Idalia's Damage to Condo Is ...

 

Ok, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT our condo, not our street, not even near to us...it was a good 15 miles to our north.  But this is what many people are faced with, in many cases even worse, up and down the west coast of Florida from below Tampa all the way to Tallahassee. 

Our condo did not have any damage at all.  Below is one of the many BING camera videos that were captured looking out our patio towards a neighbor.  I have this camera pointed that way because behind that condo is where we keep our motorhome in storage...I have two cameras on the motorhome and this camera to keep an eye on things.  While gone, I left this camera active just so I can monitor storms.

If you click on the image above, and then in the bottom right of the video open it to full screen, it will show you just how windy and rainy it was Tuesday night.

Got this email from the Condo Board this evening:  

Relax, we are not aware of any damage to any of the units. There was no flooding. We did not even lose electrical power. It was a non-event. 

Everything is back to normal.

The Board

Last year we were in Florida when Hurricane Ian came for a visit.  It had a direct line on our community, and so we went over to the other side of Orlando where Marcia's brother lives.  Then we awoke to find out the Hurricane took a turn right into the Fort Meyer's area.  From there it was headed right for the Orlando area.  So left and drove north, got to I-10 and drove west, dropped south to Perry Florida where we stayed safe and sound.  Well, Hurricane Idalia did a real number of Perry this time around.  Above is just an example of what it did to a gas station.  Here is a link to see a video of this falling over: Click Here for Video

I was awake for much of Tuesday night / Wednesday morning, but before hitting the sack tonight I just wanted to let everyone know that our home is safe and sound.  My heart goes out to those who lost everything.  The amazing thing is just how quick some of the flooding has gone down.  The Sponge Docks in Tarpon flooded, and they were quickly cleaning up the water so that they can open again on Thursday, Friday at the latest.  Crystal Beach, where I have taken some nice sunset shots over the year, had water all the way up on the roadway Wednesday morning, but by Wednesday evening the water had receded and people were taking sunset pictures.  Three deaths were attributed to the weather, two were separate automobile accidents.  So now Floridians clean up, and get ready for the next hit.  Thank goodness, there is nothing threatening Florida or any other area of the U.S. on the horizon.

We have 7 more days here in Cromberg before we head back to the Sacramento area.

RV Storage Surprise!

 

In my last post I mentioned that our Motorhome would be stored in a storage facility next to our Condos at the old Moose Lodge.  On the south side of the old lodge property is a grassy area where some RVs have been stored off and on since before we lived in the Condos...storing RVs is part of the property zoning rights.  Monday night / Tuesday morning (around 3 am I think) I woke up suddenly and thought, "Why can't I park the motorhome along the fence between the lodge property and the condo property?  Well, I think I will ask them if we can."

So Tuesday morning I went and got the motorhome and made the short drive to the new (to us) storage area.  I dropped off the HHR at the condos, along with Indy who wanted to come with daddy.  I made sure I had a key to the locked gate between the Condos and the old Moose Lodge...you see, when it was a Moose Lodge they allowed people at the Condos to walk to the Lodge through this locked gate.  I then proceeded to drive over to the storage area.  I looked over the grassy area, and it looked a bit 'SCARY'.  Grass is a bit high, and as she said, there was loose sand areas in there.  Despite the grass I could see a few deep ruts.  I really did not want to try and put the motorhome back in there.

I looked over the area where I wanted to park, and saw that there was plenty of room.  I would not be blocking any traffic going around the old lodge, which is now used for storage for lots of miscellaneous appliances pulled out of rental homes and businesses.  The Lodge was bought by this real estate company which owns and manages small commercial properties like strip malls, and rental homes.  They own some of them, they manage others.  So I called the office to talk to Pam, who I saw on Monday when I signed our month-to-month contract.  I explained the situation, and she gave me the OK to park where I wanted to park.  I was so happy!

Now this is "The Surprise!".  That white arrow pointing through the trees is pointing to the back of our condo.  Now, when I take Indy out to do her stuff, I can look over to the left and see the motorhome.  When I need to go to the motorhome, I walk out our front door, and 100 steps later I am at the motorhome!!!  It is safely behind a looked gate with a large cyclone fence surrounding the property.  There are people who work for the real estate group coming and going most days, M-F.  There are some 5th wheels on the other side of the building outside of the grassy area, and other RVs, including a Class A, in the grassy area.  (The Class A is right next to the entrance/exit to the grassy area.)

I am going to look into putting some wireless cameras on the motorhome to be able to monitor the area, using our aircard for Internet.  Having it this close also means that we can take weeks, instead of days, in getting it ready for travel, and won't need to park at the RV Park near us in order to get ready.

Indy REALLY needed to get over to the Doggie Park.  Sometimes she NEEDS certain smells to get her system to work.  Now she can do Pee Pee almost on command when she hits grass, but Poop is a whole another thing.

With the HHR acting up so much I just could not use it to take her to the Doggie Park.  "💡" goes off in my head.  The motorhome is only 100 steps away!  Got Indy on her leash, walked over to the motorhome, and off we went to the Doggie Park.  It was 11:30, it was in the mid-80s with humidity in the mid-70's, so I did not expect any other dogs there.  Surprising there were three large dogs in the large dog section, but she was the only small dog.  I sat in the shade and watched her.  As I walked to the bench, she went over by the large dog area and I could not see her for about a minute.  The rest of the time (1/2 hour or more) she Peed at least nine times...never did see her poop.  She was not even interested in it.  I got up to leave and decided to walk over to the area where I could not see her for the minute.  SCORE!  There it was.  Picked it up and tossed it in the garbage as we left.  Marcia asked later how I knew it was hers.  "A Dad just knows things like that..." 

Indy + New Phone + Bad Weather + Sick Neighbor

 

Here is Indy, sitting next to me, checking things out at the Tarpon Springs Dog Park.  We thought Marcia was going to get her hair cut on Saturday, and I had planned to take her to the Dog Park during the hair cut...but her hair lady canceled out on us for Saturday...wasn't feeling well.  So Saturday I mentioned to Marcia my original 'plan' and I used the words "Dog Park" out loud, and Indy lite up like a Christmas Tree!  Within seconds she was jumping from chair to chair, running over to me and then back to the chairs.  Well, cat is out of the bag, so I took her Saturday.  

Above are three of the five dogs that were at the Dog Park on Sunday...yes, I said Sunday.  On Saturday there were eight or nine dogs, and she had a BLAST.  When we got back Marcia said her hair lady called and she can do her hair on Sunday...so Indy got a double dog park weekend.  Talk about one happy dog!

On Monday Marcia had her Bible Study with the ladies at church, and this is when I normally go to the motorhome and charge up the batteries by running the engine for 45-60 minutes.  Well, her phone had busted on Thursday.  The phone still worked, but with a broken hinge, it was not going to work very long.  We decided to order a Kyocera DuraXV LTE E4610 like I have, which came on Saturday.  It is a very durable phone, but it requires a sim card, so Monday I went to Verizon while she was at Bible Study and would do the motorhome on Tuesday.

On the left is my phone (taken with Marcia's new phone), which I got in February 2020...on the right is Marcia's new phone (taken with my phone).  So that we can tell them apart, I put light blue tape on her phone.  The GOOD thing about this change is that now I can help her with questions about how to use certain features of her phone, where her old phone was like CRAZY bad on how to do certain things.  Already this phone is much more to her liking, and it only cost $20 more than my phone cost 22 months ago.

On Tuesday as I was traveling to the motorhome I got a picture of the remains of the storm that went through the Tampa Area.  Little did I know, that just 100+ miles south of where I was...

