Earl, up way too close and way too personal

Not much to say but best of luck, and I'm thinking all the positives thoughts I can while feeling very much too far from home. Love and love and love to friends on islands in the path of Earl.

More later on seeing Alex and the Outward Bound crew...a very good time was had by all!

Insomnia 101

Lately I've been doing the dance of little sleep. Maybe it's the impending departure/arrival stage of my journey. Maybe it's the impending storm of Earl. Maybe it's the moon. Maybe it's indigestion. The night/morning before last, I lay in bed with my eyes closed, trying to go back to sleep. Suddenly the wind was blowing hard in the room and I was slowly flying up into the corner. That's when I realized I was asleep, and dreaming I was awake. Not because of a sudden howling storm in the room. Not because I was flying. But because there were white curtains blowing wildly at the windows....and this room has no curtains - that realization had me awake again. Nope...no curtains. So it's like that...and that point is when we who sleep weirdly just decide to embrace and enjoy the wee quiet hours instead of wrestling with them, we might be writing blogs. Just so you know! And when I can find out who did the above piece, I'll be happy to ask permission to put it here!

Yesterday we went to the Portland Sidewalk Art Festival (yes, it's festival time around here, fairs, blueberries, you name it, there's a festival for it - and many of them are at the same time, making choosing tough). Over 200 artists participated, thousands showed up, but with the show stretched all over the downtown, it only felt crowded a few times. There was great art - including Mary Jane Cross, who paints with her fingers (really well, I might add). Need a little inspiration? Check out the link.

There were drummers and street fair type people, like the couple who hoped for tips to fund their 'tour'  by providing the entertainment of him juggling while on a unicycle and her using a hula hoop that was on fire. Good luck, you two! I think maybe that act needs a little work, or a dog or something, but at least they're out there giving life a big shot.

There was even a mini antique car show. But really, I've learned that Mainers will have a antique car show at the drop of an open space; you see old, dressed up cars everywhere around here, all of the time. Vintage car heaven, but now I'm sort of used to it. Yeah yeah, a Bentley from 1924, big deal. 60's woody in perfect condition? Another one? Nice...what's next?


But the best part of the day was still ahead of us. That was seeing Nancy at Local 188, a very neat bar/restaurant she and Sean used to go to a lot when he was in the hospital up here, way back when. Because I won't be here for Sean's celebration, it was a beyond very good surprise to have her show up early in Maine from her long, slow drive up the coast. We toasted Sean and love and friendship; we laughed, got a little teary but not much, and knew we'd see one another again...when. It was all good.

When we got out to the cars, Nancy showed us a bottle of wine that had caught eye at a local store - of course she had to get it; resistance would be silly. After the name, check out what is decorating the label (you can make it bigger with a click). The Great Prankster at work.

We stopped on the way home to have dinner at a place called Buck's Naked BBQ. Laurie thought we needed some distraction and she make an A+ choice. Noisy but not too noisy, fun but not stupid, well, the amount of food served is stupid, but in a good way...I think! And the food served was really good, if you are a carnivore...and you know, if you read this blog (or not) I am! The plate with the greens on it is Laurie's and she wanted someone on Culebra to see those greens, I'll have to check in again on who later.

That last plate is pure Phil...he just casually puts his bones like that on the bone plate. No, I'm not kidding. It was so pretty I had to take a photo of it, even though we tarted it up with a semi-full thing of horseradish and a pickle. Mine, the one that looks like a heap of three kinds of ribs (I thought they'd be little ribs, sort of like a sampler platter...wrong) covering, I kid you not, a baked potato, cole slaw - good slaw, and I'm picky - and a big piece of cornbread. So most of that is in the fridge.

But will I eat it today? Doubtful, because I am going to spend the day with Alex at the Outward Bound place where he works on...get ready for it...Hurricane Island. I figure instead of staying here and maniacally obsessing over what Earl is doing, I need to get outside and play. A pig roast with Alex and some of his buddies and co-workers sounds like just the ticket! And I may stay over, so if there is no blog early tomorrow, it's because I am having a good time Outward-ing. It doesn't mean I'm not thinking of home though...

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
90° F | 79° F	90° F | 79° F	90° F | 81° F	90° F | 77° F	90° F | 81° F
Rain Showers 20% chance of precipitation	T-storms 50% chance of precipitation	T-storms 60% chance of precipitation	Rain Showers 40% chance of precipitation	Rain Showers 20% chance of precipitation
	Hurricane Earl	Hurricane Earl

If you are living on island time, please finish up your preps if you haven't already! We can't change the weather, but we can feel like we've done everything possible to keep our worlds intact, and then let's just see what happens next! Wish I was there to help out. Thanks to all who have offered to keep an eye on my things, and to the best cat watcher in the world for taking such good care of CWIM that I'm not worried about her at all. Pretty much. Really. Love to the loved ones!

Head's up

000
WTNT32 KNHC 290303
TCPAT2
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM EARL ADVISORY NUMBER  15
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL     AL072010
1100 PM AST SAT AUG 28 2010

...EARL MOVING WESTWARD TOWARD THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...NEW WATCHES AND
WARNINGS ISSUED...


SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...16.6N 55.4W
ABOUT 520 MI...835 KM E OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...65 MPH...100 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 280 DEGREES AT 20 MPH...32 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...989 MB...29.21 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

THE GOVERNMENTS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA HAVE ISSUED A HURRICANE
WARNING FOR ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...MONTSERRAT...ST. KITTS...
NEVIS...AND ANGUILLA.

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE
WATCH FOR ST. MAARTEN...SABA...AND ST. EUSTATIUS.

THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE WATCH
FOR THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.

A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U. S.
VIRGIN ISLANDS...INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...MONTSERRAT...ST. KITTS...NEVIS...AND ANGUILLA

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* ST. MAARTEN...SABA...ST. EUSTATIUS
* BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
* U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* SAINT MARTIN AND SAINT BARTHELEMY
* ST. MAARTEN...SABA...ST. EUSTATIUS

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA.  A WARNING IS TYPICALLY ISSUED
36 HOURS BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF
TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE
PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN THE WATCH AREA.  A WATCH IS TYPICALLY ISSUED 48 HOURS
BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE
WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR
DANGEROUS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 55.4 WEST. EARL IS
MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 20 MPH...32 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE IN FORWARD
SPEED ON SUNDAY.  A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS
EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE
CENTER OF EARL COULD PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS
SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH...100 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND
EARL IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE ON SUNDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES...260 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 989 MB...29.21 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN LEEWARD
ISLANDS BY SUNDAY NIGHT.  HURRICANE CONDITIONS MAY SPREAD OVER THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.

STORM SURGE...STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING
WAVES...NEAR THE CENTER OF EARL.

RAINFALL...EARL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 3 TO 5 INCHES OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...WITH
POSSIBLE MAXIMUM ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 8 INCHES.

People get ready, there's a train a'comin'

Results for Culebra (18.32N, 65.29W):
The approximate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) is located near 19.6N, 64.5W or about 100.4 miles (161.6 km) from your location. The estimated time of when the center of the storm will be at that location is in about 54.9 hours (Monday, August 30 at 11:54PM AST).

Map data ©2010 Europa Technologies - Terms of Use

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100 mi

200 km

That's a projected 100 miles, mind you....