Hoo boy, it's been raining. Some say 16-17 inches. Our rain gauge is busted so we can't say for sure. We do know that our cistern went from almost totally empty to full last Sunday and has been overflowing ever since. That is a good thing, maybe too much of a good thing. Dubya says we have to learn to adjust to this global warming and look at the bright side (like tropics in Wisconsin?). Up until very recently, he proclaimed that global warming was merely a fabrication of the liberal conspiracy to constrain the profits of our good old American corporations. I say Dubya is a moron.
I know that some people have been concerned about our safety. Please have no fear. In general, we are being very careful (though the following narrative might seem, to some, to indicate otherwise).
The river's been up and down and up again. We're guessing the river has been about 30' above the bridge but can't be sure since the tree with the markers has been totally submerged (that happens when the river is about 25' over the bridge).
Annie had to go around the Round Mountain route (an extra 50 minutes) on Monday to go to work. On Wednesday, she couldn't make it even by the longest (Johnson City) route. Yesterday, we had a date to take Zac to a movie and were determined to get into town. The river was, of course, not even considered. The Round Mountain route was blocked at the first low water crossing, where Cypress Creek was like the mighty Mississip across the road. So we took off toward Johnson City, home of our late 36th President (who is looking better and better in light of recent administrations).
We made it through 5 low water crossings and then confronted the 6th, where the road was washed out and we had to go up into a driveway and around it - very scary. Thought that must be the worst until we hit #7. There the water was forming a wave in the middle of the road and looked to be about 18" deep in the center. We stood there for quite a while, contemplating turning around but scared of going back through the one we had to circumvent. Then, after a few vehicles went through and several folks said they would watch us go through so we crossed our fingers and braved it. Made it. On the way home, the Round Mountain route had opened up. This morning we found out that our neighbors Steve and Hope had floated going through that one yesterday morning.
We just started combing the classifieds for a big pickup truck to prepare for the next flood.
Enough palaver. Here are some pictures:
See the road on the other side? See the bridge? I didn't think so.
Here is our side of Hammet's crossing, with a new sandy beach where the road used to be.
Cool, huh? Sand is always being moved around by the river. This is just this flood's deposit.
Those trees are normally found along the edge of the river, not in the middle of it.
This is where we normally keep our kayaks along our path to the river. Yesterday, the water was up to the white pipes, before that, even higher. It is still way up.
This is where we moved the kayaks, hopefully safe now.
And now for the favorable effects of all that rain - the garden flourishes.
You'll only see green tomatoes here. As soon as they get even a little red, I pick them to beat the myriad (popcorn-like) grass-hoppers. If we chose to eat grasshoppers, we'd never starve.
Finally, the prize - today's harvest. Been getting similar harvests daily. Soon I'm gonna go down and make a batch of hot sauce and some spaghetti sauce too.
Goodbye for now. It's just started to rain and I've got to go out and do a reverse rain dance.
And if you haven't
had enough, here are links to the archived former postings and websites:
The (already classic) June edition of the
Pedernales Post
The April (and inaugural) edition of same
The world-renowned pictures of our house
The Susan Lee Solar
Memorial site
The brand new Century Management site
that we have been working on for many months
The grandparents' (potentially annoying to others)
pictures of our grandson Zac
And, last but not least, our own Aim Productions
site