It’s a challenge to come up with something to write about every day, and all too often I come up with nonsense. This morning I got back into the lap swimming because my arms were feeling flabby. Obviously, the push-ups aren’t enough to fight off gravity. My wife is at an aqua-fit class while I will soon take Tally to be groomed. It’s another party night with a “Meet the Neighbors” event at the clubhouse. I saw most of my neighbors at a dinner party last night now that the snowbirds are back to roost. Many of these folks I haven’t seen since May when they retreat to their northern lake homes for the summer. Those that don’t own second homes use this time for travel. We took trips to Mackinac Island, Portland, and were gone another month on the excursion to Alaska and Hawaii. 

There was a lot of talk about hurricane damage last night as everyone compared wounds. It was everything from roof tiles to lanai cages. We seem to be the only one that lost our refrigerator to a power surge. I’m suspicious of the manufacturer’s claim that it was storm related, enabling them to conveniently  ignore my warranty. The repairman will be here again next week to further explore the problem. I’m already out of pocket on some tile work and the $1,250 HOA assessment for tree replacement. Fortunately, our lanai was spared, but this was not the case for many neighbors. The second hurricane, Nicole, swept through mid-week but caused little destruction. 

I saw some frightening footage last night of the storm taken just across the street where most of the neighborhood damage occurred. It showed a torn screen flapping, debris flying, dark skies, torrential rain, and waves crashing in the pool from the 150-mph winds. I’m glad we missed it while waiting for updates safely aboard our Alaska cruise ship. We took evacuation to great extremes. Those who stayed in their homes here said they would never do it again. I’m glad to see the end of hurricane season.