dramatic drop in business.  They feel like they’re watching a train wreck . . . one that hasn’t happened yet, and they’re standing on the tracks.

We’ve been so blessed that the winds and the currents have kept the oil away from this area thus far.  We continue to hope and pray it stays that way.

Yesterday, I’m sick to say, tar balls on Okaloosa Island closed the area for a short while.  The area is back open now, and has resumed “business as usual.”  This is all according to a local paper–the Northwest Florida Daily News.  If you’d like to see today’s report from the paper, click here.  Yes, everything is still clear in our area right now.  Sadly, though, folks are waiting for the worst here–yet they are sympathetic to other regions.  They’re well aware that the situation is horrifically worse in Louisiana.  Those regions are facing an economic and ecological nightmare.  Even if the ecological damage is minimal here [we pray], the economic damage is already being done.  Tourists are going elsewhere, and the local economy goes with them.  It’s not a “ghost-town” here, as I’ve heard someone [stupidly] report.  I never thought I’d be sad, though, that I haven’t been stuck in traffic on Hwy. 98.  By this point in the season, every business should be “standing room only.”  The longest I’ve waited for restaurant seating is 10 minutes.

So that’s what’s new here.  In a nutshell:  We’re being told that the sheen is getting closer, but we still don’t see any change in the beaches.  As always, if anything changes, I’ll be quick to let you know.  Thanks again to all of you who have been kind to tune in for the updates.  If you haven’t, click on the button to “subscribe to the blog.”  That just means that you’ll be updated when I post something new.  And it means you’re cooler than others.