That’s how radar was invented, you know! It’s been an eventful week, starting with the book close-out and then the hurricane. In case you wondered, I sat just outside the northern edge of Michael’s “cone of probability.” I watched from my front porch Wednesday night as a steady rain was whipped by near tropical storm-force winds. We didn’t lose power or experience anything worse than a messy yard the next day. We are beginning to learn that many inland towns in northern Florida and southwest Georgia experienced much wind-related damage, not unlike tornado destruction, but we haven’t heard much about that yet.
70 responses to “Bogey at Six O’Clock!”
Jimmy, the “Redneck Riviera” is one of my favorite areas, when I do a road trip to the south east. Mexico Beach is usually one of my favorite stops between Biloxi and Clearwater Beach. I loved the fact that it was still old Florida, no McDonald’s or high-rises. Praying for the people in the area, and it’s hard to look at the devastation. I know they will recover, the only problem is I’m sure McDonald’s and high-rises will be in their future. I’m heartbroken.
Nothing really to add, except give what you can for Florida storm relief.
But watch out for scammers, of which there will undoubtedly be some. “There should be a special place…”
The first 36 years of my life have been erased. They no longer exist, My grandparents home in Callaway, the house that I lived in for the first 20 years of my life, two houses that I owned, the schools that I went to, the movie downtown where I first saw “Gone with the Wind”(didn’t intend for that to be a joke), the place where I got married, the marina where my father’s shop used to be ( it had already been torn down), the stores downtown where I loved to look at the Christmas displays with my mother. There was a jet airplane on a stand downtown. I doubt if it’s still there and I understand that a lot of Tyndal AFB has been destroyed. Most people don’t know that there was also a navy base there west of town. Whenever TWC shows a street or business location I have no idea where they are. All of the above is disregarding Chipley, Marianna, Port St Joe, Wewa (had some good times there), Appalachicola (no more oysters for awhile). The cemetery where I will be buried is across the street from where all of those trains are lying on their side. Forgive my wandering, but it is unreal to see the shreds of my life, never to be seen by anyone again, to be showing non-stop on tv.
Jerry, sorry for the very real loss. So much loss for so many. I can only hope and pray that the loss of life isnt revealed to be much worse than already known. The physical, economic, social, and psychological damages already seem to be extreme. 🙁
(anonymous strikes again. darn those cleared cookies!)
Ghost
Why is it that for many people it is “How can I help”
and others it is “whats in it for me” and ” you did not give ME enough”
Prayers for those suffering
Ghost: Expect there w/b an UMCORE appeal at church.
OB: The answer, I’m afraid, is that Elohim’s universe is largely Darwinian: cheating is often a route to evolutionary prosperity. That’s how, for example, web-weaving spiders and cowbirds make a living and reproduce. But at least one species [the one that discovered Darwinian evolution] is capable of rising above that, and even, sometimes, of making the ethical route adaptive. It needs to do so, now, on a world-wide basis. Will refrain from suggesting any theological or political implications. See my late post a few editions ago.
Peace,
Ghost: Not only should there be a special place for parasitical humans, in my theology there is such a place. What makes it especially just is that they’ll be with others just like themselves. Forever.
I wish that I could tell the folks in PC that tonight will be the best night for sky watching that they’ve ever had. I found that out the night after Ivan passed over us. There is zero light pollution so the sky is absolutely black and tonight there is just a small sliver of moon so they will see meteors and stars that they’ve never seen before. A little light in a dark situation.
Jerry
Not that many years ago working the fields at night I was treated to a fantastic
light and star show. Now the big city lights are moving closer so there is always
light on the horizon. Our local municipality has 3X as many street lights as needed,
now 2 gas stations with bright lights all night, and once the we were a mile from town,
now it is a Chain (66ft) away, with house lights and street lights. While it takes a
horrendous event, for those that are aware, the heavens tell us how small we are.
Tonight was the first good viewing night in my valley in about 2 months, what with the fires and storms. We found a decent spot about a mile from our home for viewing the closer objects with both my 15×70 binoculars and my 4″ refractor.
The crescent Moon was a delight to see: it didn’t quite require me to use my filter to keep from overpowering my eyes. It’s good to see the various craters and ridges casting shadows that aren’t visible when the moon is full. I think it was Mare Crisium that bisected the Moon tonight.
