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Thanks everyone for your great wishes. We are really looking forward to this wonderful cruise. It will be our longest by far. It is also our first cruise since the shutdown . With all the turmoil and heartache of the last 2 years, we fully intend to have a great trip!

Good Morning from a very cool and windy day at the beach I think that finally the storm has left us. We all did fine. No damage for us and we never lost power. I count my blessings and hope and pray for our friends that are all over Florida. In my 35 years of dealing with hurricanes, this one was different. We have had some substantial damage in the past, and we even had to evacuate a few times. This time we came thru ok but it was worse. Hard to explain. I am heading down to the beach to see how much erosion has taken place. Ocean still looks angry but less than the last few days. I however dont plan on leaving the crossover.! Please stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

@HAL Sailer Melissa Excellent news. After all the bad news we have heard about the destruction, it is good to hear something positive. I thought we were clear but it just doesnt want to let go. We are currently having heavy rain and strong winds. I had put up one of the shutters so I could see what was happening. It is now back down. Port Canaveral remains closed. They were going to reopen tomorrow but that has now changed to possibly Saturday.

Good Morning from a very stormy day at the beach. Not over yet but nothing like the West coast . The pictures are unreal. My nephews inlaws live in Naples. Luckily they evacuated but their home is gone. It was a beautiful home about 1/2 mile from the Bay. We were there in May for the wedding. We have been advised to shelter in place. Lots of flooding and debris. Someones gutter is in my driveway Ann @cat shepard stay safe.Dont worry about the pool. Can be remedied after the storm has passed. I know you have said you have a pool guy, Pinch Penny is very experienced with balancing chemicals after a storm. @MISTER 67 Hope you are safe and are doing OK . Stay safe Charlene

So happy that you are OK. Sebring was on our news a lot last nite and I was thinking of you. Trees can be replaced, lives cannot.

LOL ! I guess so. 35 years!

Good Morning from a very rainy and dark day at the beach I truly appreciate my neighbors , we all pitch in to help when we can. I think there is going to more of that in the next few days. Publix lands are important to all of us and need to be preserved. Not a beer drinker. @dfish Debbie, Congratulations on your new home. I wish you evert happiness in your new adventure. I received an email from HAL this AM and there are many changes to our itinerary. Its Ok, just happy to be able to go at all. We are in for the duration. We will not get the same intensity as @MISTER 67 on the west coast. We are currently expecting 60-70 mile an hour winds and heavy rain. Storm shutters will go down shortly. I always feel like I am in a cave! The ocean is loud and angry. All whitecaps. Storm surge will probably cover the dunes but sand can be replaced and as long as everyone is safe, that is what is important. Ann @cat shepard Looks like Volusia is going for a ride. Be safe! Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Afternoon from a cloudy but warm day at the beach We are done with storm prep. It will just be a tropical storm here. Our issue will be flooding and because the ground is already so saturated, trees falling down along with power outages. We hope for the best. Thank You to Roy @rafinmd. My luggage is now gone. I called Luggage Forward and they agreed that the best thing to do would be drop off at UPS today. She said it would be a wise thing to get it in transit as soon as possible. So thank you. It was dropped off first thing this AM. @Horizon chaser 1957 Have a wonderful and safe trip. It sounds wonderful. @Cruising-along A very Happy Anniversary to you and DH. May you enjoy many more. The city has requested that we limit our water usage during the storm. So I have to finish up some laundry and run the dishwasher . Then it will be paper plates etc for a few days. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Ann @cat shepard Great map. I think we will be OK in Brevard. Expecting a lot of rain and wind. The only issue is we are on the east side of the storm and that is usually where the tornadoes come from. There is an expected storm surge. The ocean is already churning. So we will take in the patio furniture ( was going to have to do it this weekend anyway ), put the storm shutters down and hope for the best. 3 ships just left Port Canaveral. Not sure where they are going. DH went to help our friends secure the boat. The Tampa area and the west coast are in for a wild ride, we will just be a little bumpy. Everyone stay safe. Charlene

Good Afternoon from a warm and sunny day at the beach I only had Latin in school ( went to a Catholic school). My grandparents were from Ireland so I know all the swears in Gaelic! Does that make me bilingual? DH speaks 4 languages fluently, French, German, Italian and Spanish. And of course English. It was very useful to him in his careeer. Often people were surprised that he understood what they were saying and shocked when he replied. @Cat in my lap i just heard they are starting evacuations in Tampa. May want to come up with an alternative plan. @Vict0riann Hope you both feel better soon! Luggage Forward is scheduled to pick my luggage up on Wednesday. Not sure that will happen. But just in case, I unpacked it all this AM and repacked with everything in plastic. Then put in trash bags inside the suitcases. Hopefully it will keep things dry. Sray safe and enjoy today Charlene

Dont mean to hijack this thread. But what virtual service do you plan on using? I have read some not great things about OnPoint. I will be needing a test before boarding on 10/8.

Jim Cantore was here a few years ago for a very mild tropical storm. We have had afternoon thunderstorms more intense. We could not figure out why he was here. He did not stay long as there was nothing to see. Stay safe!

