FROM The eye of the storm: Orlando, Florida

[JimVrhovac]

Looks like we are going to take a pounding tonight. It is really raining now and the winds are about 40 mph with gusts much higher. I am not going outside to get an exact measurement. Thunder and lightning is getting bad now so don't know how much longer power will last. We have prepared for the storm:

All the furniture and anything that can blow away is in the garage along with Ruth's car. My pickup in outside.

The cats are on the porch and shaking like h...

Picked up a new batch of SWAMP CABBAGE for a snack later tonight.

Candles are set out around the house and some are lit so when the lights go out we can see to light the rest of them.

Battery operated radio has dead batteries in it. Oh well.

I filled the tub with clean water to use but my wife took a bath in it and then drained it out. Can't win them all.

Cold budweiser is on ice in the kitchen.

Bottle of wine is on ice for when the lights go out. Need something to go.

Any bets on what the birth rate will be in 9 months in FLorida. Ha Ha.

My slipper collection is packed away in plastic water proof bags. The tickets for the October cruise are in the safe and it is in two plastic bags.

One of my patients called 20 minutes ago and said that her IV (Intervenous) medication was not running properly and asked if I could come over. Told her to take two aspirins and I will see her in the mornine.

Wish us luck tonight. The eye is scheduled to pass over the area where we live sometime around midnight

Jim & Ruth
JVrhovac@AOL.com

[peaches from georgia]

Good luck, Jim and Ruth. We've been thinking about you. All will be fine; you sound prepared. :)

[jjones]

Saying prayers that after Charley has passed everything will be well with you, Ruth, the cats and your possessions and everyone else in Orlando.

[ger_77]

Good Luck Jim and Ruth ... although I'd be very careful with that new batch of swamp cabbage and the candles around. Be careful when striking a match to light a new candle ... you could get a bigger surprise than the hurricane provides! Seriously, we'll be thinking of you and praying for your safety. Your Canadian friends are thinking about you ... let us know how you manage. Hugs to both.

Ger & Honey Bunny

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[grandma bev]

Appreciate the timely report. Waiting to hear from our family in Ft. Myers and Orlando. Sending good wishes and cyberhugs to all.

[sail7seas]

Ruth and Jim......stay safe. Prayers for you and everyone who is in the path of this ugly storm. You have made all possible preparations and hopefully all will be well.


(What did that patient think you were going to do???? Try to venture out in the storm??? What were they thinking?????? Corrections.....they obviously were not thinking at all.)

Please check in with us as soon as possible after the storm moves off so we will know you are both fine.

[localady]

Jim-Our prayers are with you, Ruth and all your neighbors! Stay dry and safe!

Sher & Bob

[teencruiser18]

Does anyone know how close it's come to Daytona, Boca Raton, or Delray? I have family in all those place. Jim, I'm praying for you.
Kerry

[Lois R]

Kerry, Delray and Boca are in no danger..they are in South Florida...the storm is much more north.....
Actually, now that it is 10:15pm Eastern Time.....Charley has already been in Orlando (still may be there) and is on his way up to Daytona Beach and Jacksonville:( ..........it is raining here now...and the news keeps saying the winds are going to get much worse in the next couple of hours......into the night.

[localady]

Good luck Lois, our prayers are with you for a safe night.

Sher & Bob

[Bill S]

Hang in there, Jim & Ruth! Been there, done that! I was a kid and it was more exciting than scary. Let us know how you all managed!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Jim and Ruth, and Lois I really hope you are all alright. I have been watching the news and it looks like it has been pretty bad.. I hope you can both report in soon or at least tomorrow morning and let us know you are safe.
Jim I hope you cats are safe and you enjoyed you "Swamp Cabbage";)
I have said a prayer for both of you.

Take Care

[Lois R]

Hi folks....things here in Jacksonville are okay:) ...thanks for all the good wishes...my electric didn't even go out last night!

Sadly though, they are finding many deaths down in Punte Gorde/Port Charlotte:mad: :( ......Charley turned so quickly that many people didn't leave.....and now the news is coming in....he was supposed to hit Tampa but turned east before he got there.....and the 2 small gulf towns were hit HARD instead.

Those 2 areas in SW FLorida have many many many retirees...and the quick timing...a lot stayed down there.....and paid the ulitmate price...my hearts go out to all their families:( ........

Thank you all for you thoughts......we need to say a prayer for those people in SW FLorida.......

