Surviving The Rain

Urgent Weather Update: It Rained As Predicted.

I'd much rather have walked Rusty than come in to work, but I dutifully left home early, before five and found an empty open highway, not a power line out of place, not a leaf in the roadway. I knew the power was good because the electric clock wasn't flashing in the living room, so despite text warnings from Keys Energy everything worked as it should. In these islands used to tropical weather that was no surprise.

I had time to spare so I drove down to the Bight and stepped out under an umbrella with my waterproof pocket camera. It was windy and the rain was slashing, trying to get under my umbrella as I walked out on the docks.

It did not look to me like the old hands in the harbor had taken the time to prepare for the storm as everything looked as it usually does, just a bit wetter. I dare say this afternoon one could even go for a fish as gentle southeast breezes are expected to return, under sunny skies. 

If you hang around people debating the value of surviving a catastrophe you'll find some that really like the warnings you get before a storm and others who prefer to be surprised as by an earthquake. I've lived through both and am decidedly in favor of the hurricane survival mode. Lots of warnings, and in our well built world (mostly) it's hard for anyone to die of hurricane related weather.

In the past hurricane warnings tended to get overblown but this year the city and county managed to be alert and keep control and not force evacuations where none were needed. It was windy and I struggled to control camera and umbrella at once but it wasn't   enough wind to knock over but one tree on Simonton Street, which is cleaned up already. I blame the umbrella for some fuzzy pictures here:

I wandered around for a few minutes surprised to see dinghies still in the water but there they were in the water getting rained on.  

I talked to a friend of mine who went through Hurricane Irma as well and when I remarked how much better this is he said he was getting PTSD from the category four that caused extensive damage in the Keys. 

Rain wind and unpleasantness leads me to ponder the people who don't keep their dogs indoors, people who don't have waterproof homes and people who do but don't believe in climate change. Maybe I overthink stuff but I was never as relieved as when we moved from home ownership to becoming renters. To leave the  Keys we give notice, lock the door and drive away.  If I never have to speak to a real estate agent again it will be too soon.

To some extent anyone who lived through Hurricane Irma has to have some PTSD after that breakdown of society. It's a humbling experience not to have running water  never mind no electricity Internet or fuel. For days. 

I have heard the suggestion, from a friend who needs to remain nameless for exhibiting excessive commonsense, that we not name storms until they are hurricanes and possibly Category Two storms. We live in a world of hype, fear and gullibility so I suppose any attempts to suggest to people they learn to manage with the information they can gather themselves is open to the charge of snobbery or some such. 

It was a rainy day in Key West and happily I could not keep the umbrella still to save my life. So I accidentally made rainbows. I think that after the rain blows over, the stray dogs will I trust, dry out, and one former stray dog at least will get off the couch, stretch and go outside to great the proper arrival of summer. It's called hurricane season but there will now be a pause while we enjoy some swimming and blue skies and boring uninterrupted tropical living. Until next time when we will re-evaluate.

Rain. Lots.

Rain is life. It's also bloody annoying. Especially when there is so much of it, amd on my days off to boot.  Annoying because it is of course all about me.

This week though I messed with the weather gods when I got a chance to work overtime today, so even though it is expected to continue to rain through Friday I shall be at work each day. So there.

It has been spectacular with black skies strong winds and slightly cooler temperatures. It is hunkering weather.

Weather like this has people saying stuff like "this is perfect weather to read a good book" as though a good book comes into its own in rain or sleet or snow or something. Any time and any weather is good for a book in my restricted world view. Bad books are never worth my time, no matter how ghastly the weather.

It is rotten weather for photography which is ironic as I was listening to a podcast from an English photographer who was recommending going out in rainy weather now that Fall is sweeping the British Isles with moisture. Good advice maybe for the Lake District, rotten advice for the Keys where landscapes come to life in sunshine.

There is no subtlety in the Keys, no lingering wisps of fog or gentle evening light because at these latitudes either everything is on and bright with laser sunlight or everything is off and looks like crap.

