RIT SUN GUARD

RIT SUN GUARD
Just heard about this product from a neighbor who was told about it by his dermatologist. For those of us here in Florida this sounds like a great way to get extra protection from the sun. The manufacturer, Rit Dye, says, "Just add one package to your regular wash cycle to give clothing a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) of 30 that will last for up to 20 launderings." Sounds pretty good to me. We are going to give it a try.

WirelessTrips.com

WirelessTrips.com
This is an excellent summary of the different options for staying connected on the road. These guys also have a really nicely formatted and written Blog about life on the road. Hope they don't mind this plug in Musings.

This is a post from my laptop using my GPRS cell phone as a modem. I have finally gotten this connection working as it should. With my unlimited T-Zones internet on my cell phone this will be the method of choice for email and internet while on the road. I know I am a slow learner but it took me a long time to get this figured out. The solution was two fold. The first was to pair the phone with the laptop as a Bluetooth device. After Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 2 the Bluetooth pairing capability was simplified and improved. Once the laptop and the Nokia 3650 were "paired" the connection was assured anytime the phone is within range of the laptop. The second part of the solution was when I finally abandoned the Nokia modem software and setup a dialup connection using the Standard Modem over Bluetooth device rather than the Nokia Bluetooth modem. Now the dialup connection has been working flawlessly. The connection is not too bad in terms of speed either. I connect consistently at about 33 kbps. This Blog post is being done using my Nokia 3650 cell phone modem wirelessly using Bluetooth radio. Looks like many of our "on the road" connectivity problems have been solved.

Home Once More

We are back home once more. It was an interesting trip. Interesting because as we got closer and closer to the center of the storm track the visible damage increased noticeably. Once we got onto secondary roads the going was kind of tricky since many of the traffic lights were still out or were at crazy angles so you could not see them. Fortunately in a "Who goes first?" situation, the Mothership is big enough that no one argues with you. Our neighborhood has a strange surreal appearance since none of the trees have very many leaves on them. Another thing we noticed is the smell of decaying vegetation everywhere. We did indeed feel like tiny little carbon life forms when looking at all of the forces of nature that were at work here. I will take some pictures to share with you. We lost a couple of more fence sections and one screen panel on our patio but that seems to be it. It feels good to be back on my home keyboard and Internet connection instead of jury rigging campground phone lines and cell phone connections.

Our choice of Naples for a storm refuge was a good one. Based on our calculations to be ninety degrees to the left of the track this location was the farthest and easiest to reach in the motorhome. We are at Rock Creek RV Resort. We picked a campsite free of trees. We are glad that we did as we were buffeted by gusty winds all night long and are still being hit by gusts as I type this. The wind does seem to be coming in gusts now instead of being a constant force. TV reports show gusts to 50 mph in the Naples area. Watching all of the TV reports we seem to be on the edge of the heaviest rain and winds which is what we had hoped for. The wind direction has shifted from the North yesterday to West and Southwest today. Since the motorhome is parked in a North South orientation we are rocked slightly as the big gusts come through. Even with 40 to 50 mph gusts the movement of the motorhome is not alarming.

During the approach of the storm yesterday we watched the Weather Channel for forecast track reports. After landfall ocurred we switched to the local TV stations for more detailed coverage. We maintained email contact using Bob's Nokia 3650 cell phone when the winds were too high to go outside. We also have access to a modem line in the campground office where we can use the laptop to access email and weather reports. The modem line is also needed to transmit this long entry to the Blog. The problem with the cell phone is having to type using the keys on the phone. This dictates that those emails are short. It is really nice having email access with the cell phone though as we can send updates and status reports to our friends and family in the worst of conditions.

We left yesterday in the Mothership to get out of the path of Hurricane Jeane. As we drove out of the local area we saw long lines backed up at local gas stations. Lines extended up to half a mile on one road. Barbara suggested that we go west and take the Florida Turnpike which turned out to be a good suggestion. We were headed to Naples, Florida where we are now encamped. I looked at the forecast path for the storm and took a ninety degree angle to the left of the track and the farthest point we could get was Naples. This location puts us 150 miles from the path. We hope this will get us out of the destructive part of the storm. Our house is strong with metal shutters on all windows but the Mothership would not take hundred mile an hour winds. In addition, we are trying to avoide the long power outages and lack of gasoline and food that follow these events.

We are tired of running from storms and tired of being constantly on the run. This year has been very stressful for all Floridians. We count ourselves among the lucky since we are retired and have the mobility to get out of harms way. We have not endured the trauma and stress of our friends and family who must remain the storms path. We worry about them constantly. We are constantly in touch with our cell phones but there is little we can do to help them except bring needed items when we return.

