9 Lemontree Court

A half-dozen fresh, fat and juicy bivalves pulled from the water near Apalachicola, down Florida's Gulf Coast, arrive on a battered metal platter. Topped with chopped spinach, bacon and Parmesan and served with a cup of melted butter, they're rich enough for a millionaire and a bargain at $7.99.

Sometimes hoity-toity customers with motor yachts will drop anchor by Peg Leg's, says Foster, 46, "and they'll want a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne. We don't have that. We're a laid-back beach with a small-town atmosphere."

Army offspring Foster moved here in 1978 when her father, wooed by a vial of snow-white sand sent by a real estate agent, retired to Pensacola from Germany. It's a "poor man's paradise," she says, compared with ritzier Florida Panhandle communities to the south, such as Destin and Seaside. (Seaside is the cute planned community seen in the movie The Truman Show.)

Though it's easy to drop $100 on dinner for two at upscale Jackson's and $200 on Gulf-front chain hotels, you can find lodging that isn't cookie-cutter for less than $100 and noteworthy, non-fast-food meals that don't break the bank.

The area has an "Old South charm. You won't find friendlier people," says local resident Curt Bol, 53, enjoying a midafternoon Corona with pal Charley Voltz, 51, at the Oar House, a tiki-hut-like bar/restaurant by a bayou on the outskirts of the city. Oar House iced tea comes pre-sweetened, Southern-style, and Louisiana-style po' boy sandwiches are on the menu.

Fried green tomatoes and cheese grits are local restaurant staples, as is the red snapper, amberjack, shrimp and other fresh-caught seafood. Walk down Zaragoza Street in the historic district, and you'll pass a house with a hand-lettered sign propped above a porch table: "A.S.A.P. As Southern as Possible."

The city of about 55,000 residents once flew the Confederate flag, as well as banners from Spain, France and Britain.

It's billed as the first European settlement in what's now the USA, older than St. Augustine, Fla., or Jamestown, Va. Local lore says Spanish explorer Tristán de Luna landed in 1559. His fleet's attempt to stay failed after a hurricane and food shortages, giving St. Augustine the title of the oldest permanent U.S. settlement.

Historic district is reborn

Unlike neighboring beach towns — where malls with Wal-Marts, Targets, Dollar General stores and most every franchise imaginable line highways that parallel the stunning blue-green Gulf — Pensacola has a flourishing downtown historic district. Its pastel-painted 19th-century cottages now house boutiques, eateries and law offices. Artifacts from wrecked ships in de Luna's fleet can be seen at the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum on the Plaza Ferdinand.

Downtown is in the midst of a revival, abloom with art galleries, the just-renovated Saenger Theatre — even a 5-month-old boutique motel that was rent-by-the-hour in an earlier incarnation. Overhauled rooms at the Solé Inn and Suites have platform beds; bathrooms are updated with hip black toilets. Breakfast room walls are adorned with local artists' works for sale.

Patrons include crew-cut Navy cadets cracking open a brew or two — deterred from getting too rowdy by a sign on the check-in counter that states the phone number of the base duty officer.

General manager Mark Bodiford, 40, says Solé (rates start at $79) attracts value-minded business travelers and tourists. He's in Pensacola in part because "I've been all over the world, and these are the most beautiful beaches I've seen. Lots of places say they have white beaches. Here, the sand's white as a napkin. It's like walking on snow."

A few minutes' drive away in the North Hill Preservation District at Noble Manor Bed & Breakfast, transplanted New Jersey residents Bonnie and Bob Robertson welcome guests in their 1905 Tudor Revival home with four nicely decorated rooms for rent (not a doily in sight). Draws include Bonnie's French toast with strawberries and kiwi on the side and a hot tub and pool in which to wind down after a day of sightseeing.

Though rates aren't cheap — starting at $125 now — business is surprisingly good in hard times, Bob, 59, says, pouring a cup of his perfectly brewed coffee in the high-ceilinged dining room. Pensacola is a big drive-in destination, and "people are not taking those Caribbean and Mexican vacations," he says.

Tourists from overseas also come to Pensacola, Bonnie, 55, says. "They're interested in the history, and we're kind of unspoiled Florida."

While malls, strip shopping centers and billboards touting DUI lawyers dot the city's outskirts and beach lodgings typically are boxes without much character, downtown has tree-shaded parks, gallery nights, a block-square Seville Quarter with restaurants, bars, live music and New Orleans-style lampposts and wrought-iron balconies. The area has 52 miles of beach, says Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau director Ed Schroeder — 65% of that undeveloped national seashore. And tourists can scuba dive to the reefed aircraft carrier Oriskany 24 miles offshore.