Good Morning from an overcast but warm day at the beach Really not sure what the weather is going to do today or this week. Watching the updates on Ian. They really dont know where it is going yet. I have a few appointments scheduled the end of the week in preparation for our trip . Things may be jumbled up a bit. As long as everyone is ok, that is the main thing. @kazu Glad you came through OK. Be careful with clean up. Of all my years working as an ER nurse, most injuries and deaths came after the storm. @dfish Hope it all works out for you! Today we are packing and going to do some preliminary storm prep. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Melissa, We are watching this one also. Seems to have come out of nowhere and at present the models are all over the place. As long time Floridians, we watch, wait and prepare. No amount of worry can change the weather. Stay safe Charlene

Good Morning from an overcast but warm day at the beach Crazy weather . Yesterday was the first day it has not rained in 2 weeks. It doesnt rain all day but it comes down pretty good. Our golf course remains closed. Hope I can to play at least once before we leave. Fiona was going by us ( offshore) but it caused very high surf. I went for my walk last nite and a neighbor told me to be careful. Well I did not get very far when this wave hit me hard. I was in ankle deep water and next thing I knew it was up to my waist. The receding water was very strong. So I turned around and went home, soaking wet. The water was up to the dune cross overs. The surfers are out in full force this AM. @kazu Stay safe in the storm. A tropical storm can be just as powerful as a hurricane. @dfish House hunting very rarely goes smooth. It will all work out. You will find an even better house. Today it is flu shots. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from a sunny and warm day at the beach I would love to see elephants in the wild, maybe someday. Always salute women in business. We are planning a trip to Hobbit town in New Zealand while we are there. @kazu I feel for you preparing for the hurricane. It is a lot of work and then the clean up after.. Hopefully it will miss you and impact will be minimal. Always best to prepare. I am now trying to arrange for Covid testing for our trip. I was going to go with On Point but it looks like they may be having some issues. Will try Test and Trace later. It is such a nuisance. Not complaining, I am very grateful that I even have this opportunity to travel. Stay safe and enjoy today

Good Morning from a warm but again cloudy day at the beach Heavy rain came in again yesterday with more expected today. Needed so no complaints. It also makes me get things done here. Love stuffed shells. They are a favorite here. Also enjoy a good cheeseburger. Although today we are having steak on the grill, early before the rains return. @cat shepardand @lindaler Welcome home. Hope you had a wonderful trip! @dfish That is what inspectors do- they find stuff. Sometimes they are a little ridiculous with their findings. All part of the process. My task today is to clean out and condense my houseplants. A friend is taking them while we are gone. The outside container plants are going to my nephew. He said he was going to plant them. Lots to think about and arrange before the trip. Never been gone this long before. I am so glad I took the advice of my CC friends and booked the luggage service. It will make things a lot easier. I also booked the hotel at the airport for the night before. We have a 7am flight and are an hour away. It will still be a very early morning but less of a hassle. Stay safe and enjoy today

Good Afternoon from a cloudy but warm day at the beach We have had a lot of much needed rain lately. The golf course is closed all weekend due to flooding. Went to the driving range this AM. Spacex was scrubbed again last nite due to lightning. Artemis has been scheduled again for Sept 27th. Hopefully this time!!! We are scheduled to stop at Exmouth on our Australian circumnavigation this fall. Really looking forward to it. We have had some port changes and I dont think they are done yet. Since I have not been to Australia before, it is all new to me. I have a truck coming Monday to take the rest of the stuff from the garage. Where does it all come from?? LOL. Then I can put my car in while we are gone. My nephew is going to come a drive it periodically. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

@dfish Congratulations! Now take a deep breath and relax! Hope you will soon be in your new home!

Same thing happened to me this week. I have been buying them every month, no problem. This time it accepted the sale, posted on my credit card but no email from AARP. I called them and was passed around and finally they said there was no record of the transaction. I called my credit card company and they said it will "fall off". It did that yesterday. I am a little hesitant to try again. @smitty34877 I am also a caregiver for my DD. It is a very exhausting job, both physically and emotionally. It is easy to feel overwhelmed some days. It is very important to take time for yourself, even if it is just for a little while. It will help no one if you become ill. It is frustrating because nothing is easy. Take care of yourself Charlene

@dfish Excellent news Debbie! Will say an extra prayer that everything will go smoothly.

Good Morning from a warm and sunny day at the beach A chocolate milk shake would be great. Dont play video games. It is always a good thing to encourage someone. Love roasted chicken, it is one of those comfort food meals. @kazu Your tribute looks wonderful. I hope that your friends and family can begin to bring you peace. I had the "new" booster on Saturday. It kicked my butt. I have never had a reaction to a vaccine . My family received it on Friday and was fine. I woke in the middle of the night with a wicked headache and chills. THe overall achiness lasted most of yesterday. Feel fine now and glad I got it. Just surprised at my reaction. Off to water aerobics. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from a cloudy but warm day at the beach Swapping ideas? Is that what we do here everyday? I used to have a sewing machine but no longer. Never been to todays port. I have been very stressed out about the ever changing rules for testing. DH said yesterday, " Their ship. their rules" . So deal with it. So we have decided to just do the online proctored test at the hotel . I will order the tests. I would have preferred to do it before we left but there isnt a place doing PCR tests for travel that is reasonable. I am getting the new booster today, DH and DD got it yesterday. I waited in case DD had any issues and needed care. All is well. No side effects other than a sore arm. THe pharmacist told me to come early, so I skipped golf and will be there when they open. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from a warm and sunny day at the beach Had some big storms roll thru yesterday and more expected this afternoon. I was so sorry to hear about the Queen. She was truly a very special lady. My deepest condolences to Graham and Pauline @grapau27 and all our Canadian friends. She will be missed. NASA wants to launch Artemis this month. They are doing the repairs on the pad. Makes me nervous. I truly hope they are successful. In the meantime Spacex has 2 launches scheduled this weekend, weather permitting. @marshhawk A very Happy Anniversary to you! May you enjoy many more. @ottahand7 Safe travels home. Seems the summer went by very quickly. Off to water aerobics. Stay safe and enjoy today

Have a wonderful trip! Always enjoy following along. Safe and healthy travels to you both.