Looking northwest toward the Gulf as Hurricane Michael passed by offshore
We stood outside and looked at the color of the sky over the Gulf, the swirling colors from the rising sun reflected on the storm’s cloud trail, and the trees blowing in the strong wind. We awoke to early to rain, and immediately checked the storm’s path to make sure it still remained offshore and heading north. The rainbow extended from our neighbor’s house, in the photo above, across the sky, interrupted in places by cloud cover.
The sun didn’t last long. Within a short time the darkness returned, the wind picked up, and it started raining. The long arm-like rain cloud trails of Michael would pass over us all day long.
We knew what the Panhandle was experiencing. We evacuated for Irma just 13 months ago, one day before the mandatory evacuation notice for our neighborhood. For more than 24 hours, we didn’t know if we still had a home. We were very lucky, no flooding in spite of our proximity to the Gulf and minor damage to a fence.
We vacationed in the Florida Panhandle for many years when we lived in Hendersonville, TN in the early 1990s. We often visit and camp there now that we have been residents of west central Florida for decades. Looking at the news footage, we saw not just the damage but recognized many of the places.
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