Earthquakes and floods and tornadoes?? Oh my.

My heart breaks for the people who have been impacted by Tropical Storm/Typhoon Ketsana. I heard this morning that the death toll has risen into the hundreds. How horrible. Was it the inadequate structure, lack of warning to the public, or did they just have nowhere to go. There are, sadly, a few storms on the heels of Ketsana, so that already devastated region should brace themselves. How horrible.

Aside from that, earthquakes have ravaged the Pacific, especially near Sumatra, Indonesia, where a major earthquake (magnitude of 7.6) struck this morning, stirring tsunami warnings, around Indonesia. Yesterday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 struck the Samoa region, spawning a tsunami, crashing a mile inland, which left a wake of disaster, as well as stealing 100 lives.

List of major earthquakes over the last two days
Sept. 29: A pickup truck lies under a pile of rubble from a business structure in Pago Pago, American Samoa after tsunami waves swept ashore. A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves that hit Samoa and American Samoa, flooding and flattening villages, killing at least 99 people and leaving dozens missing.Source: AP
Sept. 29: The aftermath of a Tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake is seen in Pago Pago village, on American Samoa. Source: AP2009
Sept. 29: People walk among a scene of devastation following a powerful earthquake in Pago Pago village, on American Samoa. The quake in the South Pacific hurled massive tsunami waves at the shores of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening villages and sweeping cars and people back out to sea while leaving scores dead and dozens missing.Source: AP2009 The people in these regions are in dire need of our prayers.

Outside of earthquakes and floods, we actually have our first severe weather set-up of the fall season taking shape for today and tomorrow in the midwest. Storm chasers are chomping at the bit after a groggy summer of blah-ness.It looks like the bulk of the threat has been shifted to tomorrow and, therefore, further east, putting Missouri and Arkansas in the bullseye for action. As it moves into Friday, it places a measly "see text" message for my neck of the woods, where they are outlining a silent slight risk for severe weather because they just don't think sufficient shear and instability will exist here on Friday for a major outbreak, but isolated severe can be expected.
For the past two mornings, I have been blessed with a couple of amazing sunrises. I want to yesterday's for sky watch, but this morning's was wonderfully spectacular, so here you go...Have a blessed day!
~Dewdrop

As the days turn...

I've talked so much about the flooding in Atlanta that I haven't been sharing any of our explorations and happenings over the week. On Tuesday, my wonderful groom and I took a lunch time excursion in town looking for some beautiful places that we haven't been together before. We stumbled upon a neighborhood association owned private property, trespassers prosecuted pond. It was beautiful with lots of birds and such, so we enjoyed the little bit of nature in the middle of the bustling city from the legal parameters of the jeep. Frustrating. I did get some wildlife shots though.
On Wednesday, Mini-Dew and I got home in time to experience an amazing sight, which was not actually my first... blue streak/stripe across sky. I have seen this several times and wondered what caused this very interesting effect in the sky, where the dark blue strip or blue streak passes from the western horizon across the sky to the opposite horizon. I have seen it most often on clear days, and each time it has stumped me as well as some others. It seems to be a questions that has stumped many sky-gazers...
Blue Streak 1
Blue Streak 2
Blue Streak 3
Blue Streak 4
Yesterday evening I saw the same thing, and I decided to look a little harder to find out the reason for this spectacular phenomenon. I have found some suggestions that it might be Ionization trails from metorites that have penetrated upper layers of the atmosphere. My gut doesn't go along with that. It looks very much like a shadow to me. Unfortunately, all that I'm able to concretely find about this phenomena is questions asking what causes it to happen. In fact, I found this publication from 1891 noting this "Remarkable Meteorological Phenomenon Observed At Manicaland, East Africa, December 9th, 1891. By Lord Deekiiurst." This describes the phenomena to a tee!

...just before sunset, the moon having risen, and being almost directly overhead, we saw what, I thought, might prove of interest, as none of us had ever seen the like before. From the east we noticed a light blue streak in the sky very little darker than the blue of the heavens ; it was narrow at first, but gradually became broader and extended, getting darker as it did so (it got darker from the east, the densest part being in the east horizon), eventually passing between us and the moon, and being lost in the west at the point where the sun was going down. This streak seemed quite transparent, and deepened, when fully up, from a very light blue in the west to almost indigo in the east.

