It has been 5 years since Ivan the terrible hit Pensacola, some areas harder than others. We are all grateful for a quiet season so far. No matter which area of the country in which one lives there is dangerous weather. Wild fires in the west, tornadoes in the midwest along with cold, snowy winters, the northeast has 6 months of gray weather, biting winds and some winters loaded with snow storms along with ice. I know because I used to live in those areas. I left New England in 1996 to move to Pensacola in order to get away from high heating bills, frost in the morning on the windshield, icy walkways, some days too cold to even want to leave the house. Yes, we do have hurricanes but they normally don’t pop up overnight. We have the chance to watch a storm develop in the Atlantic and track it. If a storm does come into the Gulf of Mexico it could travel anywhere and hit any city along the coastline as everyone has seen. Erin and Opal came through within 4 months of each other in 1995. Opal was on a track to hit Pensacola head on then suddenly headed east. Those of us who live here year round have all our personal belongings, heirlooms, pictures, paperwork, etc. If someone has a second home most valuables and irreplaceable items are at their primary home. As most of us say, it’s the price we pay for living in paradise. We have some of the best weather anyone could want. The beaches, the parks, the change in seasons – that’s the panhandle. What we need now are more airlines to come in with direct flights to make it easier for tourists and new residents to travel along with new industries.