The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village

Labor Day weekend turned into a fun trip for my husband and me when friends invited us to join them at a rented condo in Florida. I have visited various cities along the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida, but this would be my first trip to Destin.

Destin, Florida. An 8.2 square mile island, known as the world’s luckiest fishing village, houses the largest and most elaborately equipped fishing fleet in the State of Florida.   Beaches teem with powder-soft sand, some of the whitest in the world, lapped by emerald-green ocean waters. Destin has twelve public beaches, and numerous attractions for tourists year round.

Several events take place throughout the year as well. For the month of October, the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo draws anglers to Destin each year since 1948.  Also in the month of October is the Destin Seafood Festival, where fresh seafood and local artists gather for one weekend every October.

In addition to an assortment of hotels and motels, many high-rise condominiums are located in Destin. The first condominiums in Destin were built in the 1970s, and construction continues today. Visitors play a large part in Destin's economy – the city's population of around 12,000 balloons to 40,000 during the tourist season.

While visiting, we ate at several wonderful restaurants, one being Dewey Destin’s at Crab Island.  Our group feasted on steamed crab legs, steamed shrimp, grilled grouper, and fried scallops. This laid-back place on the water is a must for seafood in Destin. We also shopped at the Silver Sands Factory Stores which boasts over 100 stores.

So if your character needs a vacation in Florida, think Destin. Fishing, shopping, beaches, and restaurants abound, so your hero or heroine will have plenty to do. Oh, and your villains too.

Today’s writing prompt:  Powdered sugar. Gwen sifted the soft sand through her fingers as her stomach growled. Why did everything remind her of food and her strict diet? The emerald green water which stretched to the horizon took her back to…

http://www.cityofdestin.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destin,_Florida

http://www.visitflorida.com/Destin

Holidays of Remembrance

Fall holidays are the topic of this week, but I wanted to veer from the standard of Halloween and Thanksgiving and focus instead on the United States Armed Forces and the holidays of remembrance.

Honor. Integrity. Character. Dignity. Words that describe the brave men and women of our Armed Forces, celebrated by Veterans Day and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Veterans Day was first designated a holiday on November 11^th, 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson. Originally called Armistice Day, it marked the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

 A Congressional Act in 1938 made it a national holiday, and in 1945, Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all United States veterans. In 1954, Armistice Day was officially renamed Veterans Day.

Veterans Day differs from Memorial Day in that it celebrates the service of all United States veterans, not only the ones who died while serving. Observances include parades and ceremonies honoring local veterans, along with the closing of some businesses, schools, and non-essential federal government offices.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is a day of remembrance to honor all who died or were injured during the attack of an United States Air Force base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 America's naval base in Pearl Harbor was attacked by the forces of the Empire of Japan. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded. The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships and damaged four more. It also damaged or sank three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer and damaged 188 aircraft.

U.S.S West Virginia

The day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and officially entered World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt declared it “a date which will live in infamy.”

While not a federal holiday, it is a tradition to fly flags at half-staff until sunset. Memorials have been built on the site of the attack and special events honor those killed or injured at Pearl Harbor.

Whether trick-or-treating or watching the football game while feasting on turkey this fall, let’s not forget our veterans, and the holidays of remembrance.

Writing prompt: Joe had finished the letter to Nancy, tucking it with care under his pillow on the hard bunk when a tremendous crash...

http://history1900s.about.com/od/Pearl-Harbor/a/Pearl-Harbor-Facts.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/veterans-day-facts

Pictures from Wikipedia Commons

Fall Holidays - Thanksgiving and Perseverance

Thanksgiving Day is the most obvious choice among the Fall Holidays, but I intend to take a slightly different track. Since Thanksgiving is high on my list of favorite holidays, I would like to give homage to Sarah Josepha Hale, who ardently campaigned for its creation. She would not back down, but pursued her dream for seventeen years. Hey, that’s perseverance! Of course she was a writer. Writers understand rejection and perseverance. 

Hale wrote letters to five American presidents, asking that they declare Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. Up to this time, it was only celebrated in New England and those states chose their own day to celebrate. Abraham Lincoln was persuaded by her letter to support legislation for the holiday in 1863. Thanksgiving became the third national holiday, joining George Washington’s birthday and Independence Day. 

