The Decline in North-Central Florida of Marathons and Half-Marathons

It dismays me that, at least in north-central Florida where I live (the Gainesville-Ocala area), a thriving distance-running race scene that enjoyed large public support has dwindled into much-smaller-scale events held completely within parks and on converted bike trails.  When I rediscovered distance running around 2007, Gainesville had just begun its annual LifeSouth Five Points of Life marathon and half-marathon, held each February.  The course wound up and down city streets, and included downtown Gainesville and the University of Florida campus, at one point passing through their football stadium.  At the same time, Ocala had in January its own marathon/half marathon race.  Its course went south of town (start and finish near the Paddock Mall) through hilly horse country, where large estates and fields featured many thoroughbred racing horses.  I ran Gainesville's Five Points races...all half-marathon distance...six times with 2022 being their final year.  As for Ocala I finished its marathon in 2011 and half-marathon in 2013...I'm not sure when they stopped holding their races.  During this time I also drove to more distant locales for their own half-marathons (DeLeon Springs, Palm Coast and Tavares).  None of these are held anymore, either.  The only distance races in my area are organized by either the Florida Track Club, US Road Running, or Lloyd Clarke Sports, and they...as I mentioned before...tend to confine themselves to out-of-the-way places.  I like the buzz of big-city distance races, and I like to jog in my living room watching You-Tube virtual runs of some of these races (NYC Marathon is easily my favorite).  I have yet to run a race outside the state of Florida, but I'm retired now so it shouldn't be too hard to hop on a plane and make a weekend go at it visiting my targeted city.  But it doesn't look as if, at least where I live, public marathons and half-marathons are going to make a comeback anytime soon.  I've tried to get myself into an annual tradition as different organizations like Haven Hospice, Taccachale, the Sarantos and Meridian would start an annual race, only to cancel its continuation two or three years down the line.  That, of course, is their privilege and choice...too bad, though, because I would have liked to continue participating in those runs. Last November I finished my second-ever marathon race with a group that has since ceased holding their events twice a year on the eastern Hawthorne Trail.  They're gone now, but at least I got my marathon in!  Now the only marathon left in north-central Florida is a January event run by the Florida Track Club, but they are elitist about runners who take more than five hours to complete it.  That doesn't work for me, seeing that at age 68 I completed last November's marathon in 5 hours 7 minutes...

Quote of the Week...from The Weather Company

 Most of the evidence is lined up to suggest a very active and very impactful hurricane season in 2024.      

                                                            ---The Weather Company

The Weather Company is the organization behind The Weather Channel, probably my favorite channel on television when it isn't running those annoying weekend series instead of giving me the current weather like it's supposed to.  Yesterday morning they mentioned that it was only 44 days until the Atlantic hurricane season begins in 2024, and the prediction is: 24 named tropical storms, 11 full-blown hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes.  That's a very high set of figures, indeed, and will...if it happens...spill over into the second round of designated names (no more Alphas or Betas).  The given reason is twofold: the La Nina effect has returned with cool waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean...supposedly an indicator of a strong Atlantic storm season.  And the measured Atlantic waters this year have been much warmer than usual, creating a dangerous environment generally favorable for strong and multiple storm development.  None of this, naturally, is anything I want to be hearing.  We barely dodged a direct hit from Idalia last year, and I'm not looking forward to more of this trouble...

Temperatures Rising, Affecting Distance Running Here in Gainesville

I'm currently adjusting the focus with my distance running, seeing how the temperatures are turning upward in mid-April and destined to go into the 90s during the subsequent months of spring and summer.  Races in Alachua County where I reside, aside from the weekly Saturday morning Depot Parkrun 5Ks, have dwindled to a precious few...and none seem to go beyond that distance.  I had been wondering whether the May Day Glow Run was going to resume this year, after the lengthy Covid hiatus.  It's a 5K race held in Jonesville, a little west of Gainesville, in the Arbor Greens subdivision off Newberry Road.  The gimmick with it is that it is held at sundown, and plastic glowsticks are distributed to the runners to carry around them while racing.  At last look, it's scheduled for May 7th but with registration closed (!!!).  Seeing that proceeds from the race go to a local Gainesville private school, you might think they'd get things straight on the website to get the funds flowing and enthusiasm encouraged...then again, I might either be out of town or at work anyway on that day.  In any event, I intend to run at least one Depot Parkrun event per month and hold the long distances to slow training runs (with intermittent walking breaks if called for) until the fall, when both cooler weather and longer races return.  Florida Track Club, of which I am a member, is holding track meets from time to time during these hotter months...unfortunately, they are all scheduled at times during which I am at work.  They're planning on a 10K event in October and a half-marathon in November...looking forward to both of them.  In the meantime, I'll pretty much be running around home...