[jazzsea]

The pictures on the front pages of our newspaper (Stuart News) are really upsetting. I fear for the safety of friends over near Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Have not heard from our son who lives in downtown Orlando. Talked to him last night before the eye of the storm passed over. I suspect he and his dog (our granddog) had a sleepless night.

I shuddered when I read of the roof blowing off of a nursing home in Punta Gorda.

Charley is heading for my brother and sister-in-law in coastal Virginia.

Reminds me of hurricane Andrew. We survived Andrew and breathed a sigh of relief only to lose the roof on our condo in Kauai to hurricane Iniki the same week.

[Randyk47]

Lois - Glad to hear you're OK. Hope the same is true for some of our other CC friends. I hope and pray that the only reason we haven't heard from them is that their power is out.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

Heard from our friends in Largo - the storm went 150 miles south of them - they had a lot of rain. But their cousin lost their home in Punta Gorda.

Had also e-mailed Ruth and Jim and heard from them last night. Said just about what he posted here. Haven't heard if they have power this morning or not as the storm was to go right over them around midnight.

:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) Lois R

Glad to hear that you made it through the night and that everything is all right where you are in Jacksonville.

Bet you didn't sleep a wink last night.

:)

[vjb223]

We also live in Jax , we were lucky , some city's were not. I took out flood insurance 1 month (waiting period) and one week before. Hubby said no I ignored that next time will not ask. Peace of mind is worth it. Jax is lucky we have that curve, u shape part of state. It is good to prepare anyway. I feel so sorry for the punta gorda folks, need a cruise fix. right..

[smeyer418]

Anyone know how Captiva made out? I heard that is where it came ashore. Did the "tween waters inn" come out ok?

[Lois R]

....If he had circled more inland...Jax could have been a direct hit.......yes, we were very lucky.

KK:) ....I did sleep....maybe my mind was so tired it needed to just sleep......so, I didn't fight it...I had the news on all night.....even fell asleep with the tv on in the bedroom......

I am sure ya'll are watching the news this morning.........my hearts really really go out to those in SW FLorida:( ..........the deaths and damage....oh my goodness. There is more than 1 mobile home park that was totally ripped apart....:(

Jazzsea...I hope your son is allright!

Thanks for everyone's good wishes......who said, " I need a cruise"? I do...

[stillfrantic]

I believe our own TT lives in Port Charlotte. She posted on the roll call that she was not planning on leaving her home, but that was before the change in course and severity. I hope she made out okay.


Honestly, I'm not sure why there was a :D at the start of the thread. This is a devistating tragedy for those involved. No amount of :D or jokes can take that away.:(

[Lois R]

Still Frantic, maybe Jim didn't realize when he posted it......sometimes in reality people laugh when they are nervous......I am sure he didn't mean any disrespect...( I hope not anyway).
And I hope TT is allright as well!...my heart goes out to everyone.......

[HeatherInFlorida]

Lois, so glad you guys made out okay up there! We're not hearing anything about the east coast areas like Daytona. Anyone know?

And I wonder how Jim and Ruth are? The eye went right through Orlando and I'm not getting news on that area either! I think Jim had a :D at the start of the thread because no matter how bad things get, he tries to look at life with a light heart and a smile. He certainly meant no disrespect. That's for sure.

Terrible tragedy and just a little bit this way or that it could be us. My heart goes out to everyone in Charley's path.

[Lois R]

Heather...hi:)...I have been watching the news all morning....nothing about Daytona (and I am just north of there)...so I am thinking No News is good news!

Now, Orlando, that looks like they got hit pretty badly......The Theme Parks are closed and the winds were supposed to be VERY BAD....This Charley took on a mind of his own.....you know he made a turn that NONE of the Specialists expected......he was aimed for Tampa.....and BOOM...all of a sudden he turned NE much quicker than expected.....:eek: that is when he went into Punte Gorda and Port Charlotte.......I think those 2 retirement cities were the hardest hit:(

[Krazy Kruizers]

Knowing Jim, it was a little of both - being nervous and trying to look on the bright side and keep his mind off the storm.

At the same time he was posting here, he was answering our e-mail.

Just reading in between the lines - they were nervous!

Haven't heard from them this morning.

:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Jim mentioned that he had to be at work at 7 this morning and Ruth doesn't use the computer.

So he may not be at home

OR

they don't have any electricity.

[Lois R]

KK...hope they are both ok.....and maybe he will post this evening....

[sail7seas]

I am very happy for those of you who are safely through the storm.

