Hurricane Irma

[Hugh_3170]

Hang in there Arthur and may you and family and friends get through this challenging time all OK.  (Likewise you too young Ron.)

Your images of your provisions, and the invisible crates of wine, reminds me of friends in Wellington in NZ who stock their garage with at least one months worth of emergency food, grog, fresh water, and gas etc for cooking and lighting least they get hit with the big earthquake - Wellington being on the Pacific earthquake rim. In fact they actually manage these emergency stocks by consuming them on a reqular basis but not before they systematically replenish them so that they never get too old and thereby fall outside of the manufacturers expiry dates.

Love that roast!

(BTW, please tell us some time how you make the wine crates invisible - I need to hide mine from certain family members.  LOL)

[ArthurDent]

Thanks for all the good wishes. It's a little after 7 AM in the morning here, just getting light. It is  balmy 76 F (24C) and the wind is only 7 mph. That won't last.  The county has asked everyone to get off the roads by 3 PM. Tropical storm force winds are expected after 6 PM. About 2 AM Monday, the eye of the storm is expectted to cross over Clearwater, about 80 miles South of us. So the eye will probably pass by us about 8 AM on Monday. That should be the worst of it. By Tuesday morning storm conditions should be much reduced. I'll post pictures periodically until I lose power and internet but I won't be wandering far from my house after 3PM today until the storm passes.

[ArthurDent]

Arthur, having been flooded by Harvey, my heart goes out to you and the many millions of Floridians who are at risk.  However, your hurricane supplies look deficient.  Where is the case of wine?

Your post prompted me to check, 2 bottles of pinot noir, one bottle of zinfandel, one of sauv blanc and part of a bottle of port on hand, I'm way undersupplied!

[ArthurDent]

This tree in my neighbor, Fred's, yard is one of my main concerns at present. It is a water oak, a tree notorious for rotting from the inside out, and I think this one is a prime exemplar of that tendency. I fully expect it to come down in the storm. I just hope it doesn't fall on my property.

[ArthurDent]

We are ranked as one of the "top ten safest places to be in a hurricane ," if there is such a thing. As a result, the town is packed out. Restaurants are mobbed this morning. We've been waiting 50 minutes, still no breakfast.

[ArthurDent]

The rain is picking up quite smartly. We went over to middle daughter's  house to finish up the window barricades (drill battery ran down in the middle of the job yesterday). The eaves sheltered us from the worst of it. Here's a photo

[ArthurDent]

Here's a shot through the windshield as we made our way home. I think we are done driving for the duration. I'm not going to be venturing much past the front porch until it is over unless there is a real emergency that forces me out.

[ArthurDent]

Hang in there Arthur and may you and family and friends get through this challenging time all OK.  (Likewise you too young Ron.)

Your images of your provisions, and the invisible crates of wine, reminds me of friends in Wellington in NZ who stock their garage with at least one months worth of emergency food, grog, fresh water, and gas etc for cooking and lighting least they get hit with the big earthquake - Wellington being on the Pacific earthquake rim. In fact they actually manage these emergency stocks by consuming them on a reqular basis but not before they systematically replenish them so that they never get too old and thereby fall outside of the manufacturers expiry dates.

Love that roast!

(BTW, please tell us some time how you make the wine crates invisible - I need to hide mine from certain family members.  LOL)

Thanks! I have many relatives by marriage living in Victoria. One of my fondest wine drinking memories is going to the annual wine dinner at the Tahbilk winery. I wish I had a couple bottles of their '74 Old Vines Shiraz to add to my meager cellar, I'd be in wine heaven!

[Bill Mellen]

Stay safe and carry on Arthur!  I am sorry to hear about the paucity of your wine inventory 😀

The last big storm I experienced was Camille in 1969

[ArthurDent]

Stay safe and carry on Arthur!  I am sorry to hear about the paucity of your wine inventory 😀

The last big storm I experienced was Camille in 1969

Thanks! My roommate in college was from Pass Christian. He  claimed to have survived Camille's storm surge by clinging to a branch in a tall tree. Whether his claim was true, I can't say. In any event, it was a very bad storm.

[ArthurDent]

The latest information has shifted the track shifted east. That means the storm would be over land much sooner and for a longer time, which might cause the storm to wind down quicker. Also, it would mitigate the storm surge problem. Could just be a wobble.  One bad aspect, Naples, FL is now in the crosshairs for the initial landfall on the peninsula.. Finally, if the new track holds, the core will come right over us. It is expected to be a category 1 storm by then,  but I'd still rather see it someplace else.

[Thomas G]

Stay safe, Arthur. Remember: the towel has reinforced seams!
I've friends and colleagues in Florida. My thoughts are with all of you.

Thanks for the pictures and the background story!

[ArthurDent]

Stay safe, Arthur. Remember: the towel has reinforced seams!
I've friends and colleagues in Florida. My thoughts are with all of you.

Thanks for the pictures and the background story!

Thank you, Thomas! It is looking better, the storm has diminished somewhat and I am expecting it will abate further by the time it reaches us. So far, it has been primarily a rain event in our area. There is some debris in the street indicative of wind, but the main thing I am seeing is rain, lots of rain. I expect the wind will pick up later, but I do not expect a major wind event. Time will tell. We will certainly know by morning.

[ArthurDent]

About 9 PM we lost television and internet service through our cable provider, still have internet access through our cellphone provider. The wind has picked up quite a bit and heavy rain continues. It is truly "a dark and stormy night." We still have power, although it has flickered twice tonight. I think conditions will continue to deteriorate until sometime tomorrow morning when the storm center will have passed us headed north.

[ArthurDent]

It's slightly before 5 AM. So far we have only lost internet  and cable tv. Power is still on. Middle daughter on the other hand, has been without power since last evening. She also called and said she thinks a tree may have fallen on her new car. We won't be able to tell what happened until it gets light. No report from oldest daughter, so I am assuming all is well there, allthough the current  storm track will have what's left of the eye go over her house.