Six Years Ago...

Well it was six years from this weekend that my wife and I got married. If you had told me that six years later we would have lived in 3 states, had 2 children, and had a decent house I would have laughed in your face. I still drive the same pickup truck though! That will probably not change for another year or so!

When we got married we had an old couch from my grandmother (smelled like cat pee), a coffee table my mom bought at a yard sale, a used bedroom suite, a dining room table and chairs (2 broken) from my dad's bachelor days I think, an entertainment center from my sister (it stayed balanced with an old videotape behind it), and had it all squeezed into a small apartment in Bowling Green, KY. We also had a cat (which we lost last Spring) It wasn't pretty, but we were happy!

I was in my senior year at Western Kentucky University, worked for the FAA as a weather observer part-time, and weighed about 30 pounds less! I had short hair and my hairline was a little farther down my forehead.

A lot has changed over the years, but a lot has stayed the same. Jenn is still the love of my life. She still has a way to make me smile even when have a crummy day. She is still a strong Christian that prays for us. She is still as beautiful as the day I noticed her in Music Appreciation at Antioch High School. She still loves me when I'm annoying and she is still the one I want to kiss goodnight when I'm 80+ years old...

One thing she is today that she wasn't six years ago.... The best darn mother in the world!

With that said, I hope to post some pictures of the boys sometime in the next few days. My aunt wrote me an email saying she checks the blog everyday to see the boys and it has been awhile since she has seen them!... So I'll do better with that.... As always, feel free to drop me an email at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- She rarely reads the blog, but if by chance you are reading sweetie... I love yah!

It's Not A Heat Wave!

I hope that I haven't said "Heat Wave" over the past week or so, because it is not really a heat wave we have been experiencing. I am fairly confident that the term hasn't been uttered by my mouth.... A heat wave was described to me in college as 3 or more days of temperatures above the average of the "average (93)" and "record" for each day. Does that make any sense?

Let me explain with the actual data....Here are the temperatures and records from the past 7 days in Montgomery. The average high is 93:
July 21- High: 94, Record: 102
July 22- High: 92, Record: 100
July 23- High: 95, Record: 103
July 24- High: 96, Record: 105
July 25- High: 95, Record: 105
July 26- High: 96, Record: 100
July 27- High: 93, Record: 101

With these numbers, we would need 3 or more days at 97-99 in a row to have a "heat wave". While it may feel like a heat wave... It's really not that out of the ordinary for us here in Alabama. Each year, during this part of the summer, we loosely throw out the term "heat wave", when it is actually just Summer in South Alabama! Maybe we should say "Heat Ripple... but not wave"....Feel free to email your thoughts to rvaughan@wsfa.com In the meantime, checkout the Discovery Mission LIVE by clicking below!

LIVE NASA TELEVISON

Quick Update...

We've got a 7:30 meeting, so this I don't have much time to blog today. I will say that if you click on yesterday's link to the LIVE video stream to NASA TV, you can continue to watch the mission of STS-114 Discovery. I left it up on my computer desktop yesterday and listened to the shuttle crew talking to Mission Control in Houston. Technology is cool!

One other thing... did anyone else find the today's news disturbing? The story out of Elba and the Road Rage story in Montgomery both rattled my head today. Maybe it is good to hear these stories, so that we are AWARE that there is still a lot of evil out there. It just makes me shake my head....

As always, email your thoughts to rvaughan@wsfa.com

Absolutely Beautiful!

I hope you had the opportunity to log onto the blog this morning to see the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery or got the chance to see it on WSFA 12. It was an amazing site! This launch stood for so much and sent a signal to the world that the American missions within NASA will continue. I'm guessing that there our some crew members above from Space Shuttle Columbia that are getting a good view of the shuttle this morning and likely have a big smile on their face... Below are some pictures I snapped as I watched the live stream that I linked from the blog...

The last two pictures are from the on-board camera of Discovery. This made the coverage of the launch even more amazing! I actually had goosebumps when the large tank separated from the shuttle... Good stuff and well worth the wait! What are your thoughts on the launch? Drop me an email at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- The coverage continues on NASA TV by clicking below...

