This morning I woke up to the patter of large hail against my window, the BANG of thunder produced by lightning strikes very close by, and then tornado sirens. I took the day off and was very happy to not have to drive to work in the storms that passed through. Friends of mine in the Claridge had a window blown out. I hope everyone is safe. Downtown is on a double power circuit and it must have switched over to the backup leg of that circuit about 9:30, when the power flickered for a moment in my apartment. I hope everyone out there is safe and sound.
This is the second day of storms. Yesterday’s storms were predicted to be out of here by noon, but they stuck around way longer than that. Getting cabin fever about 11:30, I made the run from my apartment to Bardog and figured I’d wait it out there, then have a short walk to Rajun Cajun. That short walk never happened. I was there for two hours, and it showed no sign of stopping. Friends of mine had gone to the Blind Bear, so I decided to tab out and make a run down there. I walked/jogged down the west side of the Main Street Mall, and right as I was crossing Gayoso about 20 feet from the Bear’s entrance…
BANG!!!!!!!
Lightning struck on the opposite side of Main Street. That’s about as close as I’ve ever come to getting hit. That’s it, I decided, I’m not going to Rajun Cajun until the rain has entirely moved out. Which it didn’t. No crawfish for me this year, and no photo album of Rajun Cajun which I expected to be posting today.
Back to this morning… I looked out the window after the rain cleared and saw a beautiful sight.
What’s so beautiful about this? Well, if you look carefully you’ll see a bunch of rubble and two yellow bulldozers to the left of the Doubletree Hotel. That’s where the Greyhound bus station used to be. So happy to have the bus station removed from Downtown Memphis.
A plane en route to Memphis departing from Newark Friday night had a close call with another plane that was landing. The landing plane was told to circle the airport but it did not and instead came on in. There was a space of about a half a mile between the two planes, when two miles between the planes was the standard. A friend of mine who was on the plane said that it took a dip and then they saw another plane flying over them. Glad he and his family are safe. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.
Keep an eye on this NBA investigation of racist comments made by L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, because it could have implications for Memphis. If the Grizzlies win their series vs. the OKC Thunder and the Clippers win out against Golden State, the Grizzlies and Clippers would meet next in the conference semifinals.
You may have seen smoke coming from the southeast if you were Downtown Saturday. An abandoned warehouse near Crump caught fire and four firefighters were injured, including one with a broken back. My thoughts and prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery go out to the firefighters.
In case you haven’t heard, two new ride-sharing services, Lyft and Uber, are coming to Memphis. The cab companies are likely not too happy about it, but I have heard good things about both and look forward to giving one a try the next time I’m in the mood for a field trip to Midtown.
My trip to Rajun Cajun didn’t happen, but my post-Rajun Cajun vacation day is happening today. Time to get a few errands done then hit Bardog and the Saucer and enjoy my day off.