METAMORPHOSIS: Building the Dome of a Home

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usiness to be managed." Never have I felt the mystery more evident as I stood witness to, quite literally, a dream come true. After the tour, Jim and his crew asked if Mark would do an interview and would we mind if they did some of their broadcasts off the front deck. Would we mind??? Are you kidding??? Icing on the cake; not only did Jim allow me to show him the Dome, he was going to broadcast live from the Dome!!! I could watch him on my TV and see him on my deck simultaneously. Wow!!! I was beside myself. The magic just continued to blossom. Sunday, June 5, 2005 renewed me, reinvigorated our zest for the Dome (tired of hurricane repairs), and reassured me that all was going according to plan. Late Sunday night, we said goodbye to our new friends. I missed them already – even as we joked on the doorstep about their staying in the Dome of a Home during the next storm headed this direction. Little did we know how prophetic that scenario would be. Four days later, we received a phone call from Jim Cantore. Tropical Storm Arlene was headed to the Panhandle. Jim wanted to know if we would be willing to let him and his crew use the Dome of a Home as their base of operations. Hmmm…let me think about it– NOT! Estimated time of arrival: 7 hours. Okay, I needed to manifest some cleaning fairies, and fast. Lo, and behold, a cleaning crew shows up a few hours later for the regularly scheduled two week clean. I had completely forgotten it was cleaning day. I was very happy about that bit of luck! So, it was off to the grocery store to secure some grub…and all those hurricane preparation necessities. Overwhelmed by the events of the last week, I became emotional as I pushed my grocery cart among the walking wounded. The masks of my fellow shoppers reflected the horror we felt inside. Hurricane Ivan haunted each of us as we remembered all we had lost, all we had diligently tried to repair. The material loss is devastating, but the damaged spirits require more than blue tarps to stop the leaking fear. Yes, Arlene was only a tropical storm --- Ivan's baby nine months later. Yes, we know, Arlene is minor compared to Ivan. But, it doesn't feel minor. Arlene is the first storm of the season and we were already a target. Already! so early in the season on June 10, 2005. For those who had been optimistically declaring there was no way we could be hit twice so quickly, Mother Nature proved she definitely does what she wants. And what about 1995, Hurricane Erin in August and Hurricane Opal in October? And Florida's plethora of storms in the 2004 season? As I determinedly gathered my supplies, I felt the despair of my fellow Floridians. We bought our supplies, not to prepare for Arlene, but to exorcise the demons of Hurricane Ivan. We overprepared as if we could retro-prepare for Hurricane Ivan. By the conclusion of my shopping trip, I wished for Lucy, the corner therapist in Charles Schultz's cartoon strip Charlie Brown. Heavily laden with food, I planned the meals for the next few days. Would we lose electricity? Water? Geez, I hoped not. I prepared for Weather Channel's arrival as they prepared for Tropical Storm Arlene's arrival. I have a whole new level of respect for the news and weather media. Never have I seen such diligence under such intense pressure. The Weather Channel's crew was up before the sun and worked until 10:30 pm, with only a few breaks in the afternoon. Just enough time to eat quickly and re-group for the next segment. In the background, I observed with complete awe the competence and team work exhibited by Jim, Eddie, and Michelle. The timing and attention to details requires a focused unit that trusts each other immensely. This group works like precision machinery. 79
Fortunately, Tropical Storm Arlene was a minor blip on the radar. With all of the debris still on the beach from Hurricane Ivan last year, a storm surge or heavy winds could have a devastating effect. A storm surge would create surfing concrete slabs and floating dumpsters. When these crash into buildings that had survived or been repaired, many would have to start over at square one, yet again. Substantial winds could pick up lumber and demolition debris and hurl the projectiles through the air. Even a minor storm has the potential for major damage. A lot can happen in a week! When the miraculous comes knocking at your door, open your heart and mind to the infinite possibilities; observe in awe as synchronicity cascades into your life; and be very grateful. I am most grateful for the lives that have been touched and the friendships made. I will treasure always the memories of Jim Cantore standing on our front deck, just like I envisioned five years before. If life is about experiences, then we are certainly living life to the fullest. Each media event we participate in has brought beautiful people into our lives. To all of them, we say thank you for enriching our lives. DOME OF A HOME: in the media TELEVISION: The Travel Channel's Amazing Vacation Homes National Geographic's Hurricane Summer Discovery Channel's The Daily Planet Discovery Channel's Everything You Need To Know About Hurricanes ABC's Good Morning America MSNBC news Scarborough Country Countdown with Keith Olberman ABC news – several appearances on local affiliate Santa Rosa's Weathering the Storm cable program UK's Is This The Worst Weather Ever CNN News HGTV Extreme Buildings (airing June 2007) WRITTEN MEDIA: MAGAZINES NASA' s Annual Science Magazine Civil Engineering Magazine: Pensacola Beach Dome Home Easily Weathers Hurricane Ivan November 2004, pg 15-16 Walls & Ceilings trade magazine: Rock It Like A Hurricane November 2003, pg 38 - 40 Beyond Thunder, Dome March 2005, pg 30 - 31 80
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Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ..
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Our mission is to help reduce the s
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2 HURRICANE IVAN Surviving the Stor
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Fortunately, before I had left for
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ack on the island in our homes; end
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for the entire house, so we all sta
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They slept in the parking lot of th
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esistant than its conventional neig
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3 Mother Nature's Influence in My L
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The winds spawned an F-1 tornado th
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Two hours before the intense impact
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The kitchen trash. 4 HUMBLE BEGINNI
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The cost of submitting the applicat
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equired building codes for the coas
Page 30 and 31: 6 METAMORPHOSIS The Dome Home would
Page 32 and 33: In utter shock, I stopped my sobbin
Page 34 and 35: 7 SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN The
Page 36 and 37: I compiled our wish list into a sev
Page 38 and 39: VALERIE A Tribute to our Friend Jon
Page 40 and 41: asked him to split his energy betwe
Page 42 and 43: dangerous boats of debris. Not a si
Page 44 and 45: 10 TO HURRICANE HELL AND BACK THE U
Page 46 and 47: arrange for transportation to the n
Page 48 and 49: SURVIVOR OR VICTIM As Katrina looms
Page 50 and 51: trenches helping in innumerable way
Page 52 and 53: I have learned to be mostly unattac
Page 54 and 55: As I edit this book, I find there i
Page 56 and 57: Although our counties are now suppo
Page 58 and 59: Even with all of the heartache, tea
Page 60 and 61: The SEAPILE piling is placed into t
Page 62 and 63: The balloon created quite a stir on
Page 64 and 65: that hold the balloons‟ pieces to
Page 66 and 67: FLEX-C TRAC, solved our dilemma and
Page 68 and 69: PRODUCTS SELECTED FOR THE COASTAL E
Page 70 and 71: DENSGLASS GOLD® EXTERIOR GUARD Den
Page 72 and 73: With its double pane, glass block i
Page 74 and 75: Another significant advantage of ea
Page 76 and 77: We used foam insulation throughout
Page 78 and 79: frustrated with my family, I rememb
Page 82 and 83: Architecture Magazine: Dome Home Su
Page 84 and 85: 14 THE THUNDER ROLLS The thunder ro
Page 86: The Skybird Lodge would address the
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METAMORPHOSIS: Building the Dome of a Home

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