Let's Fly!... Please.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAMING NASA TV

Above is the link to watch NASA TV live. The picture is just an example of what you'll see, click the text for the real deal! Watch it throughout the morning from work! Take care and email me your thoughts about the launch at rvaughan@wsfa.com and I'll post them on the blog! God Speed! To see my thoughts on the launch, check the blog from a couple of weeks ago by clicking here.

Image above: Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi gives a thumbs-up after slipping into his flight suit this morning. Image credit: NASA/KSC

Good Monday!

This is likely a image that has been seen around the office today! It is days like this that I ask myself "Why do I live in Alabama?" This place gets so hot!!! I came from Nashville and we get our fair share of hot days, but the heat combined with the humidity here in Alabama is hideous! I guess when winter rolls around and my parents are complaining about driving in an ice storm, I can sit back and smile... knowing that wintry weather is rare here. By the way, our AC bit the bullet on the way to visit some friends in Auburn Saturday... Yippe! Take it easy out there today... Try to stay indoors! Now to the shuttle launch...

The space shuttle Discovery is set to launch tomorrow morning at 9:39 am central time. The STS-114 crew is back and geared up for the launch tomorrow. Check the homepage for the mission by clicking here. I'll be posting the LIVE link to the launch tomorrow!!! Stay tuned!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

HOT, HOT, HOT

We have a heat advisory for a large part of the WSFA viewing area on this Sunday. . .Take care and keep cool! I'm guessing we'll be talking about the heat tomorrow on Today In Alabama..

Bloopers For Your Friday!

If you have been in front of the camera for any length of time, chances are high that you have had a blooper or two...or three...or four! I have said some funny things before when I meant to say something else. Sometimes you don't even need to say anything to have a blooper. My funniest blooper happened when I worked in Kentucky. About 30 seconds before I went on-air I spilled Dr. Pepper down my face and all down the front of my white shirt. It was very noticeable! The worst thing that has happened to me at WSFA was when I ran out of breath from running up the stairs and back down during a commercial break (2:30) When it came time for me to tell you the weather, I could not find any air to make my words come out! It was very embarrassing... I think that it made it even worse that I freaked out!

The good news is... even the folks at the "national level" have their moments! Not only do they have mistakes... they admit it and post it on their website! Here's a link to some bloopers from The Weather Channel.... Click here. Click the pictures under the video player for more blooper clips! I hope you have a great Friday.... Stay cool this weekend!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- Look for some rare weekend updates this weekend... I might be discussing the shuttle launch, daylight saving time change, or the HEAT!

Settle Down Beavis!

Well it looks like some weather guys down in Miami let their temper get the best of them! Here's an email that was sent to the National Weather Service office:

WSVN Miami 7 News Meteorologist Tom Johnston was fired late yesterday following a physical fight with fellow weatherman Jonathan Novack in the weather office, according to some very close sources. Apparently the two went at it over vacation days and Tom grabbed Jonathan by the neck. Tom was fired, his bio removed from the website last night. Jonathan is the new weekend weathercaster. He was not seriously hurt.

Here's another account that was posted on a media website yesterday:

Miami insiders tell FTVLive about a fight that broke out in the weather department. Word is that Weekend Nighttime weather guy Tom Johnston was fired from WSVN yesterday after getting into a fight with the weekend morning weather guy, Jonathan Novak It happened on Saturday afternoon around 4 or 5pm... details are still sketchy as to what went down., but one source says that Johnston wiped the floor with Novak over what they hear could have been some sort of scheduling conflict. Others say Novak simply got tired of Johnston hassling him and treating him like a child and confronted him in the weather office. Sources say that fists started to fly sometime after 4pm on Sunday. One source says that Novak comes running into the newsroom screaming something like "Look what he did, he just attacked me"... or something like that. The Executive Producer intervenes and one of the producers starts taking pictures of Novak's ripped shirt with their cellphone. Johnston was booted and taken off the station's website and all promos with him in them have been pulled.

