This can't be good...

There are some people you just don't want to see in your neighborhood.

Oh, you may be thinking, "But, Jim, you can get along with anybody."

Almost anybody.  There is one guy I don't want to see anywhere around my home or where I may be.  That guy is Jim Cantore, from The Weather Channel.  Last time he was in our neighborhood (2008), Hurricane Dolly was pounding and drenching deep south Texas.  He stood there on the beach on South Padre Island, his windbreaker flapping in the wind, the look of anticipation in his eyes... hoping to show us all the damage that hurricane was inflicting.

Well, there is the chance of "coastal flooding" around our home in Texas right now.  Plenty of rain, some storm surge happening around high tide.  As long as it doesn't come over the sea walls in our canal, it isn't really an issue - we live on an island, the water has some place to go.

That said, Jim Cantore isn't there right now.  He is in Phoenix.  Same gleam in his eyes.  He was standing in a dry river bed... a river bed that wasn't dry last week, when there was a lot of flooding in this area.  Saying, "This river bed is dry right now, but it isn't going to stay that way..."

Hurricane Odile hammered Baja California in Mexico.  It is "down" to a tropical storm as it moves across the Sea of Cortez.  The wind is down from 135 mph to around 50 mph.  It is heading towards the Phoenix area.  Most of the wind will have dissipated by the time the center of the storm reaches this area, but they are calling for BIG amounts of rain... again.  Just last week, the Phoenix area was hit with flooding.  The weather weasels called that one "a 100 year storm"... looks like the area is in for another hit.  People in the area are bracing for this next rain event: many weren't prepared for "the Storm of the Century" last week, but there are many fire stations that are being used to hand out sandbags.

High winds in the southern part of the state have already damaged buildings and knocked a train off the tracks last night.

We saw some light rain while we were out and about today (checking out some more RVs).  Nothing serious yet, but it looks ominous to the south.  It gave us some crosswind to check out RV handling.

We also took the time to check out another RV resort - a little bit further away from the kids than where we stayed last year, but faster access since it is just a few blocks away from the new 303 Loop.  It is gated, and you can't just "drive through for a look"... a real estate broker on-site took us around.  The place is HUGE, but it seems like a different vibe from where we've stayed in the past - I think we are going to check into it before we head out of here.

That said, I'm thinking we won't be doing anything outdoors for the next two days.

Damn that Jim Cantore!