and baby makes 6!

On the sidelines

Sideline idioms

on the sidelines

1. in the area along the sidelines
2. outside the main sphere of action
3. not actively participating

Bluest

Eleven

Vibrant

Red

Wild

Anatomy of an evacuation

The phone started ringing before the hurricane was even in the Gulf of Mexico. Friends and family wanted to know if we were aware there was a hurricane out there (duh), and if we were evacuating, and if so “what is your plan???? You neeeeeed a plan”.

My first reaction was to unplug the phone. My second was to wait patiently for my calm, logical husband to come home from work and discuss the situation.

It was Tuesday morning, and life was going on as usual here. People were going to work, walking their dogs, shopping for groceries. Water was not disappearing off the shelves freakishly, and Chicken Little wasn’t running through the streets screaming “the sky is falling, the sky is falling”.    It was just another day in paradise.

By afternoon, things were quite different. The storm had entered the Gulf, and all indications were that it would be a direct hit on us. Boards started going up on windows, and calm, collected activity was seen everywhere.

When Bill came home, we discussed the plan. We went back and forth trying to decide. On the one hand, although the strike zones were looking grim for us, it was still really early to be making accurate predictions. But this storm was giving us the heebie geebies for some reason. Even Billy was a bit spooked. In the end, boards went up, I loaded all of my photos, videos and family heirlooms in the back of my van, and packed a small bag for each of us……and that’s it. No washing machines. No lawn mowers. No furniture of any shape or sort. Zilch, zip, nada.

The next morning, I ran errands. First the bank, then the grocery store for non-perishables (bread, crackers, peanut butter) and Gatorade, and then home to load up important papers into the car…….birth certificates, shot records, insurance policies, bank statements, etc. (To simplify things, I keep one of those accordian type file folders and rotate things out of it every January, so the most recent papers are always in it. I just grab it and go in an emergency.)

Once back home, we went to the task of all the animals. We had “to-go” carriers for all of them, so we prepared those. There were 6 mini aquariums when we were done. Yes, six aquariums to fit in the van with all the kids and the dog.

Billy came home at noon, finished boarding up the house, and then urged me to leave and he would follow shortly after he made one last check on the boat. He had wanted me to leave the night before, but I refused. To the frustration of Billy, all morning on Wednesday he called asking when we were leaving and I would reply “When you leave, I will leave”

I have to stop here and say that the past has shown me to NEVER believe this man when he says “I will be right behind you, I promise”. My most vivid memory of a hurricane evacuation began with my father waking me up very, very early in the morning and saying “Girl, that hurricane has sped up and is going to hit your hometown. Better get up and head home to help Billy pack the house.” I was in Ft. Worth visiting my parents, and Billy had stayed behind in Galveston for a sail boat race he was in.

I loaded up as fast as I could, called Billy and he said “We are racing this morning, and I promise I will leave after the race is over.” Yes, he really said that. They were going on with the sail boat race as a Cat 1 hurricane bore down on the island.

I took off and started the 5 hour drive home. All of the news on the radio predicted landfall at around 11pm-1am, so I had plenty of time to get home, get what I thought was important, and head inland again. You have to remember, this was in the days prior to Katrina, so the hysteria just was not there. People in north Houston, and inland communities did not complicate coastal evacuations by freaking the hell out and getting on the road with everything but the kitchen sink, blocking those who NEEDED to get out from doing so. (yes, this is a touch point for me. If you do not live by the water, or someplace low, if you are not disabled, elderly or relying on electrical medical equipment, such as oxygen, to survive, please plant yourself in your home and allow those in harms way to get to safety. Many, many of those who did not leave Boliver and Galveston stayed because they feared being stuck in gridlock on I-45, in a car with no gas, as a monster storm bore down on them. The Rita lunacy was etched in their minds. For those of you who were not in harms way with flooding, but knew you might have some high winds, high fives to you for staying and allowing the most vulnerable the road space to get to safety)

Ahem…where was I? Ah yes, heading home……I had one stop to make at a friends in Houston before meeting up with Bill, so at around 4pm I pulled up in front of the house, and everyone ran out to my car saying things like “Thank God you are here, everyone has been calling knowing you were on the road. The hurricane sped way up and is hitting right now!!”

I came inside and called Billy on the off chance he would still be at our house on the West end of the island………….and sure enough, he answered. He did not leave, and it was now too late to leave, as the causeway was closed. He told me that the water was already up, and that breaker boxes were exploding everywhere….and then we lost phone lines.

