Invest90L in the am

So last evening we did a TGIF at Popcorn's and got a great view of the crappy weather to come.



We also got to meet Flush, a cat Popcorn found in his toilet's drainage pipe when he was building his house about a year ago. Not that you can tell from the photos, but she has a really long neck and tail and looks a bit weird. Not surprising, her owner looks a bit weird too. Normally Flush is out prowling around, so we hadn't had a chance to get to know her yet. Popcorn is very much a dog person, but he's really warmed up to this furry munchkin. Luckily for Flush, Betsy, Popcorn's lab took to her too and acts as her protector.



This cat is a hoot and oddly does the same thing our cats do with their tails - they shake them rapidly like a rattlesnake when they get excited. Must be a Kittitian kitty thing. It turns out Flush is incredibly friendly and very playful and started seeking Michael and me out (out of a dozen people) so she could attack our ankles. We renamed her Psycho Kitty. She could use a nail cutting.



This morning, I did an Invest 90L check. After a pretty crazy night of rain, lightning and thunder, this morning things didn't start out looking all that bad. It looked like most of it had passed us already.



As the day has progressed, we've gotten a dip from the northeast that got us a bit wet earlier in the morning and are now getting it from the southeast as a storm that looked puny earlier has exploded over the top of us. As soon as I made the latest entry on StormCarib and said that I jinxed us, the winds picked up and it started pouring. Spoooky. Hopefully after this latest cell passes, things will clear up a bit. Hopefully. Gonna be an unpredictable day today - in other words, a typical day in the Caribbean after a tropical wave has passed.

Today's challenge is to get one of my cats, Zura, to get over her fear of thunder. The other, Jack, isn't phased and will even sit outside until it rains on him (although I did initially sit out there with him and talk him through it - I don't have to do that anymore). Zura hides behind the washer. This isn't wall-shaking thunder, just grumbling (baby stuff), so I closed the door to the washer closet and have Jack helping nudge her out of her other hiding spots. Come play! She's out, but not too thrilled about it. One step at a time...

Hey, my fancy clock tells me that's only 82 degrees (in the house, without the breeze or even ceiling fan). You people sweating it out up North might want to come down and cool off! With these latest gusty winds, I'm going to have to go put on a sweatshirt. And close a few windows. Brrr.

Did I mention the power went out? Not sure we cleared 36 hours since the last outage. I'd read but it's dark in here and it's only 2:00!

Invest 90L

Well, we've got our first numbered system of the season that might actually affect us a little bit.



We're being protected by lots of African Saharan dust in the atmosphere to the east of us (here's what it looks like on a map if you're interested, Africa's to the right; we're on the far left side), which actually pummeled an un-named system just a couple of days ago. It was pretty cool to see a huge line of crazy thunderstorms to the east of both the Leeward & Windward island chains just get stopped by an invisible force-field and go poof. One minute I was warning Michael to prepare his work site for some good downpours, the next I was saying "never mind." He's under a crunch, so I've been playing weather woman so that he can plan his days. We're already getting wet today (thanks to an earlier tropical wave pass-through), but I'd guess that this Invest (90L) will give us rain through tomorrow. So far all tracks have the storm going south of us though (and it is pretty far down there), so who knows how much we'll be affected by the outlying associated ugliness. Storms at this stage are notoriously difficult to predict.



In case you're following along on any of the websites on the right side of the blog and are wondering what the heck forecasters are talking about when they group the islands together (the Lesser Antilles??) - here's a breakdown. The Lesser Antilles is made up of 3 island groups:

Storm Carib will keep tabs on the system and if it does anything more exciting than it's expected to do, Weather Underground will give a good discussion of it too. And so it begins...

Holy Haboob! & Mean Lion Fish

Yet another incredible blast from mother nature. Have you guys seen the huge dust storm that hit Arizona? We lived there for about 14 years and dealt with them all the time, but this one was a doozy. I was driving home one day and watched one approach from behind in my rear-view mirror; it was just mesmerizing. I managed to stay ahead of it until I got home and could close all the windows - and then had to clean all 2 dozen of said windows later. I'm not sure what I would have thought if I'd seen this behemoth coming up on me. Floor it! The cloud was over 100 miles wide, over a mile high, and tootling along at 60mph. Sheesh! Great for car washes and pool cleaners, not so much for car dealerships. Here's a video, if you missed it. The music wasn't necessary and I'm not sure what the happy face is about, but there it is. Why would anyone drive into this storm? I'm just saying...



