One last visit to Pensacola Beach before the oil spill arrives

By Kimberly Blair • kblair@pnj.com • June 2, 2010 Several people visited Pensacola Beach this morning to get one last look before it could fall victim to the massive oil spill looming off the Gulf Coast. At approximately 10 a.m. there were no signs of tar balls in the sand and no oily sheen on the surface of the Gulf, but as the wind picked up there was a smell of oil in the air. “I think what we’re getting today is people who want to get here one more time before the oil comes,” said Tim Ristow, kitchen manager for the restaurant on the beach fishing pier. The most notable difference in the beach today is the odd lack of fish around the pier. “This is heartbreaking,” said 23-year-old Robert Strazi from Pensacola as he fished off the pier with his friend. “We wanted to bring the children here because it’s part of our story,” said Mesa Cole, who came to Pensacola from Tallahassee with her husband Will to adopt their second child. “I’m really worried because we may not be able to bring them back.” Cole says that the family plans to take lots of photos of the beach so that they can remember the beauty of the beach for years to come.

Oil spill: ‘This is heartbreaking’