Might As Well Take Up Smoking

OK so I already mentioned that the State is on fire. But I must be exaggerating.

This is a fire map of Florida. I indicated my approximate position with the arrow. The fire icon things are the various fires currently burning. Or at least currently burning at the time the map was created - May 9, 2007 at 1600.

So at this point I might as well take up smoking. Why not. I am breathing smoke anyway, so I might as well get something out of it right? The haze is still here. Hippies all over the State are smoking weed, and when the cops pull them over and say "what is all this smoke in your car" they respond "hey man! My AC is like broken or something. I have to drive with the windows down". There is that much smoke hanging out. The funk is funky. And the fires are not really close to me! I can not see any smoke plumes off in the distance, just this haze that leaves a very fine layer of ash on my vehicle. I notice the ash mostly on the windshield.

But there is some hope! Yes, the dry conditions may or may not continue through the week! Because........

That is right! Hurricane season is not even here yet, and this shit is already going on. The first named storm of 2007, and guess where it is going? Well we DO need the rain, but not really the winds. Unless those winds push all the smoke somewhere else.

But this is not a tropical storm! It is a SUBTROPICAL storm! What does that mean? It seems that Andrea is a cold core storm. Sort of similar to a "noreaster". Tropical systems are warm core. Anyway, the strong winds for this thing will reach out much further from the center of circulation than they would for a tropical system. The good news is that it is not very likely to intensify. But even if you are at the edge of the cone of death (in this case a circle of death) you could get strong winds.

But we need the rain. And the cone being a circle means that the thing is supposed to stall out. Right offshore. And heading to exactly where the rain needs to fall to give the big lake a drink. The big lake needs the water. Of course so do the other parts of the State on fire! But not everywhere can get rained on by the first named storm of 2007.

NOTICE TO SNOWBIRDS - now is the time to get the hell out. You have stolen the last package of Sweet-N-Low from the Denny's for this season. Time to pack up the RV and go back north. You may return for more sugar substitute when Hurricane Season 2007 is over. Snowbirds can not hack a hurricane season like us true blue native lifelong Floridians can.

I water test the power cat Friday afternoon. Wish for rough seas for me! I need snotty conditions to test the ride on the boat. I want 15 - 20 knot sustained winds, blowing over the bay for at least 24 hours. I want the surf in the bay to be whipped up good. Moderate to heavy chop is really what I want to see! Maybe this storm thing will help me out there. Currently the forecast is 5 - 10 knot winds, bay waters at a light chop.

Oh yea, in case you did not notice I added IGUANA LINKS to the left sidebar, right under the online visitors thing. The Hull Truth is a boating form. There is also a link for South Florida marine weather (and land weather for that matter) and a link to the Hurricane Center prediction office. Both the weather links are from the National Weather Service.

And there is new Iguana Music, that has nothing to do with any Queen.