The biggest worry with Hurricane Jeane is the debris that still remains from Hurricane Frances. Streets in West Palm Beach are lined with piles of tree branches and other debris. An astonishing amount of work has been accomplished in collecting this debris but the amount to pick up is so huge that a lot remains. The worry is that all of this will become flying missiles that will do more damage. I put as much of it in my garage before we left so I have a garage full of vegetation that smells bad. My friend and neighbor will go over and take it out after the storm passes.

A drive by one of the local debris collection locations, John Prince Park, provides some perspective on the amount of tree damage inflicted by Frances. There are lines of trucks bringing tree debris to this location where it is being chipped and ground up. There are literally hills of wood chips in the park where there used to be green grass areas where people played. The park, one of the largest local parks, is closed to the public since it is a central debris collection point.

We now wait and watch as Jeane moves through the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. We may get some wind and rain from it here in Naples beginning this afternoon and tonight.

Hurricane Jeane

Hard to believe but a FOURTH hurricane is threatening Florida. Jeane has been circling around in the Atlantic as if waiting for clearance from some higher authority to launch another attack on our state. Each forecast from the National Hurricane Center moves the northward turn a little farther west. There is a turn to the north in the forecast but when that occurs is the question. If it follows the latest forecast track it will slowly turn and follow the coastline north towards the Carolinas. Debris from Frances still lines our streets and the piles at the central collection points are huge. Yesterday, we watched the Lake Worth Drainage District remove trees from a nearby canal. They are in a huge pile beside one of the roads we travel each day. I spent some time this morning doing some tree trimming on the orchid tree nearest the house. The general consensus of people after the storm is you are fine as long as you live in a concrete block house with a concrete tile roof and no trees near the house. Oh, and of course, strong hurricane shutters on all windows and doors.

Home

We are back home. Driving down the first thing we noticed that was odd was the way the signs were all bent and broken off and sitting at odd angles. Some pretty hefty highway signs on I-95 were broken off and they were mounted on large metal beams. Billboards were just skeletons since the signage had long departed for areas unknown. We have power and our fence has been blown down. My neighbor and good friend stacked it neatly by the house. My garage door looked like a first grade art project with leaves flattened all over it in a strangely attractive pattern. I erased the art work with my hose. We removed the shutters from two doors and one window to let some light in. There are huge piles of dead vegetation and debris still waiting for pickup on all of the streets.

Escape

Yesterday morning, Thursday, we both awoke at 3 am. After checking the latest forecasts and watching the weather channel we made the decision to evacuate. The Mothership was loaded and ready to go so at 4 am we departed the Mothership Base. Driving through Brevard County we listened to talk radio shows and heard people calling in reporting traffic conditions on I-95. At that point things were not too bad and traffic was moving right along. As we approached Daytona the picture changed drasticly and we encountered bumper to bumper traffic. It must have taken us two or three hours to get from Daytona past Jacksonville. Once we were out of Florida things opened up pretty nicely. After eleven hours of driving we are parked in my mom and dad's yard but are still watching the storm.

We now have our friends and family who stayed in Florida in our thoughts and prayers. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaugher are still in West Palm Beach. Mavis will be working around the clock in the hospital where she is a nurse and Rob and Kailtyn will be in a concrete office building owned by a friend. It is a very secure building. We feel that they are safe. Our friends in our neighborhood, like us, have done all they could do to prepare their houses by putting up storm shutters and moving everything outside into the garage or the house.

My friend Rick went to Home Depot last night and said it was crazy there. He said that there were at least one hundred people in line for any kind of wood to cover their windows and doors.

We have done all we can do at this point and can only hope the storm will weaken so that the damage will be lessened. The latest report says the storm has slowed down to 9 knots and even though it has weakened slightly is likely to restrengthen. The slow speed and possible strengthening is not good. That means the hurricane force winds will last much longer wherever the storm passes.

We are still watching Frances since it could still effect us here in SC as it travels inland. We are prepared to move the Mothership away from the tall trees here if we have to. We would move it to the local Wal-Mart parking lot and lock it up if the weather turns bad here.

Day 2 Frances Prep

Some good news at the 5pm update from the hurricane center. The track has shifted a bit to the north. I am really tired after two days of moving stuff and putting up shutters some of which don't fit very well. There must be some basic law of the universe that says the last component of any system you are installing will give the most problems. The one door I left until last was the hardest one of all to put shutters on. I also went to the grocery store and stocked up on some food items. The motorhome is ready to go if we have to escape. Since the 5pm report was slightly encouraging I am going to hold off until possibly early morning if we leave. That way I can view the 11pm advisory. Maybe the track will shift a bit more to the north. That would take some of the worst part of the storm a tiny bit further away from us but my mom and dad live in South Carolina and that might be the next target. We had considered going there to escape the storm but it does not seem to be a good idea at this time. This time of the year down here is pretty intense and we are constantly watching the weather. A good sign is that people are taking the threats very seriously now. I can remember when they just brushed them off as not a serious threat. I think hurricanes Charley, Andrew, and Hugo within living memory has made an impression on the public.

