In the morning I woke up early and headed to the beach to see if I could find some good photos.  Winds were noticeable but nothing that would cause alarm.

It started to rain so I took cover under a large hut where some of the workers clearing the beach of debris also took refuge.  We chatted about the storm (my Spanish came in handy!) and one of them mentioned that the storm is now offshore and may become a hurricane.  He also mentioned that it had not hit yet - but would later in the day.  Another tourist - an American - stopped by and mentioned that the storm had reached hurricane status and would hit later in the day.  Obviously, this caused some alarm, but didn't stop me from taking some shots before heading back to my hotel room to get the info from CNN.

Back at the hotel room, I found out that the storm had indeed hit us overnight and the only effect we were seeing was a good amount of rain.  After it had passed the Yucatan, it reached hurricane status and as you know later on hit the Texas coast.  From a tropical storm point of view, I have seen much stronger ones.  The shot above gives an idea of the size of the waves and there wasn't much more debris on the beach than one normally finds in the morning washed up ashore.  Even the rain was rather weak - I have seen much stronger rains in the Peruvian rain forests and in Singapore.

Here's a shot of the beach huts without their beach chairs.

I guess I shouldn't be complaining, as a true hurricane would have royally messed up our vacation because we were leaving that day and our flight would likely have been canceled.  For me, this would not have been much of a concern but for our two small children it would have been.  Still, it was nice to be able to photograph a news making event, even if I didn't truly photograph a hurricane. :)

I am sure that there are many folks that are a little worried about the hurricane in southwest Texas and norther Mexico right now but i am not. The temperature has cooled down 20 degrees and we are finaly getting the rain that we needed so bad. The drive home last night from San Antonio, i will admit, was a little scary but the pleasantries of this storm far out weigh the dangers that sometimes come with these storms.

I asure you, I have seen my fair share of storms.

Last year my family and i had to hide in the hallway and wait for the tornadoes to pass by. We moved the couch in the hallway with us just in case the house collapsed and then we covered our bodies in pillows and blankets for protection. The tornadoes sounded like a train running through town. The town sirens were blaring, like the Pearl Harbor attack, but only for 15 minutes or so.

The weirdest part of the whole experience was the radio. The emergency  broadcasting would come on and tell us to find a solid structure in the house to hide under, away fom windows of course. Then the radio would start playing again. "I can't get no, satisfaction..but i tried,and i tried.. i cant get no, no.no.no."

Although i will never get use to these massive storms that charge through southwest Texas, i can say that this storm is weaker than our typical everyday storms that we get every year. So if your out there mom, dont worry about me.

In der Jubiläumsausgabe des Pschyrembel haben witzige Redakteure übrigens die berühmte „Steinlaus“ von Loriot mit eingebaut, mit Bild. Haha, Loriot überhaupt. „Jodeldiplom, da habe ich etwas eigenes“, „Sie haben da etwas...“, „Wenn meine Frau aufwacht, nimmt sie gerne einen Tee und etwas Gebäck“. Otto ist jetzt auch schon 60 Jahre alt geworden und tourt immer noch mit den Gags von 1975.

Robin Hood, der Becher ohne Henkel, hihi...der läuft ja immer im Wald herum. Da wäre ich jetzt auch gerne, da ist es schön kühl jetzt, fast wie Urlaub. Ach, in Urlaub könnte ich auch schon wieder, der Strand, das wilde Meer, der Wind, durchaus auch mal kräftiger Wind.

Das „Hurricane“-Festival dieses Jahr soll ja auch wieder ziemlich toll gewesen sein. Die Sängerin Jennifer Rostock hatte als brauchbare Festivalgetränke unter anderem „kalte Muschi“ (Rotwein/Cola) und „Wurstwasserwodka“ (das will man gar nicht näher beschreiben) empfohlen. Letztens hatte ich seit Äonen mal wieder eine Currywurst gegessen und zwar an einer überregional bekannten Imbissbude die berühmt-berüchtigt für ihre höllenscharfen Currywurst-Soßen mit bis zu einer Fantastilliarde Scoville Schärfegrad ist. Ich hatte Soße „C“, über die Könner nur milde lächeln, die bei mir aber schon ausgereicht hatte, damit sich meine Geschmacksnerven für längere Zeit mit unbekanntem Ziel verkrümelten und pures Brennen hinterließen. Vielleicht waren sie ja auch beim Hurricane. Radiohead müssen dort einen starken Auftritt gehabt haben. Radio kann man mittlerweile fast überhaupt nicht mehr hören, nur noch Mainstream-Gedudel. Da muss man schon aufs Internet ausweichen, dort gibt es sehr interessante Sender.

