Hurricane Wilma

Yeah, 2005's hurricane season was definitely an active one! But as a transplanted New Englander, I understand that for living in a bit of Florida paradise, it's a price that has to be paid. We'll put up with wilting summer humidity, sudden rainy season storms and hurricane season just for the gorgeous winter weather coming up, what! I've noticed that seasoned Floridians make the best of a bad thing and humor abounds. We've learned to do as the Romans and "grab the gusto" from almost any situation- hence my kid's and I all day stint on the Historic Courts the day before Wilma hit. We were there from 2 to 10 PM and we had a blast!

And during Wilma? Well... like many, we just kept an eye open and watched out the windows- and took plenty of pictures and video clips (most not included here). I guess we were luckier than most and more prepared than many. We never lacked for a hot meal or a cup of coffee and we were able to share with our neighbors. We made out ok. Power out until Saturday and the only thing I missed was paddleball at the Historic Courts and hot showers.

Also lucky for us, we had tennis balls, our paddles and chalk and that I'd read about a "new" sport called "American Road Tennis." Click the link to see the official rules- but to describe this sport in a few words, it's like ping-pong but played on the ground. The court's 10 feet wide by 18 feet, 3 inches long... We didn't have the 9 inch high net but ehhh... who needed it? We could fake it. I can't remember how many games we played but I can say they were all fun! So if you see us off-court hitting the ball at each other in a strange fashion- don't knock it until you've tried it!

Below are thumbnails of pics of the aftermath of Wilma and of us playing our new-found game. Click a thumbnail to view the full size picture; hit your backspace key on your keyboard or click the back button on your browser to return to this page.

Road Tennis

Road Tennis Rules