Deland, FL

I'm at the library in Deland, Florida. We've finally managed to hook up with Karl's friend Danny, to get a brief respite from the disasters of the last weeks, only to be followed by a disaster here. Tornadoes swept through the county the night we got here, killing one family of four that Danny's girlfriend Sam knew personally. One of their twin daughtes is still in critical condition, not even knowing that her mother is dead.

It does put our loss in perspective, certainly. I'm not sure what kind of juju we're dragging around, though, and we left our boat at anchor in the Daytona Beach harbor, and we have no idea if it made it through the storm. Karl's trying to get a new cell phone so we can check with the police in St. Augustine to see if any part of our bag has shown up, but it's pretty much a lost cause. I refuse to give up hope entirely, but it's hard not to abandon hope a little.

I still appreciate any prayers, if you're praying folk. We'll survive, I know. We'll get through all this. We always do. But the Bahamas sure feel a long ways away.