Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Goodbye Dayton, I will miss you!

Today will be my last day at WKEF and WRGT in Dayton, Ohio. It has been a lot of fun over the last 40 months... hard to believe it is just shy of three and a half years. I want to thank all my family, friends, viewers, and lastly...the readers of my blog! I have met so many of you over the years and I will miss the staff and friends I have made here. Some of you have been catching a few hints via my twitter or blog entries talking about leaving like stepping down from the DAM Riders, the Dayton Area Moped Riders(moped group that I started) Lots of great memories: from tracking funnel clouds and severe weather, to making it onto CNN for catching my camera while reporting on drifting snow, to standing in sub zero temperatures (not even including the wind chills), to all the fun competitions on the morning show(that I still think Meghan Mongillo rigged), and of course getting to meet many of you at the fairs, festivals, and Friday night football games.

The hints the last few days on my blog have been hinting at the news coming. My new job was debating to use my middle name on-air, Buck Michael, but it was decided Andrew Michael would be the best fit. The all-nighter hint was because I worked Sunday at the new job and drove back to Dayton to work the morning show. And my final hint yesterday was sweater vest. I am wearing my scarlet and grey sweater vest today because I am going back to Buckeye City. I will be moving to Columbus to work at our sister station, also owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, WSYX & WTTE, (ABC6 & FOX28) If that station sounds familiar it is also the station that our good ol' buddy Pete Scalia is working at now. My wife and I are excited to be back in Columbus. It also works out great for us by being centrally located between both of our families.  Even though I am moving to Columbus, don't count out the chance you may see me pop back up on TV from time to time back in Dayton. I am not too far away and will be working for the same company ;)

My blog on the station's website will likely be taken down soon, but my Stuck In The Buckosphere blog will continue.  Just Google Buckosphere if you don't have the new one bookmarked yet.  I will still be forecasting for the Miami Valley AND Central Ohio so don't worry, you can check back in for the latest on what to expect weather-wise...or moped-wise.  Just wanted to let you know that my blogging focuses will be completely directed to the Buckosphere. Speaking of weather:

As always... gotta check out the forecast and earlier this morning Isaac made landfall along the coast of Louisiana. I have a couple of images of the storms making its landfall and the track of the storm expected for the upcoming days.
The pace of the storm has slowed down a little bit... as a matter of fact it is currently stalled out and just sitting over Louisiana.  Later this morning it will slowly try to pick up its bags and move north, but slowly.  This will shift our rain for it further into the future.  Today will be mostly sunny with highs in the lower 80's. Tomorrow and Friday we will be back in the upper 80's with sunshine and then more clouds later Friday.  A few of the forecast models are bringing in a little rain later Friday, but I am kinda disagreeing with that.  Isaac is coming in slower and will take longer to get here.  The models are starting to show most of the rain pushing back into later Saturday, Sunday, and Monday... Still some leeway on the timing of the rain arriving.  Temperatures during the weekend's rain will be in the lower 80's.  Models are still showing 1-3+" of rain so we could put a pretty big dent in our rainfall deficient for the year.  Keep the umbrella handy.

I will try to post a quick blog (during my breaks from packing) over the coming days with an update on Isaac's eyes on Ohio.  Really hoping the rain holds off and my move on Saturday will be as dry as possible. Again, thanks to all my readers, viewers, and close friends I have made here in Dayton... Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Isaac is coming to Ohio

We will break down Isaac coming up. I wanted to give you my last hint... well hints. Make sure to watch the morning show tomorrow, Wednesday... that is the first hint. The second: sweater vest. All I am going to say, but make sure to watch the morning show tomorrow...or at least put it on DVR.

On to Issac on the way. It is slowing down and expected to make landfall to Louisiana early tomorrow morning... seven years, to the day, after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The 5AM update has the winds still just shy of hurricane criteria. The strongest sustained winds were 70mph and they need to be 74mph before it becomes a hurricane. The storm is only moving at 10mph so it is slowing down over the warm waters and slowly strengthening. The storm's eye will be moving just west of New Orleans which will put the storm surge and heaviest rainfall right over the city. It will be the first true test to the new levies after Katrina. Then it picks up speed with the upper level winds and pushes our way. The timing for its arrival to Ohio is still a little unsure, but the most recent models are showing rain pushing into the Ohio Valley starting late Friday. Rain will be on and off through Saturday and Sunday with quite a lot of rain expected. Most of the forecast models are showing 1-3" for most of Ohio with some locations seeing even a few more inches...it all depends on the track. Again, personally... I hope it slows down even more.