(This picture taken from Internet)

...a minor Tornado went through the Fort Meyers area.  Now compared to the Tornadoes that went through Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and other states on the 10th, this was very minor.  One person hurt, a few cars were damaged, a few roofs damaged, a few car ports damaged...it was very minor.

We live in a corner unit, so we only share one interior wall with one neighbor...Mary.  Before we left California we knew that Mary had a heart by-pass.  She had been in rehab for about 6 weeks, and we knew two of her sons were coming out from New York to get her and take her to New York for home rehab.  They flew out Tuesday...not sure if there were any delays or not due to the weather, but I doubt it.  We saw her for just a few minutes on Monday as they brought her out of the rehab to select what she needed to take to New York.  We HOPE she gets better and is able to come back...only time will tell.

30 Miles From Home...Cracker Barrel Here We Are

Internet is SO SLOW right now due to congestion that I am not having any pics.  Started travels at 7 am, got here just after 5 pm, but lost an hour moving into Eastern Time Zone.  Our condo is 30 miles to the west-southwest of us, but we can't park there, and the RV park next door can't get us in until Sunday.  We are in the right time zone, even the right county...so close but so far away.

Today the traffic got heavier and heavier as we neared Tallahassee...stayed that way all the way here.  Two accidents slowed progress to 25 mph for a mile or so, not bad considering how it could get.

Paid $3.029 for gas in Quincy Florida, just off I-10 west of Tallahassee.  Saw one sign for $2.99, just one...

Hope to write more tomorrow, but realistically, it might be a few days later.  Glad to be ALMOST HOME!

Tropical Storm Elsa Headed For Our Condo

 

As of 8 pm Monday, Elsa is going to brush the West Coast of Florida, passing very very close to our Condo.  Thank Goodness it is only a Tropical Storm, and it is not projected to become a Hurricane again (it was a Hurricane for about a day a few days ago), and thank goodness it has shifted a bit into the Gulf...the track just 48 hours ago put the center of the storm right over Holiday Florida!  I have been tracking Elsa for a week now...very closely the past three days.

Here is a closer view of the projected path in relationship to our condo.  Anything in the "Blue" means that you are in the potential path...it also means the winds are going to be higher than outside of the blue.  Winds are currently projected at 45-55 in our area...we have been through that before.

In relation to where we currently are...well...we are still in Calhoun Georgia, and will be until Sunday.  The couple of parks I wanted to stay in within Tennessee were full...one is full for the whole rest of July.  Good for them, compared to last year and the beginning of this year.  So we are going to head into Kentucky on Sunday, then to the Cleveland area on Friday or Saturday, a week before the wedding.

Above are some of the computer models as to the possible tracks of Elsa as of this morning.  They are getting much better at tracking these storms, and this one has been spot on for many days now with just slight movements to the west before it cuts northeast over Florida and into Georgia and beyond.

Here is radar with Elsa over Cuba.  You can see there is no "eye" to this storm...it is not a hurricane and won't be a hurricane again (fingers crossed).  In case you need a reminder; a tropical storm has maximum sustained surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph.  Hurricane has maximum sustained surface winds of 74 mph or greater with a category 1 winds at 74-95 mph, category 2 at 96-110 mph, category 3 at 111-129 mph, category 4 at 130-156 and category 5 with winds over 156. 

With Indy having a 'special" day yesterday (one year anniversary of coming into our household), I gave in and gave her a whole hot dog.

I really am very careful on just home much of a 'Hot Dog' I let her have each week.  Typically one hot dog will last a week, sometimes longer.  Her normal food is dry Beneful, about 1/3 cup a day, along with cooked pork loin, a couple ounces per day.  She gets a bit of a hot dog when she has worn her phone vest (remember, she is a service dog for Marcia), when she gets a bath, when she gets her nails cut/ground, and/or when she is groomed.  This is the first time I gave her a whole hot dog, and didn't hold it as she bit little pieces off what part of a hot dog I normally give her.  Look at those eyes...WOW, I get the WHOLE THING!  Yep, happy adoption day little one.

