To this day, I love to build sandcastles at the beach. My favorite part of going to the coast growing up was to build the biggest, most complex cities as close to the surf line as possible. First, I would build a protective seawall. Once it was established, building could go on behind the wall. A world would rise behind the wall, including buildings and towers and streets. The greatest pleasure would come when large waves would batter the exterior walls, but they would stand.

I am struck by the fact that New Orleans was like my sand cities. The Crescent City’s levee system was basically untested for decades. With the exception of Hurricane Betsy, no really big waves came until Hurricane Katrina. And the wave that finally came exposed the weaknesses in the walls.

What happens now if another big or bigger wave comes?

I have read three books on Katrina now. First, The Great Deluge, by Douglas Brinkley is an excellent account of the storm and its aftermath. It exposes the inadequacy of the FEMA response. I just finished Jed Horne’s A Breach of Faith. Horne, a reporter for the Times Picayune, must have used many of the same sources as Brinkley, because they read a lot alike, until you get to the final chapters. Then he does a masterful job describing the lack of direction and planning in post-Katrina New Orleans.

I just got Ivor van Heerden’s book, The Storm. Van Heerden is the director of the Louisiana Hurricane Center. After just the first couple of chapters, I can tell this is going to be a landmark book. Van Heerden was the voice in the wilderness warning of the eventual disaster that would occur.

Every now and then, perhaps when you least expect it, comes a once in a lifetime opportunity. The weekend of September 8th and 9th was my chance, as I was invited to attend the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center. How was I so lucky? It was all thanks to a good friend and someone lots of folks know:  Bill "Bubba" Bussey, of the Rick and Bubba radio show, which airs in Birmingham and is syndicated throughout the Southeast U.S.

Atlantis' Friday liftoff had to be scrubbed because of concerns over a possible faulty fuel sensor. NASA rescheduled liftoff for Saturday, and this time, despite a few minor issues (including weather), Atlantis' six member crew blasted off in a spectacular launch.

What made this trip even more special was our viewing site. As VIP guests of NASA, we were able to watch the launch from the fifth floor of NASA's Operational Services Building 2, a new building sporting a huge open deck overlooking KSC and Cape Canaveral. We were five stories up and 3.5 miles away from Atlantis, which, as Bubba observed, is as close as any human is allowed to the Shuttle when it's launching. We had a better view than almost anyone around (including the news media).

Here's the view from OSB 2's fifth floor observation deck. The white building at the left is Shuttle Launch Control, and just to the right, you can see Atlantis as it sat on the pad Friday:

Most folks watching Shuttle launches have to see them from ground level, meaning that the Shuttle must climb some before it comes into their view.  Not so for us!  From our vantage point, we could see the entire pad and even the Atlantic beyond. In fact, this is the shot I got using my digital camera with a 6x optical lens:


Bubba gives radio listeners a live update as the countdown clock ticks down Friday.
He's talking through a cellular interface built in to his sunglasses that connects, via Bluetooth, to his Palm phone. The other side of his glasses controls (I think) his Ipod. Talk about a technogeek!



Saturday morning:  Atlantis' main engine and Solid Rocket Boosters fire, lifting the orbiter off Launch Pad 39B on its way to the International Space Station.



How about zero to 19,000 miles an hour in eight minutes?  It is an incredible sight...



Five minutes later, a massive cloud signals Atlantis' successful fiery ascent. 


We were able to get a great tour of the Cape, courtesy of Tim Taylor, a Hoover resident who works in the Shuttle program, who acted as our Tour Guide.  Here, Tim, Bill and I check out the T-38s NASA's astronauts fly (these are those small aircraft you see following alongside the Shuttle when it lands).


"Did my pictures come out?"  Don Juan, Rick and Bubba show producer, checks out his digital camera during our flight back to Birmingham.


Finally, our trip was even more special because of the ride.  We flew down and back
in a privately owned Diamond Jet:

From wheels up in Birmingham to wheels down in Melbourne, Florida: 90 minutes. Sure beats driving.  We had a great flight crew taking care of us--the ride was as smooth as could be.  Just one warning about flying in style like this:  You will never want to fly on a commercial airliner again!