Jazzsea...thinking all good thoughts for your son and :) granddog.

Lois...happy you are safe and well.

We in Boston have been told the storm will come up the coast and we should expect 4" of rain tomorrow.....but no tropical winds, thankfully.

[grandma bev]

It could be a few days before we hear from our families and friends in the Ft. Myers and other Florida areas. Storm damage always causes loss of electricity. Let's keep this thread going in case one of them posts.

Bev
Survivor of many Gulf Coast storms!

[Lovebirds]

Anyone know how Captiva made out? I heard that is where it came ashore. Did the "tween waters inn" come out ok?
I have been watching the webcast on www.nbc-2.com (http://www.nbc-2.com)

It's one of the Ft Myers area TV stations and has been running non stop updates.

They said that there has been a 400 yd swath cut through Captiva. In other words there is a portion of the island that no longer exists.

The bridge to Sanibel is still closed, but preliminary reports say every building on the island is damaged.

Lots of prayers still needed for our friends and loved ones in those areas.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Lois, I have to defend the forecasters. Actually Fort Myers and Port Charlotte were always "in the cone". Everyone in the cone is supposed to expect the worst and hope for the best. Even we here in West Palm were told to begin preparations because it could hit well below Tampa and possible include us. So I don't blame the forecasting. In fact, I'm amazed at their accuracy.

I know it sounds like I work for weather.com, but I promise I don't:D . I just like to give credit where it's due and my eyes were glued for 2 days and they definitely warned everyone from Naples on up that they could get it.

Okay, now I'll get off my soapbox;)

[OCruisers]

CELL PHONES .... Our good friends in Orlando finally got through to us on their CELL PHONE ... said they had been trying for two hours. They wanted us to get in touch with their parents to let them know they weathered the 100 mph winds and were fine.

REASON for OUR POST: Hoped this would help keep others who have not heard from their friends and family via Cell Phone from thinking the worst! Many Cell Phone users are also having problems connecting!

Cyberhugs to All! OCruisers

[stillfrantic]

Any word on North Captiva? It is accessed only by boat via Bokeelia, so I don't expect any good news about our vacation paradise. I have to image all the very few year round residents left in time, but I wonder if any of the island remains?:(

[HeatherInFlorida]

Any word on North Captiva? It is accessed only by boat via Bokeelia, so I don't expect any good news about our vacation paradise. I have to image all the very few year round residents left in time, but I wonder if any of the island remains?:(
Sad to say, but I can't imagine any good news out of Captiva. We heard on the news that there was not a home left undamaged. At some point I heard 160 homes destroyed and at least 160 badly damaged. As to No. Captiva, the news has to be just as bad. Poor little skinny island out there and dead center in Charley's path.

[RDMOREU]

We live in Longwood, a bedroom community of Orlando. Local television has been reporting that there are 800,000 homes without power in the Orlando area.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

A lot of the cell phones are probably unusable because their transmiting towers could be down.

[HeatherInFlorida]

In case any of you are following this thread to check on Jim and Ruth, there's a new thread started with an update telling us they're fine. So check there.

[Lovebirds]

:)

A lot of the cell phones are probably unusable because their transmiting towers could be down.

I built cell towers before I retired, so I've been keeping an eye on boards related to that industry. The systems seem to have survived pretty well, no reports that I've seen of towers down, but there are some antennas on the towers that have been damaged. A lot of the problem is just overloaded systems. Everyone is trying to call in and out of that area right now and the systems just can't handle the volume. I am amazed that there is still pretty good cell service available.

[cusyl]

We live in Sarasota (Tampa Bay Area) and they forcast Charley to be a direct hit here with a category 4 storm. As we live in a flood area we evacuated along with grandkids and their parents to a hotel that had a generator on International Drive in Orlando.
Thank God the storm went about 40 miles south and then east of Sarasota. This meant we would not get the 14 foot surge of water from the Gulf of Mexico.
Then the storm wiped out Arcadia about 40 miles east of us and on up to Interstate 4 to Orlando. We were on the 5th floor of the hotel and I could feel the building move during the highest winds. I think they were 90 MPH. Water blew in thru the AC hit and soaked the floor.
Flying debris from the hotel sign hit several cars and broke windows. One of them was on my son's new Expedition.
None of the tourist attractions in that area, Universal, Wet and Wild etc were damaged. Disney World is supposed to open tomorrow I believe.
When we arrived back home with our 2 cats in tow we found our house untouch and we are very thankful. (The cats spent most of the time hiding either under the bed or under the bedspread with their heads covered LOL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

cuysl

So glad that your fmaily and cats are all safe and that when you got home, you found everything to be all right.