The great news is that we have a couple of beautiful days here in Ohio. The next three days will be mostly sunny and highs in the low 80's today and tomorrow then warming into the upper 80's for Thursday. Then rain from Issac rolls in for the weekend with highs in the lower 80's. It doesn't look like the best Labor Day weekend for outdoor activities, but still a little more fine-tuning as Isaac gets closer. Enjoy the great weather the next couple days and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Monday, August 27, 2012

Hot Weekend... Big Week Ahead...

Despite the hot temperatures this weekend, at least it was here with low humidity. It wasn't the sticky, humid air we normally see this time of year. Rain is rolling in as we speak bringing cooler temperatures as well. I have got a LOT going on this week so I am loving the lower temps. I have the big news coming up this week as well... today's hint: all-nighter. Tomorrow will be a big hint.

As mentioned, rain showers and maybe a rumble of thunder today and temps cool back into the lower 80's for the next few days. We dry out tonight and then more sunshine for the first half of the week. Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to intensify into a Cat 1 or possibly a Cat 2 hurricane by midweek as it sets its eyes on the Louisiana coastline. The forecast models still have a wide range of paths, but they keep trending further west. That is fine with me... I would like the rain to hold off until Sunday. The further west the storm goes=the more ground it has to cover before it curves back toward us. The current forecast models are bringing the rain into Ohio later Saturday and sticking around through Sunday with heavy rain at times. It is still a long ways out and the track will really play a key factor so there is a lot of variables right now. I will keep you posted. We will warm up near 90 for the end of the week before Isaac looks to arrive. Stay tuned and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Saturday Special: A Moped's Journey

I think the first picture I took specifically for my blog was when I sold this moped.  A 1980 Puch Magnum and a great, solid bike.  When I got it, it was sitting in a barn for at least a decade and I had to do a decent amount of dust cleaning and polishing.  I moved on and sold it to a fellow mopeder for a decent price... Well it is back on the selling block again in Oregon.  Most of the mopeds in the 70's and 80's were in the Midwest so mopeds are harder to come by on the west coast and it is selling for a decent amount more out there... And additionally it does have more performance parts than when I sold it.  Anyway, just thought I would share the life of this moped because after it is sold... I may never be able to keep tabs on it again.

Sunday looks just as hot with highs in the 90's for Ohio.  Rain will move in Monday and leave early Tuesday.  Scattered showers and storms, but right now, not looking severe.  We dry out with highs in the lower 80's for the middle of the week, then things get interesting.  Tropical Storm Isaac is churning in the Caribbean Sea and will ride up the Western Side of Florida early this week.  A handful of the forecast models are showing the storm staying west enough that it will ride the west side of the Appalachian Mountains and bring rain to the Midwest for Friday and into the weekend.  The next few days will be interesting to watch on the forecast maps to show if the energy gets wiped east with the cold front we will be seeing early in the week.  Stay tuned.

I guess my hint yesterday with "Buck" was a little inaccurate... I will explain later this week.  My hint for today... hmmm.... High Definition.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Friday, August 24, 2012

Happy Early (Hot) Friday!!!

Tried something new today. Brewed a HUGE cup of iced tea for my jump start of caffeine. Seems to be working...getting all my work done and this blog out ahead of schedule. I also split my lip further. It was a small cut earlier this week in the corner of my mouth and what a pain! Oh well... Quite a jam packed morning show coming up and pretty excited about it. Still have that big news on the way... today's hint: Buck. I will reveal the big news next week.

I bumped up the high temps for the next few days. Calling for 90 today, 91 tomorrow, and 90 for Sunday. Staying dry until Sunday night into Monday with scattered showers and storms returning. That will cool us back into the low-mid 80's next week for highs and overnight lows for the entire next week in the mid-lower 60's, so a little warmer than lately. It will be quite a warm night for Friday night football. The first week of high school football will be partly cloudy, light winds, and start off with temps near 86 and then by the end of the game in the mid 70's... so no blankets needed, yet. Stay cool this weekend and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Midweek Weekend

As some of you noticed (got a few emails and Facebook messages) I spent the last two days at home instead of work... a little midweek weekend. I was doing anything but resting. Yard work, grilling, baking, and of course a little fun. I went up to Scene 75 and it was quite a lot of fun. We even added a new member to the Michael farm. OH, I took Buckeye to the vet and they said his cataracts in one of his eyes broke up and he can see some from that eye. She said luckily it doesn't inflamed his eye and caused him to rub so pretty awesome news. I do have some other big news in the coming days so stay tuned!

Temps will be climbing to near 90 for the weekend so slowly warming up and staying dry. Our next chance for rain will be Monday and then mid 80's for next week. Pretty quiet weather for us. Enjoy the heat this weekend and try to get your money's worth of that pool pass. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Monday, August 20, 2012

Rad eventful weekend

I couldn't think of a better way to really soak in the weekend... as if they will be going away forever. Friday I took a fantastic five hour nap after the morning show. I then had my final downtown Dayton moped ride. The group that turned out was some of the closest Dayton friends that I made. One of the guys blew out a tire on the way, but I want to meet up with him before I leave for a little ride. We rode around Dayton and had a great night. Saturday Dawn and I went up to the Great Darke County Fair with my sister and saw some of her blue ribbons. We had some fair food, but I had to resist from eating it all. When we ran my sister home I got to see her princess wall she has been painting in the spare bedroom and she is nearly finished. There are a couple of faces left to paint, but her talent level is amazing. She wants to get a job with Disney after college and it is quite clear she has the drive to do it. We hung out with friends Saturday night and then Sunday we hit the driving range, saw The Campaign, and then I tried to trim my hair. I got my haircut and the bangs were a little longer than the rest of it and my barber has been on a mini vacation to Green Bay for the Browns preseason game last week. I did a decent job, but cutting your hair in the mirror is hard... left is right, up is down, front is back... Frustrating to say the least. Sporadically, during the weekend, Dawn and I watched the sixth season of Dexter. Two episodes left. So yea, a pretty jam packed weekend trying to enjoy every minute of it.

The weather for the week ahead is pretty quiet. Today and tomorrow we could have an isolated shower or storm with a weak disturbance and highs in the upper 70's. Heading through the rest of the seven day forecast we tack on a couple degrees each day with a mix of sun and clouds and we top out in the upper 80's by next weekend. The next decent chance for rain looks to hold off until early next week so if you don't get the isolated rain today or tomorrow then get ready to water the garden. Enjoy the warm temps this week before it is time to close up the pool for the year. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Friday, August 17, 2012

"Fair" weekend!?

Growing up in Darke County, Ohio, with the nations largest county fair... if you didn't go then you must be on bed-rest. The fair kicks off today and it is looking like a GREAT and COOL weekend for the fair. Right now I only have plans for tonight so I may be heading back to the Great Darke County Fair this weekend. Make sure to say high if you see me.

Later tonight I am riding my moped through downtown Dayton a final time. Not sure how many of the DAM Riders will be riding along with me, but it should be a fun ride...recreating my bachelor ride that I had last year. Like I said, other than this planned for tonight I am not sure what I am getting into the rest of this weekend.

We are dealing with a few early morning rain showers which will be moving to the east and out of here with more sunshine later today. Highs in the mid 70's this weekend and then warming back into the low 80's by the end of next week. We have a chance for a few light spotty showers this morning and then staying mostly dry for the week ahead. There is a very, very slim chance for a few sprinkles Sunday and Tuesday, less than a 5% chance according to the last few forecast models. All in all, fantastic weather for the week ahead. Enjoy the great weekend and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Storms on the way & tornado on my moped

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I resigned from the captain status and as a member of the Dayton Area Moped Riders so I had to remove the logo from my moped. I am riding without a moped club now and my wonderful decal hook-up made me a special decal for my Puch Maxi as a going away gift. Check out Designing Your Stuff in West Carrollton. Instead of the DAM fist, it is now a tornado and two lightning bolts. Pretty awesome. It now combines two of my passions. A few of the DAM Riders said they loved the new decal, but were saddened to see me not representing them any longer. I also did a little work on the front axle yesterday and re-spaced the wheel to stop rubbing the fender. The two minor things I want to do down the road are rebuild/re-tune the clutch and fix the rear brake springs from rubbing the inner hub, even though it is only a very little bit. Minor adjustments...nothing too big.

