A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-30-05....How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Billie, Diver Dave | Diver Dave

[Billie]

This is a marvelous thread reflecting the joys & beauty of people and america and I guess part of the perspective of life is that this vacation followed tragedies in the USA.. good things followed 911.. good things will follow this.

We will bury our dead and grieve them profoundly. We will give money, we can't afford, to help people we will never meet & who will prolly complain anyway. We will cry for the children who are orphans, the pets who were abandoned to fend for themselves & perished, the "things" people lost, which really weren't that important anyway.

So many of you have such a gift for words, and this was about as beautiful as it gets. Thank you, ((((((((Dolly)))))))).

[JustAmy]

LOL

Leave it to a couple of 5 year old boys to find a way. :)

You were clever little guys. :)

[Billie]

Oh, Dave, what a scary experience you had - I hope that the Forest Rangers were successful in getting EVERYONE out before anyone was hurt, no helpless little animals were trapped, and certainly least of all, hope no one lost anything of value in their haste to get to safety.

This will most certainly be a wedding to remember for your brother in law and his new bride.

$3.25 a gallon for gas? YIKES!!!

[Diver Dave]

Fast-Forward again....

The posted speed in Oregon on US 97 is 55 mph. On our journey home, Mrs d notice how slow I was driving. She said, "Why are you driving so slow? Didn't you see that sign that said the speed limit was 97?"

Yep, I'm sure that Oregon State Policeman would have recognized her logic as he developed writer's cramp with the ticket had I heeded her advice.

A drive up/down US 97 takes one through Klammath Falls, and alongside Klammath Lake. A word of advice... try to avoid driving that route in the early morning or evening hours. A gazillion bugs swarm during those hours and vehicles are a magnet. Had to make a trip to PrimeShine Car Wash yesterday.

Also, Klammath Falls, OR, is home to the Klammath Bucket Brigade from a few short years ago. A view of the "Bucket" in front of the County office building...

[SwinneySwitch]

Prayers up!

[Billie]

Hi, OESY. She did say it very well, didn't she?

I tried your link, but on a dialup, nothing is happening here. :(

[JustAmy]

Thank you for posting the Bucket from the Klammath Bucket Brigade.

That is when I first started getting active with the threads. I think I have a shovel here someplace that I bought when the caravan stopped in Fresno. There wasn't much of a turnout ..... Jim, Chris, GoodieD, Mr JA and me.

I like Oregon .... I would consider moving there if all of my family were not here. :)

[Aquamarine]

Saw this beautiful, interesting Post the first time around, thankfully, since I wouldn't have time to read it again today. The power has been out off and on since the outer edge of the hurricane came through this area. It was surprisingly intense here, made a big mess at our place but no serious damage was done. Feel like I'm on the Hurricane Fitness Program (picking up debris) this year, have never seen anything like it.

Helen GA, a tourist type town about 35 minutes away was hit by a tornado last night and one of shopping outlet malls that I frequent was destroyed, and Helen is in the mountains, so don't let people tell you that they can't hit in the mountains, this is the 4th time that I've seen it happen.
Am so sad about the people who live on the coast who have lost everything and some even lost their lives, am afraid that was the fate of too many with more sad news to come. Please keep them in your prayers as they cope in the days to come.

[Aquamarine]

Hi DD. I meant to ping you to the post above.

[OESY]

Hi Billie--

It's even slow with DSL, so it's probably not worth any extra effort.

[Texas Termite]

Prayers it is!!! Please keep us informed and let us know if we can do anything....for you or for them :)

"TT", Beth & Nana

[lonestar]

Biloxi was one of my favorite vacation spots.

This is an email from a friend near the Mississippi coast.

WLBT sent a helicopter to the coast, and I just saw the pictures - heartbreaking!! Those beautiful old homes along 90 are no longer there or are in shambles.

In one case the water surge picked up a casino, carried it across Highway 90 and placed it on top of the reception area of the Holiday Inn. I could not believe my eyes! The Beau Rivage seems to be the only casino that will be operational even though they had water up to the third floor but no structural damage.