See the Blue Angels in action

Most visitors drive to the Navy base, where admission is free at the impressive National Naval Aviation Museum. (Your volunteer guide may have flown a mission or two in the planes he's talking about.) The Blue Angels flying acrobatic team holds public practices most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from March to November.

A hangar-like area holds dozens of aircraft, from World War I bombers to a "flying boat" used to transport troops, to a Soviet MiG fighter.

Alongside a restored Japanese plane from World War II is a captured frayed silk flag bearing a red sun, hand-painted tiger and dozens of names in Japanese. Japanese pilots carried these flags into battle for good luck, a guide says.

Visitors also can watch $8 IMAX movies of aviation exploits and enter capsules for $5 flight simulations. Those with military affiliation can stay on-base at the waterfront Navy Lodge.

Lovers of surf and sand drive over a causeway to Pensacola Beach, where the 1,471-foot fishing pier called the longest on Florida's Gulf Coast attracts walkers ($1.25) and fishermen ($7.50). The surrounding beaches and dunes, slammed in 2004 by a hurricane nicknamed "Ivan the Terrible," are snapshot-ready again, with new hotels and beach houses replacing older ones. In fact, Pensacola Beach was chosen a favorite beach in Southern Living magazine's 2008 Readers' Choice Awards. Before summer crowds arrive, you can walk for miles with only squawking seagulls for company.

Tourism folk prefer that Pensacola be known by the classier title of "City of Five Flags," saluting its Spanish/British/French/Confederate/U.S. heritage. But a Hooters restaurant, and tank-topped male visitors playing miniature golf — not to mention drinks available in plastic buckets — proclaim that there's still a little redneck in this white-sand Riviera.

"I don't have a fit when I hear (Redneck Riviera)," tourism chief Schroeder says, ticking off the city's highbrow attractions: opera, ballet, theater, symphony and art museum.

"But it's not a term we're going to use to market our area. Pensacola is so beyond that now."

3

Think about which 3 independently owned businesses you’d miss most if they were gone.  Stop in and say hello!  Pick up a little something that will make someone smile! Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.

 50

If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.*  Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that.

68

For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

1

 The number of people it takes to start the trend...you.

Got a listing that needs a new look? Here are some inexpensive ways to make it shine.

Chances are the decor in that listing you just took is a lot like most people's wardrobes: There are a few items that went out of style a decade ago, but they're so comfortable that it's impossible to see them go.

 "We grow accustomed to our space, and we stop seeing it," says Melissa Birdsong, vice president of trend, design, and brand for Lowe's, the home improvement giant. "People tend to become blind to their own things."

 But everything needs updating eventually. Birdsong suggests home owners cast a fresh eye on their living space, pretending that they've just moved in and are assessing the previous occupant's design choices.

 Betsy Westman, a broker-owner with Westman Realty in Grand Rapids, Mich., says real estate professionals can have a big impact on updating a home's look by helping clients brainstorm new ideas and by being straightforward about outmoded design elements. The following tips can help get a home up-to-date without breaking the bank.

 1. Move it.

Simply rearranging the furniture can reenergize a room. Add and remove furniture, lamps, rugs, and accessories from other parts of the house to create a whole new look. Mirrors are particularly useful when it comes to updating a room. Try one out in different rooms to see where it fits best. Even just moving a mirror to a different wall can create a more welcoming feel.

 2. Plant it.

Houseplants are a generally undervalued design component that can add texture, warmth, and color to any room. Just drop plants in their store containers into decorative planters. Small plants can be moved easily and regrouped to change a room's look, while larger ones make a statement on their own. 

Group plants of differing heights, fullness, and color for the most dramatic effect. Jettison the scraggly specimens, Westman says. "It's important to have plants that are well maintained and in tip-top condition."

 3. Paint it.

Paint is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to make a substantial change. Use dramatic colors in powder rooms and dining rooms, and more neutral colors in living spaces. When selecting colors, "be sure to ask, 'What am I trying to do? How do I want this to feel?'" Birdsong says. "And always, always do a test before you paint the whole room."