On to the storms on the way. The majority of the severe weather looks to be just to the west of Ohio and the storms will continue to weaken as the move into central Ohio. The main threats will be winds and hail because the atmosphere does not have a lot of wind shear for tornadic storms. The scattered storms will hold off until around/after sunset tonight and they will likely be out of here by daybreak tomorrow. We will be rather hot today with highs in the upper 80's and the humidity making it feel like the low 90's. Much cooler tomorrow with a high near 75 then lower 70's for the weekend's highs and dry. We slowly warm back up early next week near 80, but no rain other than tonight. Stay dry and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Shark Week and Sling Psychrometer

Anyone else watching Shark Week? I was on my honeymoon last year and couldn't enjoy the wonder of the monsters. It is quite amazing how playful sharks are, given the right circumstances. I must admit that Shark Week is a great way to come down to reality after the Olympics because I was TOTALLY addicted to the games.

I was outside working on my weather station yesterday when my neighbor came over with a gift. His dad was in the military and he did weather observations. He gave me his dad's sling psychrometer. It has two thermometers, one with a sock on it that you wet and then you spin it around for a minute. The temperature will drop due to the evaporation and you will get the "wet bulb temperature." This is what the temperature would drop to if you had 100% relative humidity. Evaporation causes temperatures to drop so if you evaporated everything possible based on your pressure and dry air temperature then it would cool off to the wet bulb temperature. The drier the air the more the temperature will drop. The wetter the air the less the temperature will drop. Kinda, kinda, like when a thunderstorm rolls in and it cools off the air. (Granted there is more going on there like pulling down cooler air from the upper atmosphere, but the evaporation of the falling precip will help cool the air...evaporative cooling) Anyway, it is a total nerd weather instrument. It contains mercury so I will treat it with a high amount of care especially since it is so old. My neighbor said it would likely get broke at his house and he wanted me to have it...super nice.

Get ready for a beautiful day! After a little morning light fog, the sun will be sticking around with a few clouds as we climb into the lower 80's. Beautiful and mild today followed by temps heating up into the upper 80's tomorrow. Storms roll in Thursday night and they will be here for early Friday. That will cool us off into the mid-lower 70's for highs this weekend and drier as well. We warm up again next week with highs near 80, but no decent chance for rain, after tomorrow night, for the next seven days. Enjoy today and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Behind the scenes...sleeping schedule

Go big or go home, or that's what they say.

When you wake up in the morning groggy and wanting to keep sleeping... then you turn on the TV and you see these people on the news smiling and as chipper as can be...well, it is all a conspiracy. It is the man, man. Haha. Just kidding, kinda. Most of the morning show staff wakes up around 1:30AM. (If not earlier) So caffeine is a must. Your body does eventually get used to the schedule, again, kinda. I have been having a horrible time sleeping the last week. Since I was on vacation, staying up late, and used to getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night and sleeping in until about 8 AM or 9AM... So my body wants that back. I have been falling asleep the last week around 10:30 after laying in bed for a few hours. So I have been averaging about three hours of sleep a night and MAYBE getting a nap if I am lucky. As a matter of fact, last week I only got an hour of sleep one night. Team coffee to the rescue. Anyway, when you see us smiling on the morning show, just know that we are excited to be with you and encourage you to grab a pot of coffee and drink it too!

Quick check of the weather. Most of the rain showers this morning are light and will move off to the east. This afternoon we will start to see a little clearing and stay cool with a high in the mid-upper 70's. A little warmer tomorrow with plenty of sunshine, high 81. Near 90 for Thursday as rain moves in Thursday night into early Friday. This will cool us off into the lower 70's for highs for the weekend. The rain looks to be the first half of Friday and then we dry out for the weekend. Keep the garden hose handy the next few days and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Monday, August 13, 2012

Baseball, boating, & Germanfest... rain coming

Trying to soak up as much of my free weekends as possible. The weather was fantastic...although a little cool in the evenings. Friday Dawn and I went to Columbus to take care of some things and then met her aunt and uncle for dinner and a Columbus Clippers baseball game. It got pretty darn chilly by the end of the game, but a GREAT time and a great ballpark. Saturday we cleaned the house a little and then went with her cousins down to the Ohio River for dinner and a night on the boat playing cards and having a few good laughs. Sunday was too nice of a day to let it pass so we grabbed lunch and went to the Germanfest. The soft pretzels were AMAZING! We went home and Dawn wanted to take a nap so I rode my moped around and needed a new headlight bulb. One of my friends was just getting off work at the auto parts store so I rode around town with him on his way home. Another great weekend.

