Page 8 - Panama City Living May/June 2019

Note From the Publisher
May–June 2019
Volume 15 Issue 3
PUBLISHER
Panama City Living Media, LLC
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Val Schoger
BOOK REVIEW EDITOR
Laura Roesch
COPY EDITORS
Sarah Hough, Laura Roesch, Robin Schroffel
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Brittany Hawes
MARKETING/ADVERTISING
Cyndi Ainsworth Val Schoger
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Cat Pelletier
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Mike Fender Amy Riley Andrew Smith Terry Martin
Panama City Living can be purchased at more than 70 newsstands in 17 states in the U.S.
Locally, within a 100-mile radius, it can be found at Books-A-Million in Panama City, Tallahassee, Sandestin, Fort Walton Beach, and Dothan, AL, and Barnes & Noble bookstores in Destin, Tallahassee, and Dothan, AL. The magazine is also available at Fresh Market in Destin and Panama City Beach and Lucky's Market in Panama City.
www.Facebook.com/PanamaCityLiving @PCLivingMag @PCLivingMag
Panama City Living Magazine is published six times a year by Panama City Living Media, LLC. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Reproduction of this publication in part or whole without express written consent of the publisher is expressly prohibited. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2005-2019 Panama City Living Media, LLC.
For this May-June’s “Waterfront Living” issue, I found myself on a wild goose chase scouring Bay County’s neighborhoods for waterfront homes that had not been impacted by Hurricane Michael. With residents still recovering from the effects of the storm, nothing is picture-perfect any- more within a 10-mile radius of Downtown Panama City. But “Waterfront Living” remains a dream for many, even when there is the possibility of having to deal with a weather-related nightmare.
Not willing to let Michael get the best of our six-years running theme, I rang doorbells, asked our freelancers for leads, and stalked those whose homes were intact but had to deal with destroyed yards, assuring them of the wonders Photoshop could do to their ragged landscapes. Several homeowners were just not ready yet. Others were simply exhausted. I heard many heartbreakingly sad storm stories, and I was very close to giving up, when our copy editor Sarah Hough mentioned dear friends who have lived in a neighborhood that, to my weary ears, sounded as promising and enchanted as Arcadia; “Rivercamps on Crooked Creek.”
Not long after, I drove through a gated entry that followed pine tree- lined roads to a beautiful home that the neighbors declared the “show- stopper” in their community. The owners, Tim and Kim Hatley, live the waterfront lifestyle that many dream of and Rivercamps as charming and rugged as its name suggests.
Bald eagles, deer, redfish, dolphins, and many other hoofed, winged, and finned species, along with currently less than 200 two-legged residents have made this part of Bay County their home.
My sincere thanks go to the Hatleys for sharing their beautiful home with our readers in this issue, as well as a huge thank you to their wonderful neighbors and Sarah Hough, who, like so many others in our county, is still waiting for her home to be rebuilt.
While structures and buildings are under restoration and repair, Hurri- cane Michael’s destruction will forever leave its mark on its residents. We reported about the devastation in Mexico Beach in our November/ December 2018 issue. Today, Bay County’s easternmost community is well on its way to making a comeback. Nothing will quite be the same, but there is a silver lining: The unwavering loyalty, spirit, and dedication of Mexico Beach’s residents, working tirelessly to bring their town back to its former tranquil glory. One step at a time.
val@PanamaCityLiving.com
8 • May–June 2019 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com