A (Possibly Premature) TS Karl Update

Bahia Soliman, QR, Mexico--Thanks for the comments and the kind words and the link repair. The weather event seems to have been excessively over-horribl-ized. Why am I not surprised? And why, I wonder, does this hysterical kind of reporting always... (please fill in the ellipses). If I contributed to the craziness, perdon.

I'm back at the barbecue Internet. The cell phone is out, but the Internet's on. Amazingly, there is electricity. Mexico's infrastructure works. And, the good news, the storm seems to have gone someplace else. Or not to have materialized in the utterly devastating form predicted by some. Yes, we have high winds (imagine the wind map here), and yes, we have marea alto (high tide) (imagine photo of rolling waves here), and yeah, we had some crazy horizontal rain (imagine...). But all now seems to be in order: no real damage (2 plates and a tray), nobody hurt or injured, ocean churned up (of course), and winds blowing hard now still, but as things go, simply excellent. Considering that the storm was supposed, according to some, to bring the end of Western Civilization with it. And, lest I forget, the sun is out and has been in and out for the past couple of hours (image photo of such on turquoise water, cumulus clouds, palm trees slightly shaking).

Three pelicans decided to ride out the storm on the bow of Moonstar's boat (imagine cute photo). I decided to ride the storm out on the beach in a plastic chair (no beer logo this time)(imagine photo of Sol beer commercial chair). The pelicans and I were there all morning (except when occasionally wind and rain drove me inside) until somebody decided to move the boat next to it. That got the pelicans to move. I have no idea why they are moving the boat now, since the storm is apparently about played out, but maybe these guys know something I don't. My consultations today with locals yielded this appraisal: no big deal, what's for lunch.

Somebody really should do a treatise (ok, a short blog) on the affect Katrina has had on weather reportage and how it has made WR intentionally even more hysterical that before. Is it the goal of this kind of WR to desensitize us to climate changes? Just asking.

Thanks for all the good wishes.