Today I am having a lot of flashbacks to 2004 when Charlie swung a hard turn east at the last second and ripped through Central Florida. Yet, it was only close to be a cat4 when it landed, and by the time it destroyed everything we owned it was only a cat3. It was devastating.
As I write this, Hurricane Ian is an absolute monster that is bringing cat4, near cat5, winds and storm surge to my friends down the way and that is terrifying. I just hope everyone is safe.
Locally, not a lot of news. The universities closed down yesterday, but since the storm is missing us almost completely (we’ll get some rain and wind tomorrow, but not much more than that) most places will be open. Traffic is normal and the Circle K has refilled the gas tanks.
Midtown updates: the old Sparkle store location at 6th and Thomasville is still empty and, I assume, available for lease. The Sodough location has re-asphalted the parking lot, and it does look like there is some minor work being done on the interior but nothing significant. The not-anything-anymore store at 7th and Thomasville is still home to the pink and blue chairs and lots of boxes — evidence suggests it is being used as storage by Vino Beano? Maybe? Further down, the old Fire Betty location also remains empty, but RedEye is mostly done with their renovations and is open again.
Here is an older photo of Keely from 2020 that I never got around to posting here, enjoying the Midtown ambiance!
