Mother Nature and Harvey Adventure

Hello dear ones, well a lot has happened since my last post.   Do you remember that I said when we moved down here this was going to be a new adventure?  An adventure different than the last 75 years Eldon has had and 73 for me?   Well I have always heard to be careful for what you wish for.   I didn't realize I was wishing for it but Mother Nature took me serious.    We moved to Rockport Texas on the Gulf Coast in May of 2017.  THIS YEAR!!!   We have learned about the weather and if the clouds look stormy  it usually doesn't mean a tornado or hail storm  or any of the weather related clouds we are use to from West Texas.  They just fluff around and are pretty and go North.    Now we know they have hurricanes down in the coastal areas and have been watching one the weather men couldn't put a grasp on.   I told hubby oh oh this may be a goody coming our way.   Well on the 23rd of August Harvey was building and doing what hurricanes do.   He was a tropical depression then a storm not sure what he wanted to do.   Then they declared him a category 2.  We thought ok we can ride that one out, West Texans know wind, do we ever.   So we went to bed that night and woke up about 4 am with a rain you wouldn't believe, it lasted about five minutes and got an inch.  We looked at each other and thought lets turn on the TV.   Harvey had grown to a category 3 with storm serge of water what was it 8 or 12 feet.   He finished up a category 4.

We thought OK lets leave , we are not one of the ones who want to get stormed in when we could have gotten out in a safe timely manor.    We gathered up the fur babies, their food and beds.  Threw some clothes together and did remember to grab the fur babies shot records and our passports.   Guess we thought they would be checking passports at the county line or something lol.   We were prepared to stay with canned food, lots of water and toilet paper but just didn't think of us having to leave.   We were just loaded up and one of our sweet young neighbors came over and said leave.  We are leaving and have lived here forever.   Her husband was at work on a tug boat and said leave now.   We hugged and I wished her well and to be safe.   Just as we were leaving a dear friend called and said what are you doing?   We are going North, not sure where but just somewhere North.   She said come to our home in Abilene.  We have two big dogs and she didn't care.   An angel in disguise for sure.    When we moved here one house rule was to always have at least 1/2 tank of gas in the car at all times.  WHEW good time for rules.

We did move some furniture around in case windows got broken with limbs, we moved the 60 inch TV ( man that sucker was heavy) to the bed in the back and some paintings came with it.  Now when we moved the TV back to his perch it was twice as heavy carrying it.  I guess the Adrenalin  kicked in at least on my part.  I was not Wonder Woman helping Eldon carrying it back.   In fact we sat it on a towel and drug it over the floor.  Guess Wonder Woman stayed at Gingers.  We had called the rental people 4 times  that if we had hardware we would put the window coverings up.  They finally got back to us and said don't worry about it.   Our stuff and the landlords house?   OK.

We called the LaQuinta in Brady, we knew they accepted animals.  She said we have lots of room it is slow this weekend.   We thought bet it won't be for long.  When we left she said it was packed.  We weren't the only ones who came to Brady for the first night.   It took us 5 hours to get there but safe and sound were we and our little wards--Libby and Charlie.    The next morning we went down to breakfast and several people were there and some were from Flour Bluff outside of Corpus Christi.   They said it took over 10 hours to get to Brady.  Now remember we went the same route and took us 5 hours.   They had called for a mandatory evacuation.   Yea for us to leave early.   They planned to go back Monday the 28th.   This was the 25th when the breakfast happened. 

Off we went to Ginger's home.   Safe and sound from Harvey.   We stay glued to the TV watching everything the Weather Channel had out there to share.   The motel across from where we had a lot of belongings stored was not holding up well.    I started laughing and laughing  and Eldon said what is so funny?   Well, when we moved here we knew we were going to move one more time either to another permanent home instead of a rental in  Rockport or another town.  We had saved the good packing boxes, folded them up and put up high so they wouldn't get messed up.   I said well at least our boxes, empty boxes will be safe.   I know I have a weird sense of humor.  A lot of empty boxes, but our attitude is that it is all just stuff.  STUFF we were out of harms way and  safe and sound with our fur babies and ourselves.

After Harvey cleared his throat and played havoc on Rockport, being as that is where he made land fall, we saw so many bad photos of little Rockport.  Such demolished areas and the news didn't exaggerate at all.   It was a mess.  Some we talked to afterward said the eye of it was just like you see on TV perfectly calm.  Then Katy bar the door when the eye passes thru.  Some had well water and generators so just hang on but be safe.

We didn't know a soul to call to see what our home and neighborhood looked like.  The high school really got it bad and we were very close by.   Then we thought of the owner of the storage unit, a precious couple and so friendly.  I called her and she said the storage unit was perfect didn't lose even one piece of tin.   The builder of the unit was from Lubbock Tx where we moved from and has many many units.  Guess he knew how to build them fo tornadoes.   She offered to go drive by our house and see what the damage was .   They had stayed in Corpus Christi at her parents home.   She texted and we had lost part of a fence and 2 shingles.  We were so blessed, we couldn't believe it.