Interesting Sky Yesterday, Severe Storms Today

Sometimes you step outside and the sky looks dramatic...even scary...as the sunlight reflects off certain cloud formations.  Early yesterday evening was a case in point (see the photo)...nothing really to be concerned about, and the setting sun soon took away the spectacular colors.  Today a severe cold front storm formation is sweeping through north and central Florida, hitting the Gainesville area in the morning hours and later passing through the east coast...prompting a "3" level tornado advisory for much of the area.  Personally, I kind of like stormy weather...that is, if I don't have to be outside in the middle of it, get flooded out, suffer wind damage, or lose my electricity and Internet: maybe I don't like it that much after all...

Weather Finally Shifts Here, with Lower Humidity

Today marks a big change in our weather in north-central Florida.  For many days there has been a blanket of very high humidity here...partially caused by the remnants of  tropical storm Nicholas.  Combined with high summer temperatures, it has been stifling to walk or even just stand outside for any length of time.  But glory be, just as the official seasons changed from summer to fall, a cold front swept down through our area this morning and we are currently blessed with dry, temperate conditions.  And although the temperatures are expected once again to rise over the next few days, that blasted extreme mugginess should be gone...at least through the end of September.  Who knows, maybe I'll actually be able to go outside tonight and finally do some serious star-gazing under clear sides...

We Have Ourselves a Rain-Soaked Day (and Week)

The birds around my home sure do like it, but I have mixed feelings about the sometimes-stormy rain we began experiencing here yesterday in north-central Florida and which has been going on strong this morning.  The rain should fall all week long and into the next weekend. although I'm sure we'll get a few breaks when the sun shines through and the clouds temporarily part.  My area surrounding Gainesville has experienced a severe shortfall of precipitation in the last few months and as such the wildfire danger has dramatically increased...hopefully all this new moisture in the ground will alleviate that concern.  My preference would have been for it to have rained intermittently for the past few weeks without this onslaught we're now going to experience.  The weather pattern now going through our area caused much tornado devastation and death in states north of us...I guess I should be grateful that we've been spared that fate so far.  Still, a very mushy, supersaturated ground can present its own problems...

My Roller Coaster Years, 2002-2006

It's not that my life from 2002 through 2006 was "roller coaster" in the sense of being turbulent, but simply that during this period I became hooked on roller coasters and theme park thrill rides in general.  This did not spontaneously arise, but rather sprouted from my children's interest in theme parts and their rides.  Will and Rebecca seemed fearless on them, and I had a lifetime behind me of being too chicken to take on all but the easiest rides.  After a couple of visits to Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Georgia, in March 2003 I decided to "face the fear" on our third visit there and stolidly rode every extreme ride they had...and never looked back.  Although I never got to be as much a fanatic of thrill rides as others who traverse the country (and even abroad) searching out new experiences, I did rack up a considerable number of visits to Wild Adventures, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios/Islands of Adventures, the Disney World parks...and single visits to Cypress Gardens in 2005 and Dollywood in 2006.  Since then my only thrill ride experience has been the three times I rode the Dania Beach Hurricane wooden coaster in South Florida...and it's now been gone for a number of years.  Oh yeah, we did recently go back to Epcot Center, where I managed to get on Test Track and Soaring after waiting in line for them half the day...they do offer express passes but had already handed them all out when we arrived that day...

This all came back to me while I was waiting today at Publix for a prescription to be filled and looking at their magazine section.  I picked up one called Theme Parks and looked at the pictures of exuberant roller coaster riders looping and diving on rides in various parks spread out across the country, and it occurred to me that there wasn't a single photo of those horrendously long lines folks often have to stand in just to get their two minutes of thrills.  I never see any lines on Disney World commercials, either...just Micky, Minnie, and company rushing out to personally greet a visiting family.  Once during a stay at Universal Studios in 2003 each of us had a fast pass card that enabled us to quickly go on the same rides over and over again...now that's the only way to go!  Although my home town of Gainesville is within reasonable driving range of several theme parks, the drive to and back can still get to be a little tedious.  Well, at least I still have my fond memories and, what do you know, I can even get on YouTube, search out a favorite ride like Busch Garden's Montu or Island of Adventure's Hulk coaster, press my face to the screen, and pretend I'm riding once again...