For more information on this fascinating individual, you can click the link (her name above) or under research, below. I would encourage you to read about her life and perhaps you can include her, or references to her, in your historical writing.

My son's first turkey

Of course I can’t leave the discussion of Thanksgiving without also giving homage to the humble turkey. If Benjamin Franklin had had his way, the turkey would have been declared our national bird, instead of the eagle. 

Franklin wrote, “For a truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on.”

Ha! So as you slice into your golden-brown turkey on Thanksgiving Day, be sure to thank him (the turkey) for his ongoing contribution to your celebration.

Research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale

http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/hale.html

List of Fall Holidays:

September

Autumnal Equinox - Sept 22 @ 10:49 a.m. Northern Hemisphere

Native American Day 28

Sukkot (begins at sundown) 30

Yom Kippur 30

October

Columbus Day 8

Thanksgiving Day 8 (C)

Boss’s Day 16

Sweetest Day 20

United Nations Day 24

Halloween 31

November

All Saint’s Day 1

All Soul’s Day 2

Veteran’s Day 11

Sadie Hawkins Day 13

Thanksgiving Day 22

December

Pearl Harbor Day 7

Chanukah 8 (lasts 8 days) 

Poinsettia Day 12

This week’s prompt: 

When Ardmore grabbed the knife to begin carving the Thanksgiving turkey, Charlotte’s face paled. . . 

Holidays - Summer

Betty Owens here--Happy Summer! We're in the midst of an early heat wave. I'm writing this post at 7:30 in the morning and it's already 89 degrees. During the month of July, we'll talk about holidays. This week, it's summer holidays. Summer began officially on June 20th at 7:09 pm (in North America). This day is called Summer Solstice. Sol means sun, and -stice means to stand still. It is the longest day and shortest night of the year. I have listed some of the most common summer holidays below this article.


The greatest of the summer holidays, the Fourth of July is a day of picnics, backyard barbecues, band concerts, and fireworks displays. For many of us, it means a day off from work. But it hasn't always been that way. Early celebrations included public readings of the Declaration of Independence, ringing of bells, bonfires, and processions. Some even held mock funerals for George III, celebrating the end of the monarchy’s control. 

The first annual celebration of the Fourth of July was held in Philadelphia in 1776, but it did not become widely celebrated until the years following the War of 1812. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made the Fourth of July a federal holiday. In 1941, it became a paid federal holiday. Now it is one of the six major holidays celebrated by many businesses.

Miami FL, Wikipedia Commons File

Fourth of July celebrations figure large in several well-known movies. Yankee Doodle Dandy (James Cagney, 1942), and The Music Man (Robert Preston, 1962) are two of my favorites. The small-town celebration in The Music Man is classic Americana. Though stylized for film, those of you who grew up in small towns may have experienced something similar. I remember baseball games, marching bands, and church picnics and of course, the exciting fireworks displays. 

Interesting side note: John Adams believed the actual date to celebrate the new nation’s independence was July 2nd when the declaration was signed, instead of July 4th, when it was accepted. It was reported that Adams turned down invitations to speak or make appearances at Fourth of July functions. Oddly enough, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826, fifty years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

For more information on the Fourth of July, check out these webpages: 

http://www1.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/july-4th

This week's writing prompt: 
Julianne would always remember this Fourth of July as the day she . . .

Summer Holidays:

June (after the first day of summer)

St Baptiste Day June 24

Paul Bunyan Day June 28

July

Canada Day 2 (C)

Independence Day 4

Parents Day 22

August

Friendship Day 5

Assumption Day 15

National Aviation Day 19

Women’s Equality Day 26

September

Labor Day 3

Grandparents Day 9

Patriot Day 11

Stepfamily Day 16

Constitution Day (&Week) 17

or Citizenship Day

International Day of Peace 21

Research

http://www.holidayinsights.com

http://www.almanac.com


We have a winner! Last month's prompt contest was a difficult one to judge. After much deliberation . . . (drumroll please) . . . Congratulations, Michelle Sutton!! You have won the $10 Amazon gift card. Please click on the "Contact" tab near the top of this page to email us so we can send you your card. And thanks so much for entering! Thanks also, Ginger, Samantha & Meghan--loved your stories. Keep trying!