I just heard also that New Orleans is a city that has ceased to function. There are no stores open, no electricity, no food, no water and they are trying to figure out how to get people out of there because there is no way they can survive as it is.

Water is continuing to come into the city and they said it would take days to get it out if they can even figure out how to do it and where all the water is coming from. Not to mention the disease from sewage infested water.

So much history and memories lost forever. Again, we can be grateful for what we have, but I just feel empty and devastated by this whole thing.

This is from a friend in Jackson, MS

Thank God, we are all alive and still have a roof over our heads. Yesterday was a day I will not forget nor have I ever experienced anything like it. The wind and rain were unbelievable. We have trees and power lines down, over 200,000 without electricity and a great feeling of thankfulness for all the good we still possess. When I see the devastation on the coast, in N.O. and Mobile, I consider us very, very fortunate.

As I watched TV this morning, I had tears streaming down my face. Those poor, poor people. The coliseum here is packed and those people will go home in a few days to, in some cases (many I fear) absolutely nothing. The blessed part is they are alive.

I live about 300 miles from N.O. and our hotels are full and churches have opened shelters. We have about 1000 people added to our 8000 population. It only seems to get worse.

[Texagirl4W]

What can I say; you are all so kind. The only immediate family I haven’t heard from is one sister. She works at the West Jefferson Hospital in Marrero, La. She volunteers for every emergency there. During emergencies that hospital becomes a National Guard Command Center. They go into ‘lock down’. When the NG takes over there is no one in, no one out.

The last we heard from her was yesterday afternoon. The only way we can communicate is by cell phone and everyone who calls gets the now awful recording, “We are sorry, all circuit are busy”. We know someone who lives 2 blocks from the hospital and by some fluke, that person has phone service and says there is no water on the ground there. Thank You, Lord.

Billie and all, the thread and stories here are wonderful. You and your crew are true gems.

[eyespysomething]

My understanding is text messages are going through better. Don't know why.

[dutchess]

Oh my Texagirl. Just getting here and finally watching TV. I've been "news impaired" and did not realize the scope of distruction. New Orleans is one of our favorite vacation spots...just love the people and "the big easy". My heart breaks for all the people suffering losses. Prayers for your sister, family and friends.

[dutchess]

Oh lonestar, texasgirl. I feel your loss. We usually spend our Thanksgiving (my birthday celebration) in New Orleans. We would LOVE to just walk through the quarter during this "mellow" week watching families "celebrate" on their balconies, decorating for Christmas, a big Christmas concert on the river. How very sad. I'm sure the lovers of Biloxi feel the same way. Prayers bump.

[dutchess]

So glad you're oka aqua. You certainly have had a rough summer weather wise.

Sistahs and finest friend. We've had blowing cold rainy weather all day...I've been very busy with work very annoyed about our weather. Was news impaired and when I just suddenly saw the devastation I was immediately "humbled". My heart and prayers go out to all the victims.

[Billie]

Amy, thank you for your sweet note. I'm sorry to just now be getting back to the thread again. Am glad you enjoyed reading it, and I can tell you *why* you probably missed it the first time - Amy's Place was only a few days old when I posted this almost two years ago. I think you were a bit covered up being a full-time hostess to that wonderful and fun daily thread. :)

[Kitty Mittens]

Joining you in Thanksgiving to our Master for the Good Tidings on your Family! (Prayerfully, All is Well with your sister, since there's no Water on the Ground near the Hospital.)

Wonderful Thread, Billie and Diver Dave!

[Billie]

LOL!!! I know exactly why. Because the 'Texas heat' went on for two and a half days (it seemed). Arizona was hot too, but it didn't take us days to get through it. ;-)

LOL! Okay, I understand now! Yes, it does take quite a lot of hours to drive all the way across Texas (unless you're just driving across the *panhandle*! That would be like driving across many of the other states, and you could do several in a day - a piece of cake!)

We're so used to wide open spaces where you can see for miles and miles, and driving for several hours to see the mountains or get to a lake large enough to put a speedboat on. :)