2017 Life Logs, Day 255: The Devastation Left Behind by Irma
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 83, Low 58 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

The gorgeous weather we are experiencing here is wonderful, but somehow it seems unfair that we are enjoying such beautiful weather when so many people are struggling so hard to start the recovery efforts from the devastation left behind by Irma. It is heartbreaking to see what happened in the Caribbean from Barbuda to St. Martin/St. Maarten to the US and British Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic to the Turks and Caicos and Southern Bahamas and on to Cuba. All of that, and then the massive destruction in Florida affecting every part of that state. I know we need to be thankful that the destruction was not as bad as it could have been, but is hard when the fact is that millions of people are still without electricity and water and some are without food. I have now heard from all of Mark’s family in Florida and all are safe and all still have a home. Even Mark’s brother Steve’s boat was safe. But many, especially those in the Caribbean and in the Keys, were not that lucky. It is overwhelming and I think each of needs to think deeply about what we might do to help.

This afternoon I got a call from Linda and Mike Stuart, my crazy, adventurous, bike touring friends. They are in Argentina, gearing up for the 1500-mile trip through Patagonia to the tip of South America. It boggles my mind that they are undertaking this trip. This is one case where I am happy to be an armchair adventurer as it is not something I can even fathom doing myself. But I’ll enjoy following their travels and I wish them nothing but the best. After our conversation, I headed to Heather’s to spend my evening with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie. Heather had a work-related social activity and Jed joined her. As always, I enjoyed being with the boys.