Weather sure is coming in powerful doses this year. I have to admit we're all a little nervous about hurricane season. There's no doubt we're in the rainy season, as we've been getting tropical waves passing over us about every 3-4 days now. We're still getting the majority of the downpours at night, which we appreciate, but it's pretty overcast at the moment. I did notice the ocean water was a bit cooler last weekend, and sure enough the buoy readings were down 2 degrees (to a "chilly" 83 degrees), so hopefully that's a bit of a deterrent for any storms developing here for while. We're still enjoying brisk breezes and lower humidity than usual for this time of year, so have been quite pleased with the much smaller population of mosquitoes and no-see-ums so far.

For any locals here, a warning has been issued about a surge in the lion-fish population. They can be nasty if provoked and can eat a surprising amount of fish. They're not native to the Caribbean, possibly getting caught up in hurricane currents, but could have been controlled had the locals not decimated the grouper population (you can't find snapper anymore and lobsters are getting scarce too, but I digress). The only other predator? Humans, of course, so people are being asked to eat them. Wonder if we'll be seeing them pop up on local menus. They'll be in good company with pig snouts, goat hooves, monkey meat, cow tail, and rabbit bits - and people wonder why we've lost weight since we've been here...

Tropics

So Thursday, we had a beer after our long work day and ended up there a bit longer than planned. Shocking. We had to laugh when Thorne stood next to Popcorn. If Peter ever needs a body guard, he knows who to call.



Friday, we gave our livers a break and stayed in. While we didn't drink, we did pig-out, testing out one of our St Martin-bought fake "meatloaf," mashed potatoes and green beans (canned, as we couldn't find fresh ones - sigh). It was delicious, but I think I'm still full. Saturday's excitement was me getting stung by my 1st centipede! I went looking for the cats and found them under the bed staring at the post. I moved the bed and sure enough, out squirmed a centipede. I usually try to catch and release just about anything (even just sweep out ants), so I was trying to be nice when I picked it up in a wad of toilet paper, figuring I'd throw it outside (and retrieve the toilet paper once it had been vacated). But nooooo. The thing was so long, that it reached around the t.p. and stung me on the index finger. I dropped it of course, but the cats corralled it again for me. Mr. Centipede ended up being flushed down the toilet. As far as the sting, it really wasn't too bad. It felt like having a splinter for about 10 minutes and looked like I had been pricked with a needle. At least now I know I'm not allergic to the things. Not that I'd like to be stung again...

So after being inundated with rain (with some thunder & lightning) since Thursday night, we were expecting to have a more sunny than cloudy day today, but it was not meant to be. This has been one stubborn tropical wave. Move off already! Here it comes!



Here it is!



Run for the car! The sun did come back for about 1/2 hour, but it disappeared again with no hope of a quick return. Boo. Luckily, we live here and can just try again next weekend. A look back at the peninsula as we drove home. Bleh.



As a matter of fact, once we pulled up to the house, it really started pouring. Michael getting ready to brave a run for the door.



So let's hope for a clear Monday so we can enjoy some 4th of July fireworks at the Shiggidy Shack. Wahoo!

S-T-I-C-K-Y

Oy, summer is definitely back. It is sticky! Stagnant! Stifling! Suffocating! Stultifying! Wow. I'm still trying to drink back in the gallon of water I lost working out yesterday morning. Sopping!

This was yesterday. The sky and sea melded together



The sunset involved some big fluffy clouds (no thunder though).



This morning? More of the same.



The weather forecast shows rain in a few days (all forecasts differ on which day - Friday/Saturday). All show "calm" air. This is the kind of stuff that portends tropical disturbances, so I'll be keeping an eye out. When I'm not abutted against a fan or standing in a cold a shower, that is.

Winter's back!