Rainy June

June has seen a huge upward spike in rainfall for the Gainesville, Florida area, especially after the pretty dry conditions we experienced the previous month.  I'm not quite as averse as other people to walking out in it for a few minutes without an umbrella, but I do have an issue with oversaturation of the ground, along with puddles and slippery roads...and the associated proliferation of potholes.  I tend to avoid running outdoors when it's raining or has been recently because road surfaces...sometimes mixed with oil from parked vehicles...can seriously interfere with traction and vision.  Another problem is the presence at times of lighting, which was in the news recently when a young Floridian man riding a motorcycle on the interstate was directly struck by a lightning bolt and killed.  A few years ago I was running along Daytona Beach when a sudden, severe thunderstorm swept through and it was a race for me to get back to my hotel with lightning crashing around...a scary experience I don't want to repeat.  So while I acknowledge that in my northern Florida area the ground conditions had been getting dry enough for folks to begin sounding alarms about potential forest fires and the recent rains have "dampened" those concerns, I'm still looking forward for some drier weather...although that's not going to come anytime soon if the prognosticators are right...

Cold Weather Burst and Upcoming 5K Race in Tioga

I'm sitting here in my living room looking out the window...it's around 50 degrees and lightly raining, a brief respite from the overheating we've been experiencing here in northern Florida during this supposedly "winter" season.  The temperatures aren't expected to rise today and then they will dip for the next two nights to near freezing, just when I thought we were through with cold weather for the year.  I used to be able to go throughout the winter without having to mow my lawn...now it looks like a cornfield out there and it's already been mowed a couple of weeks ago.  Well, I actually like getting out the push mower...and so does our fourteen-year old dog Freckles, who goes into an exuberant barking, tail-wagging fit whenever I pull the contraption out of the shed...

On a different subject, I had previously decried the ending of the Run for Haven 10K/5K running race that had been held at the Tioga Town Center annually around St. Patrick's Day.  Well, although that particular race is gone, a new race, called Miles for Meridian 5K, will take place on Saturday, March 16th at Tioga...again with a St. Patrick's theme.  Although I preferred the 10K (6.2 miles) distance and the 4 pm starting time with the Haven races and Meridian's is only for 5K (3.1 miles) and starts at 8:30 am (ugh!), I'm considering entering it in hopes of resuming a tradition in March at Tioga, a pretty residential community with shops a few miles west of Gainesville off Newberry Road.  True, I can go to Depot Park any Saturday morning and run a timed and posted 5K race without an entry fee and Miles for Meridian costs a few bucks, but it's all for a good cause...Meridian Behavioral Healthcare treats mental illness and substance abuse...and a change of venue is always a good thing...

Early Evening Sky Loaded With Planets, Moon

Yesterday evening just after sunset I stepped outside and looked at the southwest sky...it was a celestial treat with planets abounding.  Nearing the horizon was very bright Venus while Jupiter, still much brighter than any of the surrounding stars, was a little higher.  A little to the left was the moon, approaching its first quarter phase.  And over some more, about due south, was the planet Mars, much brighter than it usually is.  I've been neglecting sky gazing for quite some time recently...the main reason is that it's been so doggone unpleasant at night during this still-sweltering summer here in northern Florida, combined with awful humidity and constantly pestering mosquitos.  Usually in the evening I'm at work, and when I finally do get home my habit has been to get something to eat and watch a little TV.  But yesterday I was off, and I didn't stay outside long enough to get consumed by the nasty little bloodsuckers, who seem to be especially plaguing us more than usual this summer...

So at least in the early evening, if the sky is clear, you'll be able to see three of our fellow planets and a pretty bright moon.  I have to contend with city lights where I live, so the stars just don't work out here for me.  Still, I'll probably be star-gazing more whenever...if ever...the mosquitos kindly pack up and leave us in peace...