So to avoid flat white light and flat gray clouds when Rusty insisted he was good to walk I took the macro camera and made some close ups of bright shiny flora along the back roads.

My supply of obsolete mens' pink Crocs has dwindled so I save them for around the house but pretty soon it will take more than footwear to keep one walking through the increasingly deep puddles.

Sugarloaf Key was positively waterlogged much to the delight of the ibis seen stepping delicately through puddles seeking flood victims for their lunch

I saw myself in these bubbles.  Very weird.

You may think the Keys are colorful but this is what they look like during massive summer thunderstorms:

Rusty used to hate the rain, as I don't thing his previous owners looked after him much and once abandoned on the streets of Homestead he must have got soaked in this weather. But after four years of towels and fussing and dry beds he has a rather more balanced approach to getting wet. Shame really as I am not a huge fan of umbrella walking but he deserves it if he is ready to get wet. Rainwater makes him very fluffy once he dries.

Upstairs Layne was zooming her students, a noisy business in Spanglish and Adult Ed and computer literacy struggles so I retreated to the bowels of Gannet 2 in a  moment that reminded me of long cold wet winters in the small craft harbor on the boat I lived in, after which this interior is modeled slightly. In a sign that he is getting used to the van Rusty left the dry car port and came and joined me on his side of the van (my wife's usually as I have the side with the taller head clearance). I read my Kindle and he started snoring.

Hanging out in the van with Rusty and the sound of rain pattering on the roof makes me feel like a teenager in a  tree house away from the prying eyes of the grown ups. I think I am entering my second childhood and I want it to be better than the first.

Thunderstorms

A little rain gave Duval Street a fresh clean look helped along by the repaving job undertaken during lock down. 

Massive amounts of public works have been continuing in the Keys to try to take advantage of the absence of tourists.

Naturally there have been complaints the city should spend the money on coronavirus relief, though anyone who knows municipal funding rules knows monies budgeted for certain types of projects if not specific work have to be spent on those projects and cannot legally be diverted. 

The counter argument then arises that government is slow to respond and too rigid and all that stuff whereas when I was younger we took it for granted that government spending required planning, public comment and transparency. In my old age I find my previously commonplace beliefs about governance to be quaint out of date and old fashioned. I rather like becoming an old curmudgeon. "In my day..."

Everything is a source of negative comment in the world in which I live. La Concha hotel on Duval, the tallest building in the city is said to be ugly. I find it endlessly photogenic perhaps because I am not surrounded by tall architecture and lack variety in my skyscraper life.

I wasn't sure why he was looking at me like that but he didn't shy away when I pointed the camera  at him so...

I did get part of Memorial weekend  rain-free but the week ahead is rather spoiled by the knowledge of three things. June 1st the Keys re-open to tourists. Dade County confirmed coronavirus cases are increasing in number, by a large factor. Social distancing in Dade has failed signally. The people responsible for the Dade County spread are coming here in large numbers.  Consequently I feel a measure of existential gloom.

Or:

The Spectator on why reopening isn't a problem. Color me continuing to be confused.


From the May 26th Citizen:

During the early staging of the impending reopening, Keys lodging will be limited to 50% of standard occupancy, in accordance with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent executive order.

Local leaders will examine the situation later in June to make determinations regarding the relaxing of occupancy restrictions.

Statewide, the number of reported cases surpassed the 50,000 mark over the holiday weekend, as deaths from the novel coronavirus rose to above 2,000.

The three most-active areas in the state continue to be Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, according to the state health department.

Water Reflections

Sunrise and wind, shiny palm fronds fluttering, I sopped by the side of the road and pulled out my camera. It was a relief to see sun and not rain.

I parked in the greenest leafiest area of Key West, Casa Marina, and set off with Rusty. I saw a little humor in the zen van sitting patiently under the weight and indignity of a fallen palm frond. Rusty said nothing so perhaps it wasn't that  funny.

