The Hobbit Hole XXIV - Sand and Stone and Pool and Dell...

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[Corin Stormhands]

'nite folks

[SuziQ]

Don't apologize. I was worried, but there was not a thing I could do except wait and see. I'm glad they're ok. SirKit and I were talking about contacting the rest of the family to see if there was anything we could do to help them.

We still don't know about my sister Brenda's house. She and her husband live on the water in Ocean Springs. They're about 12' off the water, but I have no idea how bad the storm surge was in OS. I keep hearing about N.O, and the Gulf Coast in the Biloxi/Gulfport area, but have only heard snippets about Ocean Springs. I have another nephew there, and got an e-mail from him saying they were OK. I hadn't even worried about him because I hadn't heard anything bad about OS until earlier today. Good to know they're fine.

[HairOfTheDog]

I just feel bad for not bein' aware of what was goin' on and adding you to my prayers.... not that I think I have any particular pull in the prayer dept. :~D

[Ramius]

I have just sat and watched in awe at those rescues from the rooftops in New Orleans. On Tuesday, those guy were battling wind that kept moving the basket beyond where the guy was on the roof with folks. I don't know how in the world they ever were able to get it to him, but they did it. He did have to go chase it a couple of times, though. ;o)

I'm proud as hell of those guys! They did some great flying!

You should see them try to drop that basket into the cockpit of a boat in some really serious seas... it gets pretty nutty sometimes.

The guys that go down on the wire are CG "rescue swimmers". They are an uncommonly crazy bunch of fellows. They routinely do stuff that is just off-the-charts nutzville. The MOS designation is "ASW" or "Aviation Rescue Swimmer". They are crazy. Do not trust them with your children. They think running with scissors is a safe thing to do.

ASW's train at the BUDs school in San Diego, on Coronado Island. They'd be SEAL's, but they don't carry guns, so they're just Coasties. :-)

[2Jedismom]

I'm just hoping they don't bring it back! LOL!!

[Ramius]

Another interesting little info-tidbit: Notice when you see one the helicopters, either CG or National Guard or whoever... when they drop a basket or some other pickup device, they always drop it into the water or onto the ground or onto a rooftop *before* anybody touches it.

This is because a helicopter, and of course anything metal attached to it, has a tendency to develop ONE MOTHER of a static electricity charge, what with that rotating air-static-collector thingy they fly with, and all.

If somebody were to just *grab* the basket that comes down from a helo they'd get a static shock like nobuddy's bidness. If it has been hanging there for a while (some minutes), the built up static charge could even be life-threatening.

That's why before lowering it into a boat or onto something, they always try to dip it in the water first, or let it touch ground, to dissipate the static charge.

[SuziQ]

Now that would frek Joshua out, if it suddenly re-appeared!!

[2Jedismom]

You know, I'd dearly love to ride in one of those choppers...but I'd just soon not get in one that way.

[2Jedismom]

LOL! That'd take some 'splaining!

We did talk about it at the dinner table. I was hoping it wasn't a hispanic person that might not read english! But it didn't have a plug even...the plug doesn't come with the dryer you know? We used the old plug for the new dryer.

Hopefully someone got it for parts.

[SuziQ]

SirKit and I were discussing it this evening before we heard they were OK. Honestly, the worst case scenario wouldn't have been if they had BOTH died. The worst case would have been if Pat had died and Mike had survived. She is his 4th wife. He didn't marry until he was 29,and he married a woman with 3 kids who were pre-teens at the time. He and Sue had a baby, Chris, within the year, but as her kids got older, they got way out of control, and it became a difficult situation. When they divorced, she asked Mike to take Chris to raise, which he did, and Chris is an awesome young man. Within a few years, Mike married again, but Mary died of complications of diabetes after they'd only been married a couple of years. A few years later, he married Martha, and when they'd been married about 10 years, she got lung cancer and lasted about a year and a half, with Mike nursing her the whole time.

It would have been absolutely devastating for him to lose Pat, especially since they chose to stay at their home. I'm sure they wanted to stay because Pat's Mom is in a nursing home in the area, and her brother lives in an Assisted Living facility, also in the area. They knew that if they left, they'd have a devil of a time getting back, and they were exactly right. The authorities are not letting any residents back in yet.

So we were thrilled when we found out that they BOTH were ok. Strange thought processes, but the mind does funny things when you're thinking of all the possibilities, but have no control over the situation.

And your prayers would have gone to just the right place and been heard loud and clear! ;o)

[SuziQ]

when they drop a basket or some other pickup device, they always drop it into the water or onto the ground or onto a rooftop *before* anybody touches it.

I noticed that, but thought they had just overshot the guy on the roof because of the wind. But now that you mention it, I have heard of that before. I remember that scene in Hunt for Red October when they're lowering Jack Ryan to the Dallas, and they're yelling not to touch him.

[ecurbh]

Glad to hear almost everyone is accounted for. We'll keep praying for Tori!

[SuziQ]

Thanks!

[HairOfTheDog]

Especially the way those baskets spin around... I'm just surprised we haven't seen anyone throw up in it. ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand thoughts like that, I'm glad they are both alright.

[SuziQ]

I'm just surprised we haven't seen anyone throw up in it. ;~D

Isn't that the truth!! I'd have to keep my eyes shut tight to avoid that unpleasantness!

[Ramius]

I've ridden in lots of them. On a couple of occasions, I wasn't sure it was a round trip. Those guys are really, really good at what they do.

I actually owe my life to one particular pilot, that, except for his insane ability, kept us from crashing on deck in a singularly memorable 'flight'. I put 'flight' in quotes only because 'flying' implies some layer of 'control'. This was a 'landing' on the cutter in 20 ft seas, on a rolling and pitching (really small) flight deck in 50kt gusty and shifty winds... it was a 'landing' in the sense that we finished up with the wheely-part down and the rotating-thingy part up. Another writer might call it a "wheels-down crash". We nearly cut the ship to ribbons, but then finally hit the deck *really* hard. Ouch.

Took weeks to un-pucker from that. :-)

[2Jedismom]

Saw two of our guys in the Black Hawks fly over this afternoon...God bless 'em.

I'd been expecting them. What surprised me was when I told Matthew that I had been expecting them, Matthew replied "Me too."

[2Jedismom]

Makes me queasy thinking about it.

I'm pretty sure I'd go hysterical if I was on a roof like that...with all that water around, no telling when it was going to stop rising and it being pitch black at night...

[HairOfTheDog]

I'd have to keep my eyes shut tight to avoid that unpleasantness!

I think that would guarantee you threw up :~D