Watching Frances

I have spent the last day and a half putting up metal hurricane shutters over our windows and bringing loose objects inside the garage. Our garage door has beams that are put in place to reinforce it against the wind. I have done all I can do to get the house ready. We are now watching the forecasts by the hurricane center at each update, 8am, 11am, 5pm, and 11pm local time. The latest advisory has the storm going inland somewhere north of us. Hurricane force winds extend outward from the center for 60 miles and the tropical storm force winds out 200 miles. The subtropical ridge that is holding the storm to the south may weaken a bit in the next 24 hours. We are going to get our camper loaded up and be ready to move it if the storm looks like it is going to head our way. We would go all the way up to South Carolina or further to avoid the storm. If the subtropical ridge weakens a tiny bit and allows the storm to go further northward we will stay put and ride out the tropical storm force winds here at home.

Frances

Spent the day installing shutters. I have 16 of our 19 windows covered with our relatively new hurricane shutters. If we evacuate it will be early Thursday morning as I still have a fair amount of work to do in preparing the house. We still have a dilemna as to where to go but it is clear that we do not want to go up the east coast if we decide to leave. All of the forecast tracks show the storm traveling generally up the east coast of Florida but any slight wobble one way or the other could make a huge difference in the impact of the storm on us. One should never take the NHC forecast track as an absolute. That is why they forecast a wide cone of error. We saw what happened with Charley on the west coast when it took a sharp turn to the right at the last minute. That turn was well within the cone of error in the forecast. We are praying to the steering current and Coriolis gods to make it turn to the right soon. South Florida should start feeling some winds from the storm on Friday afternoon.

Local Preparations plus Hurricane Charley Relief Fund

The model forecast tracks for Frances show a slight turn to the right. We are continuing to prepare the house by putting up shutters and planning what we will do. The direction of the forecasted tracks is a dilemna for us. If we evacuate and move the motorhome out of harms way we will have to go quite far to escape the projected track. Moving to Tampa is not necessarily a good thing since they are so vulnerable and with the track crossing diagonally across the state from SE to NW we would still be in harms way in a motorhome instead of in a strong and secure house. If the right turn tendency continues we will consider staying put. We have new and very strong storm shutters and also have a strong concrete roof.



Here is the link for the
Hurricane Charley Relief Fund coordinated by the state. Please help the victims of Charley by going to this site and donating what you can.

Hurricane Frances

It is a fact of life. We are nearing the height of hurricane season here in South Florida. We are presently watching Hurricane Frances and all indications are that we are in the danger zone. This storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Floyd that headed right for us here in West Palm Beach but turned at the last moment. The sun is rising now with a beautiful red and orange hue but that only brings to mind an old saying my dad used to tell me. Red in the morning, sailors take warning. We are watching the forecasts very carefully to decide when to activate our escape plan. We decided long ago that if a Cat 3 or higher storm threatened us we would evacuate. We have a motorhome that would not survive such a storm and more importantly we do not want to go through a storm like that since we have the option to escape. We must allow time to shutter all of our windows and take all steps to prepare our home and yard for a possible hit. I will begin those preparations today and work towards being ready for a move before the end of the week. Most of the National Hurricane Center models are showing a turning trend. Hurricane Floyd was the same scenario and we felt like we were standing in the middle of the interstate highway with an eighteen wheeler bearing down on us having been told that it would probably turn at the last minute. Floyd made that turn and we are praying that Frances does too but we will take no chances.

Storm 2004 Hurricane Season: Charley

Storm 2004 Hurricane Season: Charley This is a local link with a comprehensive list of phone numbers and other ways to help the victims of Hurricane Charley.

Volunteer Florida Home

Here is a link with a phone number and information on how to help Hurricane Charley victims. The top priority seems to be donation of funds rather than goods. Please help if you can.

Volunteer Florida Home

Disaster Donations

donationlink1
This is the link to a list of the various organizations that are coordinating donations to the Hurrican Charley victims.

Charley

Charley missed us completely here in West Palm Beach but the news from the west coast is grim. Much loss of life and property. The scenes on TV, CNN and Weather Channel, are truly frightning. The devastation is extensive. We got lucky this time but there is already another tropical depression brewing south of us. It is a bright and sunny day as I post this thinking of our fellow Floridians in Punta Gorda and Fort Myers who have lost their homes. I hope they are taken care of quickly and effectively. The governor is visiting the area and I hope they take action to help those folks.

International Trade Centre

Now the International Trade Centre is giving my name to people so they can give me money. I didn't know there were so many kind and generous people in Africa.


