B-Day, Thanksgiving, Misc Stuff

 

Yep, enough said about that one....

Marcia and I had a nice Thanksgiving Dinner, just the two of us.  No, we did not have turkey, I made a Standing Rib Roast, and it was a perfect medium rare, and tasted real yummy.  Local grocery store had it on sale for $9.99 per pound, and we had five dinners out of it.  Next year I get to celebrate Thanksgiving and B-day on the same day!  Did not talk to my kids on Thanksgiving since we all talked the day before...all is well with all.  Mom and Patti went to Sandy and Arny's and they all had a great Turkey meal.

Our Hurricane Season comes to an end today.   

Projection for 2022 was: "The outlook from NOAA is for 14-20 named storms predicted this year, with 6 to 10 of those becoming hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. That would be an above-average season if it happens as predicted."   

Actual for 2022 was: "The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season saw an average number of named storms, a slightly above-average number of hurricanes, a near-average number of major hurricanes and a slightly below-normal Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index. Despite this, it became one of the costliest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.  14 named storms, eight hurricanes and two major hurricanes — Fiona and Ian"

So, the predictions were pretty much spot on, though the major hurricanes fell short.

Indy and I made another visit to Crystal Beach while Marcia attended her Woman's Bible Study, but I forgot my camera, and got this one with my cell phone.  A lady walked by with two smaller dogs, and Indy just had to watch them all the way until they got out of sight.  Marcia did skip one Bible Study the week before ... just one of those 'getting old' type of things.  Not sick, just not up to going out.  (That picture was taken Monday, today [Wednesday] I gave her another hair cut.)

Mom called Tuesday and said that a lady who lives at the Assisted/Independent Living facility had her car 'jacked' when she went out to drive away.  She did not get hurt, they got away with the car, and I could not find ANYTHING about it on the news.  Makes you wonder just how many of these type of things happen each day that 'we' don't know about.  Want to see some amazing stats from Chicago, visit here.  Below is just a sample of the information found at the site.

Chicago Year To Date
Shot & Killed: 610
Shot & Wounded: 2747
Total Shot: 3357
Total Homicides: 672
Carjackings: 1420  
Carjacking Arrests: 94

Wish they had a site like this for all major cities...

Interesting developments with our RV Storage site.  They cut that tree way back, they lined much of the parking lot, so they are getting ready to actively store more RVs, boats, utility trailers and vehicles.  So now we get a lot of shade, under an acorn tree (some type of oak tree), and as time goes on, more 'neighbors'.  I always wondered why they did not capitalize on this before.  At $125 per month (for my size), this will give them 40-50 more opportunities to rent more spaces...that's a bunch of money!  Over by our Walgreens Pharmacy they opened a lot up for storage two years ago, and now it is 70% full.  

Next week Marcia is seeing an eye doctor about a possible cataract that is really starting to affect her vision.  

On Monday Marcia asked "I know November 28th is a special date, do you remember why?"  Reminder her that it was the day that Dad passed three years ago.  When I dropped her off at Bible Study she said, "See you later."  I replied, "Okey Dookie", a term that I rarely use...but one that Dad used frequently.  I had used it earlier in the morning too...subliminal I reckon...

Hurricane Nicole (Tropical Storm) Blew Through

 

Above is what is left of Nicole, former Hurricane, now a Tropical Storm, soon to be a Tropical Depression, followed by just a rain storm.  Although we 'might' still get a few outer bands, it looks like the worse of it is done...and the worse was not that bad.

Around 10 pm last night, this is what Hurricane Nicole was projected to do.  Hit the Eastern Coast of Florida with winds of 75 mph (low level hurricane).  It hit between midnight and 1 am this morning.

At 3 pm this afternoon, it had moved through our area, and out into the gulf.  YES, we had winds of 50 mph for short time periods, but mostly the winds were in the 30 mph range.  The rain was rain...not heavy, and last night it was very light.  We can have storms move off the gulf through our area which seem to dump a good inch in like 10 minutes.  Today it was an inch in 60-90 minutes.

So, what did this storm do as it passed through.  Essentially, not much.  Public officials said, "There is nothing out of the ordinary (ordinary for storms) after Nicole passed through.  Many said that the storm was heavier than Hurricane Ian, which passed well south of us, but that this storm was really a non-issue.  In the pictures above, the one on the left I took Wednesday afternoon, the one on the right today in the afternoon.  Not much difference other than the water was choppier today.

Again, the one on the left was yesterday, the one on the right was today.

There was 'debris' from the storm...especially these old palm branches that were on the grass and out on the streets.  Some were moved out of the roadway, others still there for seldom used roads.

Down at the Sponge Docks Wednesday there was a fair crowd of people out enjoying the shops and restaurants.

Today, not a soul outside, and many shops were closed up.  Perhaps some of them will open up for service this evening...but will anyone come out to enjoy it if they do????

As I headed home I passed by Indy's Dog Park, and although you cannot see it in the picture, there was one person using the large dog area.  Of course, we are still concerned about the Canine Pneumovirus, so we have not been to the dog park for nearly a month now.  Perhaps all this wind and rain will blow the virus away and we can let her partake in the dog park again.

Bottom line, for friends and family who may have been concerned about the storm, we are fine...our motorhome is fine, our condo is fine, Indy is fine, and everything else in our area seems to be fine too.  This is most likely the last huge storm of the season, although technically the Hurricane Season lasts through the month of November.  The most recent November hurricane, before Nicole, which hit Florida was Kate, which struck the Florida panhandle on November 22, 1985, as a category 2 storm.  

I am impressed as to how Florida Officials prepare for, and handle these storms.  Pasco County (and surrounding counties) canceled school due to the hazardous conditions with the high winds associated with the storm.  Two people died in Orange County (think Disneyland area) due to electrical lines that they should have stayed away from.  Homes along the Atlantic had some damage, with a few falling into the Ocean, due to erosion and high waves.  But for the most part, all is well, though there is some flooding, especially on the east and central part of the state.

Heard We Were Headed for a Tsunami

 Nope, this is not a political post...I really stay away from those the best I can.

Yep, I am talking about another round of bad weather.  "Nichole" is currently a "Subtropical Storm", and it may just stay as a Subtropical Storm.  Then again, the current forecast calls for it to be a Hurricane by Wednesday evening.  It is suppose to hit land between Jupiter and Port St Lucie Thursday, then travel northwest to Springhill on the Gulf side.  (Springhill is where the Cracker Barrel is 22 miles north of us where we visited relatives recently.)  Maximum winds as it passes through the west coast would be around 40-50 mph.

Last nights weather forecast said that yes, we need to watch this storm, but that it should not be that much of a concern.  Like tropical storms, a subtropical storm has a well-defined center and a closed circulation. However, the area of maximum winds within the circulation is farther away from the center and there is less symmetry.  These storms generally produce less rain than a typical tropical system.

Indy and I went back to Crystal Beach last Monday and again today while Marcia attended her Bible Study at the church.  Both times I remembered to take my camera!

Crystal Beach is a nice little area to visit being easy to catch some nice camera shots there.  It is not crowded at all, and it gives Indy a place to get out and sniff, sniff, sniff...especially since the Dog Park is still off limits, and will be for awhile.

It is an active area for Kayaking, for Bicycle Riding, for Walking Dogs, etc.  

The fishing must be pretty good too, got this picture today and didn't have to wait very long to catch him catching a fish!  Not sure what he is fishing for, but he did catch something.  

There are also many birds, few of which I know the names of.  Yes, I could look them up, but give it just a few hours and I will forget the name.  I know that the one on the left I have looked up a half dozen times!  The one on the right I think I looked up once, maybe twice.  Can't remember their names, and not going to look them up again today!

Will be keeping an eye on the weather with the hope that it passes well north of Tampa so that it far away from Fort Meyer...those folks have had enough bad weather to deal with, and the cleanup is still going on, and will for a long time.