Out of the Cross-Hairs....

Earlier this week there was a very real concern that Charleston was in the cross-hairs of a potentially major hurricane.  As someone who lives in the middle of downtown Charleston I was acutely aware of the possibilities and was watching forecasts closely, making plans, and generally figuring out what to do depending on how things were unfolding as the week progressed.

Thankfully, all of the forecast models have Hurricane Irene tracking east of Charleston, with the eye passing offshore within 140 miles of the city on Saturday morning.  The storm has been tracking slightly west of the most recent predictions so the more it drifts west the stronger the impact here.  A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Charleston County and, since I'm 2 blocks from the ocean, I expect to see some of the "fun" first hand. 

It's amazing to see how big this thing is, and the potential impact it could have on the megalopolis north of North Carolina along I95.   I've never seen a hurricane hit there - I've seen norEaster's but this could be historic depending on how things progress.  We've dodged a bullet here, it appears, but others are going to get hit by it...

The morning here today was beautiful: clear sunny skies, warm, no wind.  Things clouded up a bit early this afternoon but nothing too nasty.  At this time tomorrow we should be feeling the first effects of the storm.  And although I'm relieved that we have been spared this time those living farther up the coast will not be so fortunate.  And everyone keeps reminding me that Hurricane Season is still young, so there will be other storms a-coming.

Let the Sun Shine: the calm before the storm.....

I was thinking that this is a good metaphor for life in general - that storms come and go, sometimes we see them coming and sometimes not, and we prepare as best we can.  As of now I'm pretty comfortable that there may be quite a bit of rain and wind but that the practical impacts to me will be minimal.  I suppose we'll see if I'm being complacent, naive, or just plain wrong.

Maggie has been digging living here as much as I have.  Yesterday evening at the doggie park there were at least 20 dogs.  It's only a couple of blocks from the house and although I feel guilty making her stay home all day while I'm at work she gets a good hour of exersize with her "gang".  She's a very good pup....and can still make me laugh out loud.  She's great company....

As for me, I've been busy busy busy.  Today was the first day I've gotten to the Fitness Center this week and it affects my overall outlook when I'm away too long.  It felt good, and I'm planning to be back again tomorrow, and hopefully again on Saturday - my favorite Spin class is on Saturday mornings.  Needless to say, plans for the weekend remain flexible at this point depending on what the weather is like.

In less than 4 weeks the annual Southern Comfort Conference will be happening in Atlanta.  I haven't missed the entire thing in a long time, but this year I'll be in Denver that weekend (details here).  I'm hoping I can sneak in a hike while I'm there.  That's one thing I'm missing.  But in the scheme of things, not such a big deal.  :)