I know the media likes to hype things up a bit, and Hurricane Irene was no exception, but I’m on the side that says “better safe than sorry.” Since the weather does have that unpredictable element to it, no one really knows exactly how things will play out. It could have been much worse, so I also believe that many people were praying, and God had mercy. I’m thankful Connie’s house was spared.
As we drove south today we saw many areas that were flooded, many trees down, roads closed and detours necessary. She was protected by the hand of God, no doubt about it.
Early this morning, Kory and I took off for a quick trip to Starbucks to get on the internet. It was just a mile from Connie’s house, but the entire block was out of electricity, so they were closed. Police cars were blocking a major road nearby so there must have been a tree down. We had to go without coffee and the internet. Oh, the withdrawls.
While Kory worked to remove all the plastic and sand bags around Connie’s house, Kaleb and I started moving all the branches we’d cut the other day. At first, when we started cutting them, I suggested we just put them next to the stream, since the storm was coming, we knew they’d just wash away. But Connie said the garbage was coming the next day and they’d pick them up, so we hauled them up to her driveway and stacked them along there. Later that day she remembered they won’t pick up anything behind the mailbox (where they all were piled), so we moved them along the street (no small task). The day we were in New York, the recycling truck came, but they wouldn’t pick them up. She called the city and they said they had to be cut and bundled, another detail Connie had forgotten. So the pile just sat by the road for a few days and she started worrying the grass underneath them would die. So Kaleb and I hauled that huge pile, branch by branch, down the street about a hundred feet and threw them into the swollen creek, to carry them away to parts unknown. It solved the problem.
I talked to Robbie again last night and he sounds terribly weak and in much pain. I think it even hurts him to speak. We were hoping to see him today before we left town, but he wasn’t up for it. When I talked to him though, he begged me to convince his mom to sell her house. He’s been the one doing most of the upkeep on it, but none of that has happened for the last two years since he got so sick. Not only is Connie physically unable to keep it up, but the fact her memory is fading so fast is also of great concern. He told me too, “She’s losing her marbles.” Very, very sad for me to see. Kory talked to her at length about selling the place, but she’s convinced no one would buy it. We told her to at least put it on the market, but I don’t think she will. I suspect part of her attachment to it is that Curt is buried in the cemetery just across the street, and she’s still holding on to him. That woman has had one rough life and it makes me thankful for each and every day we have it as good as we do.
So we took off this afternoon after cleaning up Connie’s yard as best we could, and headed south toward Washington, DC. There was no one on the roads at first, but the traffic picked up a little later in the day when the wind died down. Driving over some of the bridges was a real white-knuckle experience as we were being tossed about by the wind a bit more than I liked. We counted at least 100 tree-trimming trucks with “cherry picker buckets” heading north. Huge convoys of them were going, one after another. There was also huge convoys of trucks from different power companies heading north, too, so a lot of people are getting overtime this week, that’s for sure. It was “all hands on deck” kind of thing and quite the parade of vehicles to pass.
We stopped off at a very nice rest stop in Delaware that was just like a food court in a mall. They had all kinds of restaurants, a nice courtyard for eating, free wi-fi and a tourist info counter with all the things to do in Delaware. If we hadn’t stopped, we’d drive right through that state in about 15 minutes on the freeway, and Kaleb wanted to count it as a place he’s “been,” so we stopped. Kory had coffee and I posted my blog.
Washington DC is about two and a half hours south of Philadelphia by car, so it wasn’t a bad drive. I had reserved a hotel in Rockville, Maryland just north of DC, and that’s where we are now. I called ahead to be sure they had electricity, and they did. It’s a nice business hotel so it’s in a quiet area, it’s nearly brand new, has a pool, free wi-fi and free shuttle to the subway station we’ll be taking into DC every day this week. Sweet.
We all had a little workout session in their very cool gym, then Kaleb enjoyed a dip in the pool while I answered some emails. We played “Phase 10” in our room after dinner, until bedtime. Currently, I’m in the lead, but we didn’t have time to finish it before the day was done. It’s a cushy hotel with lots of extras, and as Kaleb said, “No threat of flooding.” So we’re happy to have a few days in this town where one of my great-great grandfather’s (on my dad’s side) was born and raised. Life’s good.
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