I'm from Houston, TX, and I've always been fascinated with the weather, especially hurricanes.. We actually took our family vacation to Disneyworld during Elena's erratic trek over the Gulf.. I was only 7 years old at the time, and we were driving back to Houston as Elena was parked off the FL coast.. I can remember our stationwagon being pushed by the driving wind and rain on the highway; We tried to book at a Best Western, but they didn't take us... don't know if they were booked, or were themselves evacuating.. anyway, we made it safely back to Houston. I hope you guys in FL made it through Ivan ok.. Be on the lookout for Jeanne coming your way..
take care,
Frank