Nostalgia

Saturday, today, we drove into downtown Pensacola and nosed around. Our daughter and her family lived here for several years, and we had the pleasure of visiting them several times. It's been awhile since then, and we wanted to revisit some of the places we remember with great fondness.

Our daughter lived in a '40's house in an area called East Hill. These brick homes have been kept in great condition for the most part, and are lovely examples of post-war homes.

One of the favorite haunts in town for coffee and breakfast is Bagelheads! An extensive selection of bagels and coffee drinks make this a spot to stop and visit anytime of the day. We had sampled their food in times past, but wanted to visit for old time's sake. The t-shirt selection was a little low today, so we weren't able to get a tie-dyed shirt from them that commands: Feed Your Head!

For a late lunch/early dinner we stopped at McGuire's Irish Pub. Our daughter and I had dinner here one evening years ago during some particularly hard times for the both of us. Sometimes a dress up date is just the thing to help get through a situation, and we both had a nice evening.

Today, being Saturday, was very busy for McGuires.

The $1 bills tacked to the ceiling at McGuires is a tradition dating back to 1977, when Molly McGuire first opened the restaurant. She tacked her first dollar to the wall for good luck, and friends have added to the collection over the years until now over a million dollar bills adorn the ceiling. Today, donors are welcomed as honorary Irishmen with great fanfare and receives a card declaring him/her to be an official Irishman!

Donna was contemplating the dessert list when I snapped this photo. Some of the bills are visible behind her!

We ordered two dishes of Irish comfort food: Donna had Shepards Pie and declared it to be fabulous, and I followed with Steak and Mushroom Pie. Both were cooked in small cast iron pans, and were absolutely delish! The Shepards Pie contained big chunks of meat, and the Steak and Mushroom Pie was baked in a wine sauce with a light and airy puff pastry on top with a Shamrock cut into it! A small loaf of hot buttered brown bread accompanied our meal, and bread pudding finished both us and the meal!

On the way back to Navarre, we had to stop and visit Pensacola Beach. One of the most famous Florida beaches, it is also where Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel broadcast his minute by minute hurricane updates.

Even though a bit cloudy, the beach was filled with people enjoying the warm day.

The Florida Gulf Coast beaches are world renown for their talcum powder sand. Imagine the worlds largest hour glass, and you have an inkling of the texture of the sand!

Tomorrow we're off for more adventures. Stay tuned!