Round Two...

 

I was up at 6:30 this morning.  Working through my morning routine, I had to stop to look at the TV: a severe weather warning for our area.  I looked out the window... it looked relatively calm, but overcast.  Part way through getting Rufus fed, the first gust hit - there is a lawn ornament that Steph bought for Joan that Joan strapped to a brick so we could have it on the patio table... the wind blew that ornament and the brick off the table!  By the time I got out there to secure things, the rain hit.  Coming down heavy and horizontal.

I heard on TV that gusts were peaking at 70 mph.  I believe that.  40 minutes later, the rain has pretty much quit, winds are down to a sustained 26 mph.  When we went to bed last night, the weasels were predicting "a slight chance of a stray thunderstorm."

Here's the radar...

 Yeah, it looks like a re-run of the screen shot I posted yesterday.  On the bright side, this didn't come through in the middle of the night.

Late yesterday afternoon, I duct taped the neighbor's golf cart cover as best I could.  He does not live here fulltime - it is a weekend getaway.  I called him to let him know the cover had ripped and asked if he wanted me to do anything with it.  The cover on his outboard motor was half in the water.  He was grateful for whatever I could do.  With this morning's gust front, that cover is shredded - no amount of duct tape is going to put it back together.  The outboard motor cover held.

The other bright side: only a few claps of thunder.  Rufus is laying beside his Momma.  Storms didn't used to bother him until that hail storm last summer.

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Of course, the morning news is full of the Uvalde school shooting.  The death toll is worse than originally reported.  A lot of calls for "something to be done."  The sad fact is the schools will have to be made tougher to enter; metal detectors; armed guards.  70% of school shootings are carried out by someone 18 years old or younger.  "Thoughts, prayers, and moments of silence" aren't enough.  I don't know how to keep guns out of the hands of a determined young person.  Further gun legislation or bans won't stop the black market.  We have created a culture of violence.

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I thought I might be able to get out for a bicycle and motorcycle ride this morning.  Either is good for clearing the head.  Not today.

Arcy-Sparky...

 

My old sailing buddy Steve used that term for a thunderstorm.  Thunder and lightning - we had that big time overnight.  The first rumbles of thunder in the distance didn't wake me - Rufus did.  Since that hail storm last summer, whenever we have been in a storm, he wants to be comforted.

That was around 2:00.  By 2:15, it was as active of a storm as I have seen.  Joan was already sitting up on the couch when I got up.  She and I went out in the worst of it to roll up the sun screens on our deck... the rain was pounding, the wind was howling, and lightning was non-stop.  We were both soaked when we came back in the house.  After drying off with a towel, we sat up, checking weather... thunderstorm warning (duh) and flash flood warnings for the next county over.  Radar was showing it wasn't going to let up for at least two more hours.  Something I haven't experienced in quite a while: I was cold after coming in out of the rain.

I said, "I'm surprised we haven't lost power."

Joan said, "You should not have said that."

Surprisingly, the power stayed on.  We didn't go back to bed until just after 4:30, when things finally calmed down.  Rufus remained unsettled.

Just after 7:00, I got another nudge.  Rufus wasn't scared, he was ready for breakfast.  He usually patiently waits for me to get up... and I'm always up before 7:00.  Joan was already up.  I started my morning routine, and before I got to sit down, the next round of rumbles fired up.  And rain.  Checking weather, it looks like we'll be in it again 'till at least 11:00.

I'm gonna need a nap.

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76º at 1:00 pm; the wind has clocked from NNE to SSE @ 20+mph and gusty.  The rain has moved off shore.  Looks like we had more than 4" of rain overnight.  On the bright side: it did a good job of rinsing off the siding on the house.  The cargo trailer was dry as a bone inside.  Further up the Valley, there are reports of hail... didn't happen here.  Reports of flooding now in our county and a request from our water district to reduce water usage as much as possible due to overflowing storm drains.  Not an issue on our island, as the water can run off into the canals.

