homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Battle of Britain + Battle of Britain II Here's what happened (Continued)

Folks,

SNAFU:

Big bucks? Me? I assure you sir that I am not paid in male deer and the US dollars I am fortunate enough to bamboozle anyone out of from time to time seem to be the same size as everyone else's. :rolleyes:

Our inimitable pal Z2 has begun a beautifully woven historical tapestry of what might have been. Like you, I find it difficult not to become totally wrapped up in it, easily forgetting that it is, after all, sewn with make-believe thread.

If Ivan is the last storm of the season he will still be one storm too many. Fear not, if he hits the Gulf states and then tangles with us, he will likely have very little breath left for sinking small boats. He may, on the other hand, raise the water under their keel a fathom or two.

Our pals who fled up here from the east coast of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Frances went home yesterday to find all (yes all) their trees gone, their gazebo gone, their deck flattened and a large tree across their house, one of its limbs going straight down through their roof. The hall and master bedroom was full of water. Did I mention that they had to wade in knee-deep water to get into their house? How lucky in retrospect we have been here so far this year.

Even here the ground is so incredibly saturated after all these storms that even the wind velocity of a category 1 storm would do terrific damage to the trees and anything under them. The rivers and streams are already at flood stage, more rain soon from another slow mover like Frances would push them over their banks. That crosses my sleepy mind before I close my eyes every night because I can hit the swollen Tar River from here with a good pea-shooter.

Speaking of shooting things, I thought my son was going to let off a capp or two in the general direction of our eldest grandson this morning. We attended Grandparents day at the little kid's school today. Although there were delicious snacks and many planned activities for all, our grandson, who is in kindergarten, must have gotten bored because for some reason he felt the compelling urge to liven things up a bit by pulling the fire alarm. No, he didn't have a clue what that thing was for then.... He does now. :rolleyes:

I guess he got it all from me although naturally I publicly blame our son. It was after all I who at age eight and while riding the singular example of public transit available to me through downtown Lizard Lick began wielding a deadly accurate home-made pea-shooter plinking the exposed nether portions of unsuspecting pedestrians on both left and right sides of the street. I would have gotten away with it too if sheer arrogance had not taken charge causing me to ping one off the back of the bus driver's head. Ahhh, the thoughtless activities of youth are so often blissfully unencumbered by fear of righteous retribution.