Get ready for more rain. Today we will see scattered showers and storms push in later. We will warm into the lower 80's today with most of the rain holding off until later today into the overnight hours. Rain leaves early tomorrow followed by mild temps through the middle of the week...79 tomorrow, 81 Wednesday and then 84 Thursday. More rain late Thursday night into early Friday. Friday looks very similar to what we saw last Friday. Rain will come in early and then we dry out later Friday with cool weather for the weekend. Next weekend our high temperatures look even cooler, lower 70's for the highs. All-in-all, a great break from the heat and a couple of rounds of rain. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Friday, August 10, 2012

Rain leaving. Recap

Other than seeing a hit or miss light shower later today, we are done with all the heavy rain and thunderstorms. About half of the Miami Valley saw at least an inch of rain with some places like Mercer County picking up over two inches of rain. Again, we could see an isolated shower or two through the day today as the upper level low pressure system slowly moves to the east, but it should only be light rain. We will be cooler today with only a high 73 then 76 Saturday and 79 Sunday. The weekend will be a mix of sun and clouds, but rain clearing out until early next week. The chance for rain Monday and Tuesday is not as good as what we have just seen, but temperatures will be a little warmer... good news for the kids wanting to swim a little before heading back to school. Low 80's for Monday and Tuesday then back into the mid-upper 80's for the end of next week. Stay dry today and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Decisions, Olympics, Storms = hour of sleep

I got to be honest, I only got about an hour of sleep last night. I did get a healthy four hour nap early yesterday, but last night was not a great night for sleeping for me. I have been doing a lot of hard thinking and on top of that I was watching the Olympics. I did some serious thought about selling my mopeds. I know, I know... they are my hobby and such a huge part of my free time. I would need to invent a hobby as enjoyable as mopeds, but I can't. I have some things coming up soon and if I didn't have the mopeds it would be a little easier. I also was up keeping one eye on the Olympics until my wife yelled at me for being awake and addicted to watching the games. I finally fell asleep a little after 11PM and then was woken up to thunder just shortly after midnight. After checking the radar and seeing the storms strengthening, I got dressed and came into work to take the baton from Chris Mulcahy so he could get some rest. He moved into a new apartment earlier so he was super tired. While we tracked the storms, my phone went off with the alarm to wake up and get ready for work... already there.

The storms overnight did have strong winds and hail with them and more storms like that will be expected for today. I am having a hard time agreeing with Futurecast today. It brings showers and storms through this morning and I agree with that, but not in the afternoon. It turns off the rain maker and dries us out for the afternoon. I do not agree with that and neither do the other forecast models or the Storm Prediction Center with the National Weather Service. The cold front has pushed to the south, but it will lift back north today with warmer air and that will trigger afternoon showers and storms, especially for the Northern half of Ohio. There is a slight chance for storms with tornadoes across the north... the SPC has a 2% chance for a tornado within a 25 mile radius for anywhere north of I-70 for Ohio. All of the Ohio Valley has a chance to see storms with strong damaging winds and hail. The best timing for these storms will be the afternoon into the evening hours, so make sure to stay alert for any warnings issued. There is one HUGE way this could change. The morning showers and storms will pull energy out of the atmosphere and the cloud cover will keep us from warming up very fast. This will limit our chance for severe weather. Overnight I expect more storms with heavy rain at times. The forecast models are showing close to an inch of rain if not a little more in localized locations so we could put a pretty big dent in our rainfall deficit for the year with is near eight inches below normal. Showers and storms early tomorrow then slowly clearing up through the day. Still could see a lingering shower heading into Saturday but the chances for that are slim. Highs will go from 86 today to 73 tomorrow then upper 70's for the weekend. Low 80's for highs next week with another chance for rain Tuesday. Stay alert for severe weather later and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Hair cut and storms coming

I have never done a before and after of getting my haircut and since my hair is the longest it has been in five years I thought I better get a photo before I get it hacked off. I let it grow out over vacation and when I got back it was clear that I needed it chopped because it was so hard to make it "look good" for television. Additionally my barber, Baron, had been harping me to get in and get it cut...since I had caught my tweet about noticing my gray hair more with it longer.

