Friday - 15 Jan/16

SEVERE WEATHER ALERT!

A light rain this morning before a heavy storm front passed through from the Gulf of Mexico. It was intense and concentrated in a  long line. Weather is a big deal down here. They track the storms with "state of the art" radar and broadcast details for cities accurate to the minute. They show the city names with the arrival time on the screen with constant updates. It passed through OMS in Umatilla, FL right on cue.

The winds (up to 60 mph) and heavy rain caused a few accidents. A possible tornado warning which didn't materialize. Neither did the hail in our area although a few other locations got pelted. The narrow band was intense. It passed in less than an hour dropping rain at over 2" an hour. The large puddles on the road and on the ground were sopped up by the sandy soil in less than half an hour.

It was pretty well over by noon which meant we would be getting ready to head to the Quilt Show in The Villages. This is not the "Big Show". The Major Show only occurs every second year which is why it was held at a smaller venue. this year. It is mostly for retailers to display their wares. Instead of at The Villages larger Savannah Center the show is held in the smaller La Hacienda Recreational Center.

Charlotte went into the show while I found a seat in the entrance hallway. I couldn't see the need to pay $10 to watch her shop.

The seat was really comfy. Bonus: It came with great folks who were most helpful.  The wonderful thing about travelling is the great people you meet along the way. The more than an hour Charlotte spent (I use that word literally - grin) passed by quickly.

The was a silent auction going on in the hallway. They have a neat way to do this. The tickets come in a set with all having the same number. You sign a sheet (name and contact info) attached to an envelope and hand the sheet back in in at the booth. The sheet has the number of your tickets on it. All they have to do is match the winning ticket number(s) to the sheet number - then contact you by phone, email or address. I bought tickets (52) for Charlotte. She had fun deciding into which box she wanted to place her ticket(s). I had fun watching her agonizing over her decisions (another grin).

Outside the sky was now clear blue after the morning's deluge. This is par for Florida. After the show it was just across the road and around the corner to Chili's for Lupper. (That' s like Brunch - it's Lunch and Supper - grin).

We next stopped at Office Depot (Summerfield, FL) for printer ink (I print copies of the blog for Charlotte to proof read) and then crossed the road to Walmart to look for suitable trays to use in my current RV project. As usual, we also found additional items we didn't know we needed (grin).

Then it was back to OMS by dusk. Just a little too dark and a touch too cool to enjoy having the top off the car for the drive back.

I measured the trays before making the purchase. They initially appeared to be able to fit. The main tray section is fine but the lip around the top edge was just a fraction too wide. I will be returning them to Walmart tomorrow. Then it's back to the drawing board. I will have to find an alternative solution.

A quiet TV evening to end the day.