Macht es eigentlich Spaß, in einem Internat zu leben? Den ganzen Tag mit Lehrern verbringen. „We don’t need no Education...dumdidummm....“, Die Mauer ist jetzt schon seit 19 Jahren gefallen, Wahnsinn, wie die Zeit vergeht. Herr Obama hat es sich in Berlin übrigens netterweise verkniffen, einen Satz auf Deutsch zu sagen, was ja auch unendlich peinlich gewesen wäre. Der Kerl sieht extrem abgemagert aus. Oh, ich glaube, ich bekomme langsam Hunger...das Problerm bei wildem Assoziieren ist: MAN KOMMT NICHT AUF DEN PUNKT!!!!

Schöne Grüße an dieser Stelle an den Schreibclub! :o)

BULLETIN
TROPICAL DEPRESSION DOLLY ADVISORY NUMBER 18
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042008
400 PM CDT THU JUL 24 2008

DOLLY WEAKENS TO A DEPRESSION - STILL DUMPING HEAVY RAINS

AT 400 PM CDT...2100Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION DOLLY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 100.6 WEST OR ABOUT
35 MILES...55 KM SOUTH OF EAGLE PASS TEXAS.

THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH...23
KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION SHOULD CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MPH...55 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST AND DOLLY IS EXPECTED TO
DISSIPATE ON FRIDAY.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1000 MB...29.53 INCHES.

DOLLY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6
INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS AND NORTHEASTERN MEXICO THROUGH
FRIDAY. ISOLATED STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITH
DOLLY. THESE RAINS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING.

REPEATING THE 400 PM CDT POSITION...28.2 N...100.6 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35
MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1000 MB.

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER ON DOLLY. FUTURE INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN BE
FOUND IN PUBLIC ADVISORIES ISSUED BY THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL
PREDICTION CENTER...UNDER AWIPS HEADER TCPAT4 AND WMO HEADER WTNT4
KWNH...BEGINNING AT 10 PM CDT. - FORECASTER AVILA

Related Links:

• National Weather Warnings
• Thought for the Day
• 2008: Year of the Fire
• Will 2008 be year of the tornadoes, too?
• 2008: Year of the Expected Unknowns!

Although the rains and flooding in the Rio Grande area have been bad, we had only about 3/4" of rain yesterday here in western Pearland, and maybe just over an inch today.  For the Houston area, that's not even enough to tie up traffic, or at least not any more than usual.  By contrast, several times last spring heavy Spring rains flooded freeways and surface streets.  This year we're in a drought, and the little bit of rain we've had is welcome.

We're actually hoping for a couple more tropical storms in our neck of the woods this summer.  I can deal with a small hurricane, though no one wants anything big.  After the Rita evacuation mess in 2005, there is a sense that most folks in Houston will stay home if a hurricane comes, sensibly allowing a more orderly evacuation for people who live in coastal storm surge zones.

The one thing that most concerns me, when and if a hurricane comes, is what we'll do if or when the power goes out.  Assuming we're here at home, it will be deathly hot and humid.  With Freddie's health and the menagerie, I'm not sure if we could hold out for a couple of days of that without air conditioning.  We have batteries for the flashlights and radio, we have oil lamps, we have a propane grill to cook our food, and we can store water.   But the heat...?  Without even a fan...?

Hmmm.  It should be manageable.  We sold our generator before we left Galveston, but maybe there's some sort of solar panel or battery unit for running small appliance.  It's got to better than sitting in a stalled-out car halfway in a traffic jam halfway between here and Waco.

[Data Transmission] http://www.datatransmission.co.uk/viewfeatures.aspx?featureID=141

Take one Central European field, add a generous helping of high-class musical expertise, and finally sprinkle with a layer of home-grown talent, and – if you’ve pre-heated your oven and set the timer correctly – the result should be one Creamfields Central Europe Festival: 18 hours of unadulterated musical bliss, spread across seven impressive stages; 30,000 friendly, unassuming people, all there for some collective fun; and an experience to look back on with grins all round. Unfortunately, this year Mother Nature added some New Orleans spice: Hurricane Katrina’s sweet-and-less-than-innocent niece (‘mini-hurricane Katka’ sounds fitting given the location) turned the two open stages inside-out and had people running for their lives. However, despite the weather the show must go on, and come sunrise people were still to be found dancing as if it had all been a bad dream.