FROM:MRS.VICTORIA NDLOVU
ATTN:
You may be surprised to receive this letter from me
since you don't know me personally,but for the
introduction,I am MRS. VICTORIA NDLOVU,the wife of
Late DR.ONOMUA ANDREW NDLOVU who was recently murdered
in the land dispute inzimbabwe.
I got your contact from the INTERNATIONAL TRADE
CENTRE here in Johhanesburg and decided to write
you.My Husband was among the few black Zimbabwe rich
famers murdered in the cold blood by the agents of the
ruling governmentof President Robert MUGABE for his
alleged support and sympathy for the Zimbabwean
opposition party,controlled by the white minority.
Before his death,he had taken me to to deposite the
sum ofFive Million Dollars US$ 5M.with a security and
finance company as if he knew the looming danger in
Zimbabwe. The money was deposited in a box as
gemstones to avoid much demurrage from the security
company.
This money was earmarked for the purchase of new farm
machinery and chemicals for the establishment of our
new farm in lesotho and Swaziland.This land problem
arose when president Robert MUGABE introduced a new
land act,which wholly affected the rich white famers
and some blacks vehemently condemned the
modusoperand"adopted by the government. This resulted
to rampant killings and mob actions by the war
veterans and some political thugs presently,more than
SIX-HUNDRED[600]people have so far been killed.Heads
of government from the west,especially The Great
Britain and The United states of America have voice
their condemnation of MUGABE'S plan.
The South Africa development community (SADEC)has
continuously supported MUGABE'S new land reform Act.It
is against this background that I and my Children who
are currently staying as REFUGEE in a SOUTH AFRICAN
REPUBLIC but currently seeking An ASSYLUM in any of
THE THE WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES have decided to
transfer my late Husband's money into a foreign
account.
As the only and LEGITIMATE -WIFE of my late husband I
am saddled with the responsibility of seeking a
genuine foreign account where this money could be
transfer without theknowledge of my country's
government who are tatically freezing our
familieswealthback home in ZIMBABWE and The South
Africa government seems to be playing along with them.
I am faced with the delimma of investing this amount
of money in The South Africa Republic for the fear of
encountering the same experience in future since both
countries have almost the same political
history.Moreso ,the South Africa Financial foreign
exchange policy does not allow such investment hence I
am seeking for Assistance.As a business person whom I
must entrust my future and that of my family on his
hands,I must let you know that this transfer is 100%
RISK FREE .
Therefore if you accept to assist my family,we are
willing to offer you 20% of the total sum for your
assitance,70% for me and my family,while 10% will be
mapped out for all expenses.I would wish to invest in
your country on REAL- ESTATE based on your advice and
I would also receive assurance that you would'nt sit
on this money when transfered into your personal or
company account. If this PLEA is acceptable by you
please do send me your personaldetails,Name and
Address,telephone and fax numbers .You should know
that this business is highly confidential and shall be
kept within you alone.I hope to hear from you soon on
the above email address.
Thanks,
Best Regards,
MRS VICTORIA NDLOVU.
REPLY TO :hod_20042003@yahoo.com

Split

Hey, another guy wants to split $28.6 million with me.

TO: THE PRESIDENT/CEO REQUEST FOR YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE
Dear Sir,
This latter may come to you as a surprise but I am writing it with hope that you will accept my request as I have no international connections and I believe this is going to be a beginning of a sound and long lasting relationship if you accept my offer. My name is Usman Belo, I was born August 16th 1964 in the northern side of Nigeria and I work with Shell Petroleum Company as an engineer. My father is one of NNPC Oil marketer, and he died during a fire explosion in NNPC house Lagos Island in December last year. There is something I want to disclose to you, which no body knows about. This needed immediate attention and I hope you will be of great help and you will also benefit from it. Dr. Smith Paul Clemens an Oil merchant who is late now as a result of an explosion which burnt down NNPC house in Lagos Island deposited the sum US$28.6 Million with a Security and finance company in Europe. He intended to use the money for a payment of Crude Oil with the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) which some document I recovered stated that my late father is the intended person to receive this fund (US$28.6 Million) for NNPC. Based on the recommendation given to me by a friend who made your contact available to me, I develop the confidence that you have the caliber to stand as Dr. Smith, so that you ask the Finance Company to resent the money back to you and we share fifty - fifty. I would forward to you via DHL the original copy of Certificate used to deposit the money and also give you their contact for you to reach them and verify. Please do not expose this confidence I am reposing on you as this is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime and I do not want anything to jeopardize it. If you want to collaborate with me for this transaction send to me your private telephone and fax number so that I can communicate you to give you the modus oprandi or you can email me with my private mailing address above for more briefing as I wait to hearing from you as soon as possible,
Best regards, Usman Belo Date: 23/11/2003