Looks like an inside kinda day.

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I am horrified - another mass shooting in an elementary school, this one in Texas, 80 miles from San Antonio.  An 18 year old shooter; murdered 14 students and a teacher, others seriously wounded.  I don't have an answer for this... there will be hand wringing and calls for "something needs to be done."  I don't know what that will be.  Truly gut-wrenching when a crazy person does this to innocent young people in the place where they should be able to feel safe.  Beyond evil.

They ARE out to get me...

 

Paranoid much, Jim?  No, just a single noid.  And, surprisingly, I'm not talking about the crazy drivers here.  Oh, don't get me wrong - you have to be on the lookout for them all the time.  I don't have many close calls because I am hyper vigilant... not just when I'm out on the motorcycle, but also the car, the motorhome, and the bicycle.

I went for a longer ride today.  Oh, I did my island crusing, but then took it out on the highways to the west.  Getting close to the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge, at 60 mph, a deer bolted out from the bramble on the side of the road.  It was close enough that I had to clamp down hard on the brakes, and start my evasive maneuver.  Of course, you can't trust deer, because they will dart back and forth, seemingly to stay on a collision course with you.  This one did not do that - when he saw me (after I saw him), he put the coals to it, looking to get to the other side of the road.  Yes, it was a deer, not a chicken (that's a chicken joke).

Big difference between this deer and the one I collided with last summer while on the Vespa: this one was fully grown.  Big.  Obviously smarter than the one last year, to have made it to this size.  Now, to be transparent, we don't often see deer crossing the road down here in the Tropical Tip.  This fella was tough looking... not in the "I'm gonna kick your ass" kinda way.  Deer have it tougher around here (probably why we don't see them all that often): they can't scamper through the woods, like the deer in the Black Hills... we have that bramble I mentioned before; it would be good stuff to cultivate around a prison, because it has some seriously thorny stuff.  This muscly looking deer had plenty of scars.  Yes, I was close enough to see that.

But, this deer was smart enough to get out of the way (still had an "Oh, shit!" look on his face), and I got the bike slowed down to give him room to do that (also, with an "Oh, shit!" look on my face).  No underwear was soiled in the making of that situation.

On the way back east on that same highway (it's nice smooth road, which is the best thing I can say for any road around here), a turkey vulture flew out from the side of the road.  For those not familiar with that species...

From the genus: BUFD (Big Ugly Freakin' Bird)... well, the scientific name doesn't use "freakin'," but this is sometimes a family friendly blog.  Well, the Adams Family.  But, I digress.  I ducked my head as this big stupid bird passed way too close.  The shadow moved over me like standing at the end of the runway when a B52 is making a landing!  I don't know if it was pissed because I didn't leave a blob of deer road kill for him, or if he thought my white helmet was a prey's egg.  Either way, making contact with this thing would not have made for a good ride.  We were close enough that I could hear its wings flapping.

So, really, I'm not paranoid... but I think the animal kingdom is out to get me, too.  Other than that, it was an OK ride.  And by "OK," I mean it was warm and humid, but surprisingly not too windy.  That was nice for a change.  I have my head into getting north for some great riding roads and cooler weather.  Won't happen for a while.

Lost dog...

 

No, we didn't get a dog.  Rufus is quite happy being the one and only furry family member.

I was out washing the Equinox this morning, when a couple in a golf cart pulled up and asked, "Have you seen a Pomeranian running loose?"

I told them "No," but that we would keep our eye out.  I asked what color (black) and the name (PomPom) and where they were in the resort.  When they said the lot number, Joan knew that it was a rental.

It made us both think back to the time we took Smoke (our first cat) out for our first weekend out in the first motorhome we bought.  We went to a campground about 100 miles from home... everything was going fine until we realized that Smoke was nowhere to be found.  We looked all over the motorhome - "Maybe she got out when I went to get ice?"  We started our search of the campground.  Within a few minutes, we learned about the comradery (at that time) among RVers: an army of volunteers were searching all over the campground with us.  No, we didn't find her.  As it grew dark, the worry compounded:What if we don't find her? What if she wandered into the nearby woods?