Wow! It's hard to imagine a fight breaking out in the newsroom of WSFA. Our boss is tough... she would likely give all involved a black eye! Hopefully Gerber remembers this story when he tries to make me work on my anniversary next week. I'd hate to hurt him! Ha!

On the surface, this story is funny.... BUT, we need to keep in mind that somebody is without a job this morning. It shows us that we all need to watch our temper. With that said, go run down the hallway at work and give everyone a high five!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- I have found some bloopers from The Weather Channel... I'll post the link tomorrow hopefully. Also, the shuttle may be launching on Tuesday! We'll be talking more about that in the next few days too!

Live Weather Reports...

I was watching some of the live reports this morning from South Texas and they really make me chuckle. There is nothing better than to see people standing out in the middle of a storm so that we can sit cozy in our homes and "feel" it as if we were there! The Weather Channel folks are the best! Click here for a report from Jim Cantore with Hurricane Emily this morning. Last week, The Weather Channel had an even better report with Hurricane Dennis! Click here...It's a hoot! Hopefully I can go report from the beach one day! LOL

When I lived in Arkansas I would do numerous live reports from snow and ice storms. Snowstorm reports can often be entertaining as well. There is nothing more entertaining than to see a grown man being clobbered with snow and ice! I wish we would get a little bit of snow here next winter... I miss it! Maybe I'll show some old snow liveshots on Today In Alabama this week to cool us off!

Anywho, be on the lookout for some flying reporters throughout the day as Hurricane Emily moves in on Northeast Mexico. By the way, Katie Couric called the South Texas/Mexico border "Texaco" this morning. At first I thought she did it on purpose, but then she corrected herself! I think I might start calling that area "Texaco" too! It makes sense! As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Man, It's HOT!

I must admit, it took me a second or two to "get" this cartoon! Pretty funny, huh? This morning we had a news story out of New York about workers that are not going to be working over the next few days because it was too humid! Let those folks come to Alabama one summer... they'll eventually quit crying up there! They may be hot and humid for a couple of days up there, but we will be hot and humid until September!

The weather will get rather boring over the next few weeks. Hot & Humid... A Few PM Storms. The only thing that really keeps us on our toes this time of the year is the tropics. Hopefully we do not see anymore hurricanes! Take it easy and check on the elderly! Here are some jokes to get you through the heat today...

It's SO HOT.....
-the birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.

-the potatoes cook underground, and all you have to do to have lunch is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.

-farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs.

-the cows are giving evaporated milk.

-the trees are whistling for the dogs. (think that one over!)

-you eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.

-you can make instant sun tea.

-you learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.

-the temperature drops below 90, you feel a bit chilly.

-you would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face.

-you can attend any function wearing shorts and a tank top.

-you discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.

-you discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.

-you notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.

-hot water now comes out of both taps.

-it's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.

-you actually burn your hand opening the car door.

-you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.

-no one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.

-your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"

-you realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

Movie Review!

Well when you have kids, it takes 3 hours to watch an 1 1/2 hour movie! We had our oldest son watching his movie (The Incredibles) in the other room while we watched "Be Cool". Parents out there know that kids can't sit still, so he was constantly running into the living room. Every time he came in... we paused the movie. Three hours later we finished. My wife and I loved the movie! I came into work talking about it this morning, and Tonya says she didn't like the movie... I guess you'll have to rent it and see for yourself!

I saw another good movie this weekend too. National Treasure with Nicholas Cage was also a good one... Lots of action and a bunch of twists and turns. We never go to the movie theater now that we have kids, so we are always late to see the "latest movies". By the time we see them, they have already won awards.

This post is dedicated to all our friends that will be having kids for the first time in the next year. Your life will change and it will take longer to do many of the things you take for granted, but it is SO WORTH IT! Congrats to all of you future parents! You will soon know how awesome it is to be a mom or dad....

For those that are already parents... take 12 hours out of your day and rent "Be Cool" and "National Treasure". They get the "Vaughan" thumbs up!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- did anyone notice who stars in the movie pictured above! Actually, John Travolta is in the movie, and yes there is a dancing scene...

