cat shepard

Melisa thank you for reminding me… @StLouisCruisers Sandi, have your DGD check the following website. It would have the most current and reliable info available, but it still might not be perfect. it includes traffic info and road closures for the state. https://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/traffic/live_traffic_feed.html

Florida Power & Light just emailed an update on power restoration broken down by county. They hope to be able to provide an estimate for when they expect to restore power in the hardest hit counties by the end of today. @StLouisCruisers have your DGD find out what she will encounter in Tampa, before driving all that way. Perhaps her area will be up and running. •Alachua, Martin, Indian River, Putnam, St. Lucie and St. Johns counties will be 95 percent restored by end of day Saturday, Oct. 1. •Brevard and Okeechobee counties will be 95 percent restored by end of day Sunday, Oct. 2. •Flagler, Seminole and Volusia counties will be 95 percent restored by end of day Tuesday, Oct. 4. •Charlotte, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties are still being assessed for damages and we expect to provide estimated restoration times by end of day on Saturday, Oct. 1. •Baker, Bradford, Broward, Clay, Columbia, Hardee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Palm Beach, Suwannee and Union counties are considered essentially restored.

Jim, thank you for checking in. Glad you are both safe. Entire electrical grids were wiped out on the West Coast. Stay safe.

Safe trip & may you find no damage!

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily Rich! Roy, thank you for taking the time to keep our lists updated. it is another lovely morning here. Hoping that Ian hasn’t caused much damage for our neighbors to the North and all are safe. Lots of surrounding areas still without power. But nothing like Charlotte and Lee Counties. My friend’s Winter place is gone. I actually hope they do not rebuild there. It is such low lying ground. Today I may try to get to the gym to Zumba. Not sure if they are open. Or if they will even have classes. Then I have friends coming over for dinner. In honor of International coffee day… Prayers for all who need our support. Hope we hear from @jimgev today. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone. ******** McManis 2020 Estate Grown Certified Sustainable Viognier This Viognier is priced to try! I am adding this to the list. It is available from several online distributors with prices starting at $8.97! Cheaper than most glasses of wine. 😎 Winemaker Notes Light straw in color, this Viognier is a rich, velvety white wine with peach, pear and apricot aromas. Similar stone fruits and vanilla notes grace the palate along with a touch of minerality, leading to a smooth and decadent finish. Critical Acclaim WE90 Wine Enthusiast Rich and aromatic, this full-bodied, luxurious and ripe-tasting wine pours out coconut, fig, vanilla and honeysuckle flavors that coat the palate and linger on the finish.

Thank you for checking in. So glad you are both safe. Enjoy that cruise.

You were so close to where the eye crossed the coast, Charlene. I would think the atmospheric pressure would be really intense.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy thank you for keeping our lists. I am so happy your niece is safe. Bindi celebrated being able to walk without getting wet by opting for a super long walk this morning. We had to walk in the road much of the time. The sidewalks were debris fields of small branches and leaves. There was one huge tree down blocking a main road, but if it had to happen, it happened on a U-shaped street with two exits. Bindi and I limboed under it. Our power came on some time in the middle of the night. It was only 64 here this morning when Bindi and I headed out before 7. Another view of the local Beach pier that was destroyed. With waves like the one in this picture, it did not stand a chance. I have small branches and Spanish moss to clean up. My bougainvillea trellis is detached from the house. All minor stuff. Praying that anyone in Ian’s path will be safe. 😎 Praying for all who need our support. @MISTER 67 and @jimgev hope all is well with you. Check in when you are able. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! ******** Moët & Chandon 2013 Grand Vintage (Champagne) Who could resist champagne at its “champaniest”? I have enjoyed this champagne at several celebrations. Excellent ratings and available from numerous online distributors with prices starting at $51.75. You might be able to find it cheaper locally. Winemaker Notes Blend: 41% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir, 21% Meunier SJ94 The Somm Journal Speaking of textbooks, here’s Champagne at its Champagniest. Combining 41% Chardonnay with 38% Pinot Noir and 21% Pinot Meunier, it offers up aromas of toast and apple with a hint of honeyed nuts; green apple tumbles onto the palate with a dash of salt, a stripe of chalk, and a squeeze of lemon that lingers for some time. Zippy yet seamless. WS93 Wine Spectator This elegant Champagne displays citrus, mineral and toast character in equal measure, with bright notes of preserved lemon and verbena layered with smoke, chalk, brioche and nut flavors. The interplay is backed by deftly knit acidity, riding the fine and creamy mousse through to the lingering finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Well Ian is almost out of here. Bindi and I had an exhilarating, but exhausting day. We still do not have power. It is downright eerie to walk down streets where you are one of the only two houses with lights. It is now a very light rain with some wind gusts. But it is downright chilly when it gusts. It was a real struggle getting Bindi’s walks in. The wind gusts made it difficult to walk. And some gusts were low enough to blow Bindi off course a bit. But I have now used my Alaska/Iceland rain gear more in Florida. 😎. The power went out at 8:21 this morning. No estimate for restoration and many areas in the County are out. This has to be caused by something big. My neighbors dropped off their phones to charge. And most were using battery operated lights. And grilling. Here are two pics that really hit home. This first is from Ft. Myers Beach on the West Coast. My friends, currently in Maine for the Summer, have a Winter place there. This is a pic of their neighbor’s driveway/carport. And the iconic Flagler Beach pier that was destroyed by Irma in 2019, has been destroyed again. What you see is the half close to the shore. They also had to shut down the Eastbound side of their bridge over the Intercoastal until engineers inspect it. High tide and the storm surge could have damaged the structural integrity. I and my neighbors are blessed. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. I fear the loss of life and damage reports will be tough to bear.