 4. Organize it.

 "Clutter just happens," Birdsong says. "So neaten up!" She advocates a variety of organizing tools to make a space feel polished while maintaining utility. Hooks and shelves inside the door give people a place to hang coats and keys, while canvas bins or natural baskets help contain magazines and mail. "Just a row of hooks preattached on a board is so easy to install," she says. "And shelves are a great way to neatly display collectibles."

 5. Hide it.

Have a banged-up wall? It may be easy to camouflage. Paintable wallpaper (available for as little as $16/roll from Creative Wallcovering) will smooth out an uneven wall or hide minor dents and dings. Adventurous home owners can even try a simple two-step painting process for a more complex finish. Birdsong suggests applying a solid base coat, then a glaze. 

"These days, it's pretty user-friendly," she says. Caution: Your intent should never be to mislead buyers; be sure to disclose flaws that would affect home value.

 6. Replace it.

Cabinet handles, switch plates, and other small pieces of housing hardware can update a home for just a few dollars a piece. Westman suggests scanning each room to see what looks worn or outdated and then replacing it. Inexpensive quick-connect faucets can make upgrading the look of your bathroom a snap. Just be sure to measure before you go to the hardware store. Some sinks are drilled for an eight-inch spread. Others require just four inches. 

"And don't forget the toilet seat," adds Westman. "Fresh towels and a new toilet seat go a long way toward making a bathroom feel clean and new."

 7. Light it.

Lighting can have a major impact on a home's look and feel. Whether a room seems dark or too bright and harsh, try "layering" the lighting by adding accent pendants and lamps. Make sure they have independent controls, so that you can turn them on and off at will. 

"Light is such a mood setter," Westman says. "You can create a cozy feel just by turning down the lights." Add dimmers in the dining room, bathrooms, kitchen, and even the hallways for less than $4 each. Then adjust the lighting to create the mood you want.

 8. Clean it.

Turn a critical eye to the flooring to make sure it's up to snuff. Scrub grout and seal natural stone. Rub out scratches and nicks on wood floors with scratch cover. "Get down on your hands and knees and detail the floors," Birdsong says. "It takes a little elbow grease, but the results are well worth it." Vinyl flooring is a bit harder to spruce up but usually can be replaced easily and inexpensively.

For years, psychological research has been offering insights into how the brain reacts to color choices. Such research is often tapped by the marketing field in making products more desirable to buyers.

Can these same studies be applied to motivating such big purchases as a home? It’s a leap, but at a subconscious level, certain colors on walls may evoke buyers who enter a home to feel more welcoming and even warmer (which may be particularly nice for rooms in chilly areas of the home).

A recent study by lead researcher Juliet Zhu of the University of British Columbia found that red seems to improve attention to detail. (The findings appeared this month in the journal Science.)  The researchers speculated that we’re taught at a young age that red means danger so red might slow us down and prompt us to zoom in on details (so would that make it a good choice for, say, surrounding the fireplace or to bring out other key details in your listing?).

While color preferences and psychological responses vary, research has revealed some of the following commonalities, according to The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute and Architects Design Group (also included below is suggestions of what rooms the color may work best in).

• Red: Increases energy and heart rate, creates excitement and stimulates the appetite. Best for: Dining rooms

• Orange: Adds comfort, warmth, and cheerfulness and too much can bring about feelings of cautiousness. Best for: Living rooms and family rooms

• Yellow: Brightens mood and promotes welcoming and joyful feelings; increases positive thinking. Best for: Poorly lit foyers and dark hallways; buttery shades of yellow for living rooms

• Green: Most restful color. Reduces nervous system activity and muscular tension, calms and relaxes, offers reminders of nature. Best for: Living rooms (light greens); accent for kitchens and dining rooms (midtones).

• Blue: Promotes feelings of calmness, security, tranquility, and cleanliness; lowers blood pressure, cools a room, and serves as an appetite suppressant. Best for: Bedrooms or any restful, peaceful area in a home.

• Purple: Boosts creativity, imagination, and meditation, but can have unpleasant subconscious responses. Many adults dislike purple walls, particularly lighter shades of purple that are perceived as more youthful. Best for: Children’s bedrooms and play areas.

In Florida's panhandle, vibrant Pensacola stakes its claim as the oldest European settlement in the United States

Pensacola, its anchorage first admired by the Spanish 450 years ago.
Guillen Photography/Travel / USA / Florida / Alamy

It's late afternoon in Gulf Islands National Seashore. Along some 20 miles of pristine ocean-front beaches here in northwest Florida, the water is crystal clear; one can wade into gentle surf to peer down at starfish and sand dollars. Pelicans and sea gulls wheel across the sky. Dolphins pop up above the waves, their sharp dorsal fins silhouetted against a horizon where the turquoise Gulf of Mexico meets an iridescent blue sky.

