Hi all,

I'm hoping that all our Florida members will check in here and let us know how you did. I'll start!

The Leesburg area managed to avoid the worst of the storm. Our winds were gusting at about 60 mph and we had about 8 to 9 inches of rain over the 3 days.

Damage to our park was minimal with mostly tree damage and our home had no damage. We managed to have water and electric through out the storm (even cable).

Thanks for all the prayers for us down here.

Heather

Heather ... glad to here how you made out ... I hope others fared as well ....
t.

Hi Heather,
Glad to hear you're Ok and I hope all the others are too.
Thing that worries me is that according to the pundits over here in UK there is yet another typhoon/hurricane on its way to you. Keeping fingers crossed that it gets lost.

Peter

Hi Peter and Tony,

Yes there is another one on it's way. It's been staying very low down closer to the equator and we are all hoping as you say it just dies, but that is doubtful.

I have not heard from Fran yet and I know that he and his wife live very close to where it came ashore.

Dan has a broken leg and was put in the hospital in Orlando because of an infection.

Wishing All the Best,
Heather

Hi Heather
Unfortunately,I know the drill pretty well. I live in Port Charlotte,Fl..
The eye of Charley passed over my house. No real damage except for a few shingles and a garage window.Frances dumped some rain on our battered homes and flooded our streets but,no damaging wind.Everyone is afraid of Ivan. If it turns North in the Gulf,I would hate to think of the consequences.

Bernie Ackerman

Hey Gang,

Our home survived the storm but the pines in and around our home did not. Thankfull for only vegitation damage.

We stayed in our home all boarded up and felt quite safe, until we lost electricity. We are now cut off from the world of sight and are left with our hearing. Listening to the crash of 40' pines and debre hit the house reminded me of my time in Korea, in a tent, listening to the constant rubble of bombs and guns. Fellow veterans can relate.

Marg (my wife) and I came through it, with the excepion of my left index finger that got slammed by a door that the wind cought after the storm slowed down. If there are lot of mistakes in spelling, it is because I only have nine fingers to use for a while.

Makes me mad as the keyboard has always been a pacifier in trouble times. Have to go back to learning the one finger playing for a fwe weeks. (My good friend Frank Bez is an expert in this category.)

What makes me sad is the next storm due Monday is possibly heading for the west coast of Florida where I have relatives, friends and fellow members of this forum.

My prayers will be constant.

Fran in whats left of Florida

Hi Bernie and Fran,

I'm so glad that you both made it through the storms consideing how close they were to you.

Sorry about your finger Fran but stay away from the one finger cords. They will confuse you. LOL

Both of them were originally predicted to go right through Leesburg but as you well know they both stayed south of us. One model does the same for Ivan so I'm praying along with everyone else that Ivan stays south, heads west and dies.

How about a song "Hurricane Lament"

Take Care,
Heather

Hi

Glad you're both okay and apologies for delay in sending a message back

I might be coming to LA next year to visit friends and family and was wondering if there are any tickets left as maybe able to go depending on my job situation - a friend of mine is a musician as well and he has been fasinated with the KN7000 and wants to give it a try

Can we use other people's instruments as well as unfortunately due to luggage space I may not be able to bring my own KN7000 due to the size but it would be nice- wish we had teleports

I'll keep you posted though. Just out of interest how far is LA to Florida and is it easy to get to?

First time i've been abroad on my own and to the states so a bit nervous.

Regards

Andrew

Andy,

Would like to have you attend. There will be instruments for all to use. You may want to contact the other furum members coming from the UK. Possibly travel together.

Right now we Floridian's are bracing for the next hurricane predicted to strike Florida. This one could be stronger than the last two.

Fran in Florida

Hi Andy,

Read your post and felt compelled to respond. I will not be attending the Florida Jam. Wish I could. However, as an American (though living in the UK), I can speak from personal experience to the issues you raise.

First, no need to be nervous. If you have flown at all, then flying to the States is no different. It just takes longer to get there. You say you may be flying to LA. I was born and raised there and have flown in and out of Los Angeles International (LAX) many times. You will find strict controls and very serious officials when going through Immigration and Customs in the U.S. That is the reality post-9/11. Take no notice of it all. Just ensure you have all the required documentation (passport etc.) and follow the instructions you are given and be patient.

I am sure the hosts in Florida will have the KN7000 and other instruments available for you to play. They have said so in earlier posts.

You will be approximately 2,500 miles from Florida while in LA. Is it easy to get there? Absolutely. But it is another long flight. You could fly direct from LA to Orlando I'm sure, then fly from Orlando back to London.

My advice is to go if you can afford it and have the time. You will enjoy the experience and would have a great time with our fellow forum members in Florida.

If you have any questions you would like to ask, send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to oblige.

Best Wishes,

Chuck