Making the Most of a Weather Delay

Day 195 |  Pensacola  

The weather prognosticators got this one right. Most of today was downright nasty. Heavy rain fell overnight, but the sound of the drops pounding the cabintop roof was soothing and didn't keep me awake. Morning broke warm (70 degrees), foggy and windy, but momentarily dry. We quickly headed out for a walk. With looming thunderstorms, we didn't want to stray too far from Crossroads so we did the quick and easy circuit through the park and along the seawall. The resident pelican "Forintu" (derived from his leg ID tag) was standing guard and we acknowledged each other's presence. Being both December 1 and warm, I broke out the Christmas sweater-design tech shirt which meant we had to make another stop at the tree. By late morning, the weather had deteriorated and we were very glad that we had held up for a day. Shortly after 1:00, my phone started lighting up with weather warnings.

For over an hour the wind howled consistently at over 40 mph. Rain poured off our roof in sheets. The wind-driven waves rocked us like a bucking bronco. The TV beeped nonstop with tornado watches and warnings. Trying to make the most of the down time, I finally finished up a computer project I began in May, watched a little football, and was entertained by many texts, emails, and calls from family back home -- a precious video from my favorite five-year-old, five folks reporting in on the fun they had with my head at Candle Tea, and reports from the Atlantic ICW. The same front that brought us this nasty weather was making for a rainy and foggy day in North Carolina as well. Our Christmas tree is now up -- all four inches of it.

By 6:00, there was still lightening in the clouds, but the rain had slowed to a drizzle, and we needed to get off the boat. We took a walk up Palafox Street and enjoyed the Christmas lights. We also saw another of the decorated pelican statues.

It was a happening night. The sidewalks were full and there were street closures. The Choral Society of Pensacola was presenting Handel's Messiah at the historic Saenger Theatre. Winterfest featured a Scrooge-themed trolley tour through town. O'Riley's Santa Pub Crawl hoped to attract over 1,000 participants who donated toys. The weather may have kept their number down, but there were plenty of Santas wandering the street.

We stopped for supper at Jaco's, located just outside the marina gate. While there, another thunderstorm cell rolled through and the winds picked back up. We walked back to Crossroads in a shower. The thunderstorms are supposed to pass on through overnight and we will depart in the morning, along with Miss Utah, for Fort Walton Beach or beyond. There may still be rain, but the wind will lay down and it will be warm. We need to make miles, so we'll make the most of it.