Yesterday was great. I mowed the grass and wish I had an excuse to need to be outside all day, but I dealt with a lot of indoor issues yesterday after the grass.  I ran out of gas near the end and I threw in a little of my premix moped gasoline with Amsoil Saber in it and the mower never purred so well.  I only had a little so I rushed to get the high green spots and just said forget it to the low brown areas. Today is going to get hot with a high near 90 and a slight chance to see an isolated shower today ahead of the real moisture moving in tomorrow. Tomorrow we will likely see strong to severe storms later in the day. I will break down the timing and our threats in more detail in tomorrow's blog, but right now it is looking like damaging winds and hail. We could easily see at least an inch of rain between Thursday and Friday, then the rain pulls out of here in time for the weekend. The cold front will cool us off into the lower 80's tomorrow and then mid-upper 70's for Friday and the weekend. Temps climb back into the 80's next week with rain holding off until the middle of the week. So make sure to check back in tomorrow for an update on the severe weather rolling into the Ohio Valley. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Here is a weird one... cataracts reversed?!

I have tried doing Google searches and doing some internet researching, but no results. So here is the deal... Buckeye has had cataracts since near birth. It is likely due to being raised in a puppy mill and the breeding that comes along with that. He has never really had very good sight because of this and would bump into things and then occasionally catch something out of the very corner of his eye and jump back. Essentially he is nearly blind. Both of his eyes used to have the white cloud over the iris, but recently one of the cloudy parts turned black. You can see it in the picture. I snapped this photo before leaving for vacation. Even though he is nearly blind, he could tell that we were getting ready to leave and would not leave my side. Anyway you can see that the left eye has the white cloud and the right eye looks fine, or at least no longer cloudy. (He is looking off to the right of the image so look at the right side of the eye for the iris) The weirdest thing is that he is bumping into far less objects. I am not sure what happened exactly but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. He is as happy as ever and doing better than ever. Anyway... I thought I would throw this out there and see if anyone has heard of anything like this... comment away...

Yesterday was fantastic. Today will be much of the same with temps just slightly warmer. Mostly sunny and a high in the mid 80's today then upper 80's tomorrow as rain arrives. Scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder for late Wednesday through Friday. This will cool us off into the mid-low 80's Thursday and then upper 70's for Friday and the weekend. The weather for the weekend looks fantastic. Upper 70's and a mix of sun and clouds. We start to warm up for early next week with a few more clouds. Enjoy today and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Monday, August 6, 2012

I'm Baahhaack...with cooler weather

Batteries recharged and back to business. Checking back in for the first time in about ten days and boy did I need that time to relax and rest. I will do a little recap for my vacation/anniversary trip before getting to the GREAT weather on the way.
Dawn found this great place just north of Daytona, Florida in Ormond-By-The-Sea. It was a condo that a lady rented out and it was at a very reasonable price considering we have essentially a full home with washer/dryer and a full kitchen. Our view from the balcony overlooked A1A to the red sands for which Daytona is known. We watched the sunrise the first morning then took advantage of no alarms for the rest of the trip.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was going on an airboat ride. No better place to do that than Mullet Lake Park, haha. We saw ten alligators, four bald eagles, and many other creatures you just can't see in the wild without the help of an airboat. Tons of fun and our tour guide, Captain Joshua, was fantastic and even went a little longer than the 90 minutes we signed up for. We also did get to see a couple dolphins back at the ocean and it was a very fun trip to just relax and recharge. We did go down to the Daytona boardwalk, rode the ferris wheel, I ran down an umbrella half a mile that some lady with a baby lost due to strong winds on the beach, and I even got a little sunburned.
As I mentioned, we went down to relax, but also to celebrate our first year anniversary. We waited until we came back to eat the top of the wedding cake and celebrate with her parents. Surprisingly the cake was not THAT bad for being frozen a year. I had a few bites, but stopped myself before eating too much just in case something went bad over the year.
We were greeted back to Ohio with welcome arms and a traffic jam trying to get back to Dayton yesterday. It took a little over an hour and a half to move 9 miles. We watched the fuel gauge very closely because we were planning on getting gas just shortly pass the accident. We luckily made it through and were about to run on fumes as we pulled into the gas station. But we made it home safe and sound...to find one of the tires on my truck flat... so I am currently on less than two hours of sleep...WELCOME BACK TO THE MORNING SHOW SHIFT!!!

I wish I could say I went somewhere with cooler temps and I brought them with me, but the weather for Florida was just like Ohio... 90's, hot and humid. Temps this morning are in the lower 60's and the humidity continues to fall. Plenty of sunshine with highs in the mid-low 80's the next few days for the Ohio Valley followed by wetter weather for the mid-late workweek. Our highs behind the cold front later this week will drop into the upper 70's. I am looking forward to another cool-down coming, but we will have to see how long it will last...after all, we are in the middle of the dog days of summer. Happy to be back! Enjoy the cooler temps and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

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