I really do consider this a once in a lifetime experience and am so thankful for having had the chance to go.  Being there in person to see a Shuttle launch is so much more vivid than watching it on television.  When the blast wave hit us, the entire building shook.  The noise was deafening, unlike anything I've ever heard in my life.  The whole experience was emotional, nerve wracking and exhilarating, all at the same time.  And to top it all off, NASA treated us (and fed us) like kings.

If you ever have doubts about whether we should be taking the risks and spending the money (and there's a lot of both involved) to further our knowledge of the universe, I hope you'll be open-minded enough to pay a visit in person and see for yourself what NASA is doing.  The folks at NASA are some of the most brilliant the world has ever seen.  And what they are doing is nothing short of amazing.

I hope that we never lose our vision to reach for the stars.

The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:

A strong earthquake occurred about 250 miles (405 km) south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida at 8:56 AM MDT, Sep 10, 2006 (10:56 AM EDT in Florida). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. This earthquake was felt in parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time.

This earthquake was centered beneath the Gulf of Mexico, well distant from the nearest active plate boundary. Such "midplate" earthquakes are much less common than earthquakes occurring on faults near plate boundaries, and most probably represent the release of long-term tectonic stresses that ultimately originate from forces applied at the plate boundary. This is the largest of more than a dozen shocks that have been instrumentally recorded from the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the past three decades, and it is the most widely felt. The most recent significant earthquake in the region occurred on February 10th, 2006 and had a magnitude of 5.2. We have not associated this earthquake with a specific causative fault.

Earthquakes of this magnitude are unlikely to generate destructive tsunami. No significant tsunami was generated by this earthquake.

End of release information

I can tell you that I did not feel the earthquake at Mt. Cheaha. In fact, the weather on Mt. Cheaha has been very pleasant with an afternoon high on only 80 degrees.

-Brian-

Sunday drives in the country. I guess I’ll probably show my age when I mention that I remember taking Sunday drives in the country. It used to be something we did when I was growing up in Vermont. But with gas close to 3 dollars a gallon, it’s not something we do much of any more. Today was different, though, as my wife and I decided to take a drive in the countryside of East Alabama.

We’re enjoying a weekend camping at Cheaha State Park, so one of the things we planned to do was take a drive on a beautiful late summer Sunday. And I had just the right route. During the last week I selected a Pick City entry for Delta, AL, and Delta is just down the hill (read that mountain) from Mt. Cheaha. So it was easy to plot a route taking SR 281 from Mt. Cheaha to SR 49 to Lineville where we could pick up SR 9 north through Delta to Hollis Crossroads. There we would take US 431 north toward Anniston but cut off where US 431 intersects with 281 for the scenic return to Cheaha State Park.

We left shortly before lunch time because I know of a good barbecue place along the route for a leisurely lunch. 281 is very scenic as you leave Cheaha traveling about five miles before turning onto SR 49. My wife had popped a favorite story telling tape in the car radio so we had some good listening as well as pretty scenery. SR 49 heads south toward Lineville going through the rolling hills just below Mt. Cheaha.

You probably know that the official start of Fall is only about two weeks away – September 22nd – but I was struck by the lack of any visible signs that Fall is really that close. In the state park, there is an occasional small tree that has some red color but aside from a dead tree here and there, there is no sign that the trees will be changing color at all.

In Lineville we stopped at the Piggly Wiggly for a couple of grocery items for tonight’s supper. Picking up SR 9 we stopped at Partner’s Pit Barbecue for lunch. The parking lot was nearly full but once inside we got a table by the window right away. The pork plate looked good so we both ordered that along with a couple of side items. My wife went with Crowder peas which is a favorite but one you don’t see on menus much. I had a hankering for baked beans. And when the meals arrived, the sides were just great along with good barbecue, too. The real surprise was that every meal came with dessert. A lady was walking among the tables offering a variety of desserts. We both picked what looked like peach cobbler but the first spoonful revealed a surprise – it was really sweet potato cobbler. And boy was it good – a taste sensation neither of us had ever had before.

Feeling an oncoming urgent need for an afternoon nap, we drove briskly north on SR 9 through Delta to Hollis Crossroads and US 431. Just north of Hollis Crossroads we saw the Haunted Chicken House which is a big attraction come October as Halloween approaches. I understand it is quite a scary experience to go through that one which gets bigger and better every year.