The calm and then the storm

Set in a disused airfield outside Breclav (a small town just on the Czech side of its Slovakian border), Creamfields had set the scene for something special. People flocked from all over Central Europe as the normally-quiet town was mobbed by young partygoers of varying shapes and sizes. Catching the train at Bratislava, we watched as the invading army seized any available seat and those without claimed the corridors and toilets to guarantee their passage. Once there, a free bus shuttled the eager crowds from station to site, most armed with little more than their ticket.

For a festival that goes on until 8.30am, getting there too early could be dangerous, but get there late and you could find yourself missing Booka Shade. Put on at the ludicrously early time of 5.30pm, by the time most people get wind of their early billing, the German duo who founded Get Physical Records have been and gone. However, the blow is lessened as a handy set-line up reminds anyone who cares to look that Sebastian Léger still expects us all to keep dancing; John Digweed and Sasha intend to play a four-hour back-to-back set; while Ferry Corsten, Andy C and MC GQ, Markantonio, Michael de Hey, Lexicon Avenue and at least 60 other acts will all be deeply offended if we don’t lend them our ears. As it happens, our ears are the ones offended as the main stages are silenced by nine o’clock.

Once inside, the prevailing sense of being in Central Europe disappears. The schnitzel-burgers and sausages hint at something, but the domination of Adidas – its shop, terrace, deck-chairs, tent, and multiple-stages – soon drown it out; SEAT and Intel both claim their own tents. For anyone not there for the music (must have got on the wrong train), random activities like quad biking and paint balling are sure to keep you occupied. There’s even trampolining, although doing so whilst under the influence of anything other than water can lead to embarrassment – which includes projectile vomiting. But beyond the gimmicks, Creamfields has a lot to offer: Great DJs, great bands, and a welcoming atmosphere despite the language barrier; even those who speak ‘very very little’ English have mastered the ‘strategic nod’ and the confused smile.

On the Global Stage, Sebastian Léger re-ignites a tepid crowd with popping beats and penetrating samples, his shaking electrified house whipping up a frenzy. Léger is loving it as much as the audience, constantly wiggling behind the decks, filming the crowd with his camera, and flashing his cheeky grin in acknowledgement of good tunes. The set echoes his infamous gig at Switch in Brussels, yet even more danceable.

For it to be going so well, what follows is a Shakespearean tragedy. From clear skies, an ominous blanket of thick black (and we mean BLACK) clouds suffocates the evening sunshine; it could easily be a scene from Independence Day or War of the Worlds, little earth-destroying aliens being deposited by the constant lightening-bolts. People huddle-in like Emperor Penguins to avoid the growing storm, eager for Sebastian Léger to keep playing; he does so until a quick battle with a renegade 30ft white awning that temporarily smothers both him and his decks. But it gets worse. His initial escape is made irrelevant as Mother Nature regroups: round two; from way up high, an avalanche of speakers silences both DJ and crowd. The pink of his t-shirt drowning under a tide of black boxes is the last confirmed sighting as Katka has her way: No loud music after 9PM!

Raving through the storm

The crowd, now deprived of the Global Stage and at the mercy of the terrifying weather, scatter for cover. A beer tent made for 20 squeezes in a hundred, and anyone standing on the bar grapples the roof on behalf of those inside - the wannabe-Katrina appears determined to whisk it away. Looks of astonishment are exchanged between strangers but the restlessness can’t be avoided: sweet thumping beats continue to drift in on the wind – the party’s not over? A dash through the eye of the storm ends in the Ibiza tent (SEAT Ibiza – not the Balearic Island unfortunately), a giant red igloo housing a thronging crowd, a busy bar, two random cars, and a DJ playing something to dance to: the funky house suffices until an unfortunate tune selection brings on the Ghostbusters theme. There’s gotta be more out there. With John Digweed and Sasha’s four hour extravaganza no longer scheduled for outside, there’s a faint chance they could pop up elsewhere; and even if they don’t, the other tents surely hold a few surprises.

The Red Zone provides some variety, but it is the techno tent that brings the quality. In the red-tinged marquee, an energetic Slovakian DJ going by the name of Breeth knocks out trancey house bordering on the euphoric. His wild-yet-kitsch dancing is more than the anything the crowd can muster, who diligently bop along. At the back, the comfy leather seats are hot property and closely guarded once captured, despite the constant dripping from above. It becomes slightly unnerving when the rains stop and the realisation that it is pure sweat cascading from the ceiling finally dawns.

