Sucker Punched by Katrina. Two hours ago the power came back on. It had been down since Thursday evening about 7:30, after Katrina took a turn to the left, drawing a bead on Miami Springs and other points along a diagonal that cut the county from the NE corner to the SW. Awe and anxiety competed as Thursday night we watched the spectacle out of our unshuttered front windows (which face the north) and the glass doors to our back porch (which face the south and which, unlike the front windows, are specially constructed to be hurricane proof).

As already reported, the eye of the storm passed over us, and gave us about 45 minutes of strange calm. It was still light, and we walked outside. The wind had been blowing from the west when the eye came by. When it left, the wind came barreling in from the east, and seemed to be much stronger and harsher. The word from the weather people on the radio (our Grundig portable with the battery you crank) was that the "backside" of Katrina was where it got nasty. They were right.

But we fared far better than the people S of us, down below Kendall in the Homestead, Redlands, Country Walk area, which suffered so much during Andrew. Instead of wind damage, the problem there was flooding. The forecasters had predicted that Katrina would be a "rain event" rather than a "wind event", but it turned out to be both. Flooding in parts of Dade, and sailboats piled up one on top of the other in Dinner Key and Crandon Park (where I kept my sailboat, when I had one.)

We lost a small tree, and a coconut palm we are growing blew over, which we should be able to prop up. With the fridge down, we lost some food. Carol, however, not one to allow a minute to go by without doing productive work, took the opportunity to clean the fridge - it's definitely "sparkle city" now. Other than the bearable misery of heat and humidity (which reminded me of growing up in Miami Springs, before central air, heck, before wall units at our socio-economic level). I actually enjoyed sleeping with the windows open, a little breeze, no top sheet, short PJs. Just the way it was, once upon a time. Carol did not see the charm in it.

Lesson learned, though. When the hurricane warnings go up, then we will batten down, regardless of where we think its going, regardless of the "category".

As to the Voice of Miami Springs, I did not get on the air. I had the means to do so, with my 5 watt CW transceiver and a lead-acid battery. But didn't. Next time, maybe.