After sunset the streak, which was about double the breadth of a rainbow, disappeared as it had come...~source (Quarterly journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Volume 18 By Royal Meteorological Society (Great Britain), Wiley InterScience )

Yes, that's it... that which stumped Lord Deekiiurst...

So... back to the shadow theory...

The great beams which spread out fanlike from the setting Sun teach us a great deal about the atmosphere. We always see a blue streak where the clouds or mountains cast a shadow; while the surrounding region of the sunset sky is whitish, golden, purple, or even reddish, and sometimes the colors are amazingly brilliant. Thunder clouds seldom exceed the height of five miles, and yet the shadows cast by them at the time of sunset are conspicuously blue. The blue color of the shadow indicates that the predominant part of the blue light of the sky originates at great height, while the whitish, yellow, and reddish colors are confined to the lower strata of the air. The persistence of the blue color for more than an hour after sunset, when the sky light is reflected from illuminated particles in the rare medium more than one hundred miles above the Earth's surface, also strengthens this view.
~source (The Atlantic monthly, Volume 93 By Celia Thaxter, Sarah Orne Jewett, Emily Dickinson, Cairns Collection of American Women Writers)

Subordinate effects of the same kind as the blue shadow of the earth are seen in shadows of clouds and mountains on the sky. When the western sky contains massive clouds at sunset, the eastern twilight arch will be distinctly interrupted by delicate bluish rays, whose narrow lower ends all converge to a point on the edge of the arch opposite to the sun; the convergence being an effect of perspective on really parallel cloud shadows. In the same way, if an-observer stand upon a lofty mountain at sunset, he will see the shadow of the mountain rising above the eastern horizon and interrupting the twilight arch. The shadows of adjacent peaks are also sometimes seen, but less distinctly. ~source (Elementary meteorology)

So, my strong opnion is that this is some sort of shadow that reaches across the expanse of the sky at and just after sunset. If anyone has something more for me, please share.

Whew, after that excitement, on Saturday, my wonderful groom and his dear children and I went exploring by a nearby creek (I had no idea how near it was -- so glad it didn't flood back in April). So, we set out to explore and came upon a decent expanse of wooded area and a clearly defined trail. Well, that had our names all over it. We had a great time in the woods. We mostly just enjoyed the wildlife there, except the mosquitoes... I was surprised when my wonderful groom discovered a cicada skeleton.My wonderful groom's dear daughter spotted and helped me focus on the irridescent spider.Ever hear of a spittle bug??? I hadn't until Saturday.

On the ride back Sunday from bringing the kids to their mother, I asked if he minded us stopping on Salem Road to see how recovery had transpired after the February 19th, EF3 tornado hit near Boston, Georgia on that road. I wanted to show him. This is the aerial image of the area in Boston struck the hardest by the 450 yard wide EF3 tornado. This is a view of the area of woods that I took just after the tornado hit, standing by the road. 7 months later, it was hardly recognizable as the same area.All the treeshave been removed, and it's a vacant field. One thing that helped to identify that we were in the right spot were the collection of debarked trees used in ascertaining the rating... granted the pine tree was no longer wrapped around the base of this one...Here are some shots from that damage assessment.

Have a beautiful day!
~Dewdrop

17" in the Philippines versus 20" in the US

No matter how tough things may get here, with Natural Disasters and what have you, I am so grateful to be in the United States for such things. I've spoken a great deal about the flooding in the Atlanta area, which was caused by up to 20" of steady rain over a short time. Yes, the statistics are tragic, 10 lives claimed, 100's diplaced, many homes, schools, roads and businesses destroyed... but then, I ponder Tropical Storm Ketsana. Tropical Storm Ketsana tore through the Philippines over the weekend, with its 53mph winds and 17" of rain in a mere 12 hours... leaving behind a horrific death toll of 140, with 32 still unaccounted for, more than 451,000 people left homeless (source)... a State of Calamity has been declared. It's a grim scene of complete chaos and loss there.
People wade through a flooded street past stalled vehicles in Malabon City, north of Manila, Philippines, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Non-stop overnight rain from Tropical Storm Ketsana has caused massive flooding. (AP Photo/Pat Roque)
A boy carries his brother through waist-deep waters following flooding brought about by Tropical Storm Ketsana Saturday Sept. 26, 2009, in Quezon City. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The mayor of Cainta, also in Rizal, who was stranded atop a dump truck on a road that was neck-deep in water, told ABS-CBN television by phone that many residents climbed onto roofs to escape.

