Our relatively minor spinoff of Wilma flows by--it will continue throughout the day as she moves north eastward (Hopefully more east before north). And I think what a wonder these things are. Not a wonder I particularly enjoy participating in at the time, but it's great to talk about afterwards. I begin to understand the purpose and meaning of "hurricane parties" where people gather in large groups to wait out the storm. The sound of human companionship makes more bearable the terrible sounds that come from outside. They restore a perspective from primordial horror to major inconvenience; from waiting for the apocalypse to waiting out a bout of bad weather.
What is even more interesting about this storm is the huge, strong front that is driving it off. We're starting the morning at about 80 degrees and this evening we'll be down to 48. That's amazing for Florida, and almost unheard of for October. But it is another thing to thank God for--it is the whisk broom that forces this pesky storm out to sea so rapidly that we have merely two or three hours to endure of the worst weather. Like Charlie last year, it hits hard and fast and then is gone. There is probably nothing worse than what the Yucatan suffered--sitting under a glowering hurricane for hours upon hours on end.
Steve,
Glad you fared well. I'm in the same area and were fine, too. Lovin the cold front!
Steven, I'm glad that you are OK. My parents and sister also did well in Ft. Myers. I grew up in Puerto Rico. The sound I associate the most with hurricanes (right before the nasty wind) is the sound of dominoes...
Dear Cole,
As I noted chez vous, we are quite close. Somehow I never caught on reading your blog--but often I am in a fog.
Dear Hector,
Ah yes, dominoes. The caribbean national sport (don't take that the wrong way.) When I was on one of the non-touristy Bahama Islands they had nightly domino tournaments and boy oh boy were they passionate (?), heated (?), vibrant (?). I'm not sure what the word would be, but there was more energy expended in a single domino tournament than in any number of lesser sports, such as football or baseball. Really quite an interesting thing to see.
shalom,
Steven
Yes, they have weekend long tournaments with a lot of strategy. It's fun!