Paper Twirling (Quilling)

When the weather is yucky, it gives me an excuse to stay inside and just generally goof off.  I used tdid he time today to refresh my paper quilling skills.  It has been years since I last did any paper twirling.  There are a lot of designs you can come up with using bright paper strips twirled into tight and loose coils.

I did a butterfly yesterday.

 And added a sprig of wisteria today.

Tomorrow I am going to try to make my own version of a Bird of Paradise.

It will have some purple and other colors in it because the Bird of Paradise in my front yard is a lot more colorful than the one pictured above.

The afternoon just flew by and it took my mind off Isaac and his shenanigans as he heads into the Caribbean.

Wake up, Florida!

I updated my FB status this morning with words from Bryan Norcross (The Weather Channel):

"Okay Florida... it's time to wake up. Isaac is getting organized and the odds are increasing that it's going to be a problem... a big enough problem that preparation is likely to be required. The exact angle of approach is still uncertain, and a slight difference changes who gets the worst of it, but most plausible future tracks show an impact on the state. (There's a chance it could miss to the east, but that appears the least likely scenario.) If the storm turns near eastern Cuba, as the American GFS computer forecast shows, the storm will impact the Middle/Upper Keys and the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area... and possibly the Tampa/Orlando area as well. (Setting up a possible nightmare scenario for Florida insurance.) This scenario would seem to limit how strong the storm could get because it would have to track over some of the Caribbean mountains, but there's still plenty of warm water between Cuba and Florida. A track farther west, however, in the direction of the European ECMWF computer forecast, the storm has impact on the west coast of the state in a big way, and perhaps the Panhandle. A hurricane on this track would seem to have an opportunity to get stronger. The bottom line, starting in the Keys immediately, it's time to begin paying attention to hurricane plans. The NHC will be deploying their full resources over the next couple of days to gather the best data, which can refine and improve the forecast... so we'll be getting the best that modern technology can provide by Friday. Stay tuned... and wake your friends up as well."

I'm watching closely. It does not help that the place we would evacuate to in the event of a west coast hit is jam packed with RNC delegates. We would have to leave the area.




Think they'll move the RNC?




Yeah?




Think again.




Politicians are not known for their intelligence or for being proactive.

It is a little wet here...

Saturday Sunset at Howard Park

We met friends for dinner at Rusty Bellies on the Sponge Docks last night.  It was a very warm evening but we were able to stand and wait inside.  I had called ahead as we left the house and gotten us on the wait list so our wait was not as long as others.  Dinner was great.  I had "Carly Sue's Cheesy Shrimp and Grits" and it was just a delicious as ever.

After we left the restaurant, we noticed color in the clouds and decided to drive through Howard Park on the way home.  As we hit the east end of the causeway, we could see a hint of what was to come.

Sunsets are pretty as they sink into the water, but some of the prettiest sunsets are the ones with lots of clouds along the horizon.

As we approached the first bridge, the gold started to spread along the shoreline even though the sun was partially block.  This is my cell phone photography.  I wish I had had my Z740 with me.

But I didn't so these will have to do.  I think you can tell how pretty it was, anyway.  The sun set and the golden rays started stretching toward Heaven and gilded the cloud tops as they did.

The skies in the east had storm clouds building and these mounds of clouds were topped with white fluffies that started picking up the reflected light.  And they, in turn, were casting a reflection across St. John's Sound.

As we rounded the end of the parking lot on the island, I was able to catch a few "palms against the sunset" shots -- typical of a Gulf of Mexico sunset.  This one...

And this....

I am snapping as fast as I can at this point...  We have rounded the southern end of the island and are headed back toward the causeway.  The clouds in the east are really picking up the colors now.

And then, I was just overwhelmed as we headed back down the causeway.  This view was the prettiest of the night, I think.

I'll leave you with this one.  Another lovely evening in Tarpon Springs coming to a close.  I was pleasantly stuffed and totally relaxed by the time we pulled into the driveway five minutes later.  I can't help but think about the years we spent making all night drives to get down here to watch a few magnificent sunsets while we were here. And it was worth every mile.

We have gotten awfully spoiled now.  But we still don't take it for granted.

Tuesday Walk

It was beautiful at Howard Park this morning.  I got out of the car, swatted a few skeeters and headed up the trail toward the causeway.

There were a lot of clouds on the horizon so it kept the sun from heating the air and pavement too quickly.  My Camry's outside temperature read 79.  I was hoping it would be cooler as I approached the causeway.

The clouds reflected on still water close to me.  I could see ripples beyond the reflection and I hoped that meant I would find a breeze once I cleared the big mangroves that line the east end of the causeway.

It was cooler beyond the mangroves and a nice breeze was blowing.  So I stopped at the first bridge to talk to the lonely cormorant who was calling to everyone who walked by.  He sounded as thought he had something caught in his throat.

While I was talking to him, a couple of birds flew in to walk around on the rocks below.  I still have to get my bird book out to identify them.  I know I have seen them before but I've forgotten what they are.  It is hard to tell them from the rocks on which they are perched. You'll have to click to "biggify."

I glanced back toward the west and realized that a rainbow was forming in the clouds along the horizon.  The colors were so delicate, that the cell phone camera barely registers them.  But it was very lovely.

I kept walking and taking pictures.

This was when I wished I had brought my good camera.  At this point, I saw Trish and Dolores headed my way so I closed my phone and joined them for the rest of my walk.

Those clouds are harbingers of storms to come later today when the Gluf and Atlantic sea breezes clash over the Tampa Bay area and folks all along the central Florida west coast will be treated to an afternoon and/or evening thunder and lightning show.

Weather Monitoring Station at Howard Park

When the causeway was closed to replace the bridges a couple of years ago, the old weather station was taken down as well and we were concerned that it might not be replaced.  It was and the new one looks good.  It is monitored by the University of South Florida.  Some very good meteorology work is being done by the folks at USF.    I keep an eye on that weather station whenever something is brewing in the Gulf. When I was walking this week, I stopped to take a picture of the weather station and the information posted by USF.

Click HERE to check the USF monitoring information for this station and nearby buoys.  From the looks of the Atlantic and Caribbean, we might feel the need to check it in the near future.