Once again my wife, my dog and I will be forced to flee before a hurricane, and this time it looks as though it is going to ravage a good majority of the state. I would like to wish to every Florida resident who reads this post, a safe and trouble free weekend. Even though it seems to be losing steam, Frances may yet cause great damage. Be careful out there.
I just spent the last 2 1/2 days boarding up two houses… it wasn’t until tonight I learned the hurricane seems to be stalling out and loosing force.
I’m not taking any chances, the boards are staying up. Well, maybe I’ll just remove the one on the bathroom window.
Gosh! 
I wonder what hurricanes do to reeds.
Joseph E. I think it is your duty to reprt to us all your findings.
…To the best of this reporter’s estimates, hurricane force winds have (what is commonly known as) a ‘shredding’ effect on the Uilleann Bagpipe reed. Sources say this can vary from reeds constructed of soft cane to reeds constructed of harder material, the harder material demonstrating a more fractured response to excessive wind stimuli, and the softer cane simply vaporizing into a straw coloured mist.
Ima Mohran, Central Florida’s oldest Uilleann Piping resident, has endured dozens of hurricanes in her long, but risk-filled life. When we asked her what she thought of reed durability during a hurricane, her response was:
“…if you ask me, y’all, I reckon I’d rather shelter in a shack made of hard cane reeds than soft ones. It’s a matter of taste I suppose, sorta like which kind of butt wipe y’all perfer, or do people fed Gators taste better than dog fed Gators. I et a horse fed Gator once, and them’s gooood eeetin.”
When asked if she’d weather hurricane Frances out or evacuate she said :" 'Course I will, hon. I’ll sit it out just like all the others, but this year I got me some new Pakistani made chanter reeds that’s plastic! I’ll be high and dry for sure."
…On location in Polk County, Joseph E. Smith, reporting.
And what about the acoustic effects of playing outside during a hurricane?
I think the board members will want to know how the pipes sound is altered during such an event.
joseph E. again I think you should further the development of such knowledge and set up a practical experiment of piping whilst outside in such an event. I think it will be facinating to hear the feedback. 
Well, Ben, as you may know, hurricanes are a fickle sort and don’t seem to have the ability to make up theirs minds on anything for very long…hence, we may have to wait a bit for that data. Sources I have been in contact with on the subject seem to have gone eerily quiet. The effect hurricanes have on the reed, while playing in the storm’s midst, is truly a vacuum of a topic.
This reporter, in the endeavor to further scientific knowledge on the matter as well as to further absolute journalistic hearsay and mayhem, will be giving this the ‘old college try’. Stay posted for further details.
Back to you Ben,
…on location in Polk County Florida, Joseph E. Smith reporting.
Tony and Joseph and all in Florida, I hope for the best. Maybe this thing will lose momentum, my optimistic thoughts towards you guys.
Be safe.
It may lose some steam, but I’m thinking that sustained winds of 75-85 mph for a period of 12+ hours straight is gonna leave a mark. Thanks for the well wishes Paul. We are going to Tampa to dodge some of the heavier weather…and with any luck, hope to add to this and other threads by Tuesday evening…Good luck, Tony, John Maze, Stacia Lewis, Kathleen Cavanagh, John Maio and everyone else. See you on the other side of this.
HURRICANE TIONAL. Go for it guys and gals
Having read two Joseph Smith hurricane reports, me thinks you guys should move to marvy So California where all you have to worry about is the soon, but unpredicted, 10+R scale earth quake. But then, you could come to our So Cal Tionol 
Sorry Larry, I had to do it
But- be safe out there. I had an old test engineer tell me that physics and mother nature always comes out in the end.
whaddya kidding Fel? California’s got it all in biblical proportions…earthquakes, wildfires, floods, mudslides, pesitlence, democrats…
Jeff
that’s spelled KALIFORNIHA, you’re all gurly pipers 
Maybe there’s something about Joseph’s playing which conjures up and attracts Hurricanes?
I believe about half of all hurricanes in the last 40-50 years have hit Florida…what’s up with that? :roll:
-gary
Hurricane update… house, cars, radio tower intact.
No electricity. We’re working the DSL wireless network off a laptop connected to a 12 volt power inverter plugged into the cars cigarette lighter with 50’ cord into the house. It was easier to use the network than re-configure the laptop for dialup modem… go figure!
Cooking and hot water is available thanks to old fashioned gas appliances.
Anyone heard from Kynch…?
joe is that you on my roof, or the top half of my pine tree/
Just seen pictures of Hurricane on BBC News. Boy I’m glad I don’t have any gigs in Florida this week
Hope you chaps are all dug in , piping the hours away.
It’s been rainy and windy on and off all day today. I’m still without electricity, using 2 car inverters to run a laptop, TV and some lights.
I happen to live on the only 4 block grid without power.
Though the storm has passed, it was raining sideways earlier.
Yes, I’ve woken up to mornings like that …
djm
…(pokes his head ever so carefully into cyberspace)…Yeeeesh! I think I am going to leave the bags packed, Ivan has made reservations for the weekend…so it seems.
You alright Tony?
How about you John?
The wife, inlaws, dog and I managed to get a room at the Clarion in West Tampa over the weekend… where we weathered out the storm in relative dryness. By Monday morning Tampa was still being buffeteed by the winds from Frances so we decided to wait an extra day before taking the 86 mile trip home. Not a speck of damage…don’t ask me how. We called home from Tampa early Monday morning and got the answering machine, and were relieved that at least we had power…even if we hadn’t a roof or walls.
I did play my pipes on Sunday afternoon on the 3rd floor balcolny of our hotel…an exhilerating experience to say the least. Unfortunately no pictures of that (my wife wisely wanted no part of my stupidity), but I do have photos of my playing next to the taped up window of our room.
Ben, the cane reeds swelled fiercely and shut down in the sideways wind and rain…but the composite reeds played and played and played. When big pieces of the hotel’s roof started falling, I had to put a sudden end to my science experiment. All in all, if you can avoid the hellish winds, dodge fierce sheets of 60mph sideways rain containing sharp thingies like street signs and small automobiles (which really aren’t very sharp), an occasional flying pedestrian or animal, then I’d say piping in a hurricane could be just the ticket for the mentally challenged.
Be it ever so humble…