Jupiter and its Galilean moons were stunning as always, with the two outer moons (Ganymede and Callisto) initially appearing as one before the sky darkened enough to resolve them. As we started packing up I took one last look at Jupiter through the binoculars and was finally able to see two of the moons through them.
Mars is too bright and small to see well through my current gear, but Saturn was brilliant with its rings facing us–enough so that we could see them even with the binoculars.
In another month we’ll start seeing some of our favorite things again during the early evening. Of course I’ll be needing my long underwear and some thicker socks! But Orion and the Pleiades are worth it!
Trucker: Maybe you know this already. A larger but more distant open cluster than the Pleiades is Praesepe [= the manger], the “Beehive” cluster in Cancer. A real jewel in an otherwise inconspicuous constellation. Overhead in mid-winter. Wrote about it once for the Pioneer.
http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/praesepe-beehive-cluster
There is also a Wiki site. Have you found the Straight Wall on Luna?
Peace,
Hello, all you Villagers, both long-time regulars, a few Newbies, and some welcome-back folks like Jerry (SO sorry about what you are having to tell us about, though, Jerry.) We were in Texas visiting my brother and SIL for a week, plus I have been truly buried under work for the three volunteer organizations I’m officer for. I know I missed some posts completely, but I just wanted to say Hi and I’m back at least for a while.
I’m looking forward to finding and seeing those. Thanks for mentioning them! The Beehive eluded me last spring with too many cloudy nights. As for the “wall” I don’t know if my little scope could handle that task. Whenever we have a lunar party I’ll be sure to ask those with larger scopes to show it to me.
This is the only part of Florida I still like that has been destroyed. I swore I wouldn’t go a step closer to Tampa the last time I drove it.
My Florida friends are like Jerry reporting destruction. I have good friends in Wewa and it sounds awful, no way in or out. My Florida boating friends report the State Park as destroyed and turned into island.
So sorry Jerry.
On the lighter side, substitute me for Arlo and Dickens for Ludwig, and you’ve got a real-life version of the 10-13-18 cartoon.
10-12-18, that is. I just realized gocomics is carrying me to the previous, and not current, day’s cartoon. What additional fresh hell might this be?
I discovered Betty from A&J.com and this is from today
http://entertainment.service.amuniversal.com/social/sea?date=2018-10-13&feature_code=bt&sub_id=4130#.W8HUWX8y9gU.twitter
Today’s strip actually bothers me a bit. I totally get the humor. Alumni do bet with their hearts. And I guess some families have divided allegiances. But my wife liked mich. but coverted when she married a Purdue Boilermaker when Drew Brees led us to the Rose Bowl she gave up her Christmas money so That our son and I could drive out to California. I didn’t want to do it but she told me that she got more just watching me full fill a dream
On Monday night I has to work late, so I asked her to DVR the Saints game.( I still love Drew). When I got home I noticed that their were 2 recordings as she wanted to make sure that it was recorded. The first one I clicked was in Spanish!
If I posted that story earlier this week, then I apologize.
In the ’50s, a fellow U. Mich. grad student, Russ Mumford, was from Purdue, and eventually went back there for his Ph.D. Very focused ornithologist & mammalogist, really knew his birds. Co-author of The Mammals of Indiana. Think I’ve written here [or maybe in The Bemidji Pioneer] about our joint discovery of one of America’s cutest owls, a Saw-Whet Owl, in the E.S. George Reserve’s “Big Swamp.”
Does your wife’s conversion make her an “apostate”? I am one, from an older tradition to a sect that, unwillingly, split off from Anglicanism. Said sect was very methodical in their devotional practices, so Anglicans labeled them “Methodists.” Elaine was a lifelong Methodist, more devout than her folks, but we ended up w/ quite similar takes on things theological. She’s probably proofreading this. Best stop. Peace,
I don’t see any posts from Debbe. What’s happened with her?
Jerry: Last I heard, Debbe was living with/taking care of her dad and was without means of online connection. Haven’t heard from Trapper Jean in a long time. Mindy from Indy has a new job and a new love keeping her busy and out of touch with us. If I got any of that wrong, I hope someone will correct it.
In Alabama, where Auburn and the University of Alabama are the biggest rivalry, you can get products with this design: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51HZ-U7JhBL._US500_.jpg
That way couples/families who favor both teams can show support for both.
Last I heard Debbe was taking care of her Dad with no internet as RA said.
She was by herself (Ian left) and under that weather herself. I learned this via Snail Mail
a while back.
Mindy posts on FB quite often.