Something to Watch - Invest 96L

Invest 96L Projection
August 27, 2026, 0000Z

 It has been a yawner of an Atlantic Hurricane Season, so far. 

I like it like that. 

My new impact windows are installed and ready to protect the condo, but I would rather not have to see them in action. Seeing the recent destruction in Hawaii reinforces my desire not to have a hurricane make landfall, anywhere!

But then there is the as yet unnamed collection of clouds and rain designated Invest 96L. The tracks seem to be aimed at South Florida, although well over a week away. 

This morning's analysis from the National Hurricane Center suggests the storm will form, but be short lived.

1. Eastern Tropical Atlantic (AL96):
Satellite imagery indicate that showers and thunderstorms associated 
with an area of low pressure, located several hundred miles 
west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, have become better 
organized tonight. If the current trends continue, advisories could 
be initiated on a short-lived tropical depression or storm later 
today. However, environmental conditions are expected to become 
hostile beginning on Friday, likely ending its chances for 
development.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...70 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days...high...70 percent.

from National Hurricane Center

Time will tell. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Abbreviated Ride

 

North Fork Loxahatchee River
Tequesta, FL
August 25, 2026

I made it out during the late-morning for a ride yesterday. Heading out at 10:30 AM was an experience. The temperature was already 87 degrees under a bright, scalding sun. 

As I headed out I thought to myself, this is why I don't ride in the late-morning. But, I really wanted to get a ride in, right up until I crossed the Loxahatchee River and saw the storm clouds! 

They were dark and foreboding storm clouds hanging right over the area I was biking into. As I continued on, even though, I was not yet under the clouds, it began lightly raining on me. It was then that I changed my course and headed home to beat the rain. 

Returning home after the short 5.2 mile ride, Chris and I pulled out the autumn decorations and began transitioning the house for the season. 

Autumn Decorations
Tequesta, FL
August 26, 2026

Today's big event is the window inspection to close out the permit from the Village. So no biking today as they were not nice enough to provide an expected time for the invasion. Yes, the new windows are finally going to be approved. We contracted for them on February 6th, they were installed on June 24th, and now on August 25th the final acceptance will occur--well except for two panes which need to be replaced because they do not have the colonial grids installed. I am told they are coming. Soon! Like maybe Christmas?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Rare Autos

 

1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Cabriolet
Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
August 22, 2026

Many of the vehicles at the Elliott Museum are limited or rare. For instance, there is a 1954 Corvette (3640 produced) and a 1955 Thunderbird (16,155). And these are very fine vehicles to look at and enjoy. 

But, among the rarest in the museum is a 1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Cabriolet. The production consisted of 25 cars with only 5 being the Cabriolet version.

1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Cabriolet, body by Vignale, Turin, Italy. Currently running a 1958 Chrysler 392 cubic inch “Hemi” V-8 with a PowerFlite two-speed automatic transmission. Chassis made in West Palm Beach, FL. This car was on display at the 1953 Geneva Auto Show and the 1953 New York Auto Show. Recent cosmetic restoration. (Elliott Museum)

I have enjoyed looking at this car during every visit to the museum as it is in the gallery, unlike the vehicles in the car racking system which must be requested for viewing. 

1914 Packard 7-Passenger Phaeton
Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
August 22, 2026

The Cunningham C-3 Continental Cabriolet is valued at over $1 million based upon the most recent sale of one during 2022. This car, while expensive is not the rarest vehicle on display inn the museum. There is a one of a kind auto, but of known vehicles that are a lot of fun to look at, the 1914 Packard 7-Passenger Phaeton previously owned by Ralph Evinrude, the 1914 Packard Touring Car (only three exist in the world), and the 1954 EMW 327/3 coupe (one of only 152 produced and believed to be the only one in the US) are head turners. I continue to be amazed at the size of the older vehicles and how under powered they were. The Phaeton, for example, has a 415 cid engine with a whopping 60 horsepower.

 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - August 24, 2026

 1. Today is the fourth Monday of August. The days are getting appreciably shorter as Autumn nears. Next Monday will be the last Monday of of the month and it is also the final day of August. There are only 18 Mondays remaining in the year. 

Storm Tracker
August 23, 2026

2. We received some rain yesterday, finally! It rained for well over an hour and we had a lot of lightening. I knew the storm was going to last a while because it seemed everywhere when I checked the weather radar. We are located at the blue dot.

Elliott Museum
Stuart, FL
August 22, 2026

3. We had some fun with Chris at the Elliott Museum on Saturday. While touring the Ashley Gang exhibit and I had her pose for a Wanted Poster shot. I think she did a good job looking like a wanted criminal! I thought the statement at the bottom of the Wanted Poster was especially funny.

4. I am hopeful of getting out on a ride today. I am itching to try out my new biking shoes. It has been almost a week since my last ride. I am really slacking off. 

