Dear readers,
Colleen O’Brien is a conjurer of images. This weekend she shared with us the damage Hurricane Helene did to her idyllic home in Punta Gorda, FL.
Now, less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton has Punta Gorda square in his sights. Colleen shared with me in a Sunday email that her home is “a goner.” She and her daughter are leaving Florida “forever,” she wrote.
They’ve packed Colleen’s vehicle with all it can hold, including what’s remaining of her marvelous art, and will leave her daughter’s car behind. They’ll leave PG Monday morning after taking care of addresses at the post office and after Colleen drops off her absentee ballot at the county courthouse. She’s daring Milton to reach land before she votes in this election she cares so much about.
(Photo is the view of Alligator Creek from Colleen’s lanai, taken last January. The street is cropped from the photo.)
Their first destination is Cincinatti to visit/stay with Colleen’s grandson. They don’t know what comes after that.
Please keep Colleen and her daughter in your thoughts, and if you’re the type, in your prayers. I’ll be rattling my rosary beads on her behalf. ~Tori Riley