The unspoiled shoreline is virtually unaltered from the time Spanish explorers first made landfall here nearly five centuries ago. Yet this marine wilderness lies only a few minutes' drive from the center of Pensacola, the lively and historic city of 56,000 at the westernmost tip of the Florida panhandle on the border with Alabama. Pensacola boasts a surprisingly little-known past: it is the site of the nation's oldest European settlement.

This year, the city is marking its 450th anniversary with an ongoing birthday bash. "No matter when visitors show up, we'll be throwing a party," says Laura Lee of the local visitors bureau. "My favorite, Fiesta Days, honors the founding of Pensacola." The festival, June 4-11, will feature parades and historical reenactments. Another highlight was the arrival this past February of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain. Flanked by Governor Charlie Crist and before a crowd of 3,000, the Spanish monarch lauded the heritage of a city "which contains so much of the shared history of Spain and the United States."

It's all Pensacola's way of drawing attention to a largely forgotten chapter in American history. In August 1559, Spanish explorer Tristán de Luna sailed into what would one day be known as Pensacola Bay. (A local tribe called the region Panzacola, perhaps meaning "long-haired people," as the indigenous inhabitants may have been known.) Spain's viceroy of Mexico, Luis de Velasco, had charged Luna with establishing a settlement on the bay, reconnoitered by Spanish navigators the previous year. Nearly a century later, Mexican scholar Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora would describe Pensacola's natural harbor as "the finest jewel possessed by His Majesty...not only here in America but in all his kingdom."

Luna commanded a fleet of 11 vessels and some 1,500 settlers, including African slaves and Mexican Indians, many of them craftsmen. "Here in Pensacola, three distinct cultures arrived in North America at the same time," says James M. James, the former executive director of the African American Heritage Society, a local nonprofit organization. "That's very unusual in U.S. history, but it's also just how things were—and still are—in Pensacola. We've always had different cultures living together in this beautiful place."

Luna's contingent arrived in Pensacola six years before Adm. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés reached Florida's Atlantic Coast, where he would found St. Augustine, still widely regarded as the oldest city in the United States, probably because the Menéndez colony endured. (Columbus never reached what would become the United States.) Luna's colony would not fare as well: on September 19, 1559, only weeks after he dropped anchor, a powerful hurricane blew in from across the bay, sinking all but three of Luna's ships. By preventing the Spanish from establishing a foothold in western Florida, says local historian and author John Appleyard, "that storm changed history."

Luna dispatched a remaining ship to Veracruz, Mexico, in hopes of enlisting rescuers. For more than a year, the settlers hung on, their numbers and stores dwindling. At last, some vessels arrived to transport survivors to safe haven in Havana. By spring of 1561, only a military outpost remained; in August, its handful of soldiers abandoned the site and returned to Mexico.

It wasn't until 1698 that Spain established another garrison in Pensacola, where soldiers began to lay out a colonial town. In May 1719, Spaniards in Pensacola surrendered to the French, who were at war with Spain. Over the next century, a succession of competing powers—French, Spanish, British, then Spanish once more—would plant their flags in Pensacola sand until, in 1821, Spain ceded Florida to the United States.

Today, a historic district of parks and plazas roughly 40 blocks square, shaded by old live oaks, reflects the city's diversity. On streets that recall New Orleans' French Quarter, early and mid-19th-century houses, constructed of brick or stucco and replete with intricate ironwork verandas and interior courtyards, reflect Spanish and Gallic influences. After succeeding the Spanish in 1763, the British built cottages of traditional timber, clapboard and brick and laid down the street grid visible today. The heart of the old colonial downtown is Palafox Street, running through its center and now boasting a mix of trendy shops, restaurants and galleries.The town's original wharf was at one end of Palafox, according to Tim Roberts, historic preservationist for the historic quarter.

Pensacola's rich history has spawned a passion for the past. For more than 20 years, archaeologists from Pensacola's University of West Florida have conducted digs at several city sites. Since 2006, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN), an education and outreach organization, has also participated in excavations. It's not only scientists who are at work: volunteers—locals and even tourists—can sign on to help for a day or a decade. Twice weekly, FPAN staff offer training in the processing of artifacts. "Even if you have only a few hours to volunteer, we can put you to work: screening dirt, washing artifacts, sorting them. We want people to engage their past," says archaeologist Della Scott-Ireton, director of FPAN's Northwest Regional Center. Says University of West Florida archaeologist Margo Stringfield, "With all this history we've yet to uncover, there's still a lot of work to do."

