Goodbye Irene

Update:
Looks like Jacksonville wisely placed itself two hundred miles to the west of Irene's path. What foresight! I'll keep a good thought for those in its path, though, like those in Stone Harbor, NJ; Long Island, NY; Boston, MA...


I was all dressed for a bike ride yesterday afternoon, because the skies were clear, the wind calm, and had high hopes for a spin. But when I turned off the lights to go, rain pummeled the tin roof out back, and I reluctantly had to take off my tights and helmet... and the wind kicked up a mini-storm. Figures! But lucky I wasn't caught out in that localized squall.

I see a string of storms in the South Atlantic, and this is peak hurricane season, so I'm sure we'll face other scares. I've printed lists and maps of shelters, including those that accept animals, and ones that are close to Amy's work as well as to our place. And I got to go food shopping for canned goods, crackers, gallons of water, paper plates, etc. and stuff a cooler full of those meals so we can take it and go.

Grove and I ventured to the beach last night. It was crowded, with some show-off surfers, who mostly walked along the shore instead of getting in the water. Which was pretty wimpy, since the waves weren't more than six to eight feet at their highest.

The beach had a trough of flood water just before the dunes, quickly becoming a temporary swamp. The mucky puddle was about fifty feet long by twenty wide, and about two feet deep. And located right where the wooden bridge enters the beach, so lots of people just stopped there. The stinky foam everywhere was the surprise, though. Really stinky! Even after several attempts, I couldn't wash it off my hands. I can still smell it this morning... Lucky for you all, smell-blogging isn't a common technology yet!

Goodbye Irene

Update:
Looks like Jacksonville wisely placed itself two hundred miles to the west of Irene's path. What foresight! I'll keep a good thought for those in its path, though, like those in Stone Harbor, NJ; Long Island, NY; Boston, MA...

I was all dressed for a bike ride yesterday afternoon, because the skies were clear, the wind calm, and had high hopes for a spin. But when I turned off the lights to go, rain pummeled the tin roof out back, and I reluctantly had to take off my tights and helmet... and the wind kicked up a mini-storm. Figures! But lucky I wasn't caught out in that localized squall.

I see a string of storms in the South Atlantic, and this is peak hurricane season, so I'm sure we'll face other scares. I've printed lists and maps of shelters, including those that accept animals, and ones that are close to Amy's work as well as to our place. And I got to go food shopping for canned goods, crackers, gallons of water, paper plates, etc. and stuff a cooler full of those meals so we can take it and go.

Grove and I ventured to the beach last night. It was crowded, with some show-off surfers, who mostly walked along the shore instead of getting in the water. Which was pretty wimpy, since the waves weren't more than six to eight feet at their highest.

The beach had a trough of flood water just before the dunes, quickly becoming a temporary swamp. The mucky puddle was about fifty feet long by twenty wide, and about two feet deep. And located right where the wooden bridge enters the beach, so lots of people just stopped there. The stinky foam everywhere was the surprise, though. Really stinky! Even after several attempts, I couldn't wash it off my hands. I can still smell it this morning... Lucky for you all, smell-blogging isn't a common technology yet!

HELLO IRENE

Well, we made it all the way to late August without a hurricane our first year.
Now it's late August, and Irene is going to sweep by. She'll probably miss us, but we'll feel her draft.

In fact, she brushed by me this morning. Grover and I went to the beach at 7am to see if I could get any good pics. I'm not sure I can say whether I did. But in less than thirty seconds the beach morphed from a clear sky with offshore clouds (pic) to a full-on drenching rain. Thirty seconds. Fifteen seconds of sudden wind, and fifteen seconds of light drizzle. And you just KNOW I had both my camera and my new phone out there!
Of course Grover freaked out. Are you kidding? He pulled and lurched and twisted around my ankles as I tried to shield my camera and phone under a soggy t-shirt. And the runners and walkers on the beach made a bee-line for the ramp to exit, which of course made him more anxious than he'd already been.
The storm looks large, even from space (pic.) I'm sure that wherever she lands she'll make an impression. I'll keep my fingers crossed that nobody gets hurt or killed.
Something going on, though. We all hear the conservative loudspeakers pooh-poohing global warming. Then we hear how "vicious" Mother Nature is: our historic Florida wildfires, Virginia's bizarre earthquake. Even Lincoln had an event: a propane tanker on fire and a large evacuation. What's next? Can it be mitigated? Probably not, people.
BTW: For all you sympathetic to asking questions, I suggest you watch the documentary on the death of Pat Tillman, The Pat Tillman Story. I'm not a big football fan, nor a war-hero fan, and I still like the personality I saw. Unsettling as the story is, even more unsettling for me was its lack of closure... I'd say it makes you think, but I'm already thinking.

Alas, a Lass

Alas, Lana's summertime here is over, but not before we got to do lots of fun things during her weeks here. Of course, not as much as I intended. No manatees, for instance. And the museum's Art Camp I wanted to get her into was full. But a good time anyway.

