"Meanwhile, In The Tropics"

Lately, I have gotten into the habit of watching the WGN 10 o'clock news from Chicago, and right after that, a rebroadcast of the WPTV 11:00 o'clock news from West Palm Beach, Florida on my computer every evening, first to catch up on what is happening in my old home town, and then to hear news from "The Treasure Coast," where my sister Susan and I own a condo we inherited from our mother Mary. And this time of year, the weather forecast is the most important, since after the local weather they move on to what is happening out in the Atlantic, where there always seems to be a system forming. Happily, the two tropical disturbances currently out in the Atlantic, Philippe and Rina, are forecast to turn north and stay away from land. But, of course, there is always another system forming out there, which makes it a bit nerve wracking until hurricane season is finally over. Stuart, Florida, where our condo is located, was hit by Hurricane Frances, a Category 2 storm, in September of 2004, and then by Hurricane Jean, a Category 3 storm, just three weeks later, destroying many homes and businesses, especially along the water, including Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty, one of our favorite restaurants, as seen in the photograph above that I took of Susan and my mother back in August of 1995. The restaurant and marina are now just a vacant lot. And so it will be another two months of watching the weather team on WPTV until the end of the hurricane season on November 30th, when everyone can finally release their collective breaths. Hopefully those hurricanes pay attention to that official date, too.