Hurricane Ike And The Overloaded Suitcase

I got up this morning just after the eleven o'clock bulletin was issued by the National Hurricane Center. The news eclipsed the fact that my home is a chaotic shambles, my wife's plans to fly to Turkey tomorrow make our little home look like a Category Three has already mauled us, which means that as I'm off tonight I can look forward to a last evening together of sitting on bulging suitcases and frantic pursuit of last minute lost objects. My wife is a wonderful woman but to travel with her is to know how it must feel to watch your Sherpas abandon you on the slopes of Mount Everest and to be left staring on the trail at a large heap of all your belongings with no way to move them. The car we will use to transport Herself and her paraphernalia to the Key West Airport has been looking anxious for several days. Where was I?

Oh yes Hurricane Ike. Well I am officially pissed off. Every single day the National Hurricane Center has been edging Hurricane Ike's path nearer and nearer to my house and this morning it looks like it's either going to be Ramrod Key or Marathon that is going to be run down by this nasty looking storm. I think somebody at the NHC hates Triumph Bonnevilles and is putting the little dotted line over my house for a reason. Then at the bottom of the discussion they write "it's too early to tell where Ike is going to go exactly so ignore the dotted line..." Easier said than done. Perhaps I could get my wife to stay so all her ample suitcases filled with dead bodies can anchor the house down on Tuesday and Wednesday. (My days OFF please note! I just can't catch a break this week). The dance of the demented hurricane shutters is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, no matter what they say about the bloody dotted line.

2:25pm

Okay, now I'm anxious. I just got a call from work checking that I did volunteer to stay at the Police Department in a Category Four. Hell it was easy to volunteer on a cool sunny winter afternoon! Mind you I have no children (my wife says she has one every time we go shopping together) and as of tomorrow she will be safely out of harms way flying to Turkey. Talk about timing...

9:50pm

Now I'm told the city is planning visitor evacuations for Saturday morning and residents will be facing a mandatory evacuation on Sunday morning preparatory to a possible category Four storm hitting the Keys Tuesday. There are still lots of possible paths for Ike and I hope it chooses to miss the Keys. But it's only a hope at this point. Oh well, I went to the Grotto today- photos to follow...