"The whole town is almost 100 per cent underwater," Mayor Mon Ilagan said.
~source

Let's be mindful in prayer for those impacted by this disaster.

~Dewdrop

Epic flood called 500 Year Flood

The flooding in Georgia that took place this week is now being referred to as an epic 500-Year-Flood.

At least 10 deaths in Georgia and Alabama were blamed on the torrential downpours in the Southeast. The storms finally relented and relief was in sight with just a slight chance of rain Wednesday, but the onslaught left many parts of the region in stagnant water.

The latest victim, Richard Butler, 29, drowned after his car was apparently washed off a road near a creek Tuesday night in suburban Douglas County, west of Atlanta, county spokesman Wes Tallon said.

~source

According to the USGS website...

The flooding around Atlanta this week is one for the record books. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the rivers and streams had magnitudes so great that the odds of it happening were less than 0.2 percent in any given year. In other words, there was less than a 1 in 500 chance that parts of Cobb and Douglas counties were going to be hit with such an event.

“The USGS can reliably say just how bad these floods were. They were epic!” said Brian McCallum, Assistant Director for the USGS Water Science Center in Georgia. “We have all witnessed the devastation caused by these floods, but now we can quantify it.” The data are gathered from the USGS real-time streamgaging network.

On Sept. 22, USGS crews measured the greatest flow ever recorded (28,000 cubic feet per second) on Sweetwater Creek near Austell, Ga.

Elsewhere in the Atlanta area:

The Yellow River streamgages in Gwinnett, DeKalb and Rockdale counties measured flows between the 1 percent chance (100-year) and 0.5 percent chance (200-year) flood magnitude.
Flows caused by the rain at Peachtree Creek in Atlanta were only near the 10 percent chance (10-year) flood magnitude, but the backwater effects from the Chattahoochee River pushed water levels over the 0.2 percent chance (500-year) flood at the gage location.
On the Chattahoochee, USGS measured a 1 percent chance exceedence (100-year) flood at Vinings and Roswell.


~source

Allow me now to just share with you some of the shocking photos that have come out of the flood-stricken areas... it's hard to imagine going through something like this... such a long road lies ahead for some of these people!
From left: Garrett Jacobs, Dakota Nelson, and Levi Wright move a barricade to higher ground after flood waters from the Yellow River continued to rise Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 in Lilburn. Ga. The community canceled their beach bash, which was scheduled for Monday night. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Curtis Compton)
From left, Allen Rice, Zach Shirley, Jacob Shirley, and Danny Shirley remove two mattresses from their home in East Ridge, Tenn., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. Heavy rainfall caused water from area creeks to flood areas throughout Chattanooga and northern Georgia areas. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Patrick Smith)

The roof of an auto shop is barely visible above swollen Sweetwater Creek after heavy rains of recent days caused the creek to flood, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)
An unidentified man looks back at tractor trailer cars washed against a bridge going over Sweetwater Creek left there by flood waters from recent rains, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Austell, Ga.(AP Photo/John Amis)
A submerged truck is shown in flood waters in Mableton, Ga., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. Heavy rains caused flooding in and around the Atlanta area. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Grounds crew including Michael Watts, Jr., second from left, work at cleaning up mud and debris at the foot of the Ninja roller coaster, left by flood waters that inundated Six Flags over Georgia amusement park, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mud encased bicycles lay strewn in front of a house in Lilburn after flood waters from the Yellow River receded from it, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Austell, Ga. A newly built deck on the back of the house was nowhere to be found. (AP Photo/John Amis)


Have a blessed weekend!
~Dewdrop

After the waters recede...

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I might not have time to respond to you, but I will try my best to visit!!!

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Ivar Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us! Today, I want to post a sky picture that makes me feel hopeful, in honor of those impacted by the recent flooding in Georgia (and Tennessee). I know I just posted this experience a month ago, but it is my favorite rainbow shot, and rainbows are a symbol God's covenant with us. They bring me peace and hope. I hope that this does the same for you!

