If you said, "The robot from the 60s (1965-1968) TV show Lost in Space," you get 100 bonus points.
The weather weasels were calling for "overnight thunderstorms"... that turned out to be a bit of an understatement. Even with the blinds on our bedroom windows closed, the lightning lit up the room like a laser light show, accompanied by rolling and cracking thunder. Rufus cuddled in a bit closer, and the weather outside generally doesn't bother him. Power went out for a short time around 1:30. The rain pounded, but it didn't sound windy. I slept through Joan going out on our deck and rolling up the sun screens. We all tried to get back to sleep.
At 2:23am, the alarm feature on my phone went off...
Tornado warning?? That's a warning, not a watch. First I've seen that. Shelter? No one has a basement around here. Every room in our house has at least one exterior wall. A few minutes later the power went out again... and didn't come back on.
That's probably not a good sign.
The power was still out when I got up shortly after 6:00... no TV, no internet. Going out onto the deck, we could see from the glow on the clouds that some of Port Isabel had power. Everything on our island was out. It looked like the parts of Port Isabel that we could see had no power. No glow in the sky from South Padre Island. And, no way to find out what's up with the current situation.
We were up early because I have a follow-up appointment with the cardiologist who checked me out before the hip surgery. We got ready by flashlight. Cleaned up with cold water. I suggested we leave early, in case we ran into any "situation" getting out of town. Joan wondered out loud about our bridge; it needs electricity to open/close. It was eerily dark when we pulled out of our driveway. Evidence of downed palm branches, but I surmised that it was more from the pounding rain than wind, since they were clustered close to the palm trees.
The bridge was open, and driving through Port Isabel was dark... until we got to the main road through town: it was lit up by headlights, and traffic backed up for blocks in the eastbound lanes heading for the causeway. We were able to get through that traffic and head west. Most of the way through town, the power was on. Since it was early, we stopped for a Mickey D breakfast before heading on to the doctor's office. Checking phones, we still couldn't find out why no power at home.
A bit of a wait at the doctor's office, then the same lady who did my last echo test took me into that room for another. Very businesslike, to the point of being abrupt. When she told me that the probes she was attaching may pull some hair off when she removes them, I said, "I assume it is OK if I yell out 'Kelly Clarkson' when you do that?" She didn't crack a smile.
The cardiologist came in during the process, looking over her shoulder. After a few "Hmmm"s, he said there was no change with my "floppy valve" (a condition I've had since I was in my 20s)... I'm guessing he needed another payment on his Mercedes, but he seems like a nice enough guy. Same sense of humor (none) as the woman who did my echo procedure, so they must look for that in staff.
With that done, we could get to the important stuff: checking out some riding boots for me at the nearby Redwing Shoe Store. Yes, they have widths to fit my fat feet, and even have a new line of shoes/boots that are less "work shoe" looking. I tried on different styles and sizes and found just what I was looking for... almost as exciting for me as finding out my heart isn't crapping out. Then, to Sam's Club... which is only a "club" in that they charge you for a membership - you don't have to go to meetings or vote on anything. No secret handshake. We picked up what we needed there and headed for home.
We walked in the door right at noon - the power is back on, and we turned to the local news to find out what is going on... seems that straight line winds on South Padre Island took down about 30 power poles, and the "domino effect" likely caused the issues on our island and most of Port Isabel.
From the TV...
I have a dentist appointment on the island this afternoon - their phone service is out and no traffic is being allowed on Padre Blvd... I'm guessing I won't be going there. Still no power on SPI.
Pretty unusual to have a tornado warning around here with no hurricane in the area. Not sure if it was a tornado on SPI, or just straight line winds. I'm sure we will hear more on the 5:00 news.
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Makin' music...
It has been a while. Life sometimes gets in the way of what you intend to do. My friend and music partner Mark and I have both had other things going on and haven't had the opportunity to record any finished tracks. We're back at it again now.
Last week, after talking on the phone, I spent a few hours working on a song that Mark suggested: Bob Seger's Turn the Page. I did a scratch track to work from, then recorded tracks for drums, bass, acoustic guitar, and vocal. I sent those tracks on to Mark, and he added keyboards, sax (synth), and electric guitar. I got those tracks back last night, did some mixing, and here's the results...
https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/turn-thepage-v2
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