During breaks from the Tour d'France on television, we rode bikes along the quiet street out front. She transformed from a shaky rider into a confident one who can speed down the block one-handed and even make a skid. A bit of a daredevil, (ode to biker knees, photo!)

We saw Fourth of July fireworks on the beach, and were bombarded between the festivities of an event just to the south and one just to the north. We sat with a family on the block who has a girl, Abby, Lana's age. Of course they rode bikes together after that.

The art room here became a second home to Lana, and we started many projects and finished some. We made a diorama, practiced calligraphy and painted. We planned out a book and painted tee-shirts. On and on....

And an end-of-month visit by Grandmom from California, (photo.)

And of course the BIG SURPRISE was Disneyworld. Three days and nights, chock-full-o-fun and wonder. Really nicer than I thought it would be: more exciting, more interesting and more enjoyable, despite the heat. We liked the show with the ants and spiders that dropped from the ceiliings, and at the end the seats undulated and "maggots" crawled out from under! The water rides were a hit too, but not the rollercoasters for the girls and not the dark ones for any of us.

The ride back to Chattanooga started so early Lana slept for the first hour and a half. She's a terrific traveler, and we made good time so we could swim in the hotel's pool that first day, (goggles.) She had a week at home first, then fourth grade began...

BURFING OR SIKING

Yep, I startedthe "burfing" movement her on the First Coast. That's "biking" and "surfing" together. I ride my beach bike into the waves, turn and follow the crest of the foam along the sand. Now everyone's doing it. Well, at least I got Lana to do it!

She's gotten really good on her bike. A few spills here on the block, but she keeps getting up and riding, like in the Tour. And there's a girl her age here on the street; they ride together. She earned herself a nice pair of bike gloves.

The beach is fun and close by. But the heat index has kept us away many times when we might have gone. Yesterday, though, we were at the beach TWO times in ONE day. Burfing, walking, wading, splashing, walkie-talkieing, collecting shells, playing tag, which we call, for obvious reasons, "you're wet."

Amy's dad is here now, and we go to St. Augustine today. Monday, Brian's mother arrives for a few days, and we go birdwatching and to museums. THEN, the BIG SURPRISE....

SMOKE ON THE BAYOU

June 16, 2011
--Unofficial Press Release--

Florida Declares Unity with Arizona

With Arizona wilting under its largest wildfire and Florida choking on Everglades botanical smoke, the two states have declared a union. They both are in trouble, with severe health warnings in each state and no end in sight for relief of present conditions.

Ironically, Governor Scott of Florida declared emergency conditions, which activates the Florida Guard ad National Guard, as well as FEMA and Army Corps. In tapping into so many sources of federal aid, the Governor has opened himself up to charges of hypocrisy. The Governor is known for his voracious anti-government statements while at the same time enriching himself by forming companies to service government requirements.

Residents of Florida must question whether the Governor will be able to continue to criticize the same "thieves" who are currently bailing out his underfunded fire fighting department. Or why he doesn't put his money where his mouth is and privately bankroll firefighters from his own funds. The latter scenario would conform to his purported views of financial responsibility, since no tax money would be involved.

A spokesperson for the Governor remarked, "Fortunately we have the upcoming sentencing of a twelve-year-old for murder one. That ought to take up some headline space and get peoples minds back to the larger threats at hand."

Meanwhile the swamps burn.

Motha' Nature

Woa! This is some force. Luckily, this storm moved past us, and didn't get it together to become a manifested threat. But it sure looked like an impressive bit of rage. And we finally got some rain. They call it a drought here when a few dry weeks go by... despite the swamps. I don't think California's kiln-like conditions are on the imagination radar screen. It'd be like imagining Mars.

The clouds lifted high over the pines later in the afternoon, (sidebar.) To listen to the news, we might have gotten an inch of rain that afternoon. But I find that difficult to believe. An inch??

Besides deflating the barometer and watering my sunflowers, the rain brought some potentially good side effects. There is a huge fire here. In the swamp.That's right, everyone, THE SWAMP IS BURNING. The Okeefenokee Swamp, (Scully and Mulder muse over its name on an early X-Files episode, for you fans.) The park -- and it is a protected area, except private timber is harvested -- is pretty large, and almost one third of it (115,000 acres and still going) is fried. The newspaper can't decide which is bigger news: a huge wildlife fire or Tiger Woods' Achilles tendon woes, so they kind of split the front page (sidebar.)

So back in our neck of the woods, routine is setting in. Walking the dogs, walking the dogs at the beach, physical therapy for Brian, remember, older than Amy!) And sitting in the back yard with the dogs, who don't yet like the new environment , while I do the Soduko puzzle or the crossword. Resting before... walking the dogs later!

Special event tomorrow (Monday): the "Endeavor" launch is supposed to be visible from the beach right here... soI may try and catch that, since there won't be many others to see... Sort of a piece of history, I suppose, in what has changed into a piece more of bureaucratic definition, since it's controlled and choked off by the misanthropic budget process in Congress.