WSFA 12 On Tour!

Unfortunately I had to miss out on the WSFA 12 on Tour In Wetumpka. In the wake of the monster storm that hit Wetumpka yesterday we felt it was best that I stay back and watch radar for other storms today. It looked like Tonya and Judd had a great time though! The closest I got to Wetumpka was via the LIVE picture behind me on the weather graphics.

Did you see the shirtless Judd Davis this morning? What's up with the anchors here showing off their muscles lately? Two weeks ago we had John Heckman with swim safety tips out at YMCA and this morning Judd is kayaking the Coosa shirtless! I almost spit my coffee out when I looked up at the screen! I guess I will keep my shirt on so that I do not embarrass John and Judd!

It's Friday, and that means that I finally get a day off! Because of Dennis, I am on my 12th day of work. One of those days I was here for 17 hours! Needless to say, I am ready to hit the door! I hope you have a great weekend... As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Great Dennis Pictures!

It's not even 8:00 and we've already had some hefty storms move across the area. I'm sure many of you in the Tri-County area got an early wake up call from mother nature! Speaking of mother nature, I got some cool pictures given to me from Officer Fuller from the Prattville Police Department. She took some awesome looking pictures when Hurricane Dennis was moving inland... Here's one of them...

I also got another picture from the day that Dennis was coming into the state. As you know the men and women that "protect and serve" have to be ready for the heavy rain. For most, that means to bring your big yellow slicker and maybe some boots.... One officer took it to the next level! Water Wings!!! It's nice to see the lighter side of the storm!

In other news... the shuttle didn't launch which put a damper on my day! Hopefully we'll hear today when they plan to launch. When they do, I will post the live video link again. As always, feel free to email me rvaughan@wsfa.com

BREAKING NEWS...

SHUTTLE LAUNCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR TODAY.... bummer!

It's Time To Fly Baby!

Maybe I am just a science geek, but this picture is gorgeous! It's amazing how cool million of pounds of metal can look in the right setting. Click this picture to make it larger and get ready to have your breath taken away! It's an amazing day today for NASA. I'm sure they are excited, happy, sad, and nervous all wrapped together. If you are at work and you are not going to be able to watch our Special Coverage on WSFA, then I have the "hookup" for you! Below is a live streaming video link to the shuttle! You can take a look now at some of the live video and/or tune back in at 2:40'ish to see the launch. The official launch is at 2:51 central time.
LIVE NASA TV
Have a great day! I have some cool pictures from Hurricane Dennis hopefully ready to post on the blog tomorrow... Stay tuned. As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Countdown Has Begun...

It's been over two years now since NASA had a shuttle in the air and we all remember what happened. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My wife, father, sister, my oldest son, and I watched in my living room as the tragedy unfolded. It was so sad and so unbelievable all at once. Tomorrow, NASA hopes to turn things around with the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114. The mission has been titled "Return To Flight". Hopefully the entire mission is a complete success. For more about the launch and mission click here.

In other news, I'm still trying to get back on my toes from Dennis. I feel like I have been a stumbling idiot for the past two days! Hopefully I go back to being a normal self tomorrow..... which some may argue is very similar to a stumbling idiot!

We're watching Emily out there and I honestly feel that there is no way that she could be coming this direction. There is no way that we are THAT unlucky! We'll be tracking Emily all week though! As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- Did you caught in the traffic on I-65? Here's a picture I took on my way home yesterday (click to enlarge)... Looks like folks were eager to get home to see if their home was damaged. I don't blame them...

The Day After...

This is at landfall... Rich with Super Doppler and a live picture from Pensacola.

Well that wasn't so bad was it? After Ivan, I think anything that comes our way will not be so bad. We had several trees down and thousands without power, but we still got away much better than we did with Ivan. I was one of the unfortunate ones to lose my power, but it just came back on according to my wife.

Now the bad news... my wife's parents live in Fort Walton Beach and likely took some damage. They are out of town on a previously planned trip, so we will possibly be heading down to throw some tarps on the roof and check on the windows. I just pray they didn't get hit too bad... Ivan wasn't nice to Fort Walton Beach just 10 months ago!

