Returning to blog posting!

During my last post, I observed that I would not be doing more posting since we were no longer traveling. And reporting about “normal” doings around the home-stead couldn’t possibly be very interesting. I didn’t mean it as a complaint or that normal life was dull. However, the UNIVERSE and GOD(DESS?) must have misunderstood ‘cause things got interesting very quickly.

That and the fact we’ve been away from home now for almost a week (yes, traveling, but not in an RV), has prompted me to take up the keyboard. Maybe not as much to let folks know what’s happening, but more almost as a dear-diary for myself – something to look back on in my dotage and wonder “did-that-all-really-happen?”.

To bring everyone up to date: The contractor finally finished the east wall of the house. I intended to show photos show the work being done (with scaffolding) and after it was finished (without scaffolding). But since I am using Margaret’s computer, I find I don’t have the photos with us. We are pleased with the work outside – it looks like brand-new (which it should since it is!) The work inside is also pretty much done. Work remains on the south wall (some miscellaneous bad planks) and the front (repainting the trim and deck).

But the UNIVERSE must have smiled and said, “Not so fast, humans.” Sunday afternoon (May 17th) while Margaret and I were sitting on the front porch watching a severe thunderstorm approach, there was a flash / bang – yes, the house took a lightening hit! Although it wasn’t a direct hit in the true sense of the word (no fire and house was / is still standing), it did blow all the circuit breakers. The surge took out: two air-conditioners (heat pumps); two tank-less hot-water heaters (one exploded, dumping water until I managed to get the water turned off); two televisions; one computer; one printer; and a variety of “little” electronic things. There may be more damage, but until we get some of these things up and running, we won’t know about other things (things like DVD player, external hard disk drives, etc.)

At least the weather for the next few days was mild enough we were able to survive without air-conditioning. Our neighbors were generous enough to let us shower in their home.

So after getting various contractors and repair crews busy estimating repair costs for the insurance company, we left town! Our departure had actually been planned for several weeks before the lightening event – we used a week of our time-share to travel to Marco Island, Florida – just south of Naples – the southwest coast of Florida.

As I stated at the start, being on the road again prompted the blog-bug to bite. So I will be reporting on our activities and some of the things we’ve seen on the trip.

The photo of the day is from a local Fernandina Beach cemetery – named Bosque Bello. There are numerous photo ops there and best of all, you can return again and again and find it pretty much the same as before! Guess no lone is leaving?