I finally took some time to photograph the creek at the back of the Sycamore rental. I must confess, the resulting panorama makes the creek look much larger than it really is. Still, I like the results …

For those who are encrusted in ice or buried under a foot or more of snow or blasted by bone chilling winds, here is 3 minutes and 30 seconds of escape-ism.

I finally picked up a firewire cable and connected my relatively ancient Sony video camcorder (still uses tapes). I’m no videographer but I enjoyed watching the Great Egret at the end of the day this past summer. Over the course of a week or two, I took my video camera out around 6pm and sat for a while, overlooking the marsh and the small creek leading from the Chesapeake Bay back to the rental property. I managed to get some shots of the egret fishing, walking, and occasionally taking flight. I had about 40 minutes of footage. When I cut out the really shaky stuff, the bad footage, and the “content free” moments, I ended up with a few usable clips.

Microsoft Movie Maker did a reasonable job of loading the footage from the camera onto my PC and then let me edit segments and piece them together. It was all pretty easy.

Hurricane season is here. When I first started the idea of getting the farm and eventually building on it, my plans were temporarily interrupted by Hurricane Isabel. Isabel hit land with sustained winds of 105 mph. At it’s strongest, it was measured at 165 mpg with an instantaneous peak of 233 mph (measured from a dropsonde).

Given this data and the fact my prospective farm was well elevated and 3.5 miles inland, I decided I would use Isabel as my “bell weather” (sorry for the pun). My plan was to design and build to something greater than Isabel’s wind.

Now that the building has been engineered, I can say that it is rated to 115 mpg wind load. Of course, this is no guarantee. Thus far, this year has spawned tornadoes rather than hurricanes. And in either case, the building is not designed to withstand an airborne tree or other projectile. For those contingencies, there are insurance policies. “Money” rather than “Engineering” in nature.

Here’s a good list for everyone (even those not expecting a hurricane to visit) …

• Water – at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
• Food – at least enough for 3 to 7 days
• non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
• foods for infants or the elderly
• snack foods
• non-electric can opener,cooking tools / fuel
• paper plates / plastic utensils
• Blankets / Pillows, etc.
• Clothing – seasonal / rain gear / sturdy shoes
• First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
• Special Items – for babies and the elderly
• Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes
• Flashlight / Batteries
• Radio – Battery operated and NOAA weather radio
• Telephones – Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set
• Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards – Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
• Keys
• Toys, Books and Games
• Important documents – in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag -insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
• Tools – keep a set with you during the storm
• Vehicle fuel tanks filled
• Pet care items
• proper identification / immunization records / medications
• ample supply of food and water
• a carrier or cage
• leash

A picture is worth a thousands words … in this case, perhaps I only need seven -  “I let Zen have too much fun”.

I must admit, I always thought things like the UV index were on a scale of 1 to 10. I guess I must be living in some parallel universe because I just found this for my area …
11 ?!
Good thing Zen likes to swim. But with 6 days of this forcast, she and I are likely to get cabin fever. Our outdoor exercise is restricted to dawn and after dusk with daytime excursions no more than 15 minutes and always where there is shade. No chance of playing soccer or fetch for her for a few days.