Just after the turn to join 281 I had seen a number of donkeys including a very young one. Being an avid digital camera enthusiast – as opposed to a real photographer – I thought they might make excellent subjects, so I pulled off the road and walked to the fence with the camera in hand.

I assume they were interested in having their picture made because as I approached the fence they mosied over to say hello. There were four of them altogether and they were not shy coming close enough to get a little petting. I snapped several great shots (my opinion, of course). The young one had a very dark face and the most curious light colored ears – that’s the color of the fur on the inside of his ears. The coloring of each of the donkeys was interesting, too, with a white ring around their muzzles.

Once on 281 Mt. Cheaha becomes visible at various spots along the road. It was rather hazy as it has been for much of the last couple of months that we’ve been coming to Cheaha State Park. The haze did not deter me from stopping several times to get shots of Alabama’s highest point.

All in all the trip took a little less than three hours and was a joyous adventure into seeing the country side of East Alabama.

-Brian-

PS Just to be sure this is weather related, the weather for the Sunday drive was perfect.

A few widely scattered showers and storms have formed across Central Alabama this afternoon...

They are most numerous over West Central Alabama...across Peickens, Greene, Hale and Tuscaloosa Counties.

The mains cells are just northeast and southwest of Tuscaloosa. There is pretty good coverage over Hale County, although it is not very heavy.

Showers are bubbling over Shelby and Southwest Jefferson County.

One of the stronger storms, although it is small like the others, is 5 miles NW of Columbiana in Shelby County.

A moderate shower is having a hard time getting going just east of Vincent.

Showers and storms will continue to form and pulse up and then down quickly through the afternoon hours and into the evening.

Skies were partly cloudy across the area, with th ebest cumulus buildups generally in the I-20 corridor.

Temperatures were mainly in the upper 80s. Hour by hour readings had reached 89F at the Birmingham Airport. A few locations certainly reached 90 today.

The Sunday map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:

http://www.jamesspann.com/

Don't forget that the map discussion is available in both WMV and MOV formats (Windows and Quicktime), so you have your choice for viewing.

I had a great Saturday with lots of activity to keep me occupied. I started off the morning with some amateur radio operators at the hamfest in Oxford in Calhoun County. Enjoyed saying hello and seeing all the miscellaneous equuipment for sale. Then it was off to Hoover where Tracy Haynes and I emceed the cutest and ugliest pet contests at Hoover's Pet-A-Polooza. It is always amazing to me to see some many people with their pets and how well all the pets get along. I didn't hear a single growl. Almost as if the pets know it is a special day for them and they don't want to spoil it. It was warm at Hoove Park East but there was a nice breeze that took the edge off the heat.

Great start to the morning on Mt. Cheaha. Temperature this morning was 68 degrees at the SkyCam site with a steady east wind which made it feel envigorating. Looks like we'll have to continue mentioning isolated showers today and Monday but the really big news is a cold front that will be increasing our rain possibilities on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately, if you are looking for some dramatically cooler temperatures that won't be happening.

The front begins to approach on late Monday and comes into the state on Tuesday. It appears to me that our best rain chances will come from Tuesday noon through Wednesday noon. By Wednesday at mid-day the front has moved nearly through the state, but the upper trough is still lingering behind just a bit. All rain chances should end Wednesday evening when the trough axis passes Central Alabama.

Temperatures will continue to be in the upper 80s. Clouds and rain will drop temperatures back a hair on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the lower 80s - a few spots might not get out of the upper 70s Tuesday depending on the exact rain timing. The cold front, however, will usher in drier air on Thursday but afternoon highs will get right back into the 80s.

The end of the week appears dry. The morning GFS run was hinting at some minor short waves in the flow on Saturday and Sunday but the lower atmosphere looks dry so I would think the best chance we might see would be isolated showers at best.