A follower of our blog sent me this picture of their dog...a two year old boy.  WOW, looks just like Indy, doesn't it?

Took Indy to the Calhoun City Dog Park today for a bit of exercise.  There were three dogs in the small dog area, and two in the large.  She was the smallest, but they all got along just fine.  Due to the heat, the others did not stay long, and so we left too.  Thank goodness I had a Large Sonic Diet Coke, because when I gathered up a handful of ice for Indy, she gobbled it all up.  She just doesn't touch the water at these dog parks...even with the 90 degree heat.

Back Home Again (Oh It Hurts...)

 

Our first Florida Sunrise in over four months!  We were 300 miles from home and got up around 6 central time and hit the road.  Within 30-40 minutes we were in Eastern Time, and lost an hour.  By 2 am we were home and unloading.  By staying two nights in Cottondale, we were able to pack up our clothes, much of the food, and we were ready for the move back into the Condo.  In less than an hour of arriving at the condo, I was driving over to the RV park next door for a two night check in.  Finished with most of the stuff by loading up the car a couple of times, and we were both exhausted.  Today, more of the same...what is put in bags, has to be removed from bags.  The motorhome needs cleaning on the inside before storage, and I got most of that done, with the remainder being done Friday before storage.  We had not done laundry since California, so Marcia has been tackling that, along with kitchen and bathroom stuff that needed unloading.  I think by Saturday we will be finished...maybe by Wednesday or Thursday we won't be sore anymore from all this lifting, moving, climbing in and out of the motorhome, and chasing Indy all around.

Oh...and speaking of Indy, she thinks she has a new playground.  More on that another day.

Trying to Settle In -- Home in Florida

We have been home for eight days, and for the most part, we are settled back in...but there is a BIG HOLE still in our lives, in our hearts...

One thing we love is the Florida Gas Prices compared to the California Gas Prices.  I have a 14 gallon tank in the HHR, and I put nearly 13 gallons in at Sam's Club Friday.

Back in late November, I put just over 13 gallons in, and it cost me $45.50!  That's $15 more in taxes in California than in Florida!  THAT'S a bunch!!!  On top of that, Florida's highways are in much better shape than California's highways...makes you wonder doesn't it???

It took us a week, but we finally made it to Mama Maria's.  To top off the treat of eating at Mama's, we met Marcia's granddaughter and great-granddaughter there.  No pics, they don't want pictures of the nearly 4 year old out on the Internet...all I can tell you is that she is growing up, and is as cute as could be.  

Next week is Marcia's first Doctor's Appointment of the new year.  Today we went to get blood work done, and we were back home within the hour.  Sometimes it has taken us over an hour just to get the blood taken once we walked in the door!

 

Bubba is sure adjusting well without Skruffy.  We turned in the notification to the Condo Board about Skruffy's death, and Bubba being the new service dog.  We are going to look for a younger dog to fulfill this need, probably start looking in March.  He reminds us when he gets his "Arny and Sandy" treats...sometimes this 16+ year old acts like a kid.

It has been 2 1/2 weeks since we lost her..the hole in our heart is a bit smaller...I have not had any more dreams of her, but we both miss her so much.  

All of these pictures of her were taken back in 2012, except the one below which was taken a few years while we were headed to, or already in, Alaska.  This one above was taken at a westbound rest area in Texas along I-10 between San Antonio and Van Horn.  It was a very windy day, and she let me put her securely up on this tree limb, and you can see by her face just how windy it was.  When we drove along the same highway but eastbound, I looked over at that same rest area, I think the same tree...there are going to be many, many memories like this as we travel.  Happy memories, which help fill that empty hole...

Now when we drive, we just figure that Skruffy is there with us as our "co-pilot"...sitting on my dad's lap.  We love and miss you both.