Out of the redness and into the circus canopy, the Techno Stage is where the real fun is at. Although the tent magnificently fights back the gales, not everyone inside is so resilient, and those that head home early only leave more room to the hardcore technophiles. Hungarian duo Collins and Benham had already supplied some sintering classics before the storm, such as Léger’s updated version of Jaguar, but now, buoyed by the collective resistance to the weather, the fun begins. La.Di.Da lays down the gauntlet with her progressive quirky techno, but Lucca, another Czech DJ noted as much for her skills on the decks as her sexiness, has the competition scrambling for cover.

Although she was scheduled to play the Global Stage, Markantonio gladly delays his set to let the blonde mixtress play to her home crowd. Constantly smiling whilst blending her delicate melodies with hard-hitting bass-lines, the girl does good, too good for some; but it is Dutchman Michael de Hey who steals the show. His stripped down chunky techno takes it back to the root of what dance music is supposed to be; progressive twisted build-ups pull you in and refuse to let you go, while the moulding of his sublime soundscape is made to look as easy as a toddler kneading Play-doh. Neither Markantonio before nor Funk d’Void after can come close, their sets fading into banality by comparison.

Beyond the techno, in a field of branding and loud music, a small unmarked tent provides the perfect antidote; experimental jazz from a couple of old vinyl floats out of ancient but effective speakers, welcoming all those in need of a sit-down. An assortment of tatty armchairs and a carpet are comfy enough, while the bonus of free water and a plate of fruit finally hit the ‘festival spirit’-nail on the head. It is the perfect place to recharge the batteries, and repeat visits witness the jazz transform into dub transform into crazy tribal chillout.

A random amble across the site is plunged into teenage-nostalgia as the commercial trance remix of Adagio for Strings wafts its way through the morning breeze. Studio54, a miniature circus top, is attracting quite a crowd. The enthusiastic individual behind the decks (Hungarian jock Cartman) obviously harbours ambitions of mixing This Is Euphoria [insert random number]’, playing tunes more at home on a £3.99 compilation CD in Woolworths than at Creamfields. But the crowd love it, and euphoric house and trance is obviously what the Central Europeans need after having their festival blown away.

As the sun finally rises over a relatively clear sky, the Red Zone and the Techno Stage can both be heard falling face-first into the minimal-techno trap: they blast out the monotonous beats they believe the crowd want, but lack the excitement and ingenuity that should characterise the genre. The search for the musical Holy Grail is finally abandoned at 6AM, and a brief tour of all the tents – now light – reveals the gritty morning-after realism that can only be allayed through top-class tunes. Alas, they don’t arrive.

On the way to the gates, a quick glance at the sorry outdoor stages makes one wonder: what could have been had the main acts played? But despite – or perhaps even because – the weather, it was great fun, and certainly an experience to remember. Mother Nature provided a very comforting reminder that no matter how much preparation goes into something (or how many cock-ups you make along the way), there are some things that you just can’t prepare for.

Check out Sebastien Leger's video of the storm arriving...scary!:

While there have been several rescues, thankfully there have been no deaths reported. Only one serious injury was reported on Wednesday when winds knocked a 17-year-old boy off a seventh-story balcony. He suffered a broken hip, leg and a head injury.

BROWNSVILLE, TX (AP) - Residents and recovery teams began fanning out across south Texas at dawn Thursday and cars crept along roads with darkened stoplights as the region got its first look at the destruction left by Hurricane Dolly.

Traffic picked up on local roads littered with debris as people emerged for the first time in more than 24 hours after Dolly’s soaking rains and punishing winds. After crashing ashore on South Padre Island, the storm ripped roofs from homes, flooded roads and downed power lines, but the Rio Grande levees officials had feared could breach held strong.

Still, the danger had not passed as power lines hung across streets and water surrounded neighborhoods. Residents should stay at home “unless it’s life or death,” said Tony Pena, Hidalgo County emergency coordinator.

Hurricane Dolly slammed ashore as a Category 2 hurricane midday Wednesday and then loitered over deep south Texas as a tropical storm, dumping as much as a foot of rain in places and bringing 100 mph winds. Those winds had dropped by half Thursday morning, and forecasters said the tropical storm warning for the Texas coast would likely be canceled later in the morning. The storm was expected to break up by Friday.

By 8 a.m. EDT, the tropical storm was centered about 50 miles southeast of Laredo with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas and sought federal disaster declarations, and was scheduled to fly over the region Thursday afternoon.

