Pensacola, Florida

My mother was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, my father in Kimball, Nebraska. They met and married in Pensacola in the early 1950s when dad was going through the Navy's flight training program. Twenty-eight years later they retired back to Pensacola along with my two younger sister and me. I had no idea in the late 1970s, when I left Pensacola, that I would also retire there. At least for a few years. Turned out to be a good move. 

Pensacola is (arguably) recognized as the first settlement by Europeans in what is now known as the United States. St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest, continuous settlement, however, Pensacola was, arguably, the first. It is also known as the City of Five Flags having existed under the rule of five different entities - Spain, France, England, the Confederacy (for about a year of the Civil War), and the United States. It is a wonderful city in the panhandle of northwest Florida. Home to the Navy's Blue Angels, all of the Navy's (and USMC's and USCG's) basic flight training, and of course the sugar white sands of Pensacola Beach. 

During the six years I lived there in retirement I enjoyed frequent photowalks along the Gulf of Mexico and in / around the downtown area. Below are a few of my favorite images.