Coolest Fall Day Yet Coming Soon/It Flew On Board the Shuttle/Honest NTB

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

Beautiful fall weather for much of the country. However, there are winter weather warnings and watches for the Rockies as I write this post this evening. Along the eastern seaboard, bands of what is left of Ida are hammering away, causing heavy rain and rough surf.

The good news is that on Friday, it will be quieter in the east. There could be some thunderstorms from Arizona to Nebraska. Chilliest area will be the northwest and Rockies with highs in the 40s (colder in the higher elevations). The northeast, midwest, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes will be in the 40s and 50s. The rest of the country will be in the 60s to 80s.

Houston, another beautiful fall day is on the way for Friday with highs in the 70s. More humid over the weekend and highs in the low 80s both Saturday and Sunday. A few showers are possible Sunday. Look for thunderstorms on Monday as cutoff low spins a cold front through the area by midday. Tuesday will be the coolest day so far this fall with lows in the 40s and highs only in the low 60s. More cool weather through the week with another week front and some showers toward the end of the week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do flag or bandera, pronounced bahn-DAIR-ah. The U.S. bandera is always special, but this one is extra special. Find out more in the AND MORE section.

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco might be taking off...we got another big order from our distributor today. Woohoo!!! Don't miss out! Get your copy of Volumes 1 and/or 2 from our web site http://www.frankandpaco.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/. You can also find these at www.barnesandnoble.com and www.bestbuy.com. Some Barnes and Noble stores also have it on their shelves. Volume 1 has three chapters about Home, Family, Eating/Drinking and Play. Volume 2 has three chapters (and about 50 words/phrases) My Day, My Body, My Feelings.

AND MORE
Very nice surprise from the folks at NTB (National Tire & Battery). I was hearing squeaking noises from what I thought were my rear brakes. It just so happens that I had purchased an NTB coupon card from HEB a few months ago. It cost $39.95 and had 4 coupons for free oil changes along with reduced prices for brake work etc., free inspection of belts and fluids, tire rotation and alignment. So that is a pretty good deal. So I thought, why not see what they have to say about the brakes. The attendant said she thought we would have to replace the rear "shoes" but then later she said that they had found a fistfull of dust in each one and there was still half the pad left. So, I didn't need to replace them yet. Well, I was thrilled!!! The cost--$0. They could have replaced them and I would never have known any better but they were honest. I might add that I had already taken the car in late August for an oil change and they had not come up with anything to fix...the cost $0. It's nice to know they are so honest.

The photo at right is another of my "prized" possessions. I'm not a big material thing kind of person, but this one really is special. In June of 2003, I gave a hurricane talk to several hundred NASA employees. At the end, six time shuttle commander Jim Weatherbee made a special presentation to me of one of 200 flags which had ridden aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor. They also gave me a Certificate of Authenticity to prove it is "real". It says:

This American Flas was flown aboard the United States Space Shuttle, ENDEAVOUR, which was launched at 7:49 pm., November 23, 2002, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. For 6 days, 22 hours ENDEAVOUR remained docked with the International Space Station, ALPHA. At 2:37 pm, December 7, 2002, after 216 Earth orbits, ENDEAVOUR landed on runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Florida.

There also some notes as follows: Maximum Altitude 249 miles, Maximum Speed 17,085 mph, Distance 5,670,000 miles.

Notice that the flag is beautifully framed along with a certificate of presentation to Cecilia Sinclair for her presentation as well as some gorgeous shuttle photos.

Well, I have to tell you that I had no idea that they would give me such a thing--in fact I expected nothing. I asked the commander, are you sure you want to give me this...it's so very special. And, also, as you might recall, this was not long after the shuttle Columbia explosion of Feburary 1, 2003. No one knew if there would ever be another shuttle flight again.

So, that is my special story. Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman