Update 11-1-05

Hi,

I don't usually go looking for information, as I mainly consider myself the editor of this thing, not its roaming reporter.  But since a group of us live in south Florida, I sent off a couple of notes after Hurricane Wilma hit.  Here are some replies.

First, from Barbara Blitfield Pech, who may very well be our roaming reporter:  About Wilma:  I'm taking down the hand-washed laundry line as we speak.  Need I say more?
    The daytime storm was interesting, though I'm glad they usually come at night.  Because this one is not something I will soon forget, visually or mentally.  It's quite something to see my car, an SUV, blowing in the wind.  Luckily, trees falling too close for comfort put an end to that by blocking my view.  Many stories to tell, but I can start with good news:  Yes!  Gefilte fish and peanut butter pretzels are a meal!  At least, at the Wilma Cafe.
    Other things I've noted now that the power and basics are back on:
    -- There is much to be learned from living without electricity.  I will now sit down and watch all the PBS tapes I made of Prairie House and 1620s House.
    -- The best smell this week is gasoline.
    -- The best sounds are your neighbors at your door -- with chain saws.
    -- A baseball cap will never replace a blow dryer.
    -- No matter how early you are up dragging trees and fences, you still can't  fall asleep at 8:30 PM in the very, very, very still of the curfew night.
    -- Standing on a roof stretching a tarp does not make you queen of the castle.
    -- Sun coffee is NOT sun tea.
    -- Food stays frozen in my unpowered freezer for 4 days.  It goes soft at 5.  Gets stinky at 6.
    -- Fuzzy legs are cool in Miami.  Cold showers make it happen.
    -- If you use a clothes line without a fence, hang the "hot" stuff over the real stuff for  neighbors' viewing.  Gives 'em something to think about besides the mess.
    -- But most of all, dear friends and family, who left 27 voice mail messages on my cell phone, sent 54 e-mail notes of concern, kept trying to reach me, some as early as 6 AM, and especially to the saviors who came by with power tools, propane, and best of all, olives, thank you, for the lessons and life experience.  I've also noted the irony of receiving my electric bill in today's' mail.

From Marc Fishman:  Most of us thought that Wilma would be weak after traversing about one hundred miles of land.  What happened was quite a surprise. Ninety-eight percent of Broward County is without electricity.  The water is not potable, but we are happy to have any tap water.  We expect to see trees topple in a storm, but many were just snapped in half.  My wife Val and I saw our large oak tree crash through the pool enclosure and come to rest on our house.  Everyone is well, but the clean-up will take months.
    My father is now eighty-seven and lives in Delray Beach.  I called him during the storm, and his comment was, "This is exciting."  Most of us in the younger generation could do with less of this excitement.

And Janet Hernandez:  I figure by your e-mail that you think I still live in Florida.  No, I moved to the Richmond, Virginia area just over a year ago.  But I do think of my friends in Florida, and I have some family there.  One friend is on the East coast, just above Miami, outside of Ft. Lauderdale.  I have to call her this weekend.  These hurricanes this year have done a lot of damage, and that is a shame.

And Eric Hilton:  Luckily, Sarasota was spared the destruction of Wilma.  Only 45 mph winds were experienced here.  But my fellow New York friends who moved to Naples three weeks ago, got the shit kicked out of them, along with my friends in Pembroke Pines who also had flooding and no power until last night.  Has anyone spoken to Mr. Rosov or Barbara Blitfield Pech? I heard from my daughter on Long Island that there was major rain and some flooding there, too.  I hope every one of my fellow classmates is okay.
    Also, I noticed from one of Barbara's e-mails that perhaps a Florida mini-reunion might be in the works.  That sounds great to me.  My daughter Robyn will be getting married in eight months in Freeport, Bahamas, so I have to save my vacation time for that.  But a Florida reunion that I could drive to would be wonderful.

And Marsha Churnin Soroka:  Just got our power back.  What a mess here.  The hurricane was one of the most frightening things we've ever been through.  We literally got hammered.  There are no street lights as they were all blown away.  We are on the eighth floor, and the building literally shook.  Some people lost their entire decks.  We are all lucky to be alive.

And Terri Donohue Calamari:  The luck of the Irish!  No damage and lights back on in 24 hours.  But Barbara Blitfield Pech had an unexpectedly fierce visit from Wilma.
    As noted, we are having a brunch over Martin Luther King weekend for alumni.  The brunch will be on the East coast, and we may add activities to the weekend as we go along.  If we get a good size group, I'm thinking of giving a dinner party, either here or on the East coast, the night before the brunch.  Mr. Rosov said he'd come.

And Ronnie Eichinger:  Finally got power on Thursday morning at 2:45 AM.  Everything is okay at the house, just the usual yard stuff.  Most of the neighbors here in West Kendall are fine.  Some roof damage, but no structural problems except screen porches.  We never lost water or sewers, but my son who lives in Pembroke Pines in Broward County doesn't have electricity or functioning sewers.  Ugh.  Best wishes to all other windblown 65ers

And Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  My husband Les and I were not at our home in Florida when Wilma struck.  How fortunate for us.  We are staying in Houston, Texas, for the next three months, where Les will undergo a bone marrow transplant at M. D. Anderson Hospital.  The transplant is scheduled for November 14th.  It was supposed to be on November 2nd, but was delayed for two weeks due to Les having a lung infection and needing a two-week course of antibiotics.  I am happy to report that Les is feeling excellent now, and we are enjoying  exploring Houston.  We are actually staying with close friends who live in Houston and are lending us their guest house.  Hopefully, the transplant will be successful and Les will finally get rid of his lymphoma.  We are also so lucky that he is a federal employee and has good health insurance.
    Back to our home in Juno Beach:  We had no damage, save one tree that was lost.  Our power came back the day after the hurricane.  We were very lucky.  We have close friends who live in Delray Beach who have not had power since the hurricane, so they have moved into our home.  We're glad we can help them out as people are being so wonderful to us and helping us out here in Texas. 
      I will keep you posted with Les's progress as he undergoes his transplant.  Thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes.

And Judy Zinger:  I have generator power at work and am picking up your message there.
We had horrific damage to my community:  The roof on the my building flew off and crushed several cars into pancakes.  We have buildings in the condo development that lost walls.  My bedroom windows blew out, the room got trashed, and I can't do any clean-up until my insurance company sees the damage.  Would you believe that my hurricane shutters also blew out?  The worst news is that our area is not expected to get electricity until November 22nd, so I feel like I'm living at the turn of  last century.  What a frightening time for South Florida.  I would go to my brother Barnett's, but he has no power, either.  However, his house stayed intact.  I hope my fellow classmates in Florida faired better.

[Rich -- I hope everyone is soon well.  And I'm sure I'm not alone with those wishes.]