Indiana, Temperatures, Running, Baseball, Gator Football

This entry stands as a hodge-podge of different items, as its title strongly suggests...

My wonderful wife Melissa is off to Indiana at her seminary for a couple of weeks to complete a couple of her required courses.  I'm missing her already, although I drove her to the airport just this morning.  May everything go well "up" there!

I understand the temperatures in northern Indiana right now are more temperate and comfortable then here in sweltering northern Florida...the heat and humidity have definitely interfered with my running (as has a recent week of jury duty).  There's a long distance race here in Gainesville in November (the Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon) that I've run a couple of times in the past...I sure would like to be in shape to run it.  Guess I'll have to come up with some alternate ways of building my endurance back up during these dog days of summer...including more frequently using the treadmill at my local stupendously air-conditioned gym...

Speaking of sports, Major League Baseball just finished the All-Star break and it looks as if my two Floridian teams, Tampa Bay and Miami, won't be going anywhere in the post-season (as most have predicted they wouldn't). The Rays, however, have surprised a lot a folks (including myself) by being a strong third place in the American League East...the Marlins, with their previous star lineup decimated by incoming team president Derek Jeter, are predictably in last place in their National League East Division.  Looks like the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, and defending World Series champions Houston are in line to make the playoffs in the American League with Seattle and Oakland fighting for the last spot.  The National League is much more wide open, with Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Arizona, Colorado, and even San Francisco still in the hunt for the postseason.  Sometimes I'll come across a televised game while surfing around, but I rarely watch it in its entirety...and it really doesn't matter who's playing or what the score is: I like to take each half-inning on its own terms as the strategies unfold between the pitchers, batters, fielders, and managers...

It won't be too much longer before the University of Florida begins the Dan Mullen era of football.  It used to be that the term "era" referred to several years, but recently with the stunted "eras" of the last two coaches we've had, it's getting to be a sad joke when a new one gets hired as we wonder how long he'll last.  I have a better feeling about Mullen, though: not only has he been very successful the last few years in coaching Mississippi State, but he was also offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer and taught Tim Tebow a few things about how to play quarterback in college football...the Gators are in desperate need to have a good offensive season after eight straight dismal ones.  Now if the new head coach can just keep his players from being arrested...

Looks Like a Long, Hot Summer in North Florida (Again)

It looks like we're in for a long, hot summer here in northern Florida...including the nights as well as the days.  Last night on the 11 o'clock local news they said the current temperature in Gainesville was 83...ouch!  The morning lows have been dipping lately only to the upper 70s...time for around-the-clock air conditioning!  On the other hand, I am a lifelong Floridian who grew up in a non-air conditioned home in south Florida, so I'm well accustomed to enduring sweltering summers.  And I've been known in the recent past to go out on long distance runs when the temperatures were climbing into the 90s, so my level of discomfort in the heat is largely psychological.  Still, I do always carry with me some Powerade or Gatorade when I'm running and take care not to unduly exert myself whenever hot conditions combine with excessive humidity...a toxic brew with the air moisture conspiring to impede proper perspiration, causing body temperatures to surge to possibly dangerous levels.  At work we're often presented with talks about heat stress...although they're intended primarily for employees working outdoors, the principles are still applicable to everyone.  It's good to get outdoors and experience the wonderful summertime weather...but I admit to enjoying "hunkering down" in a well-cooled room as well afterwards...now where did I put that remote?

May Brings On Hot Weather and Malady

Well, it looks as if the brief period of cool (for May) weather we've been enjoying may soon be ending, with the summer heat finally taking over for good here in northern Florida...although at least there seems to be a pleasant breeze blowing about right now.  In other parts, though, the coolness has been lingering: I was watching a live Earthcam of Midtown Manhattan last night and the many folks out there roaming up and down the streets were generally bundled up.  But I'm not planning on going up north anytime soon and I might as well get used to temperatures creeping up during the day into the 90s and never quite cooling down enough at night...

During the last few days I've been experiencing some health issues...it's amazing what a thin, fragile world we live in with our bodies subject to all sorts of breakdowns.  Yet most of us take our good health for granted until we wake up one morning sick or in pain...or both.  When you're sick or injured, health tends to blot everything else out of your mind until you feel that you're on the road to recovery...or at least a reasonable state of equilibrium with your malady.  I've gone through this sort of thing this past week and a half...will my recovery be complete or will there be setbacks to have to deal with?  One thing for certain:  the month of May, 2017 hasn't exactly been one of my favorites up until now...maybe getting outside in the sunshine will do me some good...

