Hurricane Diary

[trof]

First of all, this isn't a pity party request.
Many of you have already wished me well and I appreciate the good thoughts and karma.

I just thought it would be interesting to post a diary here of what's going on. I have never "ridden out" a hurricane before.

I'm on Wolf Bay, in Foley Alabama, about 140 miles east of New Orleans.
We are 15 miles east of Mobile Bay, and 10 miles north of the beach at Gulf Shores. Wolf Bay is north of the Intracoastal Waterway and fairly well protected. We get storm surges, but not as bad or as violent as the beach areas.

Sunday, Aug. 28 10 a.m. (CDT)
We put up the storm shutters on the bay side of the house. That's where most of the glass is. Tied down the porch swing on the dock and brought in the solar lights. Noticed that the bay was already over the lowest level of the dock, a catwalk in the boathouse. The main dock level is still above water...just.

Pulled in all the outdoor stuff, chairs, wind chimes, etc. Managed to get one car in the garage and parked the other as close to the outside of the garage door as I could get it. May give some protection.

At noon went down the street to help a friend finish plywooding his windows. Much bigger house than mine and a lot more glass. Took my cordless drill, and work went much faster with two.

Was only back home for a few minutes when Katrina's first wind band blew through. Horizontal rain for about 5 minutes and wind to maybe 30 mph. Shortly after that my next door neighbor called to ask if I knew I had a tree down in the front yard?
Nope.
Sure enough, a 10"-12" oak snapped about 20' up and is lying across part of a double driveway. We can still get out. First casualty I guess.

Right now there's a stiff breeze blowing, no rain.
Katrina is expected to make landfall at the extreme southeast tip of LA at 7 a.m. our time. Tomorrow could be a rough ride. By tomorrow night it should be dissipating here.
Wish me luck.

on edit: I expect we'll lose power sometime tonight or tonorrow. I'll add any significant news/observations until then. Could be offline for a few days. Not to worry. ;-)

[HereSince1628]

1. Trof, are you rethinking the sale????

[trof]

2. I'm dropping the price!

;-)

[HereSince1628]

3. Good luck, stay in touch...

[Gormy Cuss]

4. That may be a helluva ride.

Sending you a big bucket of wishes for a safe ride.

[Flaxbee]

5. thanks for the info... I'm fascinated by it all (in a horror-struck

kind of way).

I hope you and yours ride through this safely!

[trof]

6. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion?

;-)
Yeah, kinda.
It's gonna be interesting, to say the least.

[Flaxbee]

31. yup, jaw-dropping fascination...

please be safe!

[In_The_Wind]

7. I'll be thinking kind thoughts for you ~ trof!

AND looking for YOUR post after the storm is over!

[LynneSin]

8. Please promise you'll post as soon as the power comes back...

...and the storm has passed through

Please!

[trof]

11. You know it. I have NSMA's cell number.

She can pass the word.

[JimmyJazz]

26. I glad you posted that. I was going to ask you if you knew someone

here that you could call. :)

Stay safe. :hug:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

9. They just had Moron sayiing he declared a State of Emergency

etc. You know what's funny about him? He speaks better off a script than on it.

[trof]

10. 3:30 p.m. Local barometer is at 29.67" or about 1004 milibars.

I found an old barometer.
Don't know if it works, but I set it at current reading and will see if it starts to drop.

Went outside for a closer look at downed tree. There were a couple of dead branches and at the break it looks kind of hollow and rotten.
Mother Nature is doing some pruning for me.
;-)

Miz t. has been busy doing bizzy work, talking on the phone, etc. Trying to keep mind and hands occupied, I guess.

So far I pretty much have a fatalistic attitude.
Que sera, sera.
If we were going to evacuate we should have left yesterday, but yesterday Katrina was a 2. I-10 eastbound into Florida (the only choice left) is a parking lot now.

I do plan to get the crap scared out of me tomorrow.
:scared:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

12. A dumb question, but are you on Dialup or some sort of highspeed?

[trof]

15. DSL

[Crazy Guggenheim]

17. It will most likely go when the phones go.

[trof]

22. I expect the power to go first.

Many times we've lost elec but not phone.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

23. It's on two separate power grids.

[trof]

28. Yep. We have underground utilities.

In the neighborhood, anyway.
That helps avoid immediate storm outage, but the lines coming in are on poles.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Take care...we will be praying for you and the missus....

Let us know when the storm is safely away, OK?

I wish I could say "We've got your back." But we don't...so I can't...

Only God has your back now...and our collective souls are in there pitching as well...

:pals: :grouphug: :scared:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

14. They said the SuperDome can withstand winds up to 200 MPH

[matcom]

16. stay safe buddy

i wanna see you again :hi:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

18. Check your PM.

[cally]

19. Here's a hug

and many wishes for a safe ride. Please let us know when you are safely through this one. :hug:

[salin]

20. I missed the explanation for why you decided to ride the storm out.

:hug: Best wishes - be safe.

[trof]

21. Because it wasn't a 4 until this morning.

And it wasn't coming anywhere near us.
The eye still isn't, but now it's so big we'll catch the eastern (bad) edge.
Most folks in our neighborhood are staying.
Now, you can't get a motel room anywhere.
Or gas in places.

[salin]

24. yikes!

My prayers are with you and Mrs. trof. Perhaps as quickly as it upgraded itself, it will downgrade itslef.

Be safe. Keep us posted.

[trof]

25. 4 p.m. We got frogs.

Miz t. just came in.
"There's a frog in the living room."

He's a 2" green tree toad with big sucker toes. We've got hundreds around here. They love the glass doors.
Guess he came in when I went to survey the downed tree.