5. There was an Indy Car Race on the National Mall in D.C. yesterday. Nicole and Mike were on a flight that was rerouted because of the race and added about 30 extra minutes in the air. One writer described the spectacle as follows: 

The race itself became a metaphor for the administration that created it. The course was so rough that crews worked overnight trying to grind down the bumps, and it still wasn’t enough. Cars slammed into concrete barriers throughout the afternoon, five drivers failed to finish the race entirely, and only 13 of the 25 starters were still on the lead lap when it was over, with one crash ending with what commentators called a “thunderous impact into the concrete barrier.” After weeks of disruption leading up to the race, Washington faces weeks more as crews remove 1,800 cement barriers, welded-down manhole covers, and grandstands from the city. And most of the people who attended weren’t even from Washington. Organizers said 60% of the tickets went to people from out of town. The residents whose streets were closed, landmarks blocked, and flights paused were basically an afterthought in their own city. (Hope for America)

Me, Chris, Nicole, Mike
Jupiter Island, FL
August 22, 2026

6. We enjoyed our time with Nicole and Mike over the weekend. Mike took a great selfie of us on the boat before getting off and heading to the beach.

7. Today in History. After centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands. The cities, buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, were never rebuilt and largely forgotten in the course of history. In the 18th century, Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered and excavated, providing an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in sudden death.

The eruption is traditionally dated to A.D. August 24, 79, but archaeological discoveries have led some researchers to argue the disaster might have occurred in the autumn, possibly in October 79.

Mediator Pakistan to hold talks in Iran on US 'economic D-Day' - Reuters

Father of sailor aboard USS Abraham Lincoln taken into US immigration detention - Reuters

Ukraine wants peace but won't give in, Zelenskiy says on Independence Day - Reuters

US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war-related force constraints - Reuters

Human-caused wildfire near Reno, Nevada, prompts state of emergency as 90,000 urged to flee - CNN

Bessent to unveil 'economic D-Day' sanctions, says Iran war entering 'endgame'  - CNN

Iran Cracks Down on One Luxury Left to Its Youth: Coffee Shops - The New York Times

Farmers Struggle to Get Basic Services From Depleted Agriculture Dept. - The New York Times

Why Trump’s pitiful new health care ‘plan’ is even worse than it appears - MSNow

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Enjoying the Exhibits

Chris on the Floor or Wall?
3D Doubt your Eyes Art Exhibit 
Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
August 22, 2026

 We returned to the Elliott Museum in Stuart yesterday to enjoy the exhibits without having to fight the snowbird crowds for parking. The area around the museum is prime beach real estate and the weekend crowds can really use up all of the parking. 

The museum always has some interesting exhibits and yesterday was no exception. We thoroughly enjoyed the Society of Animal Artists exhibit that was positioned around the nearly the entire first floor of the museum. There are very creative artists using multiple mediums to express what they observed in nature. 

Car Display Floor
Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
August 22, 2026

The 3-D Doubt Your Eyes exhibit is fun. Getting into the scenes is creative play and getting just the right image of the scene can be challenging.

And of course the crown jewel of the museum is the Wheels of Change automobile exhibit, which is permanent. The main floor where is it easy to get close to the classic cars as well as the carefully curated three-floor display of autos and trucks with the specially designed retrieval system to place the vehicles on a rotating display pad. I always love watching the system retrieve the vehicle we desire. Yesterday we requested a milk truck from about 1931. 

The description of the car racking system is interesting in itself:

ABOUT OUR CAR RACKING SYSTEM
It’s not just for storage — it’s a moving piece of engineering art.
Our one-of-a-kind, three-story, climate-controlled, robotic car storage and retrieval system showcases over 50 extraordinary classic and antique cars in a way that’s as innovative as the vehicles themselves. With the push of a button, the system springs into action, retrieving a gleaming automobile and rotating it into view — an experience that turns history into theater. (Elliott Museum)

And there is so much more to see in the museum, including a classic baseball card collection and a section devoted to the Ashley Gang, a rum running/bank robbing family. And no, they are not related to the Doan Gang. 

I highly recommend visiting the museum and also eating at the restaurant right on the museum grounds. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Motoring to Beat the Storm

Nicole and Chris in the Bow
ICW near Hobe Sound, FL
August 21, 2026

 We had a marvelous day boating the ICW. For most of the day, the weather was perfect.

We headed out of Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno and headed to my favorite beach. After securing the boat along the shores of Peck Lake, we traversed the short path to the Atlantic Ocean to enjoy the sun and sand. The ocean was nearly flat with gentle rolling waves and it was as clear as I have seen in a very long time.  

Mike and Chris on the Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
August 21, 2026

We enjoyed our time on the beach even though I had forgotten to pack the umbrellas. Fortunately, the clouds passed in front of the sun providing the shade that I forgot to bring.

After enjoying the crystal clear water and watching the fish and shorebirds, it was time to load the boat and head off to lunch. The Stuart City Docks are closed for renovation which meant that I needed to find a new spot to enjoy lunch. I had researched Dock and Dine locations in Jensen Beach and chose Conchy Joe's. 

It was easy to boat there as the ICW channel is generally straight. There were many sandbars along the way that required me to pay attention to the GPS chart and not stray too far from the channel. We had a bit of trouble finding the huge pier. It was almost funny, but the pier comes straight out into the water and after clearing the Jensen Beach bridge we were looking straight at the pier and could not make it out along the shoreline. We did finally see it as we neared the shore where I thought the restaurant was located. After some fun securing the boat, we enjoyed a great lunch with some equally great music provided by David Goodman. 

Racing the Storm, the View from the Boat
Port Salerno, FL
August 21, 2026

Coming out of the restaurant we noticed storms building to the east. I checked the weather map and determined that it was clear to the south, where the marina was located. We wound up racing the storm back to the marina to turn-in the boat. Had we tarried at the restaurant, we would have had to ride out the storm there. But, we were successful in getting away from the storm with only a few drops of rain and no wind so the roughly 30-minute trip to the marina was a fast, smooth ride.

I was surprised at how close the storm was as we navigated from the ICW and into Manatee Pocket and the marina. Although we were bathed in sunlight with broken clouds, the storm was definitely approaching. We made it to the marina without incident and were loaded into the car and headed home well before the storm arrived at Port Salerno.

Arriving home, we completed a successful and enjoyable day on the ICW. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

ICW - IntraCoastal Waterway

Late-Summer Weekend

 Sadly, Summer is winding down. Labor Day weekend is two weekends away and that is the unofficial end to Summer's run.

It is sad that the summer is ending so soon. I feel as though it only began a few short weeks ago. But, the end of the year holiday decorations are showing up on the retail shelves. The Sahara dust has finally departed the skies over South Florida, that brought really hot afternoon temperatures and thunderstorms across the region yesterday. 

Well, we are planning to enjoy this late-Summer weekend. We are beginning the day, if it goes as planned, on the water in a boat. I have found a new place to "dock and dine" for lunch since the Stuart City Dock is closed for renovation. The plan is to head north on the ICW to Jensen Beach after some nice beach time along the Atlantic Ocean. Nicole and Mike are visiting, after dropping Jax off in Tampa yesterday to begin classes at the University of South Florida, and it should be a very enjoyable day. 

Chris and I are definitely ready for the weekend which begins today!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Christmas Comes Early

 

Rocky's ACE Hardware
Tequesta, FL
August 18, 2026

It is mid-August and the ACE Hardware put out their Christmas display the other day. I was a shocked!

I actually found the display funny as I looked at it and noticed the Christmas trees were surrounding the frozen bait cooler. It seemed perfect. Frozen bait and Christmas. I guess they go together. 

It seems that the holiday seasons are blending. As Halloween arrives on the store shelves, so does Christmas. 

And the prices! Chris and I went to Michael's yesterday for some frames and browsed through the Halloween decorations. WOW! Prices are astronomical. I can definitely see the impact of the tariffs. Who is going to pay $49.99 for a decorative pumpkin? It seems that $49.99 is the new $10. I saw even larger pumpkins marked $99.99.

It is going to be an expensive and very long holiday season. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Equipment Failure!

Well Used Biking Shoe
Tequesta, FL
August 19, 2026

 My bike shoes expired yesterday. 

It was not a pretty sight and, worse, it meant that I could not ride. I was not a happy camper. 

After doing some quick research, I was at the local bike store 15 minutes after it opened. I went home with a nice new pair of shoes. And I bought new cleats as well since the old ones were well worn. It took me about 30 minutes to install the cleats and then the new shoes ready for their first ride which was a only quick one around the community just to make sure that the shoes clip-in easily to the pedals and also, more importantly, release when required. 

Looking through the logs, I determined that the old shoes had about 6000 miles on them and one round of golf! Yea, I accidentally grabbed my biking shoes instead of my golf shoes once. That was an interesting round of golf! In retrospect, the golf round may be the reason that the right shoe failed since I'm left-handed and rotate on my right leg when swinging a golf club. 

Now I'm ready for the inaugural ride with my new shoes! But, that will have to wait for a few days since mornings are going to be busy for the rest of the week. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Flat-Water Dust Day

 

Flat-Water Loxahatchee River
Tequesta, FL
August 17, 2026

Yesterday was another flat-water day in Jupiter. As I biked across the North Fork Loxahatchee River, I saw beautiful flat water perfectly ready for boating, yet with the heat index headed over 110 degrees, it is too hot to even think about being on a boat. 

OK, not!

Sahara Dust Map
August 18, 2026

The Sahara Dust continues to keep our area too dry and too hot!

I managed an 18-mile bike ride yesterday by getting out before the heat gets too oppressive. The only problem is the Middle Schoolers gawking at me as I pass them. I'm not sure if they wish they were riding with me of just think that I am crazy for being out on a bike in the heat. 

I wish I was out on a boat. I bet watching the world wake from a small boat on the ocean is just great. I have watched sunrise from a cruise ship and that is great as well. 

And the day begins. It could be a record setting day temperature wise. We missed tying the record by one degree yesterday. 

It is primary election day in Florida today. Chris and I voted during the early voting and so we can relax, try to stay cool and watch the votes get tabulated tonight.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL