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September 20, 2005
:: Camp Meggisi Goes Private
I guess it has taken me a week or so, but I hate bad news so much. The namesake of this website (kinda) is undergoing some major changes: Camp Meggisi has been sold!! If any of you have checked out other parts of meggisi.org, there is a section about Camp and Lake Meggisi that describes what I am referring to. L&M Fly-Ins has sold Meggisi to a private buyer.
Sadly, we were notified after we thought we would have one more trip to Meggisi in 2006. It had been my father's 20th trip going up, and my 10th this last May. I will take it as a sign from God, as we knew that at least Dad's trips were numbered, due to his health. But...
Meggisi means much much more to me and my family and friends than just a lake and fly-in fishing camp. If it wasn't that way, I wouldn't have bought the domain name! So, soon enough I will be modifying and removing some portions of the website voluntarilly referring to the camp. However, I will be rewriting the description of the website and narrative about Meggisi.
Oddly enough, I had another "epiphany" about our namesake, or at least the name "meggisi":
I spent my first layover in Thief River Falls in about 2 years recently, where we now stay at the Seven Clans Casino, Waterpark, and Hotel. The "Seven Clans" are the tribes that make up the Red Lake Ojibwe nation: bear, turtle, bullhead (fish), mink, eagle, pine marten (sable) and the kingfisher. The meeting rooms in the hotel are named (in Ojibwe) after the clans...the one near the front desk was Mi-Gi-Zi (eagle). Although I have always pointed out on this website that "meggisi"="migizi", I needed a reminder myself. The sight of the sign over the conference room door put a smile on my face.
Posted by pierre at 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
:: Sirens of Perspective
Minneapolis radar 9/12/05 at 10:52pm
Well, the civil defense sirens just sounded here in Dakota County, MN. Many people have often wondered why they go off if there is not a tornado warning, or if it is "just" a severe thunderstorm warning. Well, Dakota County is one of those old-fashioned counties in MN, that although they very much are urban (with such upscale bustling communities as Eagan, Lakeville, Burnsville, and Apple Valley), they remain primailly rural with the majority of Dakota Cty's land area comprised of rolling farmland and river valleys.
Moreover, Dakota County has good reason to sound the sirens for a T-Storm Warning, even if for five minutes: a severe thunderstorm warning means that the storm has winds or is capable of producing winds in excess of 58 mph! Now, keep in mind (and in perspecitive) HURRICANE force winds are 75 mph or greater.
The storms rolling across the Twin Cities metro area right now are producing hurricane force winds, with gusts recorded at 80 mph in the NW metro. Sustained winds at the MSP International Airport when the radar snapshot above was taken was 40 MPH. Here is a quick rundown of local storm reports from MPX National Weather Service office...more to come off the wire I am sure as the night wears on:
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..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0820 PM HAIL 4 S DASSEL 45.02N 94.31W
09/12/2005 1.00 INCH MEEKER MN PUBLIC
0823 PM HAIL COKATO 45.08N 94.19W
09/12/2005 2.75 INCH WRIGHT MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
0823 PM HAIL COKATO 45.08N 94.19W
09/12/2005 2.50 INCH WRIGHT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0825 PM HAIL RAYMOND 45.02N 95.24W
09/12/2005 1.75 INCH KANDIYOHI MN AMATEUR RADIO
ON WEST SIDE OF RAYMOND.
0830 PM HAIL 1 SE COKATO 45.07N 94.17W
09/12/2005 2.00 INCH WRIGHT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0838 PM TSTM WND DMG RAYMOND 45.02N 95.24W
09/12/2005 KANDIYOHI MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
POWER LINES DOWN IN TOWN.
