Well, it's an excellent distraction.

[cjsmith]

Dodged a line of thunderstorms on the way in. Rob has impressive weather tracking capability in the air. There was a massive line of nasty cells between where we were and where we needed to be, and we got here anyway, and we didn't do anything dangerous.

I am now on Galveston Island, Texas, possibly one of the odder places I have ever been. The breakers rolling in from the Gulf are beautiful. The deep red sunset behind the cumulus was beautiful. I do not know why I didn't expect the humidity: because I am a moron? Anyway, it's humid. And warm. I'm sitting around in a lightweight rain jacket because I ate a chocolate-covered ice cream bar in the warm air, with predictable results, and oops had to wash my shirt in the sink.

Some of the streets here are narrow enough that two cars can't pass. Unlike sane places such as Scotland, there aren't pullouts; each vehicle just puts a couple of wheels on the edge of someone's lawn.

Architecture here is weirder than we predicted. 1) It is illegal to set foot on the dunes, so every house by the beach has its own cute little boardwalk and all beach access points have their cute little boardwalks. Please don't ask me how they're constructed if no one can set foot on the dunes. 2) Air conditioners stuck into the sides of seventeen-foot-stilted houses get their OWN little seventeen-foot-stilted platforms to SIT on. It is the most hilarious thing I've seen all day, and this is coming from a woman who has seen those boardwalks.

Google Maps gets negative points for telling us the Sea Isle Grocery Mart was about five miles west of its actual location. We almost paid the toll to get off the island westbound ("WARNING: THIS DIRECTION IS NOT A HURRICANE EVACUATION ROUTE") looking for the darn thing. I want a picture of the sign saying THIS DIRECTION IS NOT A HURRICANE EVACUATION ROUTE.

If I can even think about my current Life Ick by tomorrow, I will be pretty surprised.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

They're surprisingly conscious of the fragility of the barrier islands.

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Learning the hard way sends a powerful message.

Don't it though?

[curmudgn]

I recommend everyone with any interest in hurricanes and what they are capable of doing to read Isaac's Storm, an engrossing narrative of the Galveston Storm of 1900, focused around Isaac Cline, head of the Galveston National Weather Service office at the time. He almost missed the ball, and everyone above him did miss the ball, through a combination of bureaucratic hubris, incompetence, and bungling. Anyone who wants to understand what happened last fall in New Orleans and why will find several big clues in this book.

Re: Don't it though?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

There's a half-hour movie shown somewhere in town, too, about the 1900 hurricane. If we have a chance I'd like to go see that.

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

Uh-huh. Well, they're the ones who passed the law, and you're the one rolling your eyes, calling it weird, and saying, "Are they afraid that someone might HURT the sand if they walk on it?" So who exactly is shockingly dismissive of the barrier island ecosystem?

[allanh.livejournal.com]

The point - which I'm afraid I was making obviously too subtly - is that I grew up visiting relatives in Texas every summer, and back in the 60's, Texas was a state which was largely dismissive of environmental concerns.

My statement - rolling eyes and all - was meant to be satirical. Especially considering that I live in California, recycle everything, and drive a Prius. ;)

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

The point - which I'm afraid I was making obviously too subtly - is that I grew up visiting relatives in Texas every summer, and back in the 60's, Texas was a state which was largely dismissive of environmental concerns.

No, that message came across perfectly.

My statement - rolling eyes and all - was meant to be satirical. Especially considering that I live in California, recycle everything, and drive a Prius. ;)

But I'm afraid that this I don't understand. Was "I just can't imagine a Texas lawmaker being environmentally sensitive enough to pass such a law." satirical? Does that mean you are suggesting that you would expect Texas lawmakers being environmentally sensitive enough to pass laws protecting the barrier islands? Or is it just the bit where you were imitating a Texan accent? I'm not sure how just trying to sound like a Texan is satirical, but perhaps you could explain it to me. Or is it just that when a Californian who drives a Prius talks about Texas it's automatically satire, no matter what?

[allanh.livejournal.com]

I think you're taking what was meant to be a satirical comment way too seriously.