Hi all,

I'm hoping that all our Florida members will check in here and let us know how you did. I'll start!

The Leesburg area managed to avoid the worst of the storm. Our winds were gusting at about 60 mph and we had about 8 to 9 inches of rain over the 3 days.

Damage to our park was minimal with mostly tree damage and our home had no damage. We managed to have water and electric through out the storm (even cable).

Thanks for all the prayers for us down here.

Heather

Heather ... glad to here how you made out ... I hope others fared as well ....
t.

Hi Heather,
Glad to hear you're Ok and I hope all the others are too.
Thing that worries me is that according to the pundits over here in UK there is yet another typhoon/hurricane on its way to you. Keeping fingers crossed that it gets lost.

Peter

Hi Peter and Tony,

Yes there is another one on it's way. It's been staying very low down closer to the equator and we are all hoping as you say it just dies, but that is doubtful.

I have not heard from Fran yet and I know that he and his wife live very close to where it came ashore.

Dan has a broken leg and was put in the hospital in Orlando because of an infection.

Wishing All the Best,
Heather

Hi Heather
Unfortunately,I know the drill pretty well. I live in Port Charlotte,Fl..
The eye of Charley passed over my house. No real damage except for a few shingles and a garage window.Frances dumped some rain on our battered homes and flooded our streets but,no damaging wind.Everyone is afraid of Ivan. If it turns North in the Gulf,I would hate to think of the consequences.

Bernie Ackerman

Hey Gang,

Our home survived the storm but the pines in and around our home did not. Thankfull for only vegitation damage.

We stayed in our home all boarded up and felt quite safe, until we lost electricity. We are now cut off from the world of sight and are left with our hearing. Listening to the crash of 40' pines and debre hit the house reminded me of my time in Korea, in a tent, listening to the constant rubble of bombs and guns. Fellow veterans can relate.

Marg (my wife) and I came through it, with the excepion of my left index finger that got slammed by a door that the wind cought after the storm slowed down. If there are lot of mistakes in spelling, it is because I only have nine fingers to use for a while.

Makes me mad as the keyboard has always been a pacifier in trouble times. Have to go back to learning the one finger playing for a fwe weeks. (My good friend Frank Bez is an expert in this category.)

What makes me sad is the next storm due Monday is possibly heading for the west coast of Florida where I have relatives, friends and fellow members of this forum.

My prayers will be constant.

Fran in whats left of Florida

Hi Bernie and Fran,

I'm so glad that you both made it through the storms consideing how close they were to you.

Sorry about your finger Fran but stay away from the one finger cords. They will confuse you. LOL

Both of them were originally predicted to go right through Leesburg but as you well know they both stayed south of us. One model does the same for Ivan so I'm praying along with everyone else that Ivan stays south, heads west and dies.

How about a song "Hurricane Lament"

Take Care,
Heather

Hi

Glad you're both okay and apologies for delay in sending a message back

I might be coming to LA next year to visit friends and family and was wondering if there are any tickets left as maybe able to go depending on my job situation - a friend of mine is a musician as well and he has been fasinated with the KN7000 and wants to give it a try

Can we use other people's instruments as well as unfortunately due to luggage space I may not be able to bring my own KN7000 due to the size but it would be nice- wish we had teleports

I'll keep you posted though. Just out of interest how far is LA to Florida and is it easy to get to?

First time i've been abroad on my own and to the states so a bit nervous.

Regards

Andrew

Andy,

Would like to have you attend. There will be instruments for all to use. You may want to contact the other furum members coming from the UK. Possibly travel together.

Right now we Floridian's are bracing for the next hurricane predicted to strike Florida. This one could be stronger than the last two.

Fran in Florida

Hi Andy,

Read your post and felt compelled to respond. I will not be attending the Florida Jam. Wish I could. However, as an American (though living in the UK), I can speak from personal experience to the issues you raise.

First, no need to be nervous. If you have flown at all, then flying to the States is no different. It just takes longer to get there. You say you may be flying to LA. I was born and raised there and have flown in and out of Los Angeles International (LAX) many times. You will find strict controls and very serious officials when going through Immigration and Customs in the U.S. That is the reality post-9/11. Take no notice of it all. Just ensure you have all the required documentation (passport etc.) and follow the instructions you are given and be patient.

I am sure the hosts in Florida will have the KN7000 and other instruments available for you to play. They have said so in earlier posts.

You will be approximately 2,500 miles from Florida while in LA. Is it easy to get there? Absolutely. But it is another long flight. You could fly direct from LA to Orlando I'm sure, then fly from Orlando back to London.

My advice is to go if you can afford it and have the time. You will enjoy the experience and would have a great time with our fellow forum members in Florida.

If you have any questions you would like to ask, send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to oblige.

Best Wishes,

Chuck

Hi Fran,

We were writing at the same time. Just want to say I hope this next hurricane changes direction and skirts around you. You folks in Florida have suffered enough.

Take care my friend.

Chuck

Chuck,

One day we shall meet and I look forward to it...........hopefully on earth.

Fran in Soggy Florida

Hi Fran,

Yes, it would be great if we could meet one day, talk about our Air Force years, and play keyboards. I would enjoy that. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be able to head your way. At nearly 75, time is running out, however. Meanwhile, we can always exchange e-mails and stay in touch through this wonderful forum.

Best Wishes,

Chuck

Hi All,

As you more than likely know, Ivan is heading for Louisiana and the Florida pan handle. I wish I could feel good about being missed but I don't wish this storm on anyone else either. We'll be praying for them.

Thanks for all the good wishes.

Next Up is "Jennie" (with the light brown hair).

Heather

HEATHER....That was "JEANNIE with the Light Brown Hair"....

Sure am glad I live where ever I want to in my Motor Home.....Right now I am happy to be at my "home base" in very warm sunny South East New Mexico.....

Best of luck to all those in the path of every storm! Does not sound or look like a lot of fun! Having lived in both Orlando & in Panama City & now seeing all the pictures......both of those little towns I barely remember sure have changed since the mid 50's!!!

LOVE, LIGHT, HUGS & HARMONY TO ALL! ELIZABETH.... LET'S PLAY MUSIC!

Hi Elizabeth,

You say you were in Panama City in the 50's. Me too. I was stationed at Tyndall AFB from 1957 to 1959. I re-visited the town in the 70's and a thing we call "progress" had ruined it. The miles of pristine beaches had been supplanted with hotels, motels, gas stations, fast food restaurants and what have you. A huge shame. The beautiful beach environment was killed by the greedy developers.

I feel so sorry for the folks in the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. Mother Nature is going to hit them hard. I see on CNN this morning that two people in Panama City have lost their lives already in a tornado spawned by the hurricane. It is a huge tragedy.

Take care, Elizabeth.

Best Wishes,

Chuck

Hi ELIZABETH



Yes it was JEANNIE but the storms knocked the "A" out of it. LOL

One day I'd like to do the motor home thing too but I still have a few years before that can happen. In the mean time I'll put up with the occasional storm.

Take Care,
Heather

Hi, I live in Melbourne, FL just a few miles north of Fran.....I JUST got my power back! 10 days without that. No serious damage at my house, just tree damage basically.

I'm giving my keyboard a couple of days to dry out (get the humidity out) before I turn them on.

I don't wish Ivan on anybody but I'm glad he decided not to come here. With no power for that long, I'm just plain tired! Living without a/c, with cold showers candles and flashlights, worrying about finding ice to keep my coolers going. phew! I'm ready for "normal" for awhile.

It was so strange to be cut off from the outside world. I get 2 newspapers, didn't get those for a week, and of course no tv or internet! Had no phone for several days also. Then "boil water alert" for nearly a week. Funny, all the little things that we take for granted that now seem like luxeries.

Marilyn

HEATHER & CHUCK....e-mail on the way to each of you....

Yeah.....Jeannie....with the light brown hair was the girl dreamed about! Now with the A knocked out! Pretty cute! I like it!

Yes, Chuck....Panama City has really changed....I agree it was a bunch nicer back when there was just beautiful white sandy beaches there! My Mom & I went skinney dipping there where there was no one else on the beach! Never will I forget that awesome frolic with my Mom!

Marilyn, I'm glad that you are OK. I have no doubt the the aftermath was pretty bad for you. I can't imagine going without power that long.

I have a friend in Lady Lake (not far from where the Jam will be) that just got power on Monday. They were not happy campers.

I often ask myself what it was like here in the 40's and 50's before air conditioning. Of course one answer that pops into my mind is, it was less crowded. LOL

Let's just pray the rest of the storms this season bypass us all.

Heather