Picture an...ahem...somewhat heavy 64 year old man down on his hands and knees chassing a little green frog across the floor.
Finally trapped him.
Sucker peed in my hand.
Guess I'll get warts, now.
;-)
Catch-and-release, OUTSIDE.

Winds get up to 20-25 mph (estimated) and then die off. A sprinkle now and then.

We may go out on the dock for a drink before we hunker down for the night. At least we're supposed to get the worst of it during daylight hours tomorrow. Less scary if you can see it.

[supernova]

27. You two better be safe tonight, trof

keeping my fingers crossed for you two. :-)

Ha! Funny picture you paint with the frog. ;-)

[trof]

29. Miz t. just announced:

"I'm gonna go take a shower, wash my hair, put a face on, and we're going out on the dock for a drink."
I concur.
That lady is a good planner.
Catch ya' later.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

30. Great. Stay well!!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

32. The Weather Channel just said the pressure is going up. I think

it was by 5 millibars.

[trof]

33. Wind dropped 10 mph too.

A whole lot can change between now and tomorrow morning.
My thinking is it could get better and it can't get much worse.
That's my story, anyway, and I'm stickin' to it.
;-)

[graywarrior]

34. I know I'm way south in Sarasota but I have a 2B/2B to share

if you end up with nothing, Trof

[trof]

35. If I end up with "nothing" I'm moving to the Arizona desert.

But thanks.
:-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

36. No way old man...you and MizT are gonna move to So Cal

and form a commune with MisU and I

[trof]

38. Naw, you guys are going to fall into the Pacific.

Edgar Cayce, "The Sleeping Prophet", said so.
But I like the commune part.
Will we live in yurts?
Can I have a goat?
Helen won't let me have a goat.
:-(

[graywarrior]

37. I may be right behind you.

There's another TS out in the Atlantic.

[trof]

39. YOU! Go wash your mouth out with soap, RIGHT NOW!

How much can one man stand?
;-)

[Penndems]

40. Thank you, Trof, for your online journal

You and your loved ones will be in my thoughts and prayers. This is going to be a very rough (and somewhat terrifying) few days for y'all. This storm is a MONSTER, one of the largest hurricanes to ever hit this country.

We have a good friend who lives in Huntsville, whom we're calling tonight. Don't know if he's wiling to make the trip up here to Virginia, but we've mentioned to J.W. that he's got a place to come to anytime the weather takes a bad turn down there.

Hang in there, friend, and stay safe. Looking forward to reading more exerpts from your diary.

[trof]

41. 4:12 p.m. Bulletin: I declare Emergency Hurricane Cocktail Hour(s) rules.

When I was still gainfully employed, I always strictly observed the 5 p.m. rule for the Cocktail Hour(s). A working guy has to have SOME principles.
:shrug:

When I retired, I noticed that the Cocktail Hour(s) began to gradually back off from 5 p.m. First it was 4:50, then 4:45, then 4:30, and so on. One morning, as I was mixing a pitcher of Martinis after breakfast, I decided that things were getting out of hand. I established the 4:30-AND-ABSOLUTELY-NO-EARLIER-RULE. Even the retired old fart (trof) has to have SOME principles.

I have stuck to that (with only a few exceptions for weddings, wakes, birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays, equinoxes, full and new moons, high and low tides, and days that end in "Y") ever since. But today is a "special" day

I've been wanting a good, stiff Scotch and soda since...oh...about 1:30. So this evening at 4:12 I declared SPECIAL EMERGENCY HURRICANE COCKTAIL HOUR(s). By the time you read this I'm well into my third S&s.

And things are looking up.
Cheers.
:toast:

[Beausoir]

42. Trof, I salute you, sir!

I'll raise my glass to you.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, wash my hair, put a face on, and we're going out on the dock for a drink."

And THAT? Is one HELLUVA good woman you have there.

We'll be here when you come through on the other side.

[BikeWriter]

45. Salute!

:toast:

[trof]

43. 5:56 Who is this FUCKING chirpy, cheery weather guy on Channel 5?

WKRG, local CBS in Mobile.
Not the regular guy.

"Oh, look at that. That's a BEAUTIFUL eye. And I have to report that it looks like Katrina is moving just a teentsy bit more to the right (snork), which of course (giggle) brings it a leetle bit closer to US. Don't you think we're gonna skate by this one. Nossir, (snicker) it's gonna be a rough go."

He is just SO perky and cheerful.
And OVERJOYED that we're gonna get the shit kicked out of us.

I'm sending them an e-mail.
Bastard.
:grr:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

44. The Weather Channel is better.

[BikeWriter]

46. He obviously doesn't have a clue... or he's on drugs!

[havocmom]

47. trof, for what it's worth... my sis recently visited London & New Orleans

but she has never been to Alabama! You might just be OK.

But you folks in Idaho are SO screwed. That was her last destination. We are gonna start calling her Rudy G.

Seriously trof and Ms T, keeping you in prayers. Ride the wild wind and come out on top.

[xmas74]

48. Good luck to you.

I'll be thinking about everyone in the area.

[babylonsister]

49. trof, I'm bookmarking this, and you better get back on

here in a hurry! I'm glad you're enduring the pre-'cane jitters. :toast: I'm afraid to ask if you have trees around your home. :scared:
I'll be thinking about you and your mrs., and look forward to hearing more from you as soon as you're able after the storm.

[trof]

50. 7:00 Took some photos.

Dock, seawall, downed tree, shuttered windows.
Riveting.
;-)

Got photobucket.
Maybe I can get them up tomorrow.
If the Power Gods favor us.
Signing off.
Will check in in the a.m., PGs willing.
Hear thunder now.
We'll see.
:-)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

51. Stay well!

[In_The_Wind]

52. see ya soon

best wishes