At St. Michael's Cemetery, an eight-acre oasis of calm dotted by magnolia trees and crisscrossed by gravel paths, archaeologists are using ground-penetrating radar to map sites of the deepest, oldest graves, most of which are unmarked. The Spanish began conducting burials as early as the mid-1700s at the site, where, evidence suggests, colonialists and slaves lie side by side. (Because the cemetery is still in use, only limited excavations are allowed. Archaeologists, however, analyze artifacts as they surface—for example, during storms trees have been uprooted, revealing cannonballs and grapeshot.) That is "one of the great things about living in a city this old," says Stringfield. "You're reminded that history is very much still with us."

In 1914, the U.S. Navy constructed a new installation, the Pensacola Naval Aeronautical Station, on the grounds of a U.S. naval shipyard on Pensacola Bay. (President John Quincy Adams, recognizing the bay's strategic potential, had ordered the establishment of the shipyard in 1825.) At any given time, some 12,000 active military personnel are assigned to today's Naval Air Station, 9,000 of them in aviation training. The Air Station is also home to the National Naval Aviation Museum, dedicated to Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard flight.

The 300,000-square-foot complex, where one can stroll through a recreated World War I aviation camp or sit in the training cockpit of a Vietnam-era Sea Cobra helicopter, houses more than 100 vintage aircraft. "One of my favorite things here," says museum volunteer coordinator Phil Duryea, "is an inflatable aircraft made by Goodyear in the 1950s. It all came packed inside a single crate, complete with an engine and an inflation compressor. If you were a pilot downed behind enemy lines, we'd drop this aircraft to you in a crate on a flyover, and you'd spread it out and inflate it—and fly away to safety. It's pretty amazing."

Not long ago, Duryea led some of Jimmy Doolittle's Raiders, the B-25 bomber crews who took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in April 1942 to attack oil and navy installations in Japan. "As I was telling them about the museum," Duryea says, "they were telling me about what it had been like to fly the first raid on Japan."

Still, Pensacola isn't all history-steeped excursions or placid beaches. Several miles west of downtown, on a barrier-island strip of sand, Perdido Key, lies another local landmark. The Flora-Bama (for its location at the Florida-Alabama state line) restaurant is perched between the island's lone strip of highway and a beach where the sand is white as sugar. At the jumble of shacks connected by roofed walkways, where the good times have rolled since the 1960s, bands on multiple stages are a nightly draw and the menu features fresh-shucked oysters and spicy boiled shrimp. "You know the magazine Bon Appétit?" asks Pat McClellan, one of Flora-Bama's owners. "Well, they listed us as one of the best over-the-counter restaurants in the country. I figure they must have had a few beers and soaked in the atmosphere, and that's what swayed 'em. We do concentrate on the freshest seafood available anywhere, though. So if it was fresh seafood they were after, we got that covered."

On a recent afternoon, in the midst of the Flora-Bama's laid-back chaos, a couple of sky divers suddenly plummeted out of the sky to land on the beach. Folding their parachutes into jump harnesses, they ambled across the sand to place an order at the bar, still wearing their jumpsuits. No one looked twice.

"You know, you can get any water or beach experience you want around here," says local fishing guide Baz Yelverton. "You can fish the surf or the points where Pensacola Bay runs into the Gulf of Mexico. Farther north and east, freshwater creeks and rivers are running into the bay. That water is clean, nutrient rich and full of life."

We're aboard Yelverton's 21-foot outboard motorboat near the mouth of Pensacola Bay, in search of redfish and false-albacore. Beneath a cloudless blue sky at dusk, with virtually no one visible on nearby stretches of beach, the water glimmers a translucent aquamarine. The beaches are so pristine that four of the world's seven species of sea turtle nest here.

Yelverton, a local lad who had a successful career as a laboratory supplies executive in California and Seattle, returned to Pensacola 20 years ago. "I came home," he says, "and it was the best decision I've ever made. Every day, I get to come out into this huge wilderness. There's always something new going on out here."

As if on cue, a pair of fighter jets roars into the sky from the Naval Air Station. The sleek aircraft glint in the sunset as the shimmering twilight flatness of the Gulf spreads out ahead of us.