After the rain the air is crisp and clear and colors are brighter.

I hope before too long these signs will become part of the folklore of a time in the misty past. Doesn't seem likely just yet. 

Slowly the flooding will shrink and as the rainy season sets in flooding becomes part of the summer way of life. As the country re-opens I hear people pondering whether the way we live under lock down will persist when things are allowed to get back to normal.

Everything I have read about past times of crisis indicate things will most likely go back to the way they were because stasis is easiest for people and we all prefer the easiest path we are told. Some of us don't but you can't generalize about exceptions.

It's odd to find oneself envying the general indifference of a flower which buds and blooms with not a care in the world about coronavirus or any other pandemic.It does it beautifully too. 

Rain And A Van

I woke up late yesterday and Rusty was a long way from bothering me for a walk. Even I the human could hear the wind and the rain lashing the house. I kept the hurricane shutters up after Hurricane Irma to keep the bedroom dark when I worked nights and the rain hitting the metal sounds very cosy, like sleeping in a. tent. On the other hand yesterday was a day off so I would have preferred the usual sunshine and mosquitoes. Beggars can't be choosers.

Oh, the van. Well that happened like this. After I struggled out of bed, kicked the dog awake and mooched out to the deck I had a look at the world through my Internet connection which is very inexpensive and not always brilliantly effective. However I did find a Custom Coach Creations post on Facebook pointing out that work continues. I was more than a little surprised to see my own creation appear, not finished but definitely in progress. I am pretty sure it's my van thanks to the color, a $100 option from Promaster that requires a four month wait for delivery so Bob told me this is only the second gold colored van he has converted.  I wanted maroon but my wife slapped me and said that was too bright and we compromised on gold. They also offered to order the external accessories in black so when I saw the running board and roof Maxfan in black I was pretty certain this is Gannet 2 being assembled. The narrow rear window over the raised bench seats is also what we ordered.

The funny part is we were supposed to get a video of the roughed out interior last week but so far we have had no word from the factory which lack of news set my neurons jangling. Patience, she counseled so here we are, spotting the soothing beast through the foliage of Facebook.  This is progress I thought as I made tea and girded my loins for a visit to the doctor for a semi annual check up. turns out I am alive and blood pressure is normal and my legs s till work,  $25 co-pay and back into the rain. Jolly good. And the van is coming along...

Dr Grider in Big Pine is what I like to think of as a thoroughly modern but old fashioned practical sort of family practice doctor.  He's up to speed with the latest medical news but he operates thoughtfully with good practical common sense. It would not be difficult to imagine him in Mayberry making house calls with a black bag and a cheerful smile. Of course this is 2020 and I drove to his office where we went through a coronavirus caper to get into the office.

I parked the car and called the office. A figure appeared through the murk ready to escort me to the verandah because apparently most patients forget to bring an umbrella when it's raining. How that is possible I couldn't say as the rain was coming down in apocalyptic bucketsful and was thus hard to ignore.  At the top of the stairs I sanitized my hands and they took my temperature and escorted me into a waiting room rather in the manner of more furtive and possibly illegal transactions. Life in the time of plague has become like that. Whereas once entering a bank wearing a simple hat was illegal and suspicious, nowadays not being masked is the mark of the irresponsible and undesirable customer. 

After my good health was assured I hauled myself to the gas station to refuel my wife's Fiat 500 which she, working from home, isn't driving and I use it when not transporting the hound from hell. It really does get excellent mileage. Too bad they aren't selling them anymore, as our convertible is a keeper.

There is something especially dreary about the Keys in a prolonged rain storm. Once the pleasure of the variation in weather has worn off the heavy downpour  curtails outdoor activity and steals away one of the great joys of living in the tropics. However the pandemic restrictions have modified some of my feelings about rainy weather. Rusty and I aren't walking but he is not fond of the rain and he is smart enough to appreciate the roof over his formerly stray head. He curls up on the couch in this kind of weather and waits for better days.