That must have been some experience.

Thanks for the report.

[HeatherInFlorida]

cusyl, what a day and night for you! But talk about a huge sigh of relief! How good you must have felt to find everything aok at home. As our hearts break for all those who have lost so much, we can't help but be thankful for our own good fortune.

[grandma bev]

Spoke with family in Longwood, Orlando area. They lost power at midnight. Granddaughter nearby has no power OR telephone. We were told they were being asked NOT to use cell phones or phones due to needs by emergency workers.


Grandson in Ft. Myers stayed to help with EEOC computers, and says it got so bad there at one point they had to evacuate him and other emergency workers. Much damge everywhere.

Glad all on the board are safe.

[JimVrhovac]

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well wilshes.

We always look at the bright side of things and therefore use a smiley face 99% of the time. Look at it from the good side all my fertilizer got watered in and we had a nice romantic evening when the electricity went out.

We lost electricity shortly after I posted this thread and did not regain it until couple hours ago. Most of Orlando and Kissimmee area are still without electricity and it is creating a lot of problems. Gasoline mostly.

I think abour 10-11pm the storm passed over us and it became real calm outside. Went outside with some of the neighbors to survey the damage in the neighborhood.

I saw all my serious patients today and they all weathered well. Couple lost carports for two in mobile home parks and light damage to homes. Nothing real serious. Everyone is fine and I plan on taking off tomorrow to clean up around my own house.

We lost 80% of the shingles on our roof but only two areas are down to the wood and plan on putting plastic on them tomorrow. Lost two trees but the laid over in such a way that they did not hurt anything. Fortunately the one next too the driveway laid down away from the cars so no damage was done there. Lot of shingles in the yard and several pieces of roof decking from one of our neighbors who lost 20% of his roof. Lost the vinyl siding on one side of the house but that can be relpaces. Lost 40% of the wooden fencing around the back yard but I was planning on replacing some of that anyway.

Ruth, the cats, the fish, the birds, and I weathered the storm well. We had a picnic with wine, budweiser, and swamp cabbage last night over candlelight and then had a long dessert together. Nothing like a long night with the electricity out to renew friendships............................

Cell phones have been useless down here all day. Either the lines are clogged or the towers are down. Don't know. We have Nextel, T Mobil, and cellular and none of them worked well.

The traffic was herendous today. They asked for everyone to stay home but no one did. Everything was closed because there was no electricity. It took me 10 hours to drive 120 miles and cover an area that usually takes me 5 hours.

There is a lot of damage around here. Lot of trees and power lines down. Remember trees do not have deep rutes (?) here like they do up north. Very little personal injuries around Orlando area - Thank God for that.

Someone asked if we were nervous. Yes we were. We lived through Andrew in Homestead in the early 60's so we knew what to expect. We prepared properly and then made the best of a bad situation. I psyciatrist one cold me to only worry about things that you can impact on. We could no impact on things last night so we prepared as best we could and then we made the best of a bad situation.

Got some things to do around here while it is still light out. Will be back on the boards later tonight,,,

Jim & Ruth

PS: The tickets to the Zuiderdam and the slippers survived without any damage.......

[grannynurse]

I'm sorry about your roof but as you said, no one was hurt, and Thank God for that.

I've missed your emails and posts. Have been thinking about you guys alot.

I didn't know you lived close to Port Canaveral. We'll be down on 12/26 to get on the Zaandam on the 28th. Maybe we can finally meet.
GN

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jim & Ruth, so glad you both made it so well through such a terrible storm. Don't know you at all, but I always enjoy your lighthearted posts. I knew the storm went right over Orlando so I was as concerned for you as all the others on here who know you so well. So here's another sigh of relief to add to all the rest.

[stillfrantic]

I got a call from my friend who was to arrive at Captiva today. They actually got down to there after spending the night at Sawgrass. She called me when she discovered there was no way to the island and said, "Find me someplace to go." I made reservations for them on Marco Island, which is aparently fine, while the Ritz-Carlton in Naples is completely closed. It really hit home how a few miles can make a big difference in storm tracking.

[JimVrhovac]

I am going to drop you an email. If you don't get it drop me one with you address so we can try to get together when you are coming through Orlando.