Speaking of the hope after the flood, I need to hop on my soapbox... As I listened to TWC this morning, it disgusted me that the focus was on the fact that despite the deadly, tragic, historic and devasting flood, which stole lives, destroyed homes, shut down schools, blocked passage for people getting to work, family... hospitals... which they did touch on while they showed the human-side, the heart-felt sobs of people grieving their losses... the focus this morning was not on that... but instead, where was Mike Slidell with his report... at a PGA golf course! So many people in the Atlanta area have had their lives completely turned upside down. Homes are vacated, not to be habitable for potentially months. Schools have been ruined, kids have nowhere to get their education. Their lives and those of their parents, families, friends, neighbors have been put on hold, while everyone finds the strength to recover from this... but by golly, Tiger Woods will still get to play for his $10,000,000. The PGA tour will continue on schedule. As a nation, it seems that our priorities are completely out of whack. Important documents, valuable school supplies, treasured school resources bought with pennies pinched together in days of furloughed teachers salaries (don't even get me started!!!)... are floating out the doors, but they sure did make it a priority to get that course out from under water. It makes me sick! Anyone else struggling with that???

Speaking of sick, with my child being sick today and my wonderful groom's dear parents' willingness to keep her while I work, I was allowed the opportunity to once again pass through their neighborhood, which, as you'll recall, was struck with major flooding back in April, that's right, more than 5 months, almost 6 months ago. Remember? Unfortunately, they are scenes mimicking the scene up in the Altanta metro area this week... Sadly, here, it appears that about every 3rd house still is uninhabited. Of those homes that have been moved into, contractors are still parked in their front yards, which contains dry-rotted grass, shrubbery removed, dangerous trees still being removed, dumpsters and porta-potties still littering the lawns, shutters starting to fall apart, as a delayed consequential reminder, as if they needed one... their process of recovery, still, almost 6 months later, continues. Yes, my heart goes out to the areas stricken by flood. It's devastating, destructive... and the recovery is slow and hard.

Important Flood Safety Guidelines you should know...

More deaths occur due to flooding each year than from any other thunderstorm or hurricane related hazard. Many of these casualties are a result of careless or unsuspecting motorists who attempt to navigate flooded roads. The National Weather
Service now warns anyone who comes to a flooded roadway, “Turn around… don’t drown!™”
Follow these safety rules:
 If flooding occurs, get to higher ground. Stay away from flood-prone areas, including dips, low spots, valleys, ditches, washes, etc.
 Avoid flooded areas or those with rapid water flow. Do not attempt to cross a flowing stream. It takes only six inches of fast flowing water to sweep you off your feet.
 Don’t allow children to play near high water, storm drains or ditches. Hidden dangers could lie beneath the water.
 Flooded roads could have significant damage hidden by floodwaters. NEVER drive through floodwaters or on flooded roads. If your vehicle stalls, leave it immediately and seek higher ground. Water only two feet deep can float away most automobiles.
 Do not camp or park your vehicle along streams and washes, particularly when threatening conditions exist.
 Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.
 Monitor NOAA Weather Radio or your local media for vital weather related information.

Atlanta flooding image (source):
God be with them.
~Dewdrop

Continued coverage of the historic Atlanta flood

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Scenes such as this are popping up everywhere. The above video contains some aerial video of Six Flags over Georgia under water, from the record flooding in the Metro Atlanta area. Images I watched this morning on the Weather Channel showed portions of the well known wooden Scream Machine destroyed in parts, yet, according to reports, Six Flags plans to be open this weekend. Bring your nose plugs... It is sad what has happened to Six Flags, but that doesn't compare to the personal tragedy experienced all over the Metro Atlanta area.

Unfortunately, with some areas experiencing over 20" of rain in as little as 3 days, the saturated ground, creeks, streams and rivers were bound to overflow, and the result has been nothing short of devastating. So far, the lives lost in this historic flood event stand at 9, with many of those being caused by people driving into flood waters, which easily carry cars away when in a foot or more of water. Turn Around, Don't Drown™. It looks like the relief in rain yesterday has allowed some of the flood water to recede, but you can expect that as it moves down the river... and the forecast holds true that further problems will occur downstream. In fact, you see the impact of that as you move down the rivers. You see that the flood warnings move down the state in this graphical forecast. List of River Crests
Report from Weather Service about September 2009 flooding rain event
Maps of the current flood in Georgia and the forecast This last link takes you to the Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service maps, which show two very depictive maps, one indicating the current flooding in Georgia and the other demonstrating the forecast flooding. You see clearly that the flood threat moves down the state as currently flood stricken areas' flood waters recede.

