STORM2K

Here I am, vacationing on beautiful DI. Last night was a doozy of a storm. It howled and rained for over 3 hours straight. We are located about 500 yards from the GOM.

It's an interesting thought at 3 a.m. when the chairs are rolling up and down the patio - suddenly you realize - there is no local radio or TV. No one to tell you what's out in the darkness. Basically, my t-shirt says it all, "End of the Southern World". And at 3 am it really felt that way.

However, in spite of the house shaking, the chimes blowing, the chairs dancing up and down the patio - I checked the buoy data this morning and the DI buoy showed a highest wind gust of only 27 knots. Not that bad of a storm after all!!

Howdy, Houstonia! Hope the rest of your trip is safe (without any more flying chairs).

I've been watching the news out of Pensacola and the big news is that it's 6 months after Ivan and the news is talking about all the repairs still needed. It's amazing the amount of debris on Dauphin Island. The beach house we are staying in is very nice (my parents have been here for a month), but it smells mildewy and the bathrooms and bedrooms have obviously been very recently repaired. There is debris all over the grounds - old fencing, walls, roofing, parts of old beach houses. And every morning I am awakened to the sounds of bulldozers driving up and down the streets bringing sand back to the dunes.

My sister and I went driving down to the area we stayed in last year - her beach house is completely gone, and although the owner said she was going to rebuild, I don't see how she can as the property has been claimed by the Gulf.

It will be a nice week - not having to work will be vacation enough! I have a little cabin fever - tomorrow I go walking, rain or shine. Too much family in one house = bad weather INSIDE the house!! :-D

Hey there Houstonia!! Have a great time!! Glad to know y ou are around since we don't see you on the board much.

DI is a wonderful place... I was there over New Years. There was still plenty of debris on the ground. (this all left over from Ivan)