"See what I mean," Yelverton adds. "On Tuesdays and Thursdays, all summer long, the Blue Angels [the Navy's aerial demonstration squadron] are out here, practicing their precision moves right over our heads as we fish." He pauses, gazing at the horizon. "To be out here while that's going on," he says, "well, that's pretty darned cool."

Writer Donovan Webster is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photographer Lee Celano lives in New Orleans.

In today's market, sellers have to work harder to persuade buyers that their property is worth the bite.  Landscape designer Michael Glassman has cooked up a recipe for guaranteed curb appeal.

 1. Add splashes of color. With every changing season, a landscape should provide a new display of colors, textures, and fragrances. "It’s best to use one or two and repeat them," Glassman says. Example: white iceberg roses that bloom in spring, summer, and fall as a backdrop; in front, a contrasting punch of purple salvia or lavender that will flower at the same time; and as an accent, a crape myrtle tree that provides changing leaf colors in fall and interesting branches come winter.

 2. Size trees and shrubs to scale. These should be planted in the right scale for the house so that they don’t block windows, doors, and other architectural features on the home’s facade. A large two-story house can handle a redwood, Chinese pistache, sycamore, or scarlet oak, but a one-story cottage is better paired with a flowering cherry, crabapple, or eastern redbud. Too many trees cast too much shadow and cause potential buyers to worry about maintenance and costs.

 3. Maintain a perfect lawn. A velvety green lawn demonstrates tender loving care, so be sure sellers’ homes don’t have brown spots. Some rocks, pebbles, boulders, drought-tolerant plants, and ornamental grasses will generate more kudos, especially in drought areas.

 4. Light up the outside. Good illumination allows buyers to see a home at night and adds drama. Sellers should use low-voltage lamps to highlight branches of specimen trees, a front door, walk, and corners of the house. But less is better. The yard shouldn’t resemble an airport runway.

 5. Let them hear the water. The sound of water appeals to buyers, and you shouldn’t just reserve this for your backyard. A small fountain accented with rocks provides a pleasant gurgling sound, blocks street noise, and is affordable.

 6. Use decorative architectural elements. A new mailbox, planted window boxes, and a low fence wrapped in potato vines add cachet, particularly during winter months when fewer plants blossom. Colors should complement the landscape and home. Just don’t overdo it: Too much can seem like kitschy lawn ornaments.

 Source: Michael Glassman, landscape designer, Michael Glassman and Associates, Sacramento, Calif., www.michaelglassman.com

 Barbara Ballinger is a freelance writer for REALTOR® magazine.

FOUR-DAY FLOWER FEST RETURNS

The Pensacola Museum of Art brings home this Southern tradition and raises the floral-art form to new heights with its second Art in Bloom event. The four-day floral extravaganza includes an open-air flower market, a floral-art exhibit and world-renowned floral designer Rene van Rems, who will lead lectures and hands-on workshops.

"It's a great community event," says Art in Bloom co-chair Vicky Wonders. "Last year, I was quite blown away by the talent in the community. We got a lot of feedback from people saying they wished we would do this every weekend."

"The whole event is pretty cool," says PMA board member David Bear. "We're a visual arts museum, and you don't really think of floral designs as part of ‘the arts.' But we're incorporating the two to show the community that the museum has a diverse and broad range. We're not just a stuffy art museum; we're fun too."

ART MEETS NATURE

The cornerstones of Art in Bloom are floral designs inspired by the current exhibits at the Pensacola Museum of Art. Professional floral designers select pieces from the "Janet Fish: Light and Transparent Space" and "Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art" exhibits.

The designers then create interpretative floral arrangements inspired by their choices. These special creations are displayed alongside the original works all weekend at the PMA.

"Like last year, we have professional designers as well as a few amateurs contributing," says Bear. "Also, Jim Benny, an art teacher from Creative Learning Academy, is bringing an art class down to create an arrangement based on one of the pieces. They don't all necessarily look exactly like the paintings. They interpret and create based on whatever the piece makes them feel."

These interpretative floral arrangements are the centerpiece of Thursday evening's Gala opening. The Gala is the first opportunity for the public to see the special floral arrangements in the museum, and provides a relaxed, party atmosphere where people can meet the designers.

"People can also meet Rene van Rems here in more of a relaxed atmosphere as opposed to a classroom setting," says Wonders. "We have Jackson's Steakhouse, Big Sexy Food, The Fish House, Nouveau Pastries, Culinary Productions and Classic City Catering providing food for the event."