Truly wonderful news, Melissa!

Just a quick update. The NHC tracks the eye much further South of me and Ian has picked up speed! Maximum gusts at 75 mph in Daytona. Still a dangerous storm, but I will definitely be on the West side of the storm and the rainfall prediction has been lowered to 15 inches max. Hope the trend continues for our Georgian and Carolinian Dailyites.

Terri, I will echo Dixie’s caution. This one is so huge with it ‘s long arm (band of rain) reaching to the Northeast. And sadly that is the Carolinas. I will keep you all in my prayers.

Dixie, though I am sorry about your tree, I am so glad that is all the damage you sustained.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy, thank you for faithfully keeping our lists. Bindi has finally accepted the fact that she can not wait for the weather to improve before going outside. I never thought that I would use my Iceland/Alaska apparel in Florida, but I wore my rain pants and my long rain jacket with the hood I can tighten when she went out this morning. She made quick work of it. Had a brief T’storm last night. Bands of rain. Wind gusts were really strong. Not sure how strong the wind will be when the eye makes it to our side of the peninsula. It may barely be a Cat 1. Nothing like our West Coasters received. It is just barely light. Once 8 finish coffee number 2, I will head out and drain some water out of the pool. Everything is all set up, just need to flip a lever. @cunnorl Charlene, how are you doing? You will be on the Southside of the eye, and I should be North of it, depending on its size and where it hits. Everyone stay safe. 😎 Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone! ******** Meyer-Nakel 2018 Pinot Noir (Ahr) This Pinot Noir sounds lovely. But not only is it outside of my budget range, I could not find any online distributor in North America, so shipping would also be a factor. But for those of you who live or are visiting Europe, I found several online distributors with prices starting at $51.78. Winemaker Notes This wine is a typical traditional Ahr Pinot. In the nose you find a slightly earthy aroma of red berries like blackberry, blueberry and raspberry as well as ripe cherries, strawberries and blackberries with spicy traces of juniper and laurels. A smooth wine with elegant tannin structure and good substance. This wine goes well with poultry, light meat, pasta and mushrooms as well as a spicy companion to grilled stronger spiced fish. WE94 Wine Enthusiast An exhilarating mineral crush extends from nose to palate, lending freshness to profoundly ripe flavors of black plum and currant. Full-bodied yet spry and lifted, it's a piercing, deeply concentrated Pinot Noir edged by hints of earth, smoke and violet florals. The finish is long and ruffled by fine, furry tannins. Welcoming in youth but structured enough to improve through 2030. Editors’ Choice. W&S91 Wine & Spirits This matches its translucent garnet hue in its restraint, the tangy raspberry flavors fragrant with notes of forest floor, orange peel and peonies. Italy's gentle and elegant, ready to elevate an herbed mushroom risotto.

Yes. Ian has/had a long arm that stretched to the Northeast. So the rain and gusty winds started here early. The Coast was expected to get 8 inches of rain by this morning. I am not sure whether I got that much. I do know I need to empty water out of my pool this morning. I had hoped to wait until late afternoon, but the water is at the top of the pavers already.

Thank you for checking in Dixie! Glad you are both safe.

Thanks Jacqui. I haven’t seen an update, yet, but the last one said the worst winds should hit early this afternoon. Bindi and I just came in and it is already wild out there.

Melisa Just catching up. How tragic about your friend’s neighbor. Weather folk who are not known for their dramatization of events are calling Ian one for the record books and they fear their will be many tragic events before this is over. I am not sure where in my area this will happen, but I am currently in a swath on the rainfall chart that may receive 20 - 30 inches of rain. My head can not wrap itself around those numbers. I am fairly close to the Intercoastal, and a State Park with areas of standing water. Then there is a section of the road that borders my subdivision that often floods, so perhaps those areas will bear the brunt of this. Friday can’t come soon enough.

Some of the videos and live camera shots are truly horrifying. And there was a groups of idiots “swimming” in the water at Ft Myers Beach. I hope no first responders had to be wasted or endangered them. Stay safe.

