Another post!

Pictures to come -- soon, I hope. We've just returned home to find . . . absolutely NO damage of any kind from Ike. In fact, Victoria, TX, got NO rain at all from Ike. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Here's my tale: First Dolly roared in well south of us. Next, Edouard pummeled Beaumont to the north of us. When Gustav was taking dead aim at New Orleans, we headed north to Chicago and missed all contact with that storm.

Then, while Fay was dancing back and forth across Florida we drove to Maryland to visit my sister. The following days saw us driving south to Georgia just as Hanna was headed up the East Coast toward South Carolina. We (Hanna and I) crossed, but I was far enough west and the storm far enough east that we saw only the very edges of the highest clouds -- no rain and no wind.

Meanwhile Ike was taking aim at Florida and Georgia (the then-likely path of the storm), but zigged to the south and into the Gulf. For two days the center of the projected path cone was Matagorda Bay, TX, just 30 miles from Victoria. We envisioned coming home the following week to (at the very least) spoiled food in the fridge and freezer due to the inevitable power outage, not to mention probable damage from tree limbs and wind. At least Victoria is well inland and there are no fears of storm surge or rising water.

But, Ike decided to ease north just enough that we had on power outage and no wind to speak of. Not even any rain!

So . . . I'm thinking of hiring myself out as a hurricane repellent. When there's a storm in the Gulf I'll immediately travel to the location of the highest bidder. When the storm then goes elsewhere, THAT location will wish THEY had upped the ante a little!

Think it'll work?

Me neither.