(meteorobs) round four enough already

[Bias, Peter V]

I feel compelled to add our misery index from Polk County Florida (I live in Lakeland) to Norman's description.  We in Polk County, which is nearly in the middle of the state, have had the centers of Charley, Frances and Jeanne all pass directly over us.  We've been devastated with thousands of trees down.  No power to my home (using school's internet right now) and about 40% of us still without power since Sunday morning.  Many of us have sustained roof damage and some have no potable water coming to the house.  Farther south in Polk County there have been floods since Charley (6 weeks ago) that have been fed by the next two storms and have yet to subside. Needless to say, I haven't been watching meteors much lately.  Just don't feel up to it.  Maybe next summer will be a little better.  Meantime, like Norman, I'm watching for the next storm to brew in the Atlantic--and hoping it goes somewhere else. 

  Pete Bias
  pbias at flsouthern.edu
  Prof. of Economics
  Florida Southern College
  Lakeland Florida

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org
[mailto:meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org]On Behalf Of Norman W. McLeod
III
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 1:01 PM
To: Global Meteor Observing Forum
Subject: (meteorobs) round four enough already


We made it through the fourth hurricane all right in Fort Myers.  Once 
again, on the weaker and drier south side of Jeanne, but stronger than 
Frances.  Sunday morning at the height of it a feeder band looked like 
winds at 60 with gusts to 70.  No church, needless to say, but church had 
already been called off because the priest was recouping from a hernia 
operation.  It's been very dry here since Charley so we needed the meager 2 
inches of rain from Jeanne.  No power loss either, and very little new yard 
trash.  One new banana bunch survived on the lee side of the house so we 
will eat hearty in January.  I didn't expect another one quite this soon.

The week before, the looping remnants of Ivan passed over us with some 
beneficial rain before it resurrected in the Gulf of Mexico.  We have been 
feeling some battle fatigue over the weather despite getting off quite 
easy.  So many people all over are in much worse shape.  It's more than 
enough for one season, but we need to get past a couple more months to be 
sure something else doesn't come out of the western Caribbean (spawning 
site for late season).  Life goes on, and we have no plans to move.  How 
could a native of Miami leave Florida?  Conditions change year to year, and 
we got a rough combination dealt in 2004.  The last time one state was hit 
by four hurricanes in one season was Texas in 1886.

I did look at the interesting photos done by Jim in California.  It looks 
like a meteor train to me, from a very short-pathed meteor.  It did not 
look like a contrail at all.  Must have been a very nice meteor.

Only one meteor seen recently before dawn a week ago : a slow green  -1m 
possible Kappa Aquarid.  It was seen mostly through tree branches on a 
casual basis.

Looking forward to seeing some Orionids plus a lunar eclipse.  Weather has 
been running clear for a while.

Norman

Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod at peganet.com


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