While the rain set records in Brownsville’s Cameron County— ranging from six to 12 inches with another three to seven expected overnight—they did not appear to pose the threat to the Rio Grande’s levees that had been feared.

The river rose steadily through the day in Brownsville, but did not reach flood stage.

“We’re not experiencing any issues with the levees right now,” Sally Spener, spokeswoman for the International Boundary and Water Commission, said late Wednesday. “The water is just not high enough.”

But the torrential rains and fierce winds that lasted much of the day in south Texas still caught some by surprise.

By Wednesday afternoon, the community of Laureles north of Los Fresnos had been reduced to a chain of sunken islands, separated from the main roads by floodwaters of two feet or more in places.

Mailboxes barely peaked above murky, wind-swept waters where neighborhood loops met county roads.

Pedro Zuniga, his wife and their six children fled their mobile home for the comparative safety of a relative’s wood-frame house next door. That home’s owner had already left to take shelter in another relative’s brick house.

Peering out the back door at the trailer he deemed too wobbly for his family, Zuniga said the water crossing his yard toward a canal behind was not as high as he had seen it a few years ago when it reached the base of his elevated trailer.

“We were going to go to a shelter, but they said there was only one so we decided to stay,” said Zuniga’s wife, Aleida Cardenas, 29. “But we didn’t know it would be this bad.”

Others did head to shelters. More than 5,000 people moved to public shelters in the three hardest-hit counties and the numbers were expected to grow Thursday as more people became stranded by floodwaters.

In Hidalgo County, Pena said there were several incidents late Wednesday requiring emergency personnel to rescue people from homes.

One family was left huddling in their topless house after winds blew the roof off, Pena said. Also, sheriff’s deputies rescued a family of eight from Los Fresnos after floodwaters surrounded their home.

The only serious injury reported Wednesday occurred when the wind knocked a 17-year-old boy from a seventh-story balcony on South Padre Island. The boy suffered a broken hip, leg and a head injury but could not be transported off the island until about 5 p.m. The causeway linking the island to the mainland had reopened.

The island sustained some of the storm’s heaviest damage and was still without power Wednesday night. Roofs were torn off hotels and homes, there was significant flooding that had begun to subside and debris was everywhere. A curfew was imposed for 8 p.m., Zamora said.

No deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, but Tamaulipas state Gov. Eugenio Hernandez said 50 neighborhoods were still in danger from flooding. About 13,000 people had taken refuge in 21 shelters, he said.

“Strong winds are no longer the problem. Now we have to worry about intense rain in the next 24 hours,” Hernandez said.

Earlier in the day, Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande, using an inflatable raft to retrieve at least one family trapped in their home. Many people farther inland refused to go to government shelters.

Many Texans heading north were stopped at inland Border Patrol checkpoints, where agents opened extra lanes to ease traffic flow while still checking documentation and arresting illegal immigrants, said sector spokesman Dan Doty. At one checkpoint on U.S. 77, smugglers were caught with nearly 10,000 pounds of marijuana.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly’s projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm’s effects. The last hurricane to hit the U.S. was the fast-forming Humberto, which came ashore in southeast Texas last September.

Graves problemas que terminan por resolverse.

Las cosas son como son.....

When I told my friend in Arizona that I had poison (whatever) she asked how I got it (with a suggestive tone).  Unfortunately I couldn't say that I got it while rolling around having wild sex in the glorious outdoors.  Not that I didn't have fun climbing up rocks just to jump off of them into the water. 

This weekend looms in front of me with the possibility of no plans.  Just a vague possibility of actually hearing from PB.  I have kind of given up hope on that though.  I have made peace with the fact that I probably wont be repaid.

I have a small fear that, due to my inexperience, I am not that great at sex.

I am also getting ready to be hit by my monthly storm, Hurricane PMS.  I always get such a "wonderful" assortment of side effects like flooding (tears), wind damage (irrational anger and irritation) and of course injuries (pain - in the boobs, sometimes I get random pinched nerves, headaches) and all of this before my period even arrives... yeah for women.

So all of this builds up to a pretty boring, blah, so so week.

"I like to launch from mountain sites and try to fly 100 to 200 miles away," said Verzella, who came within one mile of breaking the state record hang glider flight of 190 miles by gliding from Wasatch Mountain State Park in Heber to South Pass, Wyo., in about five and half hours. Three weeks later someone else broke the record by flying 220 miles after starting from the same launch site.