Wednesday the 30th we went back to Rockport, still no electricity or water or sewer but in our haste to leave we never thought about the food in the freezer or fridge.   We had just gone to the store and it was nice and full of meat etc.  I have gotten in the habit of re wrapping the meat in freezer paper and then in plastic bags.  Why? don't have a clue but sure am glad I did because it would have been pretty stinkie to clean out the freezer but nope just grabbed the bags and tossed them in the trash.  We were there about 2 or 3 hours and was long enough with no air conditioner.   There was a cerfew of 7 am to 7 pm.

We went back to Kerrville to spend the night and then on to Eldon's sister's for a couple of nights.  Back to Abilene on Sunday to Gingers.  We heard by the way of 3200 miles away from daughter Dedria that we would have electricity by the 8th of September.  So we left Abilene of the 8th of September hoping that would be a happening.    Well lo and behold we had electricity and came back to Rockport on Saturday the 9th of September.   Our thinking is New Braunsfel is closer than Abilene and would stay there several nights until electricity was up.    The fur babies were perfect this whole time we could not have asked for any better and Libby the timid baby learned to go up and down stairs.  A giant task for her so in the motels we used the steps to keep her active.  Charlie needed no encouragement.   He is a ball of fire.

There is still tons of limbs and trash lining all streets after two weeks that we have been back.  We have internet now, two days, well most of the time it goes in and out and have TV now.  WHEW gotta get our Baseball game watching back in our schedule and saw the last episode of Game of Thrones for the season. 

Fence is still down but have a temporary one for the fur babies up.   This is nothing compared to what others  are going thru. 

Our Dairy Queen parking lot.   Pretty and so calm and shady in the back of the DQ building.   Now all of the leaves got stripped off of the trees but now after this time the leaves have nearly all grown back.  I will not show what they looked like stripped but how they almost are.   Even the pitiful tree in our front yard has leaves back.  Mother Nature takes care of her babies for sure.  We noticed the Oleanders are blooming and I don't think they lost one tiny leaf.  They are pretty tough plants I do have to give it to them.  Poisoness  but pretty.  While sitting at the DQ yesterday there is no telling how many trucks and pickups went up the main 35.  A few cars but most work vehicles all working to get Rockport back and cleaned up and running again.

This may be up there with the most damaged of the apartment buildings.  We have seen two or three that will tie but hard to see these.   Thinking of the poor souls who lived there and we know some just left town.  Their home was destroyed and they now have no jobs.   So many, well all businesses were damaged by Harvey.   The Wal-Mart was open part way with groceries and if you needed anything else they had runners to get what you needed.  They are now open 100% as of like 3 days or so ago.   Heb is open and now the Dairy Queen all of it, Whataburger drive thru only and the Sonic is now open with full menu.   Every day we drive thru the town to see what is being done.   Slow slow but getting there.

So many people donated clothing, water and what have you but there are many parking lots that look like this.   There was no place to store the clothing and I know it is has soured and mildewed.   Such a shame but just can't be helped.   The old HEB parking lots did have lots of people cooking being as there was no gas or really anything but now getting back some of the things we take for granted.  There were stacks and stacks of water for  free,  we didn't get any because we thought people suffered worst than we did.  Just the way we think. 

In the center part of Highway 35 they are starting to stack limbs and wooden trash to have a control burn , I forget how many tons they have so far but have not made a dent in it. 

The center part with metal trash is growing also and the land fills here and around.  I just can't imagine---what a bon fire this will make .  When I see piles like this I think of bon fires, when the kids would go and gather limbs and trees to make a giant bon fire before homecoming. 

There isn't a street in Rockport that doesn't look like this.

We were driving around the neighborhood and saw this.  How perfect and pretty this yard is with all the destruction around it.   Just shows the people how pretty it was and will be. 

You can see the pier, well what is left of it at Fulton/Rockport.  We have been going there to eat our Sonic toaster, feed the gulls and just enjoy hearing the waves lap against a little retaining wall.  The water is brown but when we first moved here until now it was BLUE!!!!   There was another Dolphin today showing off his tricks he knows.   We know it will all get back to the Rockport we moved down here for.

When we were at Gingers we did do some site seeing and I taught Ginger how to CQ.  That angel is hooked and she wanted to make a Boho bag.  Not a little pin cushion or pouch noooooooo a BoHo bag.  This girl took the task on and did so good.  So CQers we have another one to join the crowd.

I didn't want to make a book the size of Gone with the Wind or War and Peace but nearly. 

 So here we are  Brady (Gingers son), me, Ginger and Eldon.  Kent was at work.   What a family this was.  Oh and notice Libby's back part in the pic with Ginger and I.   lol  We are sort of kind of back to normal and just happy to be blessed with so many friends who were concerned about us and offers to some and stay with them.   So see?   We are truly BLESSED.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in our world .

     XOXOXO

ANNETTE