Well, after such a sweltering couple of weeks, it's been nice to get a bit of a break. It rained so hard last night and the wind gusts that came with it were so strong that some car alarms actually went off in the complex.



The seas are white capping too (small craft advisories in affect). I have to say the breeze feels good.



From the radar, it looks like the islands south of us are getting most of the rain again though (they did not need that). I think we're looking at intermittent showers all day and mixed skies, but I'm just going to enjoy the cool temps. We've been reminded of what summer's going to be like and I wasn't quite ready yet...

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Summer

Well, here's something we haven't seen in about 4 months - rain!



While the island flora and fauna are breathing sighs of relief, tourism-based companies are not quite as jubilant. We really did need the rain, but this is the last month before most of the cruise ships start heading to the Med instead and tourists enjoy their own warm weather at home. Looks like the worst of it hit south of us though, with Barbados, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, and Grenada suffering from flash floods. It's still pretty ugly down there (active radar), so I hope this weather system gets moving soon.



It's definitely damp in the house. I did laundry yesterday and was determined to keep most of the stuff out of the dryer (friends of ours just had a electric bill of over $900EC - about $340US, that's without a/c!), but some of the clothing is still wet this morning (they'll grow mold before I use that dryer...).



I guess it's not not so far fetched when employees call out "sick" because they don't have anything to wear. Many people don't have dryers, so when it rains a few days in a row, laundry stays wet. Ah, the memories of the old days...



The Nevis Emergency Disaster Management website introduced me to Antigua & Barbuda's meteorological website which is the most accurate weather site for the Eastern Caribbean I've seen so far. I tried to get a live feed to it for the blog, but that didn't work out so I've just added a link to it under Weather on the right side of the main blog page. Of course, right now it says to brace for more rain. No problem - I've got my sweat pants and socks on and threw the blanket back on the bed last night!

It was so humid for my run this morning that even if it had rained on me, I wouldn't have noticed. Drip, drip, drip...

Interesting Day - Grounded Freighter, Bird Rock, Michael's, Bary's, Ackee, The Strip

So I had a rather interesting day. I was determined to get outside today rain or not, so headed out. I wanted to add some info for some of the blog pages on the sidebar, so readied myself for a looooong walk. I even put my butt-workout sneakers on.



Because I wanted to check out the Bird Rock Resort, I walked the back way to town. Look at the waves from high up the cliff.



It turns out I was standing in a red ant nest, so I hope you appreciated those pictures. Ouch! Look at them again.

There's the grounded oil freighter.



The resort seemed to be in the midst of a little rehab, but the front desk folks were very friendly. Turns out only 1 (Diana's) of the 3 restaurants is open. I tried to get down to the bar on the beach, Rocky's (which is closed), but would have gotten a bit wet, so changed my mind.



If I were staying at the resort, I'd want to be in this unit. Can you get any closer to the action? They're sort of like those tiki huts over the water in Tahiti (sort of).



Someone had told me about a place called Michael's near the resort (owned by the same guy who ran the Michael's that used to be on The Strip) and I wanted to find it. Turns it out it wasn't open, but it looks like a really cute place.



It's kind of like the kind of bars we used to see in the Bahamas. It's a shame he's doing so little marketing of himself. I definitely want to go back some time to check it out.

Bary's was looking a bit forlorn, so I'll have to come back. Having a different view, I saw that the freighter was closer to shore than I thought. Let's hope no oil spills shall we?



Then I had to go to the bank to cash a check. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been inside a bank? Me neither. Even when I opened my first account in my early 20s, I always used the ATM. It was quite the privilege to have 6 people in front of me and stand in line for over an hour...

Then I took the long way back figuring I'd stop off at the Ackee Cafe. I've heard that they're doing things like Trivia night (although asking British trivia, so guess we won't be going to that) and other stuff, but again - no internet presence and no advertising other than signs out front and word of mouth. I got offered a ride about 10 minutes from my destination and turned it down because I figured I was close enough. Got there and it was closed!!! It was about 1:30 - what the heck was that all about? I had no spit! I needed a Diet Coke! Whaaaa!

