Post-Charley News

I think Charley got pissed off at people mis-spelling his name “Charlie”. It had nothing to do with some lunatics who doubted his manhood by ignoring his bluster and pretending he wasn’t there. (Yes, it’s true. Unlike the intelligent people around the area, we did not spend the storm in the bathroom. We lit candles and played games. Buncha morons.)

But we survived the 100mph winds with minimal damage. We were extremely lucky. A 60-foot pine tree in our front yard fell over in the only way it could have and not caused any damage. It brushed up against the side of our house, but a foot or two the other way… I’ve got a couple pics of it to upload later.

We also lost a section of fence in the back yard, forcing us to clean up the crap so the neighbors don’t report us to the city as a health hazard. Unlike most of the city, we got our power back Saturday afternoon. Our cable won’t be fixed until later this week, but (darn the luck) all systems at work are fully functional.

In fact, our neighborhood fared so well that I thought the damage might not be very bad. But as we went around Maitland and Winter Park Saturday, we found that we were very lucky. Traffic lights are out everywhere. Power is restored to most businesses, but only about half the homes. Downed trees are making travel on side roads a mess. And to top it all off, it has rained more over the last two days than it did during the hurricane.

Sgt. Grump is still without power. He lost some fencing and pieces of his roof. We’re skipping going to his house for lunch today, as he hasn’t had a hot shower in three days…ewww…

Cableman got his power back and only lost a shingle. Even though his house was in the direct path of the storm, it was just built and fell under the new codes (which he made a strong point of holding his contractor to…thank God). Apparently, some of the structures around him built in the 80’s are now roofless.

Other friends were not so lucky, finding trees in their bedroom and blocking their driveway. I guess Seminole Woods is now just “Seminole” as the woods are pretty much gone.

We were supposed to meet Bitter Kat for a birthday dinner Saturday night, but I have not been able to get ahold of her by phone. I hope all is well. I think it is from her blog, but we were worried for a bit.

Of course, none of this compares to the devastation in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. What happened down there is just awful. About the only bright spot there is the blessedly minor death toll. Our prayers are with them.

Thank you all for your concern for our safety. I had Sarasota Kat track down my phone number and call to check on us Saturday, which I thought was kinda special. My buddy Ric the Schmuck has been making regular checks on our progress and pinch-hitting on the blog. He’s the bestest. And amongst the hundreds of spam messages in my e-mail this morning, I had several real notes of concern from bloggy friends. It’s good to know someone cares.