OK, here's MY FUN FRIDAY story....

[Brian C.]

Since most of us ,here in South Florida, had so much fun last weekend with our visiter Frances, we all have decided to do it all over again this weekend with a new friend we expect in a day or two, Ivan. From what we're hearing, Ivan is bigger and meaner than Franny ever was so most of us are preparing for a weekend of even more fun than last, if that's possible.

Now three major storms in a month may seem a bit extreme to some of you, but to us it's just another day at the beach. Yeah, right. I woke up yesterday and after watching the 7 am reports, and after I became physically ill, I thought that I'd better get a few things done. Now as some of you may know, my condo was completely destroyed a few years ago during Hurricane Andrew. I have lived in a pretty secure townhouse ever since, but.....well....I've never quite gotten around to getting hurricane shutters put up over my windows and sliding glass doors. You'd think I'd have learned, huh? Well yesterday around 7:15 am was time.

I called a place in the Yellow Pages and they told me that they would sell me all the materials I needed, I'd just have to come get them and put them up. Off I went and by noon I'd bought all the things I'd need, and I could pick up the storm panels at 3 pm. And......since I no longer own an E34, I introduce to you..........

My PT Cruiser.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./01PTCru.jpg
Here it is in front of my place earlier this week. Notice the neighbors plywood over their windows, and mine with none. :( All the assorted leaves and branches too. Not too bad luckily.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./02Before.jpg
I do miss the bimmer sometimes, but I ask you all........can any of you do THIS with an E34??? Maybe a Touring, but not my old 4 door. The shutters and assorted channels and attachers and stuff was too much, so I had to make two trips, but here are 29 96" 11 lb aluminum window panels in the little sucker. And the hatch closed too!
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./03LoadoShutters.jpg
And this is what I did all day today. Extruded channels go top and bottom. They need to be drilled so I can then drill through them so I can then drive the tapcon lag screws into either the wood or the masonary walls. One hole every 12". Fun. Then you shove the panel up, and push it down over the thredded studs on the bottom channel. Wingnut them all up, 3 to a panel, and you're good to go.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./04window1.jpg
Here's my upper loft window....12' x 4.5'....I was most worried about this one getting a direct hit buy some airborn coconut.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./05loft1.jpg
And here's an after picture of the 3 main window areas done. Now all I need to do tomorrow is cover 7 sliding glass doors with those 96" panels. More fun.
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/Brian%20C./06After.jpg

I'm a bit tired(!)to say the least, but as Scarlet once said, "Tomorrow is another day!" I'm gonna catch a little of the Canes and the Noles on the tube, and go nite-nite. To be continued...............

Brian C.
;)

[ScottyWM]

Good luck man, all you can do is prepare for the worst - hope for the best. 'Course we'll keep get the remnants here in NC, kinda like sloppy seconds...

[Kamil]

Is the PT turbo 5-speed? :)

Nice job, BTW.

[DueyT]

Brian...move to Kansas! :p

Missile-Silos.com (http://www.missilebases.com/index.html)

http://www.missilebases.com/new/images/bigger.jpg

[winfred]

a couple of the texas ones look cool


Brian...move to Kansas! :p

Missile-Silos.com (http://www.missilebases.com/index.html)

http://www.missilebases.com/new/images/bigger.jpg

[Brian C.]

Brian...move to Kansas! :p

Missile-Silos.com (http://www.missilebases.com/index.html)

http://www.missilebases.com/new/images/bigger.jpg

[Brian C.]

....today's latest storm track charts, you may be needing a bunker of your own in a few days!
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0904W5+GIF/110918W5.gif
It's been edging westward for the past few days and while it may still jog back to the east the only thing for certain is that SOMEONE is gonna get hit by it. When it comes to these things you really have to be selfish in your thoughts. When you hope that it doesn't come to my area, you're just wishing it off on someone else. Keep an eye on the radar!

Brian C.

[Brian C.]

It's a Touring Edition 2.4L I4 turbo with an auto tranny. I drive in too much gridlock for a stick.

Brian C.

[George M]

Mom is back to Florida and has dodged first two bullets...hoping to dodge no.3. Guess stuff does happen in 3's.
Good Luck Brian,
George

[JR'Z 525]

Seriously though I hope this thing goes elsewhere. Fla doesn't need #3 and we don't need any of the sloppy seconds Scotty mentioned either.

John R.

[Brian C.]

...but the west coast is still pretty iffy at this point. And as they keep telling us, you never know! It could very well just scoot up the gulf towards the AL/FL border. Maybe even Winfred will get a bit of the storm's side.

Storms like this one, especially with it being the third in a row, really test a person's compassion for their fellow man. No, I don't mean all the fools in line at Home Depot. I get to feeling bad because all we are hoping for here is that it won't come to our part of the state. Of course that means that someone else is going to get slammed instead of us. It's one of the few times that being selfish in your own thoughts takes precedent over others. Unfortunately "Better them than Us" is how you think in this situation. It seems weird, almost a bit guilty.

I finished most of my storm panels today. A 3-door, and a 2-door section of sliding glass doors are done. Now just one more 2-door section and I'm all finished. It's not the hardest thing to do, just a bit tricky by myself. My two buddies who would help me are out of town, so I'm doing this one alone. Between all the masonary and concrete drilling with the hammer drill and changing the different drill bits at least 100 times today, the leveling of the 96" panels top and bottom before I drilled, and climbing up and down the ladder about a billion times.....I'm pooped.

But I think I've done pretty good so far. I've drilled about 130 holes in the masonary and concrete and have only stripped out 5. I haven't fallen off the ladder....yet. I haven't smashed a finger or drawn a large quantity of blood. No broken windows....close once....but not yet. And best of all it looks pretty good.

It was tough to keep going once I saw the reports around 1 pm. Doing this kind of thing isn't difficult in 90 degree heat and high humidity with the sun shining and lots of gnats when you have the urgency of a storm coming. When you find out that it probably won't come here, it's tough to keep going and finish instead of going into the A/C and watch FOOTBALL!

Oh well, about 2 hours tomorrow and I'm done, finished, fin, no mas, bring it on Ivan or whoever's next!! I hope that Venice is spared. I drove through it a few weeks ago after Charlie and it looks like they were in pretty good shape. If you could only get these things to just turn off!

Brian C.