2022-11-12 - 9:08 p.m.

DARN I was thinking it would be so great if could find cheap flight toflights FL to visit Family this AM.
I pulled up the flights and there were some $99 each way from Southwest Airlines.

But now at the end of the day some of them are not longer available. Of course! Folks are off work and they were booked...

I don't want to spend money until pay for the plumbing and essentials BUT at the same time, even if on borrowed money from family, I feel like NOW is the time none of us here are in full time jobs or school so it makes sense we could travel NOW to see family.
Now that the tax return came and I paid off the past debt and feel like catching up a bit...
I would be comfortable spending to travel IF it is feasible and affordable and I have enough income coming in to pay the essentials AND if I have a feeling I am about to get an offer
OR if it seems I am going to have enough ongoing consulting work.
So there are a couple things that have to happen before that is feasible.

But at $99 a tix it is just a bummer I was not able to just book flights this AM. $200 round trip each to FL!
Dang
Oh well...
I will catch up soon enough and get there soon enough I am sure.

I did just call and talked to my Dad and they are fortunate the only thing they have to clean up from Nicole is downed tree limbs. The nearby shore had serious damage to houses that were there. They are fortunate that their home is a good few blocks in an seems to always be spared even when houses a couple blocks away get hit hard. The hurricane hit shore and bounced right overhead passing over. VERY FORTUNATE for them!
I still can't believe my Dad told me years ago he does not carry home insurance.

He has owned that Fl home in a costal city on the news when hurricaines hit ( three times at least!)
I can go to twitter and check on his town
and he had had that house since the late 80s
and has not had homeowners insurance on it since he no longer had to hold it for a mortgage.

In other words- he owns the home outright. No insurance policy. No mortgage.
It is more cost effective for him to just save his money which he did and now in retirement pay for any repairs when they are needed
UNLESS his house were to sustain damage.

Its just in a good location- high enough and just far enough away from the shore that he has been very lucky.
Similarly when the Orlando town was hit hard in the last storm, my brothers home was build above grade whereas a bunch of surrounding were at grade. He said he couldn't believe anyone would build in the hurricaine zones without elevating adequately- but the difference in how homes fare after a storm like this hits is obvious. It is obvious the planning has everything to do with weather a home with withstand the water that gets dumped or not.
Zoning and buildings code requirements.

He was lamenting the lack of trees to absorb water in the new neighborhoods which were flooded much more than his older neighborhood which has lots of older trees that do absorb the water.

Again- the things some don't think about when planning, yet you would expect to be considered when building in a hurricane zone.

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