A lot of folks were upset that we squeezed NASCAR down to a little box to bring you the latest information about the hurricane (click to enlarge photo). We could have completely covered it up and to be quite honest... that is what I would have done, but I'm not the boss. We had A LOT of people in the area that evacuated here and wanted the latest information AND we had trees and powerlines coming down everywhere. Saving lives comes before NASCAR...sorry. In this busines, it's hard to make everyone happy... By the way, I am also a NASCAR fan. Here's a nice email from a viewer:

Ryan,
I'm a huge NASCAR fan, and by the comments of Mark Wilder, you guys are getting some grief about not airing the race.From this "big race fan", THANK YOU for airing the weather coverage, this is much more important!!!!
Thanks again for your hard work in helping us keep safe.

Thanks,
James

I hope everyone got through the storm with minimal damage. As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Likely The Last Post....

Chances are that I will not have time to update the blog during Hurricane Dennis. For the latest information, checkout the home page at www.wsfa.com Everyone stay safe... I pray that it will not be too bad, but right now it is looking worse than Ivan for us. Feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com I'll try to respond, but it may be after the storm has passed.

Southbound I-65 Closed

The changeover has occurred now. Look for traffic delays on I-65, Hwy 231, and Hwy 331. If you are wanting to go out and grab some fast food... you better hurry! McDonald's will be packed soon with so many people migrating north!

Dennis weakened overnight, but is already starting to kick back up. I'm still expected a big impact here with winds close to 70 mph in Montgomery and much higher in our SW counties.

Hurricane Watches Out!

We now have Hurricane Watches along our beaches. I-65 is likely to be changed to all northbound lanes tomorrow morning from Mobile to Montgomery. Here's the latest statement from the National Weather Service regarding Hurricane Dennis:

HURRICANE DENNIS IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE CENTRAL GULF COAST SUNDAY NIGHT. DENNIS WILL LIKELY TRACK ACROSS WESTERN ALABAMA OVERNIGHT SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF RAIN AND HIGH WINDS. A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA SUNDAY NIGHTAND MONDAY. WITH THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO BRING HIGH WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. WIND SPEEDS THIS HIGH WILL DOWN TREES AND CAUSE NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO LIKELY IN THE OUTER BANDS OF HURRICANE DENNIS. WITH THE CURRENT TRACK...DENNIS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. WITH ALREADY SATURATED GROUND INPLACE FROM CINDY...FLASH FLOODING AND RIVER FLOODING WILL BE LIKELY. RAIN BANDS FROM DENNIS WILL OVERSPREAD ALABAMA FROM THE SOUTH ONSUNDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA FOR THEDURATION OF DENNIS.CENTRAL ALABAMIANS ARE URGED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE LATEST HURRICANE FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VIA THE INTERNET...NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS. POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROMHURRICANE DENNIS WILL BE SIGNIFICANT ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA IF THECURRENT FORECAST TRACK VERIFIES. PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE UNDERWAY AND EMERGENCY PLANS SHOULD BE READY FOR ACTION. WITH THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK AND STRENGTH...DENNIS COULD PRODUCE CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA VERY SIMILAR TO HURRICANE IVAN. AS WITH ANY HURRICANE FORECAST TRACK...POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE FORECAST TRACK...TIMING...AND INTENSITY OF HURRICANE DENNIS CAN BE EXPECTED AS NEW DATA BECOMES AVAILABLE.

Quick Update...

REPORTS FROM THE CUBAN METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE AND CIVIL DEFENSETHROUGH HAM RADIO OPERATORS INDICATE A WIND GUST TO 149 MPH OCCURRED AT CIENFUEGOS CUBA AROUND 1:30 PM EDT. MORE THAN 85 PERCENTOF THE POWERLINES WERE DOWN AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED TOTHE COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE.

I Would Love To Be Wrong!

