Opinion Archive

It began with losing Kobe Bryant. And that one stung. Losing all-time greats at a young age is never an easy pill to swallow.

That should have been enough for 2020. But it wasn’t. The year got reckless and just kept delivering punch after punch.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I feel like I more than made up for being on vacation for two weeks in 2019 over Christmas and New Year’s.

The office renovations have been slower than expected but apparently from what I’m told, that is to be expected.

You never know what you’ll find during a walk on the beach.

Sand dollars, seashells, driftwood or debris. You might spot a sea turtle trolling along parallel to shore or have to dodge a shore fisherman’s thin shimmering line. You might see crabs or jellyfish or baitfish along with surfers, swimmers and paddleboarders.

An essential industry tool back when I worked as an animator was the character sheet. The character sheet displayed sketches of the cartoon character we were animating.

The character designer produced it to show the animator what the character should look from different angles, in different poses and emotions.

I started writing my column about the lessons I’ve learned from cleaning out my office, including filing cabinets after 20 years of accumulating “stuff,” but I’ve decided that will be more appropriate for the new year.

Let’s just say halfway through I thought about calling the whole thing off.

Rudolph is polishing his nose and checking the intensity just in in case fog rolls in. Santa Rosa County’s children are ticking off the minutes and are, basic inclinations notwithstanding, on their very best behavior.

Last minute Christmas bargains are being hurled at prospective buyers through every conceivable mass media channel.

They say that smells carry you back to wherever you were when that scent imprinted on you.

For me, it’s music.

Michael Carter and Tommy Leggett are entering the 2021 NFL Draft. That surprises no one.

Both are talented football players good enough to excel at the next level. It was obvious they were destined to be special when they were standout athletes at Navarre High School.

There are clearly two halves to Santa Rosa County, with a lot of open land in between along with a few homes and businesses.

There is south Santa Rosa County, known for its beautiful beaches and vibrant tourism, as well as being a “bedroom community” for about 70,000 residents. North Santa Rosa has more agriculture, history and a beautiful tannin-stained, spring fed river winding through it.

It’s been a busy week in Santa Rosa County and that’s not even including folks getting ready for Christmas.

Last week, county commissioners narrowly voted to repeal protections that help keep the wells in south Santa Rosa County safe.