Tropical Storm Andrea

Hurricane season officially began June 1st and here in Florida we got it started with a bang!  Tropical storm Andrea formed in the Gulf as a low pressure system and gathered strength enough to get named.  We had several days of intermittent rain and yesterday was mostly rain.  As the TS was battering the West Coast town of Cedar Key we were in St Augustine attending to business.  To me it looked like the center of the storm went ashore just north of Cedar Key. For pictures and information, check out Pat's blog, Every Miles a Memory, http://everymilesamemory.com/blog/ 

As I type this the sun is out and we have sunny skies,not a cloud to be seen.  I haven't checked the weather, but I'm sure the worst of it is over for us, as this system heads north up the Atlantic coast.

We checked the weather before we left at 1000 and Jim decided there would be no danger to our awning so we left it out.  My only concern was possible streets flooding.  As we got to the intersection of hwy 309 and 17 we were directed to turn right instead of left to get to St Augustine.  There had been an accident and all traffic was being rerouted by law enforcement officers standing in the pouring rain, some with no hats!  And let me tell you the detour was through some country back roads and without guidance I'm not sure we could have made our way on our own!  At every turn was this drenched officer pointing the way.  I guess they don't have detour signs in this area!

Finally after 15 to 20 minutes we were back on Highway 17 and heading to the turn off for St Augustine. Normally we wouldn't go out in heavy rains but Jim had a doctor's appointment and we had made plans for shopping and having lunch.  Other than the detour we encountered no other problems.

Our first stop was Camping World as Jim needed some sewer supplies for the rig.  After that we headed to a restaurant we saw on a previous visit for a Japanese Hibachi lunch....it was closed and only opens for dinner.  So we checked the phone and found another and it's closed permanently....Jim asked if we could eat elsewhere and apparently from my disappointed tone he decided to find a Japanese restaurant!

So we continued to drive around in the rain retracing our route and ending up back near Camping World. I'm not sure how many miles we drove in a complete circle to arrive at Sushi Bistro but it was well worth the drive and we both enjoyed our lunch very much.  No hibachi tables but our meals were from the hibachi menu.  I had a cucumber roll (I really miss sushi) and a veggie tofu dish.  Jim had shrimp and scallops.  Both meals came with soup, salad and fried rice.  We had hot green tea to drink.  The only thing we didn't eat was my fried rice which I brought home.

Next stop was Diane's Natural Market for my coffee cream and other items I can't get in our area.  This market is small and expensive but I don't usually buy much there.

Our next stop was Jim's appointment.  He needed to talk to a doctor about his GERD.  The problem is not resolved and his meds are about to be finished.  He had a good visit and likes this doctor who scheduled him for an endoscopy next week to see what's going on.

After this we headed home and arrived just before 1700...Boo was really happy to see us and once I fed him he calmed down.  We had a cup of coffee and decided to skip the Thursday night pot luck.  The rains had mostly stopped by then with just a few light showers passing through.

People pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness they still remain in his debt.  ~Seneca