Jim & Ruth

NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU TRYING TO CALL INTO FLORIDA:

The telephone and cell lines are a mess down here and nothings is working as it should. It takes me 5-10 tries to make a local cell call so be patient when trying to get in touch with friends and loved ones.

Remember: No news is good news

[smeyer418]

I got a call from my friend who was to arrive at Captiva today. They actually got down to there after spending the night at Sawgrass. She called me when she discovered there was no way to the island and said, "Find me someplace to go." I made reservations for them on Marco Island, which is aparently fine, while the Ritz-Carlton in Naples is completely closed. It really hit home how a few miles can make a big difference in storm tracking.
thanks!

[Roboat]

Hi Jim and Ruth and all,

We live in east Orlando (near 417 and 408) and got hammered pretty good but had no significant damage. Folks a hundred feet either side of us had trees down on their car, and the shed bown away. Amazing that there seem to have been few injuries. Maybe the reports of tornadoes in our area were valid.

Glad you all made it through OK. Our thoughts and prayers for those less fortunate.

[elmorejj]

To Roboat, Jim, Ruth and anyone else in the area, so glad that you are safe. Material things can be replaced, your life and limbs can`t.

To JIm. please tell this ignorant Brit what swamp cabbage is, you refer to it a couple of times and its a totally new expression to me!.....jean :cool:

[JimVrhovac]

"Swamp Cabbage" is a cracker (Old Florida Red Neck) dish that is made out of the hearts of the Palmetto Bush. One large bush provides a piece the size of a graapefruit. It is heavily spiced and served as a vegetable.

It is guranteed to release any gas that lingers in your system and will clean you out better than any laxative made. It is delicious but you pay the price for eating it..........

Some interesting things heard on the radio today:

App 750 miles of power transmission lines are down in the greater Orlando and surrounding counties.

App 6,000 workes from Florida and other states are working on restoring power and telephone services.

Some areas will not get power back for 5-7 days post storm.

I think these people are doing a fantastic job.

In listening to the talk show as I visit my patients it interesting to listen people complain about Their pharmacy is not open to get their prescriptions refilled, They have no clean water in their houses, They are missing their favorite television programs, etc. DID ANY OF THESE PEOPLE LISTEN WHEN THEY WERE TOLD HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE STORM????????

For the amount of damage that I have seen it is a miricle that there was not more injuries to people.

The sun is shinning and it i great Florida day today....Think I will go clean up some trash from the yard....

Jim & Ruth

Roboat,
Glad you came out ok and had no serious problems. Want to come over and help me clean up my yard.......

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well said, Jim. I agree with you. But so many people just have to blame someone, have to complain. It's discouraging sometimes. I've also heard so many people complaining that the forecasters "got it wrong". From my viewpoint, they were amazingly close and I just can't imagine what people want. Yes it was a surprise that it came ashore early and they weren't expecting a Cat 4. But I have to say that even here in West Palm I was beginning to get ready "just in case".

Next time it could just as easily be us. And I plan to be good and ready:D . Not planning on getting any of that swamp cabbage in the house any time soon though;) .

[elmorejj]

Thanks Jim for explaining to me the meaning of swamp cabbage. I think I`ll pass this time. Mind you, we have some wierd things that we eat in the UK too, that I know a lot of Americans would pass up on!!....jean :cool:

[BurBunny]

{{{{{ Jim and Ruth }}}}}

I'm thankful you both are okay. I was thinking about and praying for you as I watched the storm reports in your area. Update me when you can about our mutual friends?

Heard this afternoon from one of my clients who lives in Port Charlotte. She'd gone to her daughter's house for safety... but when the storm changed tracks her daughter was literally in the eye of the storm. Roof blown off, they spent the duration of the storm under mattresses in a lower hallway hoping the walls wouldn't cave in. Lost all their furniture and such, but they're safe and staying in her mostly undamaged condo (only one window frame with damage).

Had this storm hit Tampa, I don't think I had a single client in the area... the path it eventually took touched almost my entire Florida client base along with many more in costal cities up through Virginia. Amazing. Thankfully, so far I think they're all okay and will recover from the damage.

[lknick]

They said that there has been a 400 yd swath cut through Captiva. In other words there is a portion of the island that no longer exists. Or to put it another way, there are now two islands. Just as Captiva was formed by a hurricane from Sanibel, we now have North and South Captiva...or maybe some other name.

A hurricane formed 'Blind Pass' in 1960, and took a complete barrier island off of Tampa during the 1890s.