Verzella is one of the world's top cross-county hang glider pilots. She is one of three women on the U.S. Women's World Hang Gliding Team, and will be traveling to Italy to represent the United States in competition next month. She routinely flies her glider extreme distances to attempt to break records or just to enjoy the open sky using only the power of the wind, all while maintaining altitudes as high as "cloud base" (14,000 to 18,000 feet). The harness that attaches her safely to the underside of her glider is something like a sleeping bag with pockets for food and water. It zips around her legs and feet to provide insulation from the sub-zero temperatures she experiences at high altitudes. She even carries a tank of supplemental oxygen to counteract the thin air above 13,00 feet.

"You have to dress for skiing," Verzella said. "You dress for snow, your Camelback hydration pack freezing, everything at 18,000 feet. You could sit on launch for half an hour sweating and sweltering, then end up in the landing field in 2 minutes because the wind is bad, or you could be up for 8 hours and freezing up at cloud base. You just don't know."

Verzella has a real understanding of the weather, its fickleness, and its potential effects on her flight. She originally went to school at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and still plays as lead trumpet for Ballet West. But her passion for flying persuaded her to extended her education to aid in her understanding of the wind.

"I had been making my own forecasts and living or dying by them for the last 18 years," Verzella said. "So I figured I would finally go to school for meteorology. They say that if you could paint the air you would never fly in it, but there are certain aspects of it that are predictable. I study the forecasts so that basically what I am doing is stacking the odds on my side."

It was a career in music working for Ballet West that originally brought Verzella to Springville from upstate New York. The availability of hang gliding launches was just a perk. But that is not the case with many of the flyers in the State. Utah is considered to have some of the best flying in the country if not the world. The suburban neighborhood surrounding the launch site at Point of the Mountain is a tight-knit community with many of the houses belonging to active hang gliders and paragliders.

"People come from all over the world to fly at Point of the Mountain because it is very consistent and there is very good instruction here," Verzella said.

Getting started in the sport requires professional instruction as well as a significant investment in equipment. It would take about two weeks of instruction in good weather to earn your "hang-2" certification from the United States Hang gliding and Para-gliding Association, which will allow you to practice on your own at sites like Point of the Mountain. It takes many years of flying several times a week to get to Verzella's level, and even then each flight can be dangerous and unpredictable.

Even with 19 years of experience flying gliders under her belt, Verzella admits that she gets nervous before each launch. "Then once you are in the air, especially at beautiful sites like the mountains here at Lone Peak or over Twin Peaks, it is breathtaking, yet you almost forget how incredible it is until after you land and you are thinking about the flight and you are like 'dang I was way up there!' "

Over this past weekend Verzella traveled to Hurricane north of St. George in search of just the right wind conditions to make another attempt to claim the state record. She was hopeful on Friday before leaving but her flight attempt Saturday was short lived. After take-off she couldn't catch the updrafts and "bottomed out early," forcing an early landing after a short flight. Yet Verzella is not discouraged. Her passion is dependent on the turbulence of nature and her dedication to the sport demands a respect for the winds and a willingness to accept her lack of power over nature. Hang gliding is about harnessing the power of nature, not trying to fight it.

Now it's five minutes later and it's pouring rain and the dog wants to go out. It's 7 a.m. Go figure. She'll have to wait as she loves to swim but hates rain.

I am up on this fine Thursday morning. I got up pretty early and I will get to do my full compliment of writing for the morning. That makes my day start off well and feel great. So the day is already heading in the right direction.

Hurricane Dolly hit the Texas coast around South Padre Island. It had 100 mile per hour winds. So it packed a little punch. Right now it has moved inland over extreme South Texas and is dumping rain on the region. It will continue to move slowly west and dump rain.

We have not had much rain, or wind, yet. I know the wind won't be much, but we should get some rain today. The forecasters have been showing rain for us since yesterday morning. We've had about six drops so far. Maybe today it will begin to rain some.

I will get to work in a bit. It will be a great day. We don't have a whole lot of work. It's must not coming in.

The weekend will be here soon. My wife is leaving Saturday for a trip to California. So I will be all alone. I will have a great time. I will make sure I get a lot done.

That's all for the start of my morning. I am ready to get the day rolling and then get back home to some great fun. More later!!

Let me tell you something. The key to happiness is self worth. And never in my life have I ever seen somebody with so much passion for their work. This brother is literally inside a storm to tell the world whats goin' on. Peep him climbing back to the camera with composure after the wind tries to make him a blooper video.

Peace to the Camera man for stayin solid...........solid as a rock. There I said it.