Matinee movies are off, museums are closed, music is nowhere to be heard, so alternatives to rain are limited as usual  by the damned virus and so we revert to the home.  My great hope about the interior of the van which we will have to test is that it will be a pleasant enough space to live in when we have to deal with unpleasant weather. Small it will be, but I hope it will be comfortable enough not to have us going nuts inside as the weather outside batters the tin shell. We shall see.

I didn't bother to bring Rusty on this trip as there was no point. It felt odd, slightly unnatural not have my partner on the back seat. I stopped to take some pictures and pictured him at home curled up sleeping. He had the right idea on a day like thus. Niles Channel Bridge:

Traffic is light these days except for a few more vehicles than you might expect during rush hour which by any urban standard is hardly measurable as commuter traffic. In the rain it felt like there was even less than normal which gives the community a feeling of emptiness even more pronounced than usual.

I saw a lot of discussion online about the fifty odd people who gathered in Key West a few days ago to demand the Sheriff take down the roadblocks on US 1 and Card Sound Road. I don't know how you measure accurately the numbers for and against keeping non residents out but it seems to me from a distance that the people who want the county opened up are much louder than the majority who want to keep things as. they are. The absolutely appalling thing about the protest was that it was engineered and paid for by a local hotel and souvenir shop owner who was seen handing out signs and money to the rent-a-mob.

I have my own problems with the coronavirus shut down as I see the point of people who want to work and take their chances as opposed to entering the twilight zone of no money no prospects and no hope of a new Great Depression. As one who has a job and whose wife works I don't feel it is my place to argue for or against the shut down as we aren't being directly impacted and my wife with her immune system problems is very grateful to stay at home and remain isolated.

 It seems to me that if there is going to be a legal requirement not toward and to stay home the people and institutions ordering the shut down should take financial responsibility for it. It just doesn't seem fair to deprive people of their livings and to tell them to take their chances. European states offer free comprehensive health care, stipends, the freezing of bills including rent and mortgages and spends money like water to compensate. Here in the US on the one hand we reject socialism in any form whatsoever, even ones that don't really exist and yet we deprive people of the chance to make a living. And fund major corporations as usual with public money and then scream poverty. It is as incoherent as the medical advice we do and don't get.

I confess I am confused. I don't feel like laying blame or getting mad or ranting on Facebook. I stay home, hug my dog, support my wife, go to work and stay six feet from anyone. At the grocery store I wear my mask, at work I use disinfectant and sanitizer and try to measure people who call 911 that we are. there to help. And no, I have no idea when the roads will reopen. Not this month at any rate.

The county has said hotels can start to take reservations for future dates but there is the proviso they may be canceled (and refunded) if the closure of the county continues. For now the Keys are closed to outsiders. And our numbers are officially very low, not that I expect them to be terribly accurate. However there are about a dozen people in hospitals I think, around a hundred confirmed cases and three deaths the last time I checked the newspaper. On a population of 75,000 we are cooking with gas and no one doubts keeping the doors closed is keeping the contagion away. Lucky us.

In my estimation the true hero of this respite we have from the coronavirus is the Sheriff. Singlehanded Rick Ramsey is the only countywide leader who has been seen everywhere lending a hand lots of encouragement and keeping the virus out of the county with his roadblocks. The sheriff told the state he was keeping the roads closed when they told him to re-open them. He has helped organize food distribution and clean ups and everywhere he goes he has his mask, his crisp pressed uniform and words of encouragement. 

So we keep on keeping on and hope for the best.  Hoping for the best, staying strong, being safe, all those bromides are flying around the ether but I wonder how prepared we are to face the economic consequences of this virus that is killing us, trapping us, and giving us a chance to see what it feels like to lose all sense of normal, and certainty and the ability to make plans and look into the future with confidence. If we lose our minds and our sense of humor and sense of neighborliness through all this daily hassle the virus wins. 

School is in session and Rusty is learning by osmosis. I think. I'm going to take a nap as the rain hasn't stopped.