Hurricane Jeanne - Riviera Beach, FL - September 25, 2004

I was coming back from the head one afternoon and a fellow sailor at our marina mentioned to me that they were going to run and I asked where are you running to...and they said Lake Okeechobee locks....

This made no sense to me so I mentioned it to Bruce and he wanted to know why they were running and went out to discuss the matter only to find out that the next hurricane Jean was also headed our way...and none of us had been informed so we did not have time to get into any of the marinas now...

The cable company in the town did not know enough to change the oil in their generator(s) and so they fried them sinc e the last Hurricane went through right here "Frances"....and no one had any news as to the coming "Jean" Hurricane...and had not enough time to get hauled out...soooooo we hauled our own tails......sailing in a line all having as much fun as you could make a trip to hide from a Hurricane....up through the first lock into Lake Okeechobee into Indiantown Marina...

We got the last slip there which was not available when we called but when we arrived they gave it to us...we dragged into the slip because it was so shallow...locked down the boat and carried as much as we could get off the boat by climbing down off the Bow onto crates and then on to the floating dock (if you could call it that) it was barely floating and definitely not stable but it worked and off to a car to be taken back to our vehicles in Ft Pierce....

....Then we charged off to Marco Island....as usual....the Native Indians settled in Marco Island because the weather seemed to go around this Island...which is true...you can now watch it on the radar....The weather goes right up to Marco and then disappears or goes around it...pretty strange...but good for us...

As we were driving two SUVs off to Marco we had taken the road just south of the Lake (Okeechobee) and the wind was getting pretty heavy already and just a little too breezy for me...but I drove it like a good girl cause I wanted my car out of the storm and without saltwater in the engine....

"Jean" was no fun either and those who stayed on their boats had quite the time there at Indiantown because it was great to get out of the storm surge but no one had mentioned to us that the Lake was going to let water out through the locks to keep the Lake from being so bad....There was our 8 foot surge anyway....oh, and by the way the railroad bridge was now stuck in the down position...which means that no one with a mast could go through that bridge either....I realize that the only people who understand my last remark are sailors...but they are the only people who need to....

And when we came back all that were there were soooo beat...They had battled the great battle....Bruce feels that the only thing we cannot replace is our lives so we take them to safety...always....I have to admit...I agree.

President Obama, No One in Arizona is Laughing

...This video is worth the watch.....

Can you just imagine how you would feel if this was on your state line???...especially if you live in a town on the border of that state???...I truly am glad that my home state of West Virginia is not an easy target for this kind of thing...and that the territory there is not easy to get into and survive unless you know the area and understand it's flora and fauna. Besides the fact that West Virginians like to know their neighbors and everybody in the town and what is going on with them. They know if you belong there or if they do not know you.

It takes personalities like West Virginians and hard territory like Appalachia to keep people out that want to hide there. That is not so much the case with where I live now. The state of Florida has, I do not know the statistics, around 75% or even more of the border surrounded by water...ocean water. Divers have been known to come up out of the water and go into houses that are currently vacant, while the owners are up in their Northern homes, and live there as if it were their own.

Luckily smaller areas like the Florida Keys would know most of their neighbors and even the stores would notice someone new in the area. However the heavily populated Eastern Coast of Florida may not know newer people in the area, and possibly other heavily populated areas too, in the middle of the state or even in the Gulf Coast cities.

I live on a sailboat and do not have to fear someone coming into my house. Sailors are known for being able to defend their boats upon unidentified entry by an intruder. They are also too close together when they are in a Yacht Club or a Marina for this to happen. I do not live in fear because of problems like these. I have put my life in God's capable hands many, many years ago, and no longer live in fear. It is such a great feeling....to feel safe....

I must say again, how much I feel for these people and am glad for them, that something was finally done to help them protect each other where they live.