See a story about the flooding by Michael Detwiler - Nashville Weather Examiner

A friend of mine, well east of Atlanta in the Rockdale/Newton County area posted some pictures of the flooding out there that she offered permission to share.The first two are at the Porterdale Lofts. The 3rd is at the Horse Park on the backside and the last one is a house off of Brown Bridge Road past Newton Co. High School.








Thanks, Michelle!

Reports are that some places in the Atlanta area have water up to their 2nd story... it's grim in places. Reports are widespread, and the recovery effort will be long and arduous. Locally, we know all too well how long-lasting the effects of flooding are, having just experienced a major flood back in April. God be with them.

~Dewdrop

Devastating floods ravage Metro Atlanta--Flooding deaths in Atlanta area

This picture shows flooding at Dog Creek at Hwy 5, Douglas County, Georgia on September 21, 2009. The deck holds the USGS automated water-monitoring and transmission equipment that allows for real-time display of current stream conditions on our Web pages.
~source

Unfortunately, the story today in weather is not a good one at all. With days of rain, starting with the rain when I was trying to travel back to Georgia on Wednesday, the Atlanta Metro area and surrounding areas have been inundated with anywhere from 5-20" of rain. With some areas receiving 20" of rainfall during a period of only 36 hours, it spells out widespread flooding and mudslides. Sadly many water rescues have occurred, and already 5 7 (the number has risen since I started blogging--link) are reported dead and several people are unaccounted for and considered missing.

It has not been confirmed, however, that the body found Tuesday is one of two missing teenage boys who attempted to rescue a trapped motorist and were swept away. One of the teens was rescued. Four deaths occurred in Douglas County, with Gwinnett and Carroll also reporting fatalities. A 2-year-old died in Carroll County after heavy rain washed his family's trailer away. Carroll County Sheriff Terry E. Langley confirmed that Preston Slade Crawford's body was found Monday afternoon about a mile from his home, in some debris near the road.
~source

It's a tragic situation of loss and suffering. Schools are closed because of road closures (over 100 roads in the Atlanta Metro area, including parts of I75 and I285).

Current listing of road closures
List of smaller roads closed

Evacuations have taken place. Homes have been overtaken by water. It's a grim situation, and since we experienced it locally in April, and are still recovering... many folks here know all too well what lies ahead for residents of Metro Atlanta.

Link to flooding map in Georgia
Flood and High Flow map

Two men and two women died in Douglas County in separate incidents, officials said.

In each case, Douglas Sheriff Phil Miller said the driver was trying to cross flooded roadways.
~source

Turn Around, Don't Drown™ is the best advice I could possibly offer anyone in that area. With all area creeks and streams risen to major flood levels, roads and bridges have been compromised... what you might think you're seeing as water over the road could very easily (and scarily likely be) water INSTEAD OF the road. In the picture below, water had risen above the road level, meaning at one point... it looks like water over the bridge, when in fact, there was no bridge there at all. Don't risk it people, TURN AROUND!!!

John Spink, AJC -- A section of Post Road washed away about a mile south of I-20 in Winston.

God be with those impacted, and I sure hope it doesn't result in flooding here...
~Dewdrop

My trip to Kentucky

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I might not have time to respond to you, but I will try my best to visit!!!

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Ivar Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us! I call this one "Progress??"
Hi everyone!!! I am FINALLY home from Louisville(pronounced by locals Lou uh vull- vull pronounced like bull, and you have to cram in all together. Louuhvull, to where it almost sounds like one syllable), Kentucky. I'm so relieved to FINALLY be home. It wasn't a long trip necessarily, but the flying day from heck really did me in yesterday. Before I left for Louisville, my wonderful groom took me to the magical garden not far from my house, where the owner/caterer hosts parties. I had no idea it existed there, and when he stumbled upon it, he asked the owner if he could take me there to shoot pictures... so thoughtful.There was so much to shoot, I am sure we will enjoy lots of relaxing afternoons there exploring.