THE FLORAL AUTHORITY

Rene van Rems is the "world-renowned ambassador of the floral industry." He's originally from Amsterdam but has resided in San Diego for the past 20 years. He has led various design shows, workshops and seminars all around the world, including Canada, Europe, Asia and the US. He's also had his work covered on HGTV numerous times.  

"Last year we had Nico DeSwert, and he was quite a character," says Wonders. "I hear that Rene is even more vibrant, outgoing, entertaining and engaging than Nico was, so we're really looking forward to it."

Rene will share his expertise with the public in a series of lectures and hands-on classes. The lectures will center on the theme of "European Floral Interiors," and will feature floral arrangements created by Rene that accompany furniture vignettes based on Spanish, French and Italian designs.

"You can buy a ticket and make a whole day of it," says Wonders. "You'll be able to walk over to Jackson's for a nice lunch after the lecture. Then you can go right into the hands-on workshop. He'll teach you how to put floral arrangements together and how to make them last longer. You'll be able to physically assemble your own arrangement and take it home."

FLOWER MARKET

Art in Bloom also features a large open-air flower market outside of the PMA throughout the event that is free and open to the public. People can purchase a wide range of flowers, plants, shrubs and other garden accessories.

"We'll have people there to help you put together bouquets if you want, or you can put together your own," Wonders says. "It's a beautiful market, and it will be covered in a tent so we can have it rain or shine. It will be open during the Gala as well."

After the success of the initial Art in Bloom last year, the organizers are looking forward to satisfying the needs of Pensacola flower-fanatics once again. Those impressed with last year's event can expect the same level of quality this time around.

"We're trying to keep it pretty much the same," says Bear. "It worked really well last year, so we're trying not to change it too much."

"We had a few members attend Art in Bloom events in New Orleans and San Francisco, and they thought ours was on an equal par with theirs, if not better," adds Wonders. "That's a big compliment."

Here are some great decorating tips I ran across in this months issue of Coastal Living magazine...I hope you enjoy!   - Brian

Punch Up Your Palette

Slick barstools, bold red accents, and midcentury modern accents update this classically coastal color palette. Notice the details: Alphabetically labeled cabinets keep everything organized!

Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Keep It Simple

With its pared-down wood furnishings and knotty-pine walls and ceiling, this screened-in space lets the water and woods beyond take center stage. Notice the details: A simple cream runner, sea stars, and freshly cut flowers in a Mason jar are the only dressing this table needs.

Michael Hanson, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Incorporate Your Sea Treasures

Adorn a simple space with your favorite items from the sea. These oyster shells tied to a simple metal frame make a run-of-the-mill pendant fixture unique. Notice the details: Horizontal beaded board adds texture and character to this all-white space.

Richard Leo Johnson, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Use Your Space

Pastel striped chairs, romantic floral throw pillows, and a strawberry ice cream-colored retro fridge make these four girls feel right at home in the kitchen. Notice the details: Three drawers under the built-in banquette provide extra storage in small spaces.

Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Find Smart Accessories

A nautical light fixture, freestanding table, and built-in banquette make this breakfast nook feel more like a ship’s galley than a land-locked kitchen. Notice the details: The green and blue cabana-striped fabric echoes the colors of the sea.

Roger Davies, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Add Vintage Appeal

Antique fixtures like the pendant lamp and cabinetry hardware lend a schoolhouse feel to this breakfast nook. Notice the details: Dark painted trim highlights the architecture in this charming space.

Matthew Gilson, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Perk Up with Paint

Sky-blue paint on the ceiling and floor, lemon meringue on bistro chairs, and creamy white on cabinetry give this once-dated kitchen a much-needed lift. Notice the details: For a fresh interpretation of a classic checkerboard floor, try painting the squares in a diagonal pattern.

Texy By Steel Marcoux

Tie It Together

An all-white palette unifies different furniture styles, from the retro-fabulous light fixture to the shabby-chic pedestal table to the Louis XIV plastic chairs. Notice the details: Bright white also keeps the look clean and simple and balances the Mediterranean-style tile floor. Casement windows welcome ocean breezes.

Grey Crawford, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Mix and Match

Turn up the volume in a quiet space with candy-colored painted furnishings in a range of hues. Notice the details: Mismatched fabrics on the banquette set the tone for fun and spontaneity.

