Tropical Storm Gaston

Gaston seemed relatively strong but it didn't cause any damage for us, just a lot of wind and rain. Gaston made landfall in South Carolina and passed by us to the west (inland) as it headed north. Update: Gaston was officially designated as a hurricane after the wind data and observations were analyzed.

Hurricane Charley

After devasting Florida, Hurricane Charley briefly went out to sea and then passed directly over us. (See the track.) Sustained winds at our location were only 70 mph so technically, Charley had weakened below hurricane status, but that's still a strong storm. We battened down the hatches and fortunately suffered only minor damage and a few hours without power. One of neighbors had a huge tree crash through their roof. They were out of town at the time so no one was injured.

Tropical Storm Bonnie

We got some wind and rain from Bonnie, but nothing major.

California Visit

I have just returned from a visit to California. I went with Steve who was on his regular business trip. We had a great time. The first priority was to see as many family and friends as we could and I think we did a good job this time. Better than last year anyway, when we overbooked ourselves and ended up running very late for some people. We also ate as much Chinese food as we could and had a good Indian meal with all our old friends from Price Waterhouse. I went to the Olsons cherry stand and bought some wonderful cherries. I had forgotten how good they are. It was good to see everyone and we look forward to another visit soon.