Well, as most of you know, Hurricane Dolly is heading directly at us.  We are prepared (I went up and recoated the roof this morning, bought the store out of non-perishable goodies and lots of water, have our sandbags in place, and rented a motel room for the next two days for all of us).  Because we live in a trailer, I decided it was not worth the risk of staying home during the hurricane and due to the fact that we are on the north side of the storm-landing we may very well see tornados.

I have given you all of this info so you will know how to pray, please keep in mind that we can do nothing about the clinic (which we prepared for this before we closed this year), but praying for angels to protect the buildings and the meds both here and in Mexico.  Also for all those we serve in Mexico - many of those will be facing this hurricane in shacks with grass roofs or only some plastic for a roof.Some with only cardboard walls.  Flooding is the greatest danger in Mexico - so please pray against that.

I will get an update to all of you as soon as the storm has passed.  Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers.  Be blessed, Kathleen and Mitch Medina and family.

Lets hope everyone gets thru with nothing but repairable damage and stories to tell.

It's very wet today as I stare out over my patio balcony onto the slippery, gray street.

I love the sound of rain, how it bounces off the pavement. The sound makes me feel warm and secure. It reminds me of special times in my youth when I'd sit in the den listening to the Beatles sing about rain as I contentedly watched it fall outside.

Ah, youth.....I remember reading some wise saying about how such a thing was wasted on the young. And even though I don't consider myself that old, I am coming to the point in my life when I look back on my childhood with a longing to return to those carefree days when I had no responsibilities.

Yet as I write this post, I realize that even then, as little as my responsibilities were, I did have a few: cleaning my room, homework, going to school, doing whatever it was I had to do to collect a few dollars in allowance...

Yes, come to think of it, I did have a few situations in my young life in which I was held--be it by my parents, teachers or some other adult authority figure--to a certain level of accountability. And now that I think about it, I wasn't so good about adhering to that accountability because I've always been a bit touchy about being told what to do.

Okay, since this is a blog that requires honesty, let's not mince words. I resented being told what to do and am still that way.

I'm hard-headed and I like to be in control. I like doing things my own way because operating in that manner insures that I am in control. Bad stuff that happened to me early on left me with a need to make sure I was always one step ahead of whatever might happen next. I either had to pretty much know the outcome of a situation beforehand or most times, I wouldn't walk into it. It was the same with performing. If I wasn't going to perform something be it onstage or off to perfection, I simply didn't perform.

This stubbornness and desire to know what is around the corner before I get there has been a thorn in God's side with me from the moment I accepted Christ. Being the control freak that I am, it has been very difficult for me to relinquish control to God. I think part of it is that there's a young girl in me who still feels God abandoned her when she really needed Him the most. Logically, I see now that this is not true. And because God is a patient, loving Daddy, He also understands that in order for that little girl to trust Him as the adult in me trusts Him, she must be shown the Father loves her. So God is patient with me in my reluctance to turn all over to Him. He doesn't fume when I take back control from Him but gently nudges me to let Him back in the driver's seat, all the while assuring me that I must trust Him and have faith because only He knows where we're going.

And I want to go God's way but I'm afraid. God won't tell me everything. Sure, He'll drop hints. He's even shown me the end result of some things but never the middle. Never the how and this irks me, the control freak. I know that where I'm going and how I get there is a process but wouldn't it be so much easier, Lord, if You could tell me what happens so I can be prepared?

Then I hear God say, "Now, what would you learn if I did that, daughter?"

To which I mutter, "Nothing, I guess," and sulking, cross my arms over my chest.

"My grace is sufficient for you," says the Lord. "For My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness." -2 Corinthians 12:9

So through much trial and a lot of error on my part, the Lord has brought me to the understanding that in order to develop faith in Him I must trust Him implicity. Now if it were just a matter of trusting God, I could do that. I really believe God loves me and that He is looking out for my best interests. The real trust dilemna comes when God sends people into the equation. I don't trust people. People have hurt me, therefore, I must protect myself against them. And that's pretty much been my attitude from about the age of 14 on. The me-against-them mentality with "them" being the entire world. Yet, ironically, it has been the approval of people (not God) that I have sought most of my life.

Every person God put in my life early on in my walk with Him, I defied; I pushed them out. Nobody was gonna tell me what to do! I wasn't going to be held accountable to anyone but myself, which was the one person on whom I knew I could rely. I used to think, "God, if you tell me to do it, I will but so-and-so? Who are they that I should listen to them?"

The reply: "They are my servant and the authority under which I have set you."

