Descriptions will be below each photo.
This was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. as we were traveling north from the downtown area. The street is pretty deserted; one car besides ours is out braving the storm. Also you can see the trees bending toward us.
This is a parking lot along 22nd Ave N, and in this photo you can see the trees bending from the north wind.
In this photo of the large U.S. flag, the wind was whipping it around so much that the camera couldn't get one single image. This isn't trick photography or retouching. This is how the camera processed the photo!
By contrast, this flag was, indeed, shredded by wind. It appears to be a little bit old so I guess that contributed to its demise. Remember, from the prior page, that these were taken on Sunday afternoon before Frances came through. These winds are from the feeder bands that began early Sunday morning in the St. Pete area.
These traffic lights are rocking in the wind.
More palm trees blowing in the wind. Actually, this one is between gusts, where you can see the wind reduced to its constant velocity.
Another deserted street: at this point we were wondering how many of the big beautiful trees in St. Pete would make it through the storm. This one, as it turns out, like most of our trees survived quite nicely. I was really surprised by the damage we didn't receive... it was way less than I had thought it would be. Hurricanes and tropical storms are not to be taken lightly; however, after seeing the aftermath of both hurricanes and tornadoes... I'll take a hurricane over a tornado any day of the week.
Speaking of which, Hurricane Ivan might be headed our way. This page is being added on Wednesday, and the latest models show that we could have a Russian dinner guest by Sunday. Go away, Ivan! I prefer hurricanes to tornadoes, but the best choice is "None of the above"!
I have to throw in a small essay here about Maglite Instruments, Inc. and their wonderful flashlights. Several of mine were in boxes, but before Hurricane Charley was scheduled to arrive here I found two in the AA size. One worked fine, but the other had battery corrosion. Uh Oh! I cleaned it up, which entailed a wooden dowel and a pick and some sandpaper... along with lots of soap and water. The switch mechanism, where the tiny bulb goes, which had to come out to get the battery out... it didn't survive all that banging around very well.
Well, today, with Ivan fast approaching, maybe, I bought a couple more flashlights (Maglites, of course) and then called their repair center about the broken one. Wonder of wonders, they are going to send me a switch kit--GET THIS--for free. They aren't even going to charge for the postage. That is the great customer service that keeps me giving Maglite Instrument, Inc. my business. It may be a decade before I buy another flashlight, or it may be next week. I know they will be there; and I know they stand behind their products 200 percent.