A lady came to our site and asked if we found Smoke.  When we said we hadn't, she said, "You need to get a flash light and look in every nook and cranny in your motorhome - do you look up under the dash?"

I got a flashlight and when I shined it up under the dash, I saw a pair of glowing eyes.  "She's here!"  That may have been the first time I realized that I was a "cat person," and that Smoke wasn't a pet, she was family.  Prior to that, I considered myself "the feed-me guy"... from that point on, I was a Cat-Dad and protector.

I continued the car washing.  As people drove by, I waved and asked if they had seen a Pomeranian... several said, "We're looking for PomPom, too."  Pretty much like our experience over 30 years ago.

As I was picking up my car washing stuff (it took a long time - with the wind we've had, the car was really dirty), Joan saw a golf cart go by and shouted to me: "That couple just went by with PomPom in their golf cart!"  Apparently, Security found the pooch and contacted the people.  My heart was lifted by that news.  And by the fact that other people cared.

Just when you think that people suck... all it takes is a furry family member to remind folks about the importance of humanity.

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On edit: it's my fault... I washed the car.

A 10% chance of precip this afternoon; that cell just west of the blue dot (us) is coming this way.  Of course.  On the bright side, PomPom is back with his family.

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One last edit: while I was out making chicken breast sandwiches on the griddle, it rained.  Oh, well; we need the moisture.  Hopefully, it will keep down the blowing sand and dirt.

Uncle!

 

Remember when you were a kid and your older sibling (in my case: sisters) had you pinned down?  "Why are you hitting yourself?  Does this hurt?  How about this?"  Yeah, you learned to cry, "Uncle!"  I don't know why, and I have no idea if that is what kids today do to get out of familial torture.

Today, I am ready to cry, "Uncle."  No, not from a sibling - I am the last man standing.  This would be directed at Mother Nature.  The wind has been unrelenting the last couple weeks.  If you could get out early, you might get a motorcycle ride in.  Wednesday, it was gusting to 30 mph; yesterday it was 35; today it is gusting to 40.  Maybe higher.

When I went outside to make breakfast tortillas on the griddle, Joan asked if I'd be able to keep it lit... "I think so."  The good news: yes, it stayed lit.  When I was cleaning up afterwards, the tongs (pretty heavy) blew off the table next to the griddle.  Just being out in that wind is tiring.

I got out early (around 7:00) for a bicycle ride, and it was blowing like stink by the time i got back.  I did roll the scoots out of the cargo trailer to make sure nothing stuck to the touched-up floor... only one thing: a plastic kick stand plate that I put under the kick stand... there was a paper tag on the bottom of it... yep, it stuck.

Joan did some arranging in the trailer while I checked oil and aired up tires on the bikes.  When I was ready to put the bikes back in, there was a layer of dirt on them, thanks to the wind.  I cleaned Joan's bike first and ran it into the trailer, then did the same with mine.  That's the only outing they will get today.  I would say the same for me, too, but I did tell Joan I'd make smash burgers for supper.  According to the hourly forecasts, it isn't going to get any better until after 9:00 tonight, when the sustained winds are supposed to drop below 20 mph.  That is what passes for "breezy" around here.

Where does the time go?

 

Been looking at Facebook Memories again, Jim?

Sure, but that's not the theme of this post.  This morning, instead of a bike and a motorcycle ride, after taking Rufus for a walk, I got the bikes and everything that was on the floor of the cargo trailer out and went to work at touching up the Herculiner (like Rhino-liner) textured paint on the floor.  The spray can of Herculiner Joan ordered came in yesterday.  A decade of motorcycle and scooter kickstands, tool boxes, and motorcycle chocks have worn it down in places.