We left Sunday on the why-are-my-eyes-open-this-early flight out of Valdosta. Mental note... always make certain that I have an eastward facing seat on a why-are-my-eyes-open-this-early flight, otherwise, you end up with shots like this one to the left when you are forced to ask someone else to capture an amazing sunrise that you aren't able to capture by yourself. We had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta, which was way more than we wanted or needed, but it did afford me an opportunity to shoot some of the remaining sunrise,... and then we took our timely flight to Louisville, Kentucky (after only one unannounced gate change -- ATL is AWFUL!) After flying over Indiana (first time in Indiana folks), we turned around to arrive in Kentucky, I scoped out the tornado shelters...... wish we had these things... got settled, attended a training session, since I was a moderator at the event and then decided to do some exploration. After being approached by a few homeless folks, witnessing what could very well have been a drug deal and feeling completely creeped out, I decided that Louisville (the city that always sleeps) was not a place for me to explore solo. I met up with my co-worker at the only shopping area near us, the CVS/liquor store. They actually sold hard liquor in their CVS (only in Kentucky...) My wonderful groom is a fan of sipping, so I was on a quest for Pappy Van Winkle (which Mike was out of... the visitor's center called Mike -- the owner of the only downtown actual liquor store). Some things I did notice about Louisville, despite the hours of operation, the strange liquor locations and the creepy people... were the cleanliness, the beautiful parks and landscaping,... the well maintained and preserved architecture,... the apparent pride in the city... and I noticed the fact that Humana (11 buildings in Louisville, one complete with gold leafing, marble water features and beautiful columns) may single handedly explain the current healthcare crisis in America. I am not saying that Obamacare is by any means the way to go... but come on, Humana... gold leafing...? Come on... We turned in early for a fresh start the next morning. We attended sessions all day long, and since the city always sleeps, there was really nothing to do at that point except join in the walking tour that our conference had paid for. We walked for 2 1/2 hours around the downtown area, which was nice exercise. Along the way, we passed many of the Gallopaloosa horses, which were painted and placed around the downtown area.Of course, my favorite one spotlighted some Kentucky weather...
I love the way the city has integrated art, parks and water features throughout the city... even the bikeracks are works of art. We arrived back at the hotel and met up with some friends for some super yummy dessert which we all shared. My co-worker went on a late night tour of the UPS hub located there, which she said was really interesting. I wasn't feeling well, and my only packed casual shoes (flip flops) gave out on the earlier walking tour. Tuesday morning, we attended session, and as the agenda started repeating sessions and the others didn't apply to our area... we decided to take those couple of hours in the afternoon to try to catch some of the sights while they were still available to be seen. We hopped on the 50¢ trolley, after our "friend", the very drunk apparently homeless man, jumped out in front of it to stop it for us. We took the trolley to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum,... where we were given a miniature bat. Then, we hopped over to Glassworks, where I worked with glass to make a pennant. I have never worked with glass before so that was exciting. The glass working was so very interesting. I can't wait until my necklace arrives after they fire it. We arrived moments too late to participate in the tour... which ran the last one at 3:30... INSANE! We did get to watch a little glass making though. All the coffee shops were already closed. The streets were bare, except in one little area... Fourth Street Live, a collaboration of clubs, restaurants and the liquor store CVS.

Yesterday, we headed back to the airport, to catch our flight. We were early to allow for any unknown situations that might have happened along the way. So, we were there about 2 hours early (security wasn't backed up as much as it had been when we arrived.) Unfortunately, the plane we were supposed to fly out on was delayed 45 minutes out of Atlanta. When it finally landed in Louisville, and we were loaded, it was delayed another 45 minutes on the tarmac because of Atlanta weather... you see, when I want weather, it doesn't happen... when I don't want it... sigh. So an hour and a half late for our hour and a half layovered connection, made us about 3 minutes late for the flight that moved up 3 minutes on the schedule while we were in flight, and Delta claims to be all about customer service. Basic Customer Service 101, if your customer is delayed on your flight, don't let their connection leave EARLIER THAN SCHEDULED! We raced up to the gate just in time to watch our flight taxi out of the gate, with full knowledge that the next flight to Valdosta was scheduled 5 hours later!!! Good grief. So, we sat... and we sat.... and we sat. We waited less than patiently, but thankfully Ben and Jerry eased some of my suffering. When it came time to check in to our space available flight, we cleared, but shortly after, the flight was delayed... 30 minutes at first, then... an additional hour. Finally, we boarded. We sat at the gate for 50 forevers waiting for the taxi out. We arrived at the runway... fired up the engines and they died... I thought... Lord, please get us out of this place, please!!! Next thing, we were taking off. So, we were leaving the Valdosta airport at 11PM... which should have been 4:30PM. At least we are home...

Have a great day!!!
~Dewdrop