And Florence finally achieved hurricane status this morning - and quite dramatically, too. The pressure has fallen 17 millibars in Florence in the last 12 hours with wind values reaching hurricane force. Florence continues to be a major threat to Bermuda with a track that should take the center of the large storm just west of the island. I hope those folks there have gotten everything ready for the storm. They will have tropical storm and stronger wind conditions for a long time since Florence remains such a large storm. The track will continue to recurve taking Florence into the North Atlantic where she will become extratropical. On the East Coast of the US waves and rip currents could prove dangerous if people don't take them seriously. I'm sure we'll see video of people surfing the waves and risking their lives for a little surf action.

I'm looking forward to some quality time with the trees, my book, and my portable chair today as the active week and weekend wind down a bit. Jason Simpson will be back tomorrow morning on Good Morning Alabama and James Spann will start the week with a fresh map discussion update. Stay cool and God bless.

-Brian-

Florence finally became a hurricane early this morning. She was upgraded on the 2 a.m. EDT advisory.

Top winds are 80 mph now and the central pressure dropped overnight to 976 mb.

Florence still is not totally organized on satellite pictures this morning, but the storm does have excellent outflow.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda.

At 7 a.m. CDT, the center of the hurricane was 305 miles SSW of Bermuda. It is moving NNW at 15 mph but is gradually turning to the north and will eventually turn to the NNE. This track will carry the center of the hurricane very near Bermuda Monday morning. The official track carries it about 40 miles west of the island, putting it in the dangerous eastern semicircle where hurricane force winds extend out 45 miles.

When it does, maximum winds are expected to be about 105 mph, making it a category two storm. It should start to weaken after passing Bermuda as sea surface temperatures will begin to cool.

Weather conditions in Bermuda will be going downhill shortly because of the large size of the tropical cyclone. In fact, gale force winds should begin there in the next few hours.

Here is the latest METAR observation from the Naval Air Station at Bermuda...
TXKF 101155Z 09021G26KT 8SM FEW014 SCT021 BKN037 OVC080 27/25 A2987 RMK HZ SLP114
It's overcast and breezy on the island this morning as one might expect...
Conditions at 6:55 a.m. CDT...
Temperature: 27.0°C (81°F)
Dewpoint: 25.0°C (77°F) [RH = 89%]
Pressure (altimeter): 29.87 inches Hg (1011.6 mb)
[Sea-level pressure: 1011.4 mb]
Winds: from the E (90 degrees) at 24 MPH (21 knots; 10.9 m/s)
gusting to 30 MPH (26 knots; 13.5 m/s)
Visibility: 8 miles (13 km)
Ceiling: 3700 feet AGL
Clouds: few clouds at 1400 feet AGL
scattered clouds at 2100 feet AGL
broken clouds at 3700 feet AGL
overcast cloud deck at 8000 feet AGL

The hurricane will continue to recurve out to sea, passing east of Newfoundland late on Wednesday, perhaps brushing the island. It should stay far enough east of the Canadian Martime Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) to make effects there minimal.

Continuing with our look at hurricane history from this date…prime time of hurricane season…

On September 10th...

…1928…the disturbance that would go on to become the deadly San Felipe Hurricane was first detected from a ship report near 48 west longitude. It would eventually become a powerful hurricane and devastate the island of Guadeloupe. It struck Puerto Rico on the 13th, which was the feast of San Felipe. Correspondingly, the storm was named the San Felipe Hurricane. On the 16th, it struck Palm Beach, Florida. Over 1,000 people would die in the Caribbean and 1,836 died in the Everglades.

…1944…the East Coast of the United States was under attack. But not by the nations of the Axis. By a hurricane. Weather Bureau hurricane forecaster Grady Norton (an Alabama native thank you) was concerned. There was a big hurricane north of Puerto Rico, but ships had gotten out of the way and no reports were available to Norton. Norton requested that the military fly flights into the storm to determine its severity. The Navy and Air Force flights between the 10th and 15th were instrumental in keeping the U.S. death tol to just 27 from the destructive hurricane. The hurricane eventually struck eastern Long Island.

…1960…Hurricane Donna was making first of her four United States landfalls. Donna brought a 13 foot storm surge to the Florida Keys near Marathon.

…1961…Hurricane Carla was a monster threatening Texas with top winds of 150 mph. 46 people died in the storm in Texas.

…1964…Hurricane Dora forced the postponement of the Beatles concert in Jacksonville, Florida.

…1989…Hurricane Hugo was born off the coast of Africa.