Sea Turtles!!!

This past Fall and Summer all of the staff of Sunset Properties volunteered with the Share the Beach Program. This program gives local volunteers the opportunity to help protect one of our most amazing protected animals. Sea Turtles! We set out each summer morning at 6am in search of tracks from mother turtles. If we find them we take measurements and stake them off for protection. We keep watch over these nests for several months until the babies are ready are to hatch. It is an amazing experience and we always have vacationers who come out and watch. I am sure I will be telling you more about the Sea Turtles at Ft. Morgan. Come see us soon to participate in a wildlife adventure of your own.

Amazing Views!!!!!!

I feel especially blessed each morning, I arrive at work! Everywhere I look I am surrounded by amazing beauty. Not only do I get to hear the waves and smell the salt air, I have a beautiful blue sky and the Gulf each morning. The sea birds with their different chirps and squawks greet me as I come in to the office. The Pelicans sore and swallows preform their dramatic aerial acrobatics in front of the building.
As the day warms it only gets more magnificent. It takes every bit of self discipline to keep me in the office working. I want to be outside in the sun, exploring, and playing. I want to see the animals that live here and swim. I want to get a tan and fish. Or maybe just take a nap in the warm breeze during the warmth of the day.
As the day turns in to dusk again the birds come out for their second show of the day. The sky lights with colors to amaze and awe at. It looks like a child was set free with his crayons to make a beautiful picture, the only rules were to use every color in the box.
I hope you can see this beautiful view at Ft. Morgan soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

We are a family out here at Ft. Morgan. I don't just mean my family that I work with I mean the community as a whole. Not that we are an exclusive closed community. We all live, work, and play in the same amazing place. We feel truly blessed to be able to live and work here. We also love to include all of the visitors to our area in this family idea. We want this to feel like your second home a place to getaway, relax and be yourself, with the people around you.
We want to leave you with some of our family photos, and wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope to include you in some of these photos soon!

Blue Angels, Fly Over...

It is beginning to be winter, although you would not know it from the weather. It is going to be in the 70's today! Winter means many things to us here at Sunset Properties, and to the Ft. Morgan area in general. I am sure I will talk more about this over the next few months. For now I would like to tell you about our exciting repeat visitors.
We as you know are located in Gulf Shores, Alabama which is right next to Pensacola, the Winter home of the Blue Angels and the Cradle of Navel Aviation, NAS Pensacola. Everyday, we get to be awakened by or drive in watching the Blue Angels practice. It is so exciting to watch them do their spectacular maneuvers. They fly in these intricate formations, and mock fire fights. We are so excited to see these amazing representatives of our country this time of year.
In case you need one more reason to come down, this is it. Just imagine, having your morning coffee on the balcony and watching your own personal air show each day. Come enjoy the beach the breath taking scenery, and the Blue Angels.

Dogs on the Beach..

I have a great job!!!! I get to come to the beach to work! I also have the added perks of working with my family who keep me laughing and who I have adventures with all the time. Another added perk of the job is that I work at one of the few beaches in the area that allows dogs on the beach, and in some of the houses, and condos. It is always fun to see our fuzzy four legged friends having adventures on the beach with their owners. I have seen dogs so excited to be at the beach they couldn't keep still the closest comparison is a really excited 3 year old. Their whole bodies wag not just the tail. Most of the dogs like the sand and the water. They have plenty of room to run and there is always something to investigate on the beach, weather it is a piece of drift wood to carry, or a crab to do battle with, adventures abound. Last winter was my first one here with our winter guests and many of them with their dogs. I would have daily visits from my four legged buddies coming by for a treat. Sometimes there were more dogs in the office than people which is always fun. I will be sure to post more pictures of my doggy friends as soon as they get here this winter. For now I have one daily doggy visitor Charley, he belongs to Robert and Ruth Vaughan, they live in the Dunes Community. Robert, Charley's dad is a best selling author that hosts writers thought out the winter in their beach home.

Fishing at Ft. Morgan

We have all heard "Fish Stories" about the giant fish that someone caught on their vacation last summer, or with their grandpa over Spring Break. The fish stories at Ft. Morgan are real. I have seen some of the largest and most unusual fish caught off of the point less than a mile away or from a boat on an inshore four hour trip. I have had adventures in a boat and fishing off of the beach here which is completely legal here as long as you have your licence.

My adventure at the beach involved my best friend and and two fishing poles and lot of patience. We set out one sunny morning. It was a Sunday we were taking it easy on the beach so we thought!!! We started out catching small trash fish which is handy for bait purposes. Soon we started catching things that took more effort. My friend fought and fought something that was really strong but not big. It ended up being a baby shark... They are so tough, and the silly thing ate her hook and weights. This is where the story turns humorous! We decided we should try to take this hook and weight out we could see it in the little sharks mouth and managed to get our hands cut to ribbons by tiny shark teeth. Some fisherwomen we are the catch did more damage to us then we did to him.

That was the first adventure of the day we proceeded to catch a Remora which is one of the coolest fish I have ever seen. A Remora attaches to a larger fish with type of suction cup on the top of it's head. It was fun sticking him to things like our hands and the ice chest before we let him go. The boat story will have to wait until next time it was just as fun with much bigger fish.

Sand Squeaks and the Sky Glows at the beach

I grew up on the beach. We went every chance we got growing up and most of the time looked like Coppertone babies... You know tan every where but where our swim suit covered. I have the funnest memories of going to the beach with my family as a child. My Dad teaching me how to fish and mom always keeping us slathered with sunscreen and always missing one weird streak on an arm or leg. We had adventures, with wildlife, fish, and exploring through the Fort in the area we grew up. I watched my older brother learn to surf and catch a baby shark. I could name my favorite seashells, and learned all about the fish, birds and plants at the beach. My younger brother was forever wanting to explore the Fort, or dig in the sand to see what creatures would come out or to simply build a mote around his giant sand castle. They were such happy times and the foundation for my curious nature.
As I grew up somehow I put these memories to the back of my mind. Filed them away in some childhood corner that warmed my heart on the cold days away from the beach but were not part of my normal memories. It was almost as if I forgot, I never remembered that the beautiful white sand squeaks under my feet, or that the sky glows and the sand too for that matter when the sun sets.
My hope, now that I have returned to the area is that my family and friends and visitors to our beautiful area too, that they make amazing memories at the beach. Memories that stick and fill their soul, that guide their dreams as they grow into adults. Memories that are beautiful and warm and full of adventure. Come see us soon, in the Fort Morgan area of Gulf Shores. It is a place like no other!!!!!!