But none of this makes it any more bearable for the survivors.

For an update, go to www.abc-7.com. There is also streaming video on this site.

[peaches from georgia]

Well, it's good to know you are fine and I hoped didn't suffer any serious damage to your property. I thought about you when the eye crossed just north of you versus north of Tampa. The barrier islands are in such peril when these storms come. We lived on the coast of NC for 20 years and every hurricane was a threat to our islands there. :eek:

[localady]

Iknick-

Good to see you are on the boards again! We sure hope you and yours made it thru through the hurricane without substantial lose!! According to your bio, you were pretty close, if not in the eye of the storm!!:cool:

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm wondering how South Seas Plantation fared. That's way at the tip so it had to experience damage. We stayed there for a week in 1999 and loved all of Captiva. So so awful. What a horrible shame.

[lknick]

Estero, Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island andBoca Grande hit very hard. No one allowed as yet on islands. Heard National Guard has sealed these islands off plus all of Charlotte County [where hurricane came ashore]. Seems there was already some looting in Ponta Gorda where the worst damage occured and confirmed 10 died because they would not evacuate their mobil homes.

I experienced little damage...some fascia, a few tiles from roof gone [but it was time for a new roof] and a tree with four ways to fall decided to fall into my pool cage. Now the real problem starts...getting someone to fix the damage.

[localady]

Iknick-
Glad to hear you damage was minimal! My heart goes out to those who lost sooo much. Think I will stay in California and risk the earthquakes!!! Besides, if San Francisco does fall into the ocean, then we will have beach side property!:eek:
My DH was at the epicenter of the last big quake in LA, I am not sure he'd agree with me. He said his biggest frustration was the amount of "con-artists" that came out of the woodwork to make repairs or replace things that didn't need replacing!! I hope you all fare better!

[JimVrhovac]

It has been raining most of the afternoon here and it has just compounded a lot of problems.

THANK GOD we have dedicated repairmen working 16 hours a day in all kinds of weather getting our basic services back into operation.

I feel for the people who's homes have been severely damaged and all they can do is watch as the water compounds their problems.

While seeing my patients this morning I passed an area of woods in Osceola county and it was totally devistated. It reminded me of scenes from Viet Nam that had just received B52 bomber strikes. Not a tree was standing and 2 ft diameter pines were snapped like toothpicks. Mother nature can sure be nasty.

Another way to look at it is that that section of woods will spring to life with new growth shortly and again will be a strong stand of woods in a few years, as will the communities in this part of Florida.

We may be haggered and bruised from our experiences but we will be better for them. That is what makes us American's and the evey of every other nation on this planet......

Jim & Ruth

[HeatherInFlorida]

.....Another way to look at it is that that section of woods will spring to life with new growth shortly and again will be a strong stand of woods in a few years, as will the communities in this part of Florida.

We may be haggered and bruised from our experiences but we will be better for them. That is what makes us American's and the evey of every other nation on this planet......

Jim & RuthSo true and so beautifully said, Jim. And I love your outlook. Being able to look at the bright side of things is what helps us get through all the difficult times. And while some may not agree with me politically, you are so right about America being the envy of every nation. And while many say we are hated, I believe the emotion is envy. Why else would so many try so hard to come into our country?

Way off subject, sorry. But you reminded me, too, of the outpouring of help both financially and physically by so many Americans who are trying to come to the aid of all those who have been so badly bruised by this disaster.

It makes me proud to be an American and it always will.

[elmorejj]

Very well said Jim. You have a great outlook on life, but being an ex-military man, I know you have seen other tragedies in your life and you know you have to keep on going..God bless you and Ruth.....jean :cool:

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Jim, I am so glad you and Ruth are doing well. Your out look for the future is so great, I bet you are wonderful in your career with working with patients.
I do have a question for you. I know that you have birds, I am just curious how they reacted just before and during the storm? I can guess the cats just found a good hiding place like mine would do. I am not sure how my cockatoos would do you can till they do not like storms they do not do their crunching of the beaks.
Thanks

[JimVrhovac]

The birds were quiet that whole night. These paraketes don't make a lot of noise anyway. They never do when it storms or when the lights are out.

I remember something about the changes in barametric pressures during storms that affects birds.......

During the heighth of these storms you can feel the outward pull of the wind in the house.

Hope that answers your question.

Jim & Ruth

[vjb223]

Our son in Winter Park is still without power, all his Pizza's will thaw out, see you onboard.