Beach Scenes - Florida Gulf Coast

Vacationing on the Gulf Coast of Florida has become a tradition for me over the past two decades.

Every year, during the same week in September, my long time friend and I set out for the beach where we spend seven wonderful days together at her timeshare right on the coast.

We start the week off with a trip to the store to pick up our groceries and ingredients for our bottomless pitcher of sangria.



Back at the efficiency apartment, I begin by measuring out sugar and cinnamon into a large pitcher.


Then I cut up the oranges and apples and add them to the sugar mixture along with a cup of brandy.

The fruit infusion pitcher is my newest online purchase and I'm delighted with the shape and quality of it. It arrived promptly and in perfect shape to put it to use.

We like to garnish our glasses with the brandied fruit and after the first batch, we found it easier to not use the plastic insert.

Afterward, we made our way down to the water's edge to put a toe into the Gulf. The water was warm, but rough. The temperature was pleasant with a light breeze to combat the humidity.

Flocks of birds were there to greet us and share their view of the water.

Day one ended with our customary viewing of the spectacular sunset on the beach.

More beach photos from the week will follow soon.

Taking a stroll down the beach, I found a couple of birds fishing underneath the pier.

This one was determined to catch a fish and while he was busy, he let me approach to within about five feet.

The water was really rough as the tide came in right after the rain and thunderstorm. The pelican in the background was taking a break from fishing.

The Skinny on Weight Loss and Diets

Aunt Inez and friend, 1925

Dropping a few pounds is tough, even for skinny girls.

Recently I discovered, to my dismay, that fifteen pounds found their way onto my normally thin frame. In terms of weight gain, I couldn't believe I put on over ten percent of my body weight.

Anyone who has lost a substantial amount of weight, like my BFF who has taken off nearly one hundred pounds, can tell you it is no easy task. However, I had no idea just how hard it was to shed even a few pounds of unwanted weight.

Since April of this year I've been trying a variety of ways to get rid of the baggage: cutting out sweets, ice cream and desserts; eating two rather than three meals; eliminating the sugar from my one cup of coffee in the morning. This didn't solve the issue.

So, I tried eating mostly salads. What could be better for me than a hearty, healthy diet of vegetables?

Well, I may be healthier, but I still have those extra pounds of muffin top blubber. Gasp! I haven't carried this much weight since I was in Flight Attendant Training and there was a free buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My classmates and me right before graduation.

Three days before we were to graduate when we were called in for a weight check, the impossible numbers on the scale told me the bad news: If I didn't lose three pounds in the next two days, I would fail to complete the course.

Naturally, that was unacceptable after six weeks of intense training and studying. Besides, it had been my life's ambition to fly the friendly skies.

I literally starved myself while walking practically non-stop during every free minute during those two days. Someone suggested I take a laxative, which I did, and try spitting rather than swallowing. These methods, although crude, seemed to do the trick and I barely squeezed past the guidelines of weight restrictions.

These four decades later, I discovered the real key to taking off a couple of pounds. If you've struggled with this at all, you know that those last few pounds are the toughest to lose.

I began scrutinizing every little thing that passed between my lips, from a glass of juice, to a fast-food meal. Everything has more calories than you can imagine. I reduced my caloric intake in the most obvious ways:

• Eating only from a plate
• Carefully measuring the portions
• Limiting condiments
• Drinking lots of water
• Writing down everything I ate

I was shocked to find out that the Ranch dressing that I loved to glop on my healthy salad had one hundred and thirty calories per two tablespoons! (130 calories per two TBSP). That may not seem like a lot unless you drown your salad in it like I do.

The beauty of a salad is the low caloric count on the greens. Looking at the bag of prepared Iceberg salad mix, I discovered that one and a half cups of greens were only about fifteen calories! (1.5 cups of lettuce mix equals 15 calories). A huge salad of three cups was only thirty calories until I added half a cup of Ranch dressing which added about six hundred calories.

With 6 TBSP of low fat ranch dressing 240 calories plus salad (without ham) 30 calories.

My solution was switching to Fat Free Italian dressing which is only fifteen calories per two tablespoons. (15 calories per 2 TBSP) and cutting out all the added olives, ham, turkey, boiled eggs and extras I was putting on it. "I only had a SALAD!" I used to say...Slowly, over the past two weeks I've taken off two, then three, now five pounds. HOORAY!

With 6 TBSP of fat free Italian dressing 45 calories plus salad 30 calories.