I would love to stand up in front of the camera Monday morning and say that I was wrong. I can not think of anything that would make me happier on Monday morning. Unfortunetly I will likely be in the middle of continuous coverage of Hurricane Dennis. When I type OR say "Dennis", the word "Ivan" almost comes out. While the two storms are very different meteorologically, the impact could be very similar on the state.

This is a serious storm. As I type... it is a Category 4 hurricane! It has already destroyed parts of the Caribbean (see photo) and has even proved to be deadly. Needless to say, WSFA will have all available resources ready to keep everyone informed and as safe as possible... just like we did with Ivan.

I am going to be really busy over the next few day, but feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. If you are unfamiliar with the geography of the Tropics, here's a little map for you. (click to enlarge)

Latest Information

I'll give you folks that read the blog a summary of where the the computer models take Dennis over the next few days. (click picture to enlarge). More or less, every model except for one takes it right to us Sunday night. I just heard via conference that the National Hurricane Center plans to shift the forecast track a little east to Pensacola, but the result would still be the same for us. We are tracking this storm closely and will continue to give you the latest information. As with Ivan, WSFA will be on-air for the duration of the storm if needed.

You shouldn't be in "freak out" mode yet. You should be thinking of what to do and what to get if this storm continues it's path, but don't get too crazy just yet. By tomorrow night and Saturday, we should have a good grasp of the situation. Stay tuned!

On a brighter note... Roy Jones Jr. will be on Today In Alabama tomorrow for you boxing fans out there! I can't wait to meet the guy. He's one heck of a fighter!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

A Little Storm Chasin'

Well I tried to do a little storm chasing with the tornados that swept through today. Somewhere beyond the horizon here, this storm was ripping some trees out of the ground. I never saw any tornados, but I did see some nasty looking clouds! This picture was taken on Hwy 31 in Autauga County looking toward County Road 13. As you may know by now, the National Weather Service confirmed an F1 tornado touched down. I was VERY close, but didn't ever see it...

Tomorrow morning I will be talking about Dennis.... As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Small Update...

Hey folks! Watching Cindy spin this way early this morning and Dennis is looking more and more dangerous for somebody in the Gulf of Mexico next week... the big question... who? The National Hurricane Center now has Dennis as a CAT 3 hurricane entering the Gulf! Ouch....

I hope to update the blog later this morning....

It's Gettin' Busy Out Yonder...

Oh boy! It looks like the tropics are really going to get going over the next few days! Tropical Storm Cindy will really just be "Rain With A Name" for us , but the next storm runs the risk of being a doozy! That would be Dennis! Dennis could be in the Gulf of Mexico by this time next week as a hurricane as indicated by some of the computer models. (click graphic to enlarge) Dennis really has my ears perked up... Stay tuned.

Anywho, I hope all of you had a great holiday. I had to work in the morning, but I got off work in time to have good afternoon and evening. I judged some homemade ice cream in the afternoon, which was great! After judging the ice cream, I cooked out with family and friends, and then enjoyed some fireworks in downtown Prattville. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night! A nap is on the schedule for this afternoon!

I better get some good rest this week just in case "Dennis" heads our way next week! We'll keep you informed. As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you have great things planned for this day of food, family, friends, and fun. While many of us think of today as the day to fire up the grills and watch fireworks light up the sky, it IS the day we became independent! That's why it is called "Independence Day"... makes sense, huh?

Anywho, if you do not have plans today, here are some suggestions. Click any of the events for more information:

Prattville: Parade at 9:00 am Downtown to Stanley Jensen, then BBQ all day at Pratt Park with games, music, car show, and much more! Fireworks start at dark!

Wetumpka: Fun all day, fireworks at 9:00 pm at Gold Star Park

Lake Martin: Boat Parade at 10:00 am, concert at 6:00 pm, fireworks at 9:00 pm all at Kowaliga Marina.

Montgomery: All day events, baseball, and fireworks!

Have fun and be safe! Sorry the blog wasn't updated for the past few days... I was soaking up some rays on the beach! You know me!

As always, feel free to email me at rvaughan@wsfa.com

PS- I'll be posting pictures and/or video of the NASA "Deep Impact" mission later today or tomorrow!