Coquina Daily

Friday, August 22, 2008

Gopher wood

"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."

Uhh... What's gopher wood? Nobody seems to know anymore.   link

The rain seems to have stopped - for now. In round numbers, my rain gauge collected about two inches before Fay arrived, two inches after Fay arrived, and more than four inches as Fay was departing.

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Garbage pick-up

Advance Disposal will pick up GARBAGE ONLY, tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 23rd.
No recyclables or yard waste will be picked up this week, hold them until Thursday, next week.
submitted by Ron

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The aftermath

If this is the worst of the damage at Coquina Crossing, we fared pretty well. The ponds are as high as I remember seeing them.



The alligator sign is normally on the shore. Compare this photo with the one below from June.





That brown thing below the surface is the concrete culvert that interconnects all the ponds - it is normally a foot or two above the surface.



Even some of the grass is under water - there goes the beach. The clump of plants at the top of the frame is normally at the shore-line.

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Wind or hurricane? 

If you have wind damage to your home, this may be important information:


Thursday, August 21, 2008
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is issuing this advisory to remind Florida consumers and authorized insurers that the hurricane deductible of their homeowner’s policy does not apply at this time, because the National Hurricane Center has not upgraded Tropical Storm Fay to a hurricane. Insurance companies must apply the deductible that is unrelated to hurricane, generally referred to as the “all other perils deductible” or “other than hurricane deductible.”
 
The hurricane deductible only applies when property damage results from a named hurricane. Consumers should review their policies and contact their agent if they have any questions.
 
Commissioner McCarty has sent an informational memorandum on this issue to all authorized property and casualty companies.
 
The Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) has created a special link to information about hurricane deductibles on its Web site, www.floir.com, in the center section of the home page.
 
Hurricane Deductibles and Wind vs. Hurricane Damage View the hurricane deductibles companies are required to offer, and learn the difference between hurricane damage and non-hurricane wind damage
 
It also is important to point out that damage caused by flooding typically is not covered by the standard homeowner’s policy. Flood insurance is purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
 
Although it is too late to purchase this coverage now for damage from Tropical Storm Fay, consumers can purchase this coverage for future storms with the help of their agent or by contacting the NFIP directly. In most cases, there is a 30-day waiting period before flood insurance takes effect.
 
The Office also has created a special section on its Web site with important information about flood insurance and links to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NFIP.
 
Homeowners’ Policies Do Not Cover Flood Damage Find out about the National Flood Insurance Program and how to get covered for flood damage
 
CONTACT:    Ed Domansky
                          850-413-2515
                          edward.domansky@floir.com

submitted by Joan

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Brutalism

The rains and wind were brutal, but in this sense we are referring to architecture.

The term Brutalist Architecture originates from the French béton brut, or "raw concrete", a term used by Le Corbusier to describe his choice of material. The Brutalist style of architectural spawned from the modernist architectural movement and flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s. In 1954, the English architects Alison and Peter Smithson coined the term, but it gained currency when the British architectural critic Reyner Banham used it in the title of his 1966 book, "The New Brutalism", to identify the emerging style.

Brutalist buildings usually are formed with striking repetitive angular geometries, and where concrete is used often revealing the texture of the wooden forms used for the in-situ casting. Although concrete is the material most widely associated with Brutalist architecture, not all Brutalist buildings are formed from concrete. Brutalist building materials also include brick, glass, steel, rough-hewn stone.  link

NPR reports that some buildings of brutalist design have been designated as national landmarks without the knowledge or consent of the owners of the buildings. Some of these owners would like to demolish these buildings and rebuild something that is easier to heat and cool and rebuild in a more appealing style. But to their chagrin, they are unable to make any changes due to the building's status as a national landmark. As would be expected, the issue has been brought before a court. Full story here.

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Gear Cube

A curious piece of sculpture.

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Modern Toilet Restaurant

Modern Toilet is a chain of at least twelve restaurants in Taiwan. Make your own jokes.
submitted by Michael

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Today's Activities Schedule

7:45 & 8:45 Aqua Aerobics
8:00 Tennis
5:00 BYOB Social

Tomorrow's Activities Schedule

1:00 Madhatters
7:00 Clubhouse Bunco

See the complete calendar

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Click once a day to help feed rescue animals.

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Coquina Daily Cat

Yeti & Manang by Taylor Miles - link

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Coquina Daily Dog

Pug with Free Oar and Couch by zoomar - link

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Sunset

sunlight remains by Victor Szalvay - link