Keep One Eye on Destin
Column published in Northwest Florida Daily News, April 27, 2005:
As much as I love the Emerald Coast beaches I have only myself to blame for buying a home 30 miles inland. But, I’ve discovered a potential way to enjoy the beach 24/7. Let’s lobby the city of Destin to install some webcams.
Anyone who has a computer has probably seen web-camera images on the internet. Typically, a camera is installed on a tower or top of a tall building and directed at a point of interest. Still images are updated at regular intervals, like 30 seconds or a minute apart. You get the idea when the local TV news and weather programs show a view at sunrise from a stationary camera.
Consider the benefits. For example, a local TV station in Toledo, Ohio, where my brother lives, hosts several webcams around the city. Every time I felt like complaining about the weather this winter I sought out the webcam in Toledo, and suddenly I felt warm…and giddy.
Let’s say you felt the call of the surf and sand. But, feeling lazy you ruled out driving to the beach. With a Destin webcam on the beach you could be there instantly! And, if you did want to drive to the beach you could preview the scene to scan for college age drunks, sea grass infestations, fish kill, etc.
Better yet, train a webcam on the city councilmembers to observe how they are serving the community, or not. It would be insightful to see whether the councilmembers were spending as much time with the concerns of the common citizens as they were with those of the developers.
As you can see, I believe in getting a lot of things done, while sitting at ease in my cut-offs and Mickey Mouse house slippers.
We country folk would look on in shock and awe at a webcam leveled at U.S. 98. Observing the traffic would send us scurrying even deeper into the woods of the north counties. And, counting our blessings.
The webcams would never enjoy a very long stay at any vantage point, though. With high rises popping up like pimples on a teen, a full time webcam technician would be kept busy moving the cams from the shadows of monster cranes and condominiums.
For those who would rather stroll the shops than the beach, a webcam would track the dynamic world of Destin Commons. The Friday Night Fights would pale compared to the tourists tangling for the coveted parking spot. As an extra service, the webcam would have a countdown, in the bottom of the image, until the next giant shopping extravaganza is built.
Another webcam could direct our gaze at the docks where we could indulge in the tapestry of the fishing fleet, and review the catch to see what’s running.
So, there could be an image suited for just about everyone with an interest in Destin and the Emerald Coast. Likely, the most popular image would be the long view of the undulating beach and the white brushed, blue-green surf, with a fishing vessel bearing for deeper waters; in the distant horizon, a cloud-dappled sky bathed in a shifting panorama of color. May THAT image of Destin endure.
As much as I love the Emerald Coast beaches I have only myself to blame for buying a home 30 miles inland. But, I’ve discovered a potential way to enjoy the beach 24/7. Let’s lobby the city of Destin to install some webcams.
Anyone who has a computer has probably seen web-camera images on the internet. Typically, a camera is installed on a tower or top of a tall building and directed at a point of interest. Still images are updated at regular intervals, like 30 seconds or a minute apart. You get the idea when the local TV news and weather programs show a view at sunrise from a stationary camera.
Consider the benefits. For example, a local TV station in Toledo, Ohio, where my brother lives, hosts several webcams around the city. Every time I felt like complaining about the weather this winter I sought out the webcam in Toledo, and suddenly I felt warm…and giddy.
Let’s say you felt the call of the surf and sand. But, feeling lazy you ruled out driving to the beach. With a Destin webcam on the beach you could be there instantly! And, if you did want to drive to the beach you could preview the scene to scan for college age drunks, sea grass infestations, fish kill, etc.
Better yet, train a webcam on the city councilmembers to observe how they are serving the community, or not. It would be insightful to see whether the councilmembers were spending as much time with the concerns of the common citizens as they were with those of the developers.
As you can see, I believe in getting a lot of things done, while sitting at ease in my cut-offs and Mickey Mouse house slippers.
We country folk would look on in shock and awe at a webcam leveled at U.S. 98. Observing the traffic would send us scurrying even deeper into the woods of the north counties. And, counting our blessings.
The webcams would never enjoy a very long stay at any vantage point, though. With high rises popping up like pimples on a teen, a full time webcam technician would be kept busy moving the cams from the shadows of monster cranes and condominiums.
For those who would rather stroll the shops than the beach, a webcam would track the dynamic world of Destin Commons. The Friday Night Fights would pale compared to the tourists tangling for the coveted parking spot. As an extra service, the webcam would have a countdown, in the bottom of the image, until the next giant shopping extravaganza is built.
Another webcam could direct our gaze at the docks where we could indulge in the tapestry of the fishing fleet, and review the catch to see what’s running.
So, there could be an image suited for just about everyone with an interest in Destin and the Emerald Coast. Likely, the most popular image would be the long view of the undulating beach and the white brushed, blue-green surf, with a fishing vessel bearing for deeper waters; in the distant horizon, a cloud-dappled sky bathed in a shifting panorama of color. May THAT image of Destin endure.
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