The next 12 hours were the worst ever. I was so mad at him, and worried out of my mind. By the time I drove onto the island and was allowed to enter at 5a.m., clean up had already started. Yes, it was a small Cat 1 hurricane, but there were power lines down, trees and debris on the road, and dead animals everywhere. The water had already receded, and I was able to get to our house, which was intact with Billy safe inside.

Because of this, I never trust the man when he says; “I’ll be right behind you”, and I told him this. We argued back and forth, and finally I shoved a kid at him and said “I will leave if you agree to take Cory with you.” No, I was not sacrificing a child and putting him in harms way. I knew that if he took one of the kids in his car, there is no way he would stay. He agreed, and took off for the boat.

I loaded the remaining kiddos into the car, and last but not least, put the “to-go” aquariums in and surveyed the van. It was like Noah’s Ark. 2 of every animal. We had 2 salamanders, 2 geckos, a newt, a box turtle, 4 water turtles, a shedding dog and a partridge in a pear tree. It was special. Trust me on this.

Going back into the house was surreal. It was very dark due to the boarded windows, and so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I had placed most of the valuables up high, but it was still daunting. I looked around and thought, “If it hits here, this will all be under water”. I turned, walked out the door and locked it. As I walked toward the van I had to tell myself that all of the “stuff” in our house didn’t matter……everything that I valued in this world was in that van, buckled safely in. Everything else could be replaced.

Living at the coast has its amazing rewards. Some of those rewards are obvious. Some are not. The ocean, the sand, the views, the lifestyle, the people…all of these things come together to make a beach town. The thing is, you have to prepare yourself for when, NOT IF, the time comes to offer Captain Nemo his sacrifice.

That is the price you may pay for your little slice of paradise, and it is hard. I have never had to do it, and to just think about it blows my mind.

I can’t imagine living it.

Missing

***edited to add a link to the Laura Recovery Center’s list of those reported missing from Hurricane Ike. I believe this list is updated daily.
_____________________________
I am posting this list of names copied from the KHOU website and I ask if you would please pray that they are found safe and sound very soon. Please keep their family members in your thoughts and prayers as well.

The following are considered missing by their family members or their whereabouts are otherwise unknown (this list comes from the ABC 13 Missing Person Locator):

Bolivar Peninsula
Including Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist, High Island
MISSING:

Whidden, Delores
Whidden, Hugh
White, Jerome
Whitner, Calvin
Whoose, Kari
Whoose, Lorraine
Whoose, Rita
Wichlep, Rita
Williams, Shane (Port Bolivar)
Wilson, George
Wingate, Paul and family
Wright, Tommy
Zendt, John
Zulpo, Celess and children

Ranch Woowie

Oasis

Round and round

Billy is not sleeping.  He wakes up at night and starts thinking about Galveston.  He thinks of our family members…….sister, aunt, nephews, cousins…..who are homeless right now and will be for a long time to come.  His mind is busy.  We have to be patient to see how best we can help them all.

My mind is filled with these thoughts as well.  I can’t stop thinking of all the lifeless people who are still in their homes:  homes with a big red X on the outside with each quadrant of the X filled with numbers….the bottom quadrant signifying the number of dead inside.  I think of the elderly, and those in wheel chairs and feel agony when I imagine their fear as the water level rose.

I want to know if the friends we have not heard about ever left the island, and if they did not, are they are okay?

I deal with stress poorly.  I get very ADD, and feel very overwhelmed.  I can’t concentrate.  I yell.  I know that the only way I can deal with it is by running.  But that is impossible with the 2 little ones at home.

While at the ranch, I ran over 5 miles a day through the silent hills.  It was amazing to be out there and never see another soul.  I would grab my iPod and head out the door every morning, and run until I felt the stress leave.  I always know when I reach that point.  I can close my eyes and see what looks like a black hole in space and millions of molecules swirling toward it.  I know, that sounds strange, but I can’t see it when my mind is racing.  After several miles, a calm desends upon me and I can relax enough to see nothing but the movement of my own cells behind my eye lids.

Tuesday was ballistic.  I spent hours on the computer trying to get my Aunts medical records from UTMB.  Ha, ha…HA ha ha ha.  UTMB that had 6 feet of water in it. Her pharmacy was inoperable and offline.   Jody the computer geek found a back door to an E-1 geek at the hospital and the wheels are in motion for my MIL to get Aunt C’s medical needs cared for.***

The kids were just insanely wild that day as well. Much chaos, no cooperation to do school, and lots fighting and screaming between them.

When Bill came home, I was on my hands and knees cleaning grout with a toothbrush.  He looked at me, and the chaos of the house, and said “Hi.  What are you doing?’

I replied: “Cleaning grout.”

Bill:  “Um, I know I like a clean house, but I never really noticed the grout.   Is there a reason you are cleaning grout at 5pm? ”

Me: “Yes, because if I don’t bring my focus down to a macro level, I will fall apart”

That was Tuesday.  On Wednesday evening Bill came home and after listening to me announce that it was “cereal night” he watched me grab my iPod and head out the door……………and I ran, and ran, and ran.  I ran hard and fast.  I ran until my sides ached.  I ran until I could see that black, swirling void and then I ran home.  I got to the garage and I sat down and sobbed.  I sobbed for all the dead.  All the homeless.  I sobbed that I lived in a time to witness the 1900 storm return to Galveston.  I sobbed that the Seawall, so tall and proud, finally met its match.

I am not sure how to help everyone.  It is pure chaos.  I don’t think they know where to start.  I mean, sure, your house had almost 4 feet of water in it, so you need to fix floors, cut out sheetrock and re-plaster and paint, right?  Well no, it isn’t that simple.  See, those houses are just sitting there, festering.  Mold, mud, and debris coats them.  The stink is horrible.  It soaks into everything.  The looters are stealing and violating the belongings of others.  The dead sit patiently in their homes waiting to be identified and laid to rest.

And life goes on around it all. The earth keeps spinning and we go round and round.  Sometimes it all is just too much, you know?

Yesterday, a child came out to wonder,
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder,
And tearful at the falling of a star

And the seasons, they go round and round,
And the painted ponies go up and down,
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind from where we came,
And go round and round and round in the circle game ~Joni Mitchell

***NEVER heard back from the guy. But my ingenious MIL has it all taken care of Aunt C and has doc appointment scheduled, and was able to get her many meds refilled, so all is good there at present.

At the top…

…you can hear birds, wind, grass rustling, and angel wings.

Some good news

We are home, and all is well in our neck of the woods.  House was fine.  The boat weathered the surge we had here, and the trailer is safe and dry.  We spent the 5 days waiting it out on the ranch with family and  turning the cows on to a good, cold beer. ;*)

Our families are slowly getting word about their homes.  My SIL is E-1 at the hospital in Galveston, so she was able to enter the island today and check on the homes.  Her home had lots of water in it but was intact.  My MIL’s house had water in it, but it was not bad.  She will have to replace flooring, some sheet rock and a broken window.  The fires that we saw on video were the complex behind my MIL’s, and they did not damage hers.  Whew.  This is the best news ever.  Well, no. The best news ever was hearing on Friday that they were all safe on the mainland.

The island has been just destroyed.  Debris everywhere.  Very little info is coming off the island.  I hesitate to pass on info we are hearing from friends and family, as it is very distressing and I don’t want to pass on anything until it is confirmed.  I know that the media has been told to leave the San Luis, and all rescue workers have been told they are NOT to talk with the media.

We spent yesterday taking off the storm blinds, and getting the house back in order, and today has been busy talking with family etc passing on info received from family on the island.  Also, we have been GLUED to the live aerial views of the island and news reports leaking out here and there.   So, so sad.

I am just so touched and floored by the prayers and PT that have come in via e-mails and comments.  You guys rock!! and I promise to answer each and everyone of you in the days to come.  Thank you so very much!

For now, we are grateful to be back home, sleeping in our own beds and, above all, safe.

Sunday update

The good news is, all of our family members are safe and sound.  Aunt C arrived here last night, tired, but well.  We are so blessed, as Billy’s cousin (Aunt C’s daughter) decided to ride the storm out in her house…….the house that is just a few blocks behind the Seawall.  They were lucky and the house came out with very minimal damage.

Aunt C was not so lucky.  The tidal surge came up over 3 feet into her home.  She is devastated.

Since Aunt C’s house was flooded, it is a strong possibility that both my MIL and SIL’s homes were also flooded since they are in the same area. 

While watching the film footage on TWC, Cory spotted what he believes was Nana’s (Billy’s mom) condo complex up in flames.  Billy then said that yes, he had seen some video footage that showed smoke and flames from that area. 

We know nothing about how the tidal surge affected us in our hometown.  Word is that the surge was 6′, and that it was not going down.  In fact it was 6 or so inches higher today than yesterday. 

