December 10, 2005: The Christmas Symphony
	November 19, 2005: My Birthday Party
	Return to Index for 2005

NOTE:
Hurricane Wilma devastated South Florida, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches on October 24th- just a little over a month ago. I had left in October just a week before the hurricane hit; I recall seeing it being tracked on the news during the week I was here.

Although the power was out at Riverview Gardens for about four days, the building itself suffered only minor cosmetic damage, and by the time I returned only a few pieces of crumpled flashing and some stripped palm trees were left. Ron and Leroy sustained a fair amount of roof damage, but were otherwise unscathed. When I went out to visit them, they still had their "FEMA" roof on, but the work was scheduled to be done to repair it relatively soon.

The one thing that struck me, though, other than the downed signs and felled trees, was that the city looked very bare. The hurricane had stripped an incredible amount of foliage from the trees and bushes, and everything looked like a young kid with his first buzz cut. Particularly in areas like Bonnet House and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, the effect was amazing; these areas looked positively naked. For the first time I can remember, you could actually see Bonnet House from Ocean Boulevard through the stripped trees. The entire city looked like that. It will, undoubtedly, take at least a couple of years for a lot of the greenery to return. So, for a while at least, the city will look a good deal different.

This trip to Florida was mostly to continue to finalize the renovations to the condo there. As it turned out, I did not take any pictures other than those related to the condo renovation. I did take two groups of pictures relating to that renovation, though, and you may wish to look at them.

Pictures Taken December 6, 2005

If you would like to see the pictures that I took today, just click on the link below. At the end of those pictures there will be a link that will bring you right back here to this album page.

Pictures Taken December 9, 2005

If you would like to see the pictures that I took today, just click on the link below. At the end of those pictures there will be a link that will bring you right back here to this album page.

	December 10, 2005: The Christmas Symphony
	November 19, 2005: My Birthday Party
	Return to Index for 2005