{"id":2278,"date":"2011-03-31T16:22:41","date_gmt":"2011-03-31T20:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joeclarksblog.com\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2011-06-24T12:21:43","modified_gmt":"2011-06-24T16:21:43","slug":"sun-n-fun-gets-slammed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joeclarksblog.com\/?p=2278","title":{"rendered":"Sun N Fun Gets Slammed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Liquid Sunshine Pouring Off Our Roof at 1040Z 03-31-2011<\/p><\/div>\n

It is early, but late. I have slept too long. It is after 6 a.m. and I am usually up and writing by 5:45 most mornings. But last night was a late night and so I understand why I am still in the rack. Then there is the rain.<\/p>\n

It is a fairly soft rain, a comforting rain. Thunder accompanies the rain, but it seems far away. With a little luck, I might be able to roll over and go back to sleep, even though I should get up and start the day.<\/p>\n

That is what I try to do. I know my body could use the rest, but my mind mischievously says, It is time to get up and get this day rolling!<\/em> Before long, I am ripping copy off the word processor… Uhmmm… That does not sound right. Not nearly as romantic from the days real writers actually ripped pages of copy out of their typewriters to rush it off to the editor who read it on the way to the typesetters.<\/p>\n

As I am writing, the rain becomes stronger. I am suddenly aware the lightning and thunder, which seemed far away a little while ago, is now apparently on top of us. I get up to make my coffee and look outside through the sliding glass doors. The rain is amazing!<\/p>\n

While in the process of making coffee, I suddenly hear what I don\u2019t want to hear: the pinging of hail hitting the roof and the back porch. I look outside to see the chunks of ice about the size of small grapes. This is an interesting start to the day and it is not even 7 a.m. yet.<\/p>\n

Later, I am dozing on the couch because of the late night the day before. Suddenly, Ardis says, \u201cHey, you need to see this. A tornado hit Sun N Fun.\u201d She is now the wife of an aviator and knows the difference between the Lakeland airport and Sun N Fun.<\/p>\n

I look at the television screen and see airplanes upside down, hangars fallen, and wet runways and taxiways. This is not good. Some of my friends are already at the airport and we are supposed to be there Saturday. I hope and pray they are okay and that the weather did not damage their planes.<\/p>\n

The big orange and red blob of weather making its way across the state is menacing on the radar screens. I wonder where else tornadoes have touched down to cause extensive damage.<\/p>\n

I call my friends on their cell phones and we get a recording. My wife, the telecommunications expert, tells me weather probably damaged the towers as well. I try again and get through.<\/p>\n

They are fine, but they give me the report that many airplanes are upside down on the site. This is not good for Sun N Fun<\/em>, I think. Seemingly echoing those sentiments, my friends tell me fewer airplanes than normal have so far arrived at Lakeland; they speculate the weather is holding many back.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, we have wonderful weather here in the Sunshine State. When the weather does go sour, however, it is bad.<\/p>\n

If you are coming down for Sun N Fun this year, double-check the weather forecasts.<\/p>\n

-30-<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2011 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is early, but late. I have slept too long. It is after 6 a.m. and I am usually up and writing by 5:45 most mornings. But last night was a late night and so I understand why I am … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,9],"tags":[125,329,330,839,1183,1243,1456,1468,1584,1639,1670,1770,2193,2660,2795,2897,2957,2964,3396,3411,3412,3439,3465,3739,3819,3892,3899,3971,4007,4023,4074,4076,4111],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aviation","category-life-in-general","category-personal","tag-a-comforting-rain","tag-airplanes","tag-airplanes-upside-down","tag-cessnas","tag-double-check-the-weather-forecasts","tag-editors","tag-florida","tag-flying","tag-friends","tag-get-up-to-make-coffee","tag-go-back-to-sleep-the-word-processor","tag-hangars-demolished","tag-lightning-and-thunder","tag-open-cockpit-biplanes","tag-pilots","tag-professional-pilots","tag-radar-screens","tag-rain","tag-student-pilots","tag-sun-n-fun","tag-sun-n-fun-gets-slammed","tag-taildraggers","tag-tampa","tag-the-lakeland-airport","tag-the-pinging-of-hail","tag-the-sunshine-state","tag-the-telecommunications-expert","tag-thunder","tag-tornadoes","tag-training-aircraft","tag-typesetters","tag-typewriters","tag-up-and-writing-by-545"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t