On August 3, I left my family stranded in Alabama. Not literally, of course. I just suspended blogs about our family vacation to publish on-the-spot reports from Nick Rackers in London. Nick generously agreed to send day-to-day reports on his long awaited trip to the summer Olympic games. Thanks again to Nick! Also, condolences. Nick's grandmother, Frances Sophia "Franky" Rackers, passed away August 6 while Nick was in London.
Now, I rejoin three generations of my family on our Orange Beach, Alabama, roadtrip . . .
Though I love living in central Missouri, it is nice to go on vacation and see things you don't see around here. Like rain. As we relaxed on the beach in front of our condo on day 4 we began to hear distant rumbles of thunder. As ominous clouds rolled in and the sky grew dark, we picked our towels and toys and headed for cover. Common sense, right? Ha!
After rinsing as much sand off my body that could be reached without straining the bounds of public decency, I joined the rest of my family on our fourth floor balcony a hundred yards from the water's edge. Below us, as the wind strained beach umbrellas and launched various types of floaties skyward, people seemed oblivious to the fact that, just maybe, a storm was brewing.
As wind gusts suddenly began to propel air mattresses and inflatable beach toys in the general direction of Mexico, a beach patrol truck motored slowly down the row of hotels, bullhorn blaring, warning people to take cover.
Well, DUH!
I would like to thank those people who needed official intervention to get them to leave the beach, despite high winds and lightning, for providing an hour of entertainment for me and my family. I have a very entertaining video of people scrambling for cover, FINALLY, before the wind carried THEM down the beach like it just did their inner tube and beach umbrella.
Forrest Gump said "I am not a smart man, but I know what love is." I say "I am not a smart man, but I know what lightning is!"
A comment my son received via Twitter that day seemed appropriate:
"I'm not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let nature take it's course?"
Now, I rejoin three generations of my family on our Orange Beach, Alabama, roadtrip . . .
Though I love living in central Missouri, it is nice to go on vacation and see things you don't see around here. Like rain. As we relaxed on the beach in front of our condo on day 4 we began to hear distant rumbles of thunder. As ominous clouds rolled in and the sky grew dark, we picked our towels and toys and headed for cover. Common sense, right? Ha!
After rinsing as much sand off my body that could be reached without straining the bounds of public decency, I joined the rest of my family on our fourth floor balcony a hundred yards from the water's edge. Below us, as the wind strained beach umbrellas and launched various types of floaties skyward, people seemed oblivious to the fact that, just maybe, a storm was brewing.
As wind gusts suddenly began to propel air mattresses and inflatable beach toys in the general direction of Mexico, a beach patrol truck motored slowly down the row of hotels, bullhorn blaring, warning people to take cover.
Well, DUH!
I would like to thank those people who needed official intervention to get them to leave the beach, despite high winds and lightning, for providing an hour of entertainment for me and my family. I have a very entertaining video of people scrambling for cover, FINALLY, before the wind carried THEM down the beach like it just did their inner tube and beach umbrella.
Forrest Gump said "I am not a smart man, but I know what love is." I say "I am not a smart man, but I know what lightning is!"
A comment my son received via Twitter that day seemed appropriate:
"I'm not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let nature take it's course?"
Lightning - Nature's Way of Freeing up beach chairs
After the storm - the remnants of a kiss from Mother Nature
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