A Holler From The Holler

An alternate take on our epic adventures near Dehart's Bible & Tire (as seen below), courtesy of KKM. Such excitement.

Hey. It's Sunday. I'm tired.

So, we've left the ship.

I know this because three days ago i was in the middle of Kentucky, dancing at the wedding of two people i'd never met.

I know this because five days ago i was sitting in a garage apartment a quarter mile from Dehart's Bible & Tire, using God only knows whose wireless, reading the London news from six miles outside a town where i'd just seen a church with a functioning outhouse.

I know this also because seven days ago i was on a Tennessee mountainside to see a black bear shaking the berry bushes at sunrise.

But i know this perhaps most finally because three hours ago i was eating storefront Mexican in Wisconsin, listening to the best mariachi trio i'd ever heard.

I'm missing Central America bad tonight.

Signs Of A Fine Establishment, Pt. 8

(Hayes Crossing, KY. 21 July)

Signs Of A Fine Establishment, Pt. 7

(Pigeon Forge, TN. 18 July)

Signs Of A Fine Establishment, Pt. 6

(Prichard, AL. 17 July)

On The Vagaries Of Cheap Travel

A few brief notes:

• If traveling from Alabama to Texas to Louisiana to Texas to Arizona to New Mexico to Arizona to Alabama in six days or less, do not fly standby.
  
• If the first leg of your trip is actually to flee a hurricane, carefully plan to return at least one day after your fellow crew members have already done all the hard work of reopening the ship. [Highly recommended.]
  
• If trapped in Houston's Bush Intercontinental overnight by ridiculously anemic bad weather (defined as "anything less threatening than the dud of a hurricane you evacuated for in the first place"), do consider the lobby armchairs at the airport Mariott. Three and a half stars.
  
• Finally, NEVER, EVER EAT AT CINNABON.

Cardinal rule, that. Should've known.

Signs Of A Fine Establishment, Pt. 5

(Mobile, AL. 17 July)

Signs Of A Fine Establishment, Pt. 4

(Chickasaw, AL. 11 July)

It's Official

(NOAA photo, 3:15 p.m. today)

Now we'll see if the ship's still there when we get back.

[moment of silence for the Flora-Bama]

I was thinking: One nice thing about being at that dock, at least, is that the ship isn't as vulnerable to losing power if the lines start coming down in the area. We're quite safe as far as that goes. Of course, before we left, we threw the breaker to the ship's massive shore supply cable, as a safety precaution, and dragged it up out of the engine room to coil it on the dock. (A four-person operation -- not bad, since it took six engineers to muscle it down there.) So the ship is completely dark right now -- we pulled the plug on the 24-volt emergency system too -- for the first time since that little problem we had in the DR in 2002. But anyway, once we get back and get the cable reconnected, things should be fine. In order for the ship to lose power, a pretty big chunk of something or other would have to smash into the big electrical substation right next door to us. You know, the one just on the other side of our crumbling warehouse. Right by where all those huge thirty-foot sections of old sheet steel are dangling by a single rusty bolt apiece. Yeah, that one.

East Texas: Always A Good Time

See the caretakers for more.

I'm going back to bed.

Actually, Not Kidding This Time

(credit: NOAA)

Evacuating in fifty-six minutes.

Bye!

(Untitled)

Eric Erb, this one's for you.

Dennis Lays The Smack On Cuba

(photo credit: NOAA)

It''s a Category Four now, only six mph from Category Five. It'll likely be a Five, we're hearing, by the time it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf. Last night the talking heads were saying it was probably going to pass east of us, towards Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach (where there are still huge piles of rubble and blue tarps everywhere from Ivan - only a Three - last year). But today they seem to think the track is edging right back towards Gulf Shores and Mobile Bay, or in other words, right here.

Hmm.

Actually Getting Just The Tiniest Bit Tiresome, Thanks

(credit: NOAA)

Yeah, so, conspiracies. Where was i? Ah. yes.

Tropical Storm Arlene was pretty much a wuss - a gentle blow from the right side. Tropical Storm Cindy packed a somewhat stronger punch last night, a grazing strike on the left. Another ten inches of storm surge and our dock would have been totally underwater at noon today. Maybe for Hurricane Dennis next week we should think about parking the trucks somewhere else. hmm. At least the gale-force winds today blew away some of the cobwebs on A-Deck. I think the spiders are multiplying again.

By the way, if you're not sure precisely where Chickasaw is, the above map of Dennis also functions as a handy Caribbean Mercy finder. Just look for the exact dot that says "2 p.m. Monday."

If this keeps up, Karl Rove and i are going to have WORDS.

Really Not All That Funny Anymore

(this photo credit: NOAA)

Tropical Storm Cindy hit us here early this morning. The water was rising quickly enough that by breakfast time our taut mooring lines were giving us a full extra degree of starboard list.

Such a nice pretty swirl this time. I like that.

Note To Self

For future reference

Nachos + guacamole + coffee @ 3 a.m. = BAD

Why So Glum, Chum? (3rd Installment)

(photo credit: WTSP Tampa)

All right. I was willing to reserve judgement after the last time, but this is obviously a conspiracy.

Who could be behind such a thing? Offhand, i'd say it's almost definitely Karl Rove. But i'm open to suggestions.