Voting, A Walker, More Condo Association Stuff

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

Today we got around to voting…five days before voting day.  Line was non-existent…which was great.  We vote at the Public Library.  The picture above is the front of the Public Library…but they want voters to go around to the back.

We proceeded to the back, parked where the red and blue lines meet in the parking area.  Not seeing that if we followed the blue line, back by the dumpster, between the dumpster and the air conditioning units, behind the AC units, we could have avoided the red route over the grass.  However, there are NO SIGNS telling you that this blue route exists.  So Marcia struggled over the grass to the back door.  Now….how much would it cost to put in 15-20 yards of a concrete path?  Or put up signs showing the route along the sidewalk, by the dumpster, behind the AC Units…something any disabled person loves to do considering this could be a hiding place for someone with evil intentions to attack older, disabled patrons.  Anyway, we voted, and I showed Marcia the way through the Library to the front door, and I drove around and picked her up…and before she got in the car she got the sand out of her sandals from the sandy grass she walked over earlier. Voting early was easy…no line...staff was nice…and other than struggling to get inside the building, all was well.  BTW, the front door had a sign telling voters to use the back door…even though it is an easy walk through the front door to the meeting room where the voting takes place.  So instead of having Library Displays showing all these voters the benefits and resources of the Public Library…they would rather have their patrons (remember, all county residents are their patrons) to walk around back, vote, and walk back to their cars without visiting the library.  (Ok, I will get off my Library Soap Box…but after 23+ years working in a library, nearly 23 in a Public Library as a Director, I just can’t help it.

    

The BIG races in Florida are for Senate and for Governor…and they are both very close, well within the error margin, so who knows who will win.  Today we had no less than 14, yes 14 political flyers…all ended up in the garbage bin.  We have over-the-air TV, and normally watch either GRIT-TV (old westerns), MeTV (old sitcoms, Perry Mason, etc) or Laff (comedy sitcoms) …and thank goodness they don’t run political commercials.  However, when we turn it to the news (rarely), Blue Bloods (won’t miss it) or Last Man Standing (Tim is not the only funny one on that show) we get bombarded by political commercials.  And the radio as we drive…well, many times it is just turned off.  Now that we voted, we had hoped that this would all stop…but they won’t.  And the worse thing…one of the candidates for Florida Chief Financial Officer has sent out text messages to my cell phone.  This is against the law, FCC website says:

Political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, prerecorded voice messages, and text messages, are:

• Not allowed to cell phones, pagers, or other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent.

I reported them to a TV Station, to the Tampa Bay Times, and to the campaign directly…but still got another today.  GRRRRR….  Why would anyone want to vote for the CFO of the State when they openly break the law like this???  Saw articles today that other politicians in other states are resorting to this tactic too…shows just how dirty politics are today.

Last Monday Marcia finally broke down and we bought a walker for her.  Over the past few years, it has been harder and harder for her to walk with her cane.  On the way back from Bible Study a week ago Monday, we stopped at a Medical Supply place so that she could look at what they had…and she liked one very similar to the one above.  Under the seat is a pouch to hold her purse, Kindle, or whatever she needs.  It folds up real easy and fits in the backseat or back of the HHR.  She is walking much better since we bought it, and it is probably the best thing we bought for her disability since we got the electric scooter.  She has rarely used her cane since we bought it…only in the walk-in closet where the walker does not fit. Even with this walker, getting over that grass at the Library was pretty hard…something she could not have done with her cane.