Florida Governor Declares State Emergency with Wildfires

For the most part, I have been enjoying the relatively dry, warm spring we've had here in northern Florida...I qualify that remark because I've been suffering from seasonal respiratory allergies as well as a sensitive throat resulting from an earlier viral infection.  But I'm taking on these issues aggressively and feel that recovery is on the advance.  Although the weather is pleasant...especially with regard to the low humidity...there is a down-side to it all: increased probability of wildfires in this area...

Perhaps you've been watching the news lately and saw the pieces about forest fires in Seminole County, just north of Orlando.  In truth there are more than 100 wildfires going on now in Florida, covering around 120,000 acres...prompting our governor, Rick Scott, to declare a state of emergency.   From around Lake Okeechobee northward, the currents fires are spread throughout the state...there is one at Hidden Lake in my Alachua County now consuming about 140 acres and another in northeastern Marion County just to the south taking up 700 acres. The outlook right now for more fires seems ominous...especially seeing how our local 2017 rainfall level so far is about half that of the previous year.  Conditions are dry, little rainfall is in sight, and we may be headed for some rough times ahead.  So far it's enjoyable being outside, but should another fire break out in the vicinity...or even as far as a hundred miles away...and the wind happens to be blowing our way, then the air may turn into something noxious with the smoke and haze.  I'm hoping that won't be the case this year, but we'd better start seeing some more precipitation if we're going to avoid that unpleasant scenario...

Springtime Quickly Shifting to Summer In North Florida

After this past almost nonexistent winter that officially ended a week ago, the weather here in northern Florida is quickly shifting into summertime mode.  Right now at 2 pm it's 85 degrees outside with temperatures expected to climb another 3 to 5 degrees.  So now, it's not quite yet "summer" weather, as summer here usually entails highs in the mid-90s...and I have to admit, it's quite pleasant sitting outside here at my favorite Gainesville Starbucks about to start in on my caramel iced coffee that I've gotten into the habit of buying.  So what's there to talk about?

Well, I've been watching C-Span2, which broadcasts the floor proceedings of the U.S. Senate.  From time to time today senators from both parties have taken the floor to discuss the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The Republicans invariably bring up the Senate's constitutionally-mandated role of advise and consent and criticize the Democrats' threatened filibuster to prevent a final vote as "unprecedented" in the country's history for Supreme Court confirmations.  The Democrats, for their part, remind the Republicans that in 2016 they had a constitutionally-mandated role of advise and consent when then-President Obama selected Merrick Garland for the very same seat that Gorsuch is now being considered for and reneged on that duty...incidentally unprecedented in the country's history for Supreme Court confirmations.  But all of this verbal tennis aside, the Democrats in the end don't have the votes to prevent Gorsuch from being confirmed to the Court...if a filibuster starts to take hold, the Republicans are certain to change the Senate rules to allow only 51 votes...a simple majority...for ending debate and to hold that final vote....

Late last night at home after work...as I was getting sleepier and sleepier...they were showing a replay of the incredible comeback that Barcelona staged in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal round against Paris-St. Germain (aka PSG).  In the first of the two-match series, the total sum of goals determining which team advances, PSG had won 4-0, making it seem near-to-impossible for Barcelona to come back.  But in the second game, I already knew that they did just that, winning it 6-1 to win the aggregate total 6-5 and advance over PSG.  So I wanted to see just how they accomplished this near-miraculous comeback and caught the game just at the end of the first half, which they were leading 2-0.  As I struggled to remain conscious, Barcelona did come back but PSG still had a 5-3 two-game goal lead with only about 15 minutes remaining.  Then I briefly dozed off and woke up, only to find the Barcelona players celebrating their win...oh well, I guess I'll be able to see the ending sometime on YouTube...

For the last few days I haven't been running in order to clear up an occasional ache I've been experiencing in my left knee.  It's nothing severe, but I don't want it to worsen, so I'm riding the bike in the meantime.  On April 8, Gainesville will be holding a 5K/10K walk/run to benefit war refugees and I want to participate in the 10K event.  I should be ready by that time...