0905 PM TSTM WND DMG DELANO 45.04N 93.79W
09/12/2005 WRIGHT MN PUBLIC
SHED BLOWN APART IN FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP OUTSIDE OF DELANO
0915 PM TSTM WND DMG BUFFALO 45.18N 93.87W
09/12/2005 WRIGHT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
30 FOOT TREES 8 INCHES IN DIAMETER BLOWN DOWN
1010 PM FLASH FLOOD MONTICELLO 45.30N 93.80W
09/12/2005 WRIGHT MN FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
5 TO 6 FEET OF WATER OVER ROADWAYS
1010 PM FLASH FLOOD BUFFALO 45.18N 93.87W
09/12/2005 WRIGHT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
WATER 14 INCHES DEEP IN DOWNTOWN BUFFALO
1023 PM FLASH FLOOD 3 SE ST CLOUD 45.52N 94.13W
09/12/2005 SHERBURNE MN AMATEUR RADIO
STREET FLOODING EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE EAST
SIDE OF ST CLOUD
1034 PM TSTM WND DMG CORCORAN 45.12N 93.59W
09/12/2005 HENNEPIN MN PUBLIC
WINDOWS BLOWN OUT
1015 PM TSTM WND DMG GREENFIELD 45.10N 93.70W
09/12/2005 HENNEPIN MN TRAINED SPOTTER
DAMAGE TO HALF A HOUSE
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So, perspective? Hurricane Ophelia is churning currently off the coast of North Carolina, and is expected to make landfall by Wednesday evening. Although she is waffling between tropical storm and hurricane status (sustained winds have varied from 65 to 80 mph), she isn't packing much more of a punch than these thunderstorms. As evidenced above, although no tornadoes have emerged from this line of weather, flooding, wind damage, and large hail (2" hail...um, that's the size of an apple) have given MN residents a taste of severe weather usually seen in June...except it is September. The only difference between residents of MN and residents of NC is the absence of an ocean. Hurricanes (as evidenced by Katrina) cause storm surge, which brings much more destructive potential.
I am glad they sound the sirens. I would like some fair warning when there might be storms approaching that caused damage to half a house, uprooted more than 50 large trees, downed power lines, and dropped fruit-sized hail.
Posted by pierre at 10:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 1, 2005
:: Unforseeable Future of Hurricane Season
| Maria Nate Ophelia Philippe Rita Stan Tammy Vince Wilma |
Satellite image of Katrina as she made landfall, courtesy NOAA |
Above, next to the image of Katrina, is the remaining list of names that the National Hurricane Center/NOAA will use this year if tropical storms continue to erupt. Keep in mind that hurricane season extends into November! 2005 has been unparalelled in recent history for the number of named storms by this point in the season.
As I write this post, tropical depression 14 has formed in the Central Atlantic. Although it is predicted to move northward and dissipate, another tropical wave has moved west of the Cape Verde islands, and is being watched by forecasters to see if it will become T.D. 15, or possibly a named storm. To further anticipation, some researchers are watching the shortwave trough, and weak cold front currently pushing through the midwest and approaching the eastern seaboard. Some computer models are suggesting tropical cyclone development off the Carolinas if the "eddying" effect of the front causes things to spin up over the Gulf Stream.
What does it all mean? Global warming has not been pinned down yet by researchers, who have been starting to shy away from global warming claims, and hedging bets on a global cooldown instead. For the meantime, researchers point to a roughly 10-15 year cycle of the tropical storm activity as a pattern that has fit right for the last few years of devastation. Climatologists say that we can expect heightened hurricane activity for the next 5-8 years. Check out Wunderground co-founder Dr. Greg Master's article on hightened hurricane activity here.
Posted by pierre at 1:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
:: Pierre's New Home!
Finally! Pierre and Mrs. Pierre have a new home. Goodbye rental blues, hello homeownership! Man are we excited. Inspection is on Friday and closing is mid-October. We have big plans, but this by far was (and is) the biggest undertaking thus far. Luckilly we have some good players on our team: an AWESOME realator, great familiy and friends, and the grace and guidance of God's will.
The Spec Sheet
Location: Lakeville, MN
Setup: 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, Two-level Split Entry, Two Car Garage - attached
Lot: 0.29 acre, corner lot, top of hill, lots of trees
Extras: hardwood flrs, gas appliances, fireplace, deck, good landscaping, lots of potential for improvements over time
I plan to keep track of my life as a homeowner here on the blog as much as I can, so check back often!
Posted by pierre at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
:: Katrina
Courtesy Getty Images
Why not put in an entry about Katrina? Everyone else has. I didn't think I would "know" someone that would be affected by a hurricane. I guess we all can claim that with the rising gasoline prices. I did receive a surprise email from an old friend from JHS who came to MN from Biloxi. Her family is still from there...and her parents home and business is destroyed. The link to her blog The Gulland Family Update has been added to the Meggisi Blogroll, and I think she will post some updates as she learns more. Prayer I think is key here...we all need to trust God even in times of extreme pain and devastation. Here are a couple links for you to check out on how to contribute aid:
American Red Cross
Salvation Army
Posted by pierre at 9:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack