METAMORPHOSIS: Building the Dome of a Home

frustrated with my family, I remember the laughter and joy I felt when the ABC producer made me
stop and realize how blessed I am.
MOST MIRACULOUS
The Miraculous Manifestation of Jim Cantore
Hurricane Week Ushers in Tropical Storm Arlene
When Mark and I began our optimistic planning strategy for building the Dome of a Home, I often
repeated this mantra: "Jim Cantore at our home. Jim Cantore at the Dome. Jim Cantore needs
to see this house." Because Jim is the mascot of the "tropical weather" that affects beach
residents so deeply, it seemed appropriate for him to see a home that was built in response to
severe weather.
I had a focused goal to manifest
the King of Tropical Weather in
the Dome of a Home.
The Weather Channel and Jim
Cantore have a massive
audience that grows even larger
as severe weather stalks its
imminent victims. When Jim
begins reporting on a tropical
system, residents pay attention
and heed the warnings to begin
preparations. An effective way of
disseminating information is to
reach the largest audience in the
shortest amount of time. If we
had the opportunity to share with
Jim Cantore the concepts of the
Dome of a Home and how they
address hurricanes and the harsh coastal environment, the information could be widely dispersed
quickly.
So, in my naive dream world, I knew without a doubt that I would give Jim Cantore a personal
tour of the Dome of a Home. I visualized Jim standing on our front deck so vividly that I just
assumed it was a reality --- I just didn't know when it would be.
Hurricane Ivan took aim at Pensacola Beach in September 2004. Mark and I were vacationing in
Montana and began to receive numerous phone calls from various media outlets. Good Morning
America, Discovery Channel – Canada, Canadian public radio, ABC news, NBC news, etc. all
wanted to know about the Dome of a Home's hurricane resistant structure and the impending
monster storm's possible effect on the home. They wanted to interview Mark in the home as the
storm approached. Well…. Mark was in Montana and the Discovery Channel wanted to film the
next morning in Pensacola Beach.
What could we do? Our primary goal in building the home was educational. How could we not
seize these opportunities? Obviously, we immediately bought a ticket for Mark to leave for
Pensacola. After numerous security searches (a last minute one way ticket), Mark boarded the
plane during its last call for passengers. He would be arriving in the wee hours of the morning
and have to immediately prepare for broadcast. And a storm was literally on the horizon.
Taking advantage of the extensive media coverage on Pensacola Beach, Mark, armed with
business cards and informational text about the Dome of a Home, contacted several media
personnel about touring the Dome. MSNBC went so far as to actually stay in the Dome with Mark
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