Now, back to the summer-like heat...and I think I'm just about ready for a refill on my iced coffee...

Just Finished Reading The Ethical Assassin by David Liss

A few days ago I was browsing the shelves of my local public library and happened to come across a David Liss novel.  Never having heard of him, I decided to check it out and see how good a writer he is.  Well, I just finished reading The Ethical Assassin and...yes...Liss is a good writer, the book was enjoyable...and I left it feeling a little unsettled...

About sixty years ago, a blockbuster film, Giant, came out starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.  It was ostensibly a love triangle intrigue about two young men in the old oil drilling days in Texas, vying against each other not only to strike oil, but also for the woman they both loved.  But a funny thing happened in this movie as it progressed: it turned into a different film, about a completely different subject...and the characters were also seen in a different light regarding how they treated it.  Something similar happened with The Ethical Assassin: it is initially a tale about a young man, Lem Atlick, selling encyclopedias to fund himself for college, who in a run-down trailer park witnesses the sudden, brutal gunning down of a couple with whom he was successfully closing a deal. But the assassin leaves him alone, although he forces him to leave his fingerprints on the murder weapon in order to ensure his future silence.  The rest of the story deals with the strange, nervous developing friendship between the two, the nefarious goings-on in that rural north Florida community...and that "different" subject I alluded to before, which turns out to be the key to the mystery about the assassin's motives, as well as to that unsettling feeling I got...

David Liss, with this book, gives me the impression that he is very familiar about northern Florida...especially the outlying rural areas and the culture of the people living there.  But as far as I know, he never lived here...although his Texas residence may also provide some insight and material.  It was still interesting to read about a hog farm on the outskirts of Gainesville...and the heart of the story takes place in a rural area a few miles from Jacksonville.  This is definitely not a promotion for my home state: as a matter of fact, the protagonist repeatedly stresses how much he hates it here and can't wait to leave.  But I'm not taking umbrage at his invective...Florida does have its crappy aspects, sorry to say...

Liss, in this book, also uses a device I've notice lately in several novels...including that Fall of Hyperion science fiction book I mentioned that I was reading: much of the story is told in the first person by the protagonist, but then other sections are told in third-person narrative form while getting into the mind of different other characters.  This third-person "mind-probing" writing approach dominates a lot of literature...George R.R. Martin swears by it in his Song of Fire and Ice ("Game of Thrones") series.  I wonder though, whether The Ethical Assassin could have been written completely in the first person, with insights into the other characters provided through the protagonist's experiences with them.  But I also recognize that, with at least one of them,"B.B", Liss had a side issue to bring out that necessitated this character's viewpoint to be fully expressed through his thoughts...

So by all means read The Ethical Assassin by David Liss.  You may or may not like it, but it isn't too long of a book and does provide some memorable characters, exposes and discusses an important issue, and brings to life some of the not-so-enjoyable aspects of living in northern Florida...

Major Storm System Sweeps into North Florida Tomorrow

In advance of the cold front that will usher in relatively cold conditions this Friday, a large, intense storm system is sweeping eastward along the Gulf Coast...and northern Florida, including my hometown of Gainesville, is in its sights.  The storm, which contains a high probability of tornadoes and hail along with generally high winds and some much-needed rainfall, will pass through the Florida panhandle tonight and directly hit us sometime tomorrow morning.  As with other systems of this type, it will be very rough in some places and light in others...I'm hoping that Gainesville misses out on the tornadoes, hail, and strong wind gusts, but not the rain.  Although Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina have lately been devastated by runaway forest fires caused by chronic draught, we here in northern Florida have been suffering lately from a scarcity of rainfall, too. If we don't start to get more precipitation, we'll also eventually be in the news with our own wildfires...

A Tale of Two Postponed Football Games

This past Friday Hurricane Matthew blew past the east coast of Florida, in the process inflicting some tropical storm weather over the Gainesville area.  Because there was a mass evacuation of the population living in the coastal areas, hotels in more inland counties like my Alachua were used by those under evacuation to have a place to lodge while riding out the storm...which was well out of the area by Saturday morning and on its way to South and North Carolina.  Because of the uncertainties surrounding the effects of Matthew on the local area as well as those hotel considerations, the Southeastern Conference decided to indefinitely postpone the scheduled Saturday afternoon home football game between the University of Florida and Louisiana State.  The make-up game between the two schools will presumably be held at a later date toward the end of the season.  That was all fine with me...that is, until I turned on the TV this Sunday afternoon and beheld the game between Georgia and South Carolina...at the latter's stadium in Columbia...going on live!  So, let me try to understand...the UF-LSU game was postponed indefinitely, even though they could have rescheduled it for Sunday.  Yet for some reason, the very same football conference, while putting that game in indefinite limbo and rejecting the next-day Sunday option, turned around and staged the Georgia-Carolina contest on Sunday...even though Matthew had affected that area more recently...

There had occured some kind of controversy when an ESPN talking head accused the University of Florida of trying to get their game with LSU postponed...he seemed to think that meant cancelling the game outright...and Gator quarterback Luke Del Rio tweeted a stinging rebuke to him.  But then why was it that one game was postponed indefinitely because of Hurricane Matthew and the other just put off until the very next day?  This makes little sense to me...maybe someone can explain the Southeastern Conference's rationale for rendering these two vastly different decisions under such similar circumstances so that I can see the logic here, which is right now evading me...

Hurricane Matthew Beginning to Threaten Florida

I just finished reading Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, where a young man's portrait keeps changing and getting uglier each succeeding time he looks at it.  In like manner, during the last 24 hours, it seems that each time I see the projected path of monster Hurricane Matthew on the map provided by The Weather Channel, it seems to shift a bit westward...toward my Florida.  Although the predicted trajectory of Matthew's center eye is still off-shore,  the red-colored "cone of probability" now includes most of northern peninsular Florida...including my hometown of Gainesville.  And these westward shifts of the forecasts...like Dorian Gray's portrait...keep looking worse...

Ironically, it was a shift eastward of Matthew that has resulted in it pummeling the already-reeling, poverty and disaster-stricken nation of Haiti, with large low-lying areas full of tent cities in the direct path of its 145 mph winds and massive storm surge and rainfall.  So far they've reported three fatalities there from this Category Four storm...that figure is certain to drastically rise.  Now, instead of traveling through the mountainous region of eastern Cuba, which would have substantially weakened it for at least a while, Matthew will mostly pass between Cuba and Haiti, keeping it more intact...and dangerous...as it plows through the Bahamas toward our fair state.  At this time it is expected to pose its greatest threat to northern Florida on Friday...but the timetable we've been given for this hurricane has been off more than its predicted path.  Also, it looks at this point as if Matthew will continue to hug the eastern United States coast all the way to New England...but don't expect that forecast to remain stable, either.  Now excuse me while I go get some flashlights and water...

Hermine About to Strike North Florida Gulf Coast

I wrote about what is now called Tropical Storm Hermine last week in an article (here is a link to it [link]).  Back then it was a low pressure disturbance termed "Invest 99-7L".  At that time the meteorologists were giving it as much as an 80% chance of development as it made its way through the Bahamas, posing a threat to South Florida.  Those predictions never materialized, and Invest 99-7L drifted on through the Florida Straits into the Gulf of Mexico, causing little more than some stormy weather in the Florida Keys.  But the area slowly began to develop and eventually was given "Tropical Depression 9" status.  It wasn't until yesterday, though, that its maximum sustained winds reached the point where it was named Tropical Storm Hermine.  And since then it has been rapidly organizing, strengthening, and enlarging, while my worst-case scenario from that earlier article of a tropical system switching directions in the Gulf and hitting Florida around Cedar Key has come true...

To be sure, the projected path of Hermine has shifted a bit to the north, with its center set to hit the Florida Gulf coast south of Tallahassee.  Still, this storm is assymetrical, with its worst weather...including strong thunderstorms, winds as high as 60 mph, heavy rains, and tornado threats...lying to its center's east.  And guess what?  That's exactly where we in Gainesville are!

By noon, Hermine had already strengthened to a powerful tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.  It is expected to be upgraded to Category 1 hurricane status by the time it makes landfall later today.  Since I don't live by the Gulf, I don't have to be concerned with storm surge, which by all accounts is going to be very dangerous...and is already making its effects felt there.  But the strong winds, heavy rain, and chance of tornados are going to be matters that we in the Gainesville area will have to deal with during the next 24 hours, in spite of apparently having "dodged the bullet" of a direct hurricane hit...