Yes, another Condo Home Owners Association situation.  Today we got a mailer…sent out to EVERYONE.  Seems that some of the units (not us) have people under the age of 55 living in them…not visiting (limited to 30 days) but living in them.  I have noticed this since we got back, but have not said anything because it does not bother us.  Well, the letter they sent out says the following:

The state requires the enclosed survey from be completed every two years by each resident.  If more than one resident resides in a household, all residents must be listed with date of birth.  ALL RESIDENTS MUST BE 55 TO LIVE AT [CONDO NAME] AS STATED IN THE DOCUMENTS.  Any refusals to complete the survey form will be turned over to legal counsel.  Please drop off or mail…[gives unit number/address]

Well, I understand what they are trying to do here…but the Librarian in me says, “I wonder if there really is such a state law.”  So far, I have not found one.  Also, not only do they want ages and vehicle information, they want actual birthdates, occupation, an emergency contact name and number, and the final question:  “ARE YOU IN AGREEMENT WITH THE RULES AS STATED TO YOU AT THE INTERVIEW?”  (YES OR NO)

Frankly, I am tired of a Condo Association which thinks they are “God” and act more like “Hitler”.  Yes, they need to verify the age of occupants.  However, when we went through our “Interview”, which was first called an interview until I said something such as, “You mean you can decided ‘if’ we actually can live here or not even though we own it???”  At which time he (old President) said, “It is more like an orientation…if you are over 55, then you can live here, but we need to orient you to the rules.”  Anyway, at this “orientation”, we actually were asked, and we consented to, showing them our Driver’s License.  Of course now, they know just how much older Marcia is than I am…which I think was his intention to begin with.  So “WHY” do we need to provide our birthdates now?  And state if we are married or not. (we are), but it asks “Married, Single, Divorced or Widowed”.  WHY do they need to know this???   What an invasion of people’s privacy.  This is going to take a bit more research…and perhaps a call to a state agency or to HUD.  (Just because someone has to take a stand….)

Hurricane Passes 200 Miles to our West

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

Around 6:30 Tuesday night I went to one of our favorite gulf picture taking locations, Crystal Beach Florida.  This is looking out to the west…the group of islands out there is Honeymoon Island State Park…beyond that is the Gulf, and those clouds out there are part of Hurricane Michael.

The flag at Crystal Beach, which is a community within Palm Harbor…not really a ‘Beach’ as one would think of Clearwater Beach, or other real beaches in our area…but the flag was flying due west, but it was a light wind…had I got the picture just 15 seconds earlier, the flag was still. 

Last night we have a few downpours, had a constant 10-15 mph wind with a few gusts up in the 20’s to 30’s, and just a few downpours which lasted for very short periods of time…as shown in the picture above.

    

Marcia and I went back around 11 am today to see the difference between last night and today.  Around 1:15 it will be high tide, and they are expecting another foot or so from what it was when we went by.  Above you can see that the pole on the far left with a bird on it does not show up in the picture to the right…and in the picture to the right where a bird looks to be standing on water, it was standing on the pole which is clearly above water in the picture to the left.

    

These two pictures above clearly show how much higher the water is.  Now compare that to the same trees taken back in December 2016 below…

…the vegetation is much more mature today…but look at how low the water “normally” is!  A vast difference.

   

Here is the fishing pier taken today (left), and the same pier taken back in December 2016.

And this is what happens when you take your lens off in a air conditioned car, step out to take a picture in the 85 degree, 110% humidity … my eyeglasses did the same thing!

Here is an area in Tarpon Springs.  The boat dock, which does not float, has only another foot or so before it is under water.  The sea wall has about two feet before the water comes over it.  Last night there was a fisherman here and I asked him how high it was last night compared to other times.  He said that last year during the hurricane that passed through to the east of Tarpon Springs, that the water level was way, way down…the winds were pushing the water out away from shore, unlike the hurricane Tuesday which was to the west…it all depends upon which way the wind blows.

      

As I write this, the category 4 hurricane has hit the Mexico Beach area of Florida, just to the east of Panama City and Tyndall AFB, and just to the west of Port St. Joe and the Apalachicola River Wildlife area.  Devastation is going to huge…wind and storm surge has never hit this area during our the history of our nation.  The storm will do damage all the way up into Georgia..and in the Carolinas.  By Thursday it will be in the Atlantic…leaving a wake of clean-up…and who knows how many deaths.