My saga continues, and this helps me not focus on you know what… September 14th Up early figured I should get dressed before wandering out into the kitchen. Bella peaked in the bedroom as I opened the door. And those heated floors of the bathroom were so welcoming. Once ready, I headed out to the kitchen, only to continue out to the deck, where my host and hostess were enjoying coffee and reading the paper. Although a bit cloudy, there were promises of a beautiful day. You all know the feeling when you just “click” with someone? Well I was lucky to experience it with my host & hostess. My friend eventually joined us and we decided to take Bella down to Carkeek Park for a walk this morning. Then we would Uber downtown to visit the Chihuly Glass & Gardens, and then walk down to a Pioneer Square and look for a place for dinner. Our host and hostess both had work conferences thy could not skip. One was the host. The other was the key speaker. We quickly got into hiking clothes and headed out. The path from the street to the park was steep and had a lot of loose stones on it. It brought back memories of my Iceland fall, so we agreed to turn around at a steep hairpin turn, since we could not see how far we still had to go. It was still a good workout, even though we did not accomplish our goal. We returned to the house, showered and then ordered an Uber to pick us up. Our driver was there in minutes, and we had a very comfortable ride downtown. There was construction going on around the area, so our driver had to figure out a way to get us to the entrance. He left us off and we headed in. It is such a magical place. I can only hope some of my pictures work. Dale C. Is such a visionary. We explored the inside of the place, then grabbed lunch and sat outside and watched the glass blowing demo. We then wandered the gardens which were whimsical and breathtaking at the same time. We reentered the building at watched a couple of short documentary flicks. One describing how one of my favorites was named. “Macchia” is the Italian word for spotted. We headed out and I used Google maps to help us find our way to Pioneer Square. It was a bit of a walk, but it was a beautiful day. As we neared the square, we started to see food options appear. Some were closed. One that looked fun was disappointing because no one greeted us or even acknowledged us for the entire time we stood at the cash register. Perhaps they were out back and busy. Almost across the street we saw “The Good Bar”’s sign. We laughed and headed across the street to check it out. It had a great vibe, though almost empty. But it was only 4:30 - early by city dinner times. We checked out the menu and knew this was the place. Very innovative. We each had a glass Radicle Vine Red blend from Willamette Valley while we decided on our food. It was a very nice red blend. I ordered hummus and pita, and a roasted eggplant smothered in an olive tapenade mix with a cous cous side salad. My friend opted for a shredded beet salad with pita, and a roasted cauliflower salad. Everything was delicious and the pita was freshly made! We shared a fig jam swirl cheesecake that was lip smacking. Oh and somewhere along the way, we had a second glass of wine. 😎 We Ubered back to our temporary home. And Bella greeted us 7ntil she realized neither her Mom nor Dad were with us. She was so stressed, she gave off this pitiful howl. How dare we invade her home? Luckily her Dad came home about 30 minutes after we did, which calmed her right down. And she promptly fell asleep curled around her favorite toy. We sat up and chatted for awhile until our hostess returned home, and then we all turned in.

Has it made landfall yet? The winds may not even be hurricane strength by the time they get here. It is so slow moving, and crossing the peninsula will help. But that does increase the predicted rainfall. The Northern part of the county just North of me is expecting 15 - 20 inches of rain. Which is probably what you are expecting. Ok, I need to head out with my dog who HATES getting wet. This will be fun.

@dfish Debbie, I am so jealous of your firepit. The house looks amazing. And I salute Karma in all its power! @grapau27 Graham, it sounds as if any problem has been caught early, so I will celebrate that. But I will also pray that everything goes smoothly during the procedure.

The NHC and NOAA were predicting storm surge up to 18 feet for the West Coast. And that does not include the waves. Please be safe all you West Coasters. Right now the eye is predicted to cross the East Coast just South of Daytona. If accurate, that could put me on the West side of the storm which will help me. I haven’t heard much about the size of the eye, but crossing the peninsula will most likely change that anyway.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy thank you for keeping up with our happenings. Lenda, please thank DH for that amazing picture of Jupiter. Even more special after the great news he got yesterday! There was a steady drizzle here this morning and just a hint of a breeze from the East. Bindi appreciated that! I am hoping to get my haircut done this morning before the real storm arrives. And if I am really lucky, I will get one class in at the gym. My neighbors and I have all checked on each other. We are all staying. Those of us with generators allow our neighbors to run extension cords from them, so if there is a power outage, they can run their refrigerators from them. I am so lucky to live in this neighborhood. I love this! Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! stay well everyone! ******* Tooth & Nail 2019 The Fiend Red (Paso Robles) This is one intense blend. And I love the name. But before I bought a bottle, I would need a taste. Sometimes Malbecs and I do not agree. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $28.99. Winemaker Notes Blend: 83% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Sirah WE94 Wine Enthusiast Rich aromas black cherry, cola, milk chocolate and purple flowers show on the nose of this blend of 83% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petite Sirah. The tannic tension is quite firm on the sip, where fresh boysenberry, baking spice and cracked pepper deliver a lengthy experience. Drink 2022-2039.