Romans chapter 13 says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves...for he is God’s minister to you for good."

Because of my past hurts, I've had a lot of trouble seeing the good someone could bring to me. It has been a constant struggle each time I get introduced to some new person in my life to see the Jesus in them rather than the fact that they are flesh and blood and could potentially harm me.

God works through people. And in order for me to trust Him, I must begin to trust those through whom He works. So, the subject of accountability started weighing heavy on my mind. The last month or so-and especially since I had my health scare-I've been wondering if maybe getting an accountability partner isn't such a bad idea. Even Jesus wasn't entirely a lone wolf.

Back in the day, I relished my aloneness. It somehow, in my mind, set me apart and made me special. But I wonder now if perhaps I haven't been kidding myself. Or maybe that alone time was necessary but now, it is a new season. Ecclesiastes 4 says:

9 Two are better than one,
      Because they have a good reward for their labor.
       10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
      But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
      For he has no one to help him up.
       11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
      But how can one be warm alone?
       12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
      And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I went to a business conference where I learned that people are more apt to make good on what they say if they make the promise publicly. It's the resolutions we make privately that tend to get left by the wayside. Funny how we are more committed to do something if others are watching. In fact, now that I think about it, people in general tend to act better when they know others are watching.

So, now I'm seriously looking into finding a few people to whom I can be accountable. Actually, I don't know if we really have a choice in whom we'd like to be accountable. I suppose that's God's call. So let me rephrase and say I believe God is about to give me another crack at being held accountable to someone. I guess I'm either getting older or more spritually mature because I'm not rejecting the idea as I did in the past but am rather looking forward to it.

I wonder how I'll do? A few years ago, that kind of wondering would have been enough for me to not forge ahead because I didn't have the answer.

Now I think, "I wonder how I'll do? I dunno, God, I'm kind of scared but...let's go find out anyway."

A few songs come to mind that I feel is relavant to this post. There isn't just one that stands out, so since I love music anyway, I'm going to post them all. Hopefully, along with what I've written, one or more of these songs also relates to you...

Al Green-I'm So Tired of Being Alone

Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston-It Takes Two

Donnie McClurkin-I'll Trust You, Lord

So, like I said you probably already know where Im going with this.  The reason why the oil rig closed was because of an OIL SPILL during a HURRICANE, yep theres the irony heres a bit of the FOXNews report,

Nobody was injured, but more than 419,000 gallons of heavy, almost tar-like fuel oil spilled from the barge, forming a slick 12 miles long, said Lt. Cdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

The barge "was T-boned and split in half," she said.

The double-hulled tanker Tintomara was loaded with about 4.2 million gallons of biodiesel and nearly 1.3 million gallons of styrene, but was not leaking, said Michael Wilson, president of ship management company Laurin Maritime (America) Inc. in Houston.

The collision occurred about 1:30 a.m. CDT just upriver from the Crescent City Connection, a pair of bridges between New Orleans' east and west banks. A smell which many people thought was diesel was noticeable in the French Quarter and parts of New Orleans' central business district.

The river was closed about 3:30 a.m., about 45 minutes after someone reported a strong odor of diesel coming from the river, Young said. Tug boats were holding the halves of the barge in place, she said.

I love it when someones proved wrong, and know I leave you with a grim video, don't need video we have actual pictures of what else could happen if McCain gets his way on drilling off our coasts.  Heres some pictures from the scene.  Maybe McCain should go there and get a photo-op.

I would also like to add that this is most likely going to cost thousands or more in repair and that if we drill off the coast then we most definitely will be spending money in repairs due to disasters like these.

This time I was already awake when Dolly started pouring out her energy on the roof (hello again, Dolly!), because the hubby was having a bit of an insomnia bout tonight and woke me up at 3:30 and again just now when he finally came to bed.

The two of us are very nocturnal creatures, usually. We're both at our best mentally when its the middle of the night. The darker it gets outside, the more awake and alert we seem to be. It makes sleeping a bit difficult, though, and it tends to be a touch aggravating with the boys around because while they try to be nocturnal too, they need to sleep at night and keep a schedule for when they start school.

Speaking of school, the other bonus to being awake in the middle of the night is that I can look things up that I never remember during the day, like where to take the Punk to get the shots he needs before school starts, and what the registration date is for pre-kindergarden at the school down the street.

I'm super excited for him, and for me, finally I'll get half my day back (well, half back, I'll still have Button for 2 more years), and he'll get to play with a bunch of other kids and learn all kinds of interesting things!