Tropical Storm Fay coming

Since early morning when it slightly started to rain, we have been listening to the half-hourly South Florida weather updates on the radio as Tropical storm Fay works her way towards us.

It is now 9:30 AM, with darken skies and a steady drizzle. Since 8:50 AM when the skies changed and the sounds of thunder was heard in the distant, thus putting us on notice, the steady drizzle will gradually grow to maybe hurricane one — 74 miles-per-hour plus — status.

Even though we in Ft. Lauderdale, may once again dodge another tropical storm by escaping a direct hit, hurricane or storm force conditions will still impact us all.

Every year at this time, beginning in June and running through December, Floridians must deal with the potential of or actual hurricanes. This is an inescapable fact of life here in paradise.

Currently I am sitting in the caravan in a Lauderdale Lakes car park, awaiting the arrival of a friend, Camlyn Craig, whom I have not seen for 4 or five months. Originally from Maryland, Camlyn and I have known each other since the mid-nineteen-eighties. We met at a different time, in the same old way; a bar.

Camlyn has split her time, periodically, living in Ft. Lauderdale and South Africa, as a result of her marriage to a South African sailor. Her only child, Nathan, was born there and is a student at a private school there, and is a few years away from completing his studies.

Usually in recent years, following brief periods of inactivity, when Camlyn and I do managed to get in touch with or see each other, one of us are on the move; having just returned from somewhere or going somewhere.

As of 10:00 AM Fay is off the south-west coast of Cuba, packing winds of 50 MPH, headed in a north-north-west direction at a rate of 12 miles-per-hour toward the Florida Straits and South Florida. At this speed, Fay is expected to now impact us around mid-night or early Tuesday morning. We are currently under a Tropical Storm watch.

Having just returned from South Africa, Camlyn has among other things, to deal with an open DUI case that she picked up in Martin County, prior to her last departure for South Africa.

Like me, this second DUI charge will cost to defend it, and should she be unsuccessful, it will cost her much more than money. I am tasked today with giving Camlyn a very short ride, to the DUI traffic school for her alcohol evaluation appointment. This court mandated appointment will determine how much mandatory alcohol counseling sessions, she will have to attend, before completion of her probation and restoration of her her driving privileges.

It is now 10:45 AM and Camlyn had not yet shown for her 10:00 AM appointment. It is now raining heavier, however, the wind have not picked up and currently the skies have lighten to a light gray, with no thunder or lighting present at this time.

Camlyn has just called. She is hysterical, that she is late and may have to re-schedule her appointment. She is carrying on about idiot drivers and the traffic and not listening to my directions as to where I’m park waiting for her. The drive is less than two hundred feet away.

Finally arriving, I drove her to her evaluation, then to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). She was lucky: no alcohol counseling and she was given a hardship drivers license. With the hardship license she could drive for business purposes only and only during daylight hours.

We had lunch at a very  bad Chinese restaurant and bid farewell to each other, since Camlyn is off to Seattle, Washington and me to the Caribbean.

It rained on and off for most of the day and night. By early morning on Tuesday, the worst was upon us: heavy winds and driving rain. By mid-afternoon, Fay moved northwards across the Florida peninsula, and it is back to business as usual.

Now the task at hand is to find cheap gasoline. Every gas station now is only selling the most expensive grade of gas. No cheaper grade is to be found. Tomorrow is another day.

I’m off to Brady’s Irish Pub, now. The office.

There I will make some phone calls and try to get in touch with my friend Lennox, to see if he wants to change out the transmission in the caravan that I’m trying to sell, before my departure.