Thank you so much for all your comments and e-mails.  I appreciate them so much, and will respond to eveyone in the next couple of days.

May I ask that you please pray for our extended family in the coming weeks.  Without electricity in Galveston for possibly weeks or longer, you can just imagine what will become of those houses that were flooded.  My heart aches for them.

Update

It is Friday, and things have been very tense here.  Tides are up, and the entire coast will be getting slammed with winds up to 100 mph.  We have been anxiously waiting for word from all of our family members in Galveston.  As most of you know, that is our home town, and most of our relatives live there.  Billy’s mom has safely been evacuated, as has his sister, her kids and we just got word an hour ago that his elderly aunt has left the island rather late, and they are working their way through Houston to the hill country.  His BIL is part of the recovery team to restore power to the island, so he is in Houston awaiting re-entry to the island as early as tomorrow evening.

Our good friends live on the west end of the island, and Billy talked with them this morning, and they are safe in Houston….but the entire west end of Galveston  is under water.  This means their home is as well.  It is a stilt home, so we are hoping the damage is confined to the bottom level.

The waves are coming up over Seawall Boulevard, and this bodes ill for our family members whose homes are on the next block.  At 61st, the pier is being washed away.  The up-ramp is gone, as is the front of the pier.

Billy, myself and the kids are safe and sound.  Our home has been prepped as much as possible and it looks like it will be fine if Ike takes a turn north.  The boat and trailer……..well, only time will tell.  If we get a big tidal surge, the boat might be damaged and the trailer will have water in it. 

Like I said, it is tense here, but Billy is trying to keep things light.  I keep fretting about the house, boat trailer and such and he keeps saying “It ain’t nothin’ but a thang”. 

Our loved ones are safe, and for this I am grateful.  All the other stuff can be replaced. 

My thoughts are with all those in Galveston we have been unable to get ahold of….hopefully they are all safe on the mainland.

KapOW!

Thank you to everyone who has sent e-mails, called and offered so many prayers.

Yes, we are taking this very, very seriously. Living where we do, this is a fact of life for 4 or so months out of every year.  Even so, it is still very sobering to realize you might lose your house and everything in it.

We are prepared, safe, and will update as we have internet connection. No, there will be no live blogging.  I am not THAT crazy. ;*)

And no, there will be no epic surfing for us this weekend.  We have our hand full keeping our family out of harms way.

For everyone in Ike’s path, be safe and be smart.

Duck dive

I love watching Billy paddle out into the line-up. He gets on that board, and it appears so effortless to me. His arms stroke the water evenly and his board seems to move as if it is being towed by a boat.

In the photo above, he is about to “duck dive” under the breaking wave. He raised up on his arms, pushed the board underwater and “dove” through the wave. When he got to the other side, he resumed paddling just like that 10 foot wave he just plowed through was never there.

It was a long paddle to the line-up. The images that you see above were shot with a 70-300mm telephoto lens, and I took them from the T head of a 1,240 foot pier. The man is going to be 51 years old in less than 3 weeks.

Sure, it looks effortless to me. I am standing on the pier watching. The reality is that it was hard, and by the time he got to the line-up he was tired and it was difficult to paddle hard to catch each wave.

Still, he made it look effortless.

That day he paddled out there for 3 different sessions. I imagine he burned somewhere around 34,000 calories. He was exhausted, and eating everything in site. I gained weight just watching him eat. It was spectacular.

This summer the kids went to their grandparents for a week, and Billy and I were able to do some things alone that we normally cannot with small children. Surfing together was one of those things.

I had forgotten how much fun he is out on the water. He is so at home there….like a seal. For every wave I caught, he caught 5. We laughed and horsed around, and…..well, I just can’t describe it. It is a different culture all in its own, and we connect there. Billy is the fun, blond, blue eyed surfer boy I always knew I would find.

Ike is making his grand entrance into the Gulf in the next day or so, and as we watch anxiously to see where he will make landfall, as surfers, we just can’t stop thinking “I wonder what kind of waves we will get this time?” A babysitter just might be in order.

Gustav

When there is a hurricane in the Gulf, the first thing we do, after making sure it is not coming to us is…..check the surf report.

The waves were head high, some big sets that rolled in were several feet overhead. It was fabulous. I made it to the outside once, but the current was really strong, and it did my arms in trying to paddle and paddle to stay out there. I ended up on the inside, and caught some smaller waves there.

Bill surfed until his arms fell off, so I had to drive home. ;*) Just another day in paradise.

**the whole Gustav surf set can be seen here.