SUNSETS ARE THE BEST - The monthly E-Newsletter from Mexico Beach

SUNSETS ARE THE BEST

We're thankful and proud of the beautiful sunsets we get to enjoy nightly over the Gulf of Mexico. We are also honored with spectacular sunrises each morning that help start our residents and visitors off on a good note for the day. Fall in Mexico Beach brings some of the best "sky paintings." The mixture of pinks, yellows, and oranges really show off during this time of year when the sun sets. We invite you to come watch them for yourself! Katrin Seidel, who's visiting us from Berlin, Germany, was able to capture this magnificent sunset, and we're so glad she did.

AND THE WINNER IS. . . Up for grabs last month was a gift certificate from White Sands Salon and Boutique, and the lucky winner is Teena Farmer from Thomasville, Georgia. Congrats, Teena! OCTOBER GIVEAWAY This month's giveaway is an Engle 19-quart cooler/dry box from the Mexico Beach Marina, your one-stop shop for all things beach, fishing, boating, and outdoors. The Mexico Beach Marina is a family-owned, full-service marina that offers ethanol-free gas, live bait, tackle, beach apparel, and much, much more. Due to the size of this giveaway item, shipping is not available and must be picked up by the winner. To place your name in the hat, send an email to Kathy at kathy@mexicobeach.com.

MEET MEXICO BEACH

This month we would like to introduce our new City Administrator, Douglas "Doug" Baber. Doug comes to us from Port St. Lucie, Florida. He brings over 16 years of experience in city government, including human resources and risk management. Doug is originally from Kentucky but has spent his career in Florida. He is married with two small children and is looking forward to being part of the Mexico Beach community. When you are at City Hall, please say hello and welcome Doug to our wonderful city.

For more information on weddings or vow renewal ceremonies on the beach, visit mexicobeach.com.

KENNY AND MICHELLE Our first couple is Kenny and Michelle, who joined us from Indiana. They really loved our area and decided this part of Northwest Florida was the ideal spot for their vows. It was a beautiful beach celebration. Congratulations, Kenny and Michelle!

RICHARD AND GRACE Our second couple is Richard and Grace, who were married on our beaches back in 2018. They returned this past month to see all the progress that has taken place and were very impressed at how far we have come. They said they still feel the romantic setting that was here on the day they said, "I do." Welcome back, Richard and Grace!

STRONGER THAN THE STORM October 10 The wonderful volunteers are bringing Stronger Than the Storm back for the third year. This year's event will take place at Killer Seafood, located at 820 Highway 98, from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. A fun-filled family day is planned with live music and activities for the children. This will be a free event, and there will be food and commemorative T-shirts available for purchase. Proceeds from the event will go toward community projects in Mexico Beach. READ MORE

MEXICO BEACH MOBILE LIBRARY October 14 Come check out a book (or two or three) from the Mobile Library! The Mobile Library will be set up at the Mexico Beach Welcome Center, located at 102 Canal Parkway, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is open to the public. The Mobile Library will be stocked with books for all ages (print and audiobooks), plus DVD movies. Library patrons will be able to register for a library card to borrow and return items. So, if you don't have a library card yet, don't let that stop you! Patrons who place requests for items at other libraries can pick up those items from the Mobile Library, so you are not limited to the titles in the vehicle. With a nice selection of books, there will be something for everyone to read. Reading is a wonderful activity you can enjoy while at the beach, so be sure to stop and enjoy the benefits of the library that comes to you! READ MORE

MEXICO BEACH TURKEY TROT 5K FUN RUN November 25 Come kick off Thanksgiving Day with a 5K Fun Run! The Mexico Beach Turkey Trot 5K Fun Run is a great way to prepare for the Thanksgiving feast you'll be enjoying later. All ages are invited to participate in this family-fun race on a very easy course that will allow any level of runner to enjoy. Runners will start and end at the same location, with water stations along the road to route runners through the course. This is a non-chipped, non-official timed race. All runners will be responsible for capturing their own time. A race clock will be provided, displayed, and visible to all runners as they cross the finish line. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. on November 25 at Under the Palms Park. The registration fee is $30.00 and includes a race bib and a commemorative race T-shirt. There will be no day-of-race registration. Registration is now open here! READ MORE

A FRIENDLY REMINDER:

Mexico Beach is a Leave No Trace community, and we appreciate your assistance in helping us keep our beaches clean. Any items left on the beach unattended from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be removed and disposed of by the City of Mexico Beach. Items include, but are not limited to, tents and tent frames, beach chairs, coolers, umbrellas, toys, etc. Also, please fill in any holes before you leave and please remain off the sand dunes and out of the sea oats to ensure their continued nourishment. There are boardwalks and walking paths that can be accessed to reach the beach. Your assistance with these requests will keep our beaches beautiful and pristine. For full details on this ordinance or questions, click here or contact City Hall at (850) 648-5700.

QUICK AND EASY PAELLA

This delicious dish is great for the family table! We publish it with the compliments of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association Seafood Cookbook (www.mbara.org).

INGREDIENTS

For the saffron broth: 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved 2 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon saffron thread 2 1/4 cups chicken broth For the paella: 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chicken stock 8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced into thin rounds 1/2 yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/3 cups Arborio rice 1/2 cup green peas 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 teaspoon paprika 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste Salt to taste

Preparation for the Saffron Broth:

Cook the shrimp and stir reserved shrimp shells and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until the shells are pink and fragrant, or about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron in with the shells. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until the broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Strain the saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve, measuring out 2 cups of broth. Pour into a small saucepan and place over low heat to keep the broth hot.

Preparation for the Paella:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook the chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add the onion to the sausage, cooking and stirring until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the garlic into the chorizo mixture. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice to the skillet and stir, coating the rice completely in oil, then stir in the peas. Pat the rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Layer pepper strips around and in-between the shrimp, then season with salt and cayenne pepper. Increase the heat to high. When the rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour the reserved 2 cups of hot saffron broth over the shrimp, gently shaking the skillet to distribute the liquid. Bake the rice mixture in the oven until the rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes. Then place the skillet over medium-high and cook until the rice is tender, the liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with fresh bread and enjoy!

BOWLING

Bowling is a popular sport here in the USA, and it's estimated that more than 60 million people bowl at least once a year. Here is some fun bowling humor. Bowlers always have time to spare. Old bowlers never die, they just end up in the gutter. Bowling is right up my alley. If you knock down all the pins, please spare me the details. There is never a good time to clean the gutters. Split happens. The bowling alley is the poor man's country club. There's not a moment to spare. Bowling is a sport where you can get three strikes and not be out. Stop! We're on strike.

A LEG UP

The meaning behind this phrase is help that puts someone at an advantage to achieve some goal. An example would be, "Having served in the army gave him a leg up when applying for the job." The origin of this phrase is not surprising. It goes back to helping someone mount a horse. The helper cups their hands, creating a foothold for one of the rider's feet while they propel their other leg up in the stirrups and eventually over the horse. The phrase then expanded to mean any assistance that helps someone achieve a goal.

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