Jean Allsopp, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Take it Outside

At this breakfast table, hot-pink bougainvilla, lush green vegetation, and the turquoise seas are the perfect complement to the straight lines of the teak furniture. Notice the details: Clear glassware and classic blue dishes and linens add a touch of elegance to the alfresco dining space.

Jean Allsopp, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Go with Coastal Classics

This rustic space and its Americana furniture get a new lease on life with cheerful pastel paint. Notice the details: A sunshine-yellow Dutch door and royal blue screen door let in the light and fresh air, but keep the pests at bay.

Texy By Steel Marcoux

Focus on the Views

Sparse decor, including bare wood floors, a glass-top table, and minimalist lighting keeps the eye trained on the tranquil sea that surrounds the room. Notice the details: Fiery red chairs add just the right amount of life to the simple space.

James R. Saloman, Texy By Steel Marcoux

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Often, we come across events in the area that we want to share with you...things we think sound like fun, family-friendly outings!  Here are a couple of our latest findings!

City Wide Easter Egg Hunt Roger Scott Athletic Complex (2130 Summit Blvd) 912-4056.  This year’s City Wide Easter Egg Hunt will be hosted at the Roger Scott Athletic Complex Saturday, April 4th beginning at 10:30am. The event is free of charge and is open to the public so bring your own basket and come take a picture with the Easter bunny for only $5.00. For more information about this event, contact Brad Boes bboes@ci.pensacola.fl.us at 494-7360 or visit website www.cityofpensacola.com for the full schedule.

Understand first of all that there IS a difference between price and value. Price is the amount you are asking for the property. Value is buyer perceived, and this perception of value is influenced by many factors such as location, features, condition, comparison to other purchase option, etc. By attending to details that can have a positive impact on the value, sellers can significantly increase their chance of attracting qualified buyers willing to pay the asking price.

Some tips to achieve a positive impact on value are:

• Perceived size impacts value, even more so than actual square footage. Open floor plans make a room feel bigger than larger spaces with smaller rooms. Showing property that is furniture free, or at reduced clutter, helps to make the space feel bigger.
• Vacancy increases sale-ability. Property is easier to show and easier to sell, and quicker to take possession of when it is vacant at the time it is offered for sale. Evidence of problems to take possession of the property -- such as encroachments, or tenants who wont allow buyer tours -- negatively impact value. Vacancy also helps the buyer walk through the property imagining ownership. Sellers should remove personal trinkets and family pictures as well as being conveniently absent during a buyer tour.
• Cosmetics are important.
  • Fresh paint will always add more value than it costs.
  • Clean or new carpet/flooring adds more value than it costs.
  • Landscaping adds more value than it costs. At the very minimum, make the entrance area neat.
  • If you can, add some colorful flowers and new sod.
• Take care of the obvious! The spot on the ceiling from the roof leak takes thousands of dollars from the perceived value and the offer price.
• Condition affects value. Do a seller's home inspection to identify and fix the problem BEFORE closing. No point holding up your check a few extra days; plus a failed buyer's inspection could cost you the sale. Buyers will often bargain down your asking price to accomodate for property condition and repairs.
• If you can, remodel/update the kitchen and master bathroom. These two areas have a big impact on home buying decisions.
• Strategic renovations impact value and your bottom line. Don't spend more money to renovate the place than you can recapture in value on the sales price.

 Friday, April 03, 2009

 10:09:10 AM

hi all!

well, whew...we've had a busy several weeks!  to catch you up, we've added several listings, had 2 closings (yea!), each recieved an award of excellence, geared up for a biz expo, dodged storms, and i've met the governor!  now, backing up a bit...you hopefully have seen the incredible lots located in the new hickory oaks subdivision in gulf breeze we've listed!  take a drive through that planned neighborhood...it's going to be impressive!  recently, at the gulf breeze chamber of commerce's annual awards dinner, we received 3 out of the 5 awards given...karen was the 'volunteer of the year' recipient, i was awarded the 'emerging leader of the year', and our company was selected as the '2008 business of the year'!  kudos to the entire team for a fabulous and successful 2008!  but since we're only as good as our last sale...we've been busy in 2009 as well! 

if you're out and about, please stop by and visit our booth at the gulf breeze business expo held this saturday from 9-2 at the south santa rosa rec center in gulf breeze proper.  it's an amazingly fun and informative event for the whole family!  for more information, please visit the chamber's website at www.gulfbreezechamber.com. 

have a safe and sunny weekend...!

brian