I know what you're thinking: you'd think it would last more than a decade or so, huh?  Kidding; I am impressed with how that stuff held up.  I put three coats on the areas that needed it, giving it time to get tacky in between.

When I was done with that, Joan thought I should reward myself with a ride... on something.  It is the time of year when it is windier than usual.  What's that?  Yeah, it's always windy here, but today is another blowing-like-stink day.  I was thinking I would take the day off from riding anything... but, I did have the scoots sitting out... yeah, that's a good idea.  Joan's Xmax was the least encumbered in the driveway, so I geared up and took that.  That bike impresses me everytime I ride it - it just does everything so well. 

Heading off our island, I was behind someone who was driving 5 miles per hour under the speed limit.  When the speed limit is 15 mph, 10 feels painfully slow.  Fortunately, they turned off a block after crossing the bridge off our island.  Up to Highway 100 and the causeway.  I turned onto the causeway, and... it was a slow race: a work van and a minivan... someone being paid by the hour and someone on vacation... driving side by side.  With traffic backing up behind them.

I've explained it before, but the causeway is a 2 1/2 mile long bridge that connects Port Isable and South Padre Island.  The speed limit is 55 mph.  This being south Texas, no one drives the speed limit.  Most are doing 10 to 15 mph over the limit, the rest are doing 20 mph less than the limit.  The Queen Isabela Causeway is an interesting bit of road: a different Police jurisdiction on either side of the causeway, so it seems that neither of those municipalities have claimed responsibility for traffic on the causeway.  Usually, people blow by you like you are standing still, and then occasionally you get this slow stuff.

Onto SPI and driving along Gulf Blvd... a 25 mph speed limit on this street.  The golf cart with a family of 5 in front of me was doing 15 mph... with their left blinker on... for two miles.  The young girl facing back in the golf cart waved at me.  I waved back; then pointed at my turn signal on the front of the bike and did the hand single for "your blinker is on" (closed fist, open all the fingers, back to the closed fist, open again).  She waved again.  As slow as they were going, I considered passing, but that left blinker on gave me second thoughts.  After two miles, the girl looked down at their turn signal and told the Dad it was on... he turned it off, and 50 feet later (just as I was about to pass) made an abrupt left turn into a driveway without signaling.

It was then I realized it must be "National Drive Slow In Front Of Jim Day."  I thought we celebrated it just a couple weeks ago, but time flies when you don't know what you're doing.  Too many slow drivers (the vast minority around here) for it to be a coincidence.

Truth be told, I didn't mind driving slower than usual across the causeway with that gusty crosswind.  Oh well, I have no agenda now that my trailer floor painting is done.  And I enjoyed riding Joan's scoot.

The bikes are going to have to sit outside in this wind while the paint dries.  I told Joan that they are going to need some clean up thanks to the sand and dirt in the air.  She said, "No problem - I have a guy who takes care of that for me."  Yeah, she is a lucky woman.

;-)

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You two were so cute...

Past tense?  Rufus and I laid down on the couch for a nap early this afternoon.  Well, I laid down and he was quick to join me.  We slept through Joan taking this photo...

When we got up, Joan said, "I took a photo of you two napping - you were so cute."

"Were?  What about now?" I asked.

"Now, you're awake."

Nice.

Handsome Boy...

 

Yes, I'm talking about Rufus.  Today was the day for his dose of flea and tick stuff - it goes on the back of his neck, and he doesn't like it.  But, we have to keep him protected.  It's a small packet of liquid that Joan squeezes on him, then he can't be petted for a couple hours... that may be the part he really doesn't like, 'cause he is a very social boy.

After gathering stuff to take to the Animal Shelter Sale, I sat down with my guitar... Rufus is a very attentive audience.  And, a handsome boy...

 With all we had to do today, breakfast got pushed to brunch.  I made a skillet breakfast on the griddle...

That was just the beginning.  I get busy as it all comes together.  And, it came together tasty today!