Fine, so I started walking again and got about 15 minutes from The Strip when a taxi slowed down and told me to get in. Before I could make my, no-thanks face, he yelled at me that it was free and he was going where I was going so I should do things the island way. Alrighty. Turns out he was Adonis (who runs taxi tours) and whose Aunt, Isha, owns Breezes on The Strip. Here's Adonis striking a pose in front of a mean sea.



I noticed that Adonis' business card included an email address. I asked him if he actually checked it (I thought I'd send him that picture), and he laughed and said it wasn't the island way. I told him that I was figuring that out and he asked me to check it for him. When I explained that I needed access to his account, he shrugged. Maybe that's the business I need to run - checking/answering the emails of the various businesses here. They sure don't.

Anywho, that worked out well, since Breezes was one of the bars I had never caught open. It still wasn't, but the owner was there and she was really friendly. With this cruddy weather, most bars aren't quite ready to implement their in-season festivities, so I'll go back at the end of the month and see what's what. She may do a comedy night, which would really be fun.

I did a quick detour to Rainbows for a Coke Zero (close enough) only to have the guy there ask me if I had a nice walk. He didn't seem chagrined at all that he passed me and didn't offer me a ride. Hmmm

The Strip seemed to be holding up pretty well considering. The Frigate Bay Association was even picking up seaweed.



Then I wandered toward the Marriott to take a few pictures of the restaurants in that direction (and to make an appointment to get my hair done at Max's salon). It looks like a pizza place is coming.



There's also an Indian restaurant replacing the steak place.



Then it was time to head back. I was just 10 minutes away from home when I could see the wall of rain coming. Adonis where are you?!!



Darn it! I threw on my rain jacket and put up my umbrella, but still ended up with squishy socks & shoes. I'm glad I didn't try to wait it out, as a check of the radar once I made it home showed that we were going to get wet for a while. So a little bit of everything there in just 4 hours!

I actually got an email from ZIZ saying that they have the video that shows the interviews of Mike and friends from the race ready for me to pick up. Too bad I don't know where the office is... I also got an email warning us of possible power outages tomorrow. I might actually be able to PLAN! There is hope!

Ok, I am going to take a hot shower and get back into my flannel pjs. Stop laughing.

Still Raining

Sounds like a lot of people are getting rained on from the Eastern seaboard to Canada. Of course, some places are already having record-low temps, so I'm wondering if some of you are going to be in for another loooong winter. If so, remember you can always come to St. Kitts! I think this poor island has met its limits on saturation though. Once again, we got quite the downpours overnight. We don't even need any wind at this point; the ground is so moist that the trees are just starting to fall over on their own.

The salt ponds are starting to overflow too. The businesses on The Strip in Frigate Bay already know the drill and cut a path from the pond to the ocean to let it drain. I guess no one did that down on the peninsula heading to Cockleshell Beach. This is the road to Reggae Beach Bar.



The beach down there has definitely gotten a bit beat up. Here's the poor Lion's Rock Beach Bar looking a little worse for wear.



A guy in front of the Spice Mill choosing just the right water-soaked log for something.



Someone's going to need to throw a beach clean-up party.



The Manhattan Gardens restaurant is also going to need a bit of help cleaning up (they're near the Cinema in the opposite direction).

Well, the radar shows some rain on the way, but I'm hoping I can get my slap-happy butt out of the house for a while in between showers. Forecasts show "heavy rains" for the next few days - I hope they're just hedging their bets and are wrong. The good news is that the stuff that seemed to be developing to our east has gone kaput and there aren't any hurricane models suggesting that anything should develop anytime soon either. Before we know it the season will be over, so let's hope this is it. Next up, we'll be whining about needing rain...

This has nothing to do with anything, but I'm thinking I might have to give up Raisin Bran. Last week, I was just about to pour my milk in and a boll weevil crawled out of my bowl. The cereal was just purchased. Ok, no problem. I sifted through the rest to make sure the raisins were really raisins and ate it anyway. This morning, new box, a maggot-like worm came out. I threw it into the bushes, came back inside, and started to sift through the rest when one of my flakes flew off. I kid you not - a small moth that looked exactly like a flake made a break for freedom. You know, I like a prize in my cereal just as much as the next guy, but could do without these kinds of surprises first thing in the morning.