We were very lucky, neither one of the hurricanes came anywhere near us. We didn't get as much as a drop of rain or a breeze from Bonnie. My heart goes out to the people in Punta Gorda, but folks need to evacuate. No one can ever predict what a hurricane will do. The weather people were so sure Charley would hit Tampa, and folks got lulled into a false sense of security that people farther south thought they were safe. Some people from Tampa even evacuated to Punta Gorda. So sad.

One more hurricane rant, those barrier islands were never meant to built on. They are barrier islands. I wish FEMA and insurance companies would quit paying for these homes to be rebuilt. The barrier islands are just that, barriers to protect the mainland. They were not meant for homes or hotels. But nope, they keep being rebuilt, and keep being knocked down all at the tax payers expense. Why more people aren't mad about that I don't know, but one more time, barrier islands were never meant to be built on!

We went over to Panama City last night to have dinner with friends and just hang out. We had a great time and you wouldn't even know that Hurricane Bonnie had been there just a couple of days before. Traffic wasn't bad which is amazing for this time of year, but I guess tourists headed out at the first sign of the hurricane and I saw quite a few vacancy signs along the strip in Panama City. Panama City is a wild place and our friends live just off the strip. How many places can one visit that has a strip club on one side of the road along with a tattoo parlor and a liquor store and across the road from it is a Christian Retreat. This vision repeats itself all along the strip. I love Panama City Beach though, and Pensacola Beach. These places are alive. They have a heart and a pulse. These new "planned, perfect" communities they are building are so "sterile". They have no sense of place, just a feeling of perfection that makes me shudder when I see my footprints in the sand. They corrupt the perfect image. Give me a dumpy cinderblock house any day. Give me homes painted purple, tourquoise, fushcia. Give me decks on top of carports. Don't get me wrong, the planned communities are pretty, but they have no heart, they aren't alive.

I had planned to work on some granny squares during the two hour car ride to Panama City yesterday but when I pulled out my bag to work on the squares my crochet hook was no where to be found. So from no on I think I'll be keeping a granny square crochet hook in my purse. At least I'll always know where that one is at all times. I hated wasting all that time in the car and no crochet hook. Two hours wasted. I could have made several granny squares, but nope, kittens got in the old project bag and Heaven only knows where that crochet hook will turn up.