1) Our intrepid reporter goes into the field in search of all the news that's fit to fold, spindle or mutilate
Well, the worst seems to (thankfully) be past, so this morning I set out to document the damage. It was, as you shall soon see, more of an adventure than I had anticipated. I headed over to Todville Road, which, in events such as these, is usually the first place to flood, since it runs right along the Seabrook waterfront. I decided to take the TPRS Immediate News Response Vehicle....
When news happens, we'll back over it a few times to make sure it's dead....
Todville Road can be tricky when it floods, because of the debris that washes in with the tide. This morning, for example, there were an inordinate number of boards with exposed nails. Someone's dock must have bought the farm. You don't want to be driving it in just any vehicle. That's where the Immediate News Response Vehicle Comes in.
The first thing I noticed was the number of flooded properties. There are reasons why homes along Todville Road are built on stilts....
Yes, and there are reasons why the bedrooms are upstairs....
2) No good deed goes unpunished
Todville Road is a narrow little two-lane road that runs along the waterfront. The speed limit is 30 MPH, which is just fine for a scenic little city street. Occasionally, people fall in behind you that are something less than patient, so when I'm enjoying the scenery I usually just pull off and let the miscreants pass. This morning, I looked in my rear-view mirror to see someone behind me looking a bit antsy. Being the polite, civic-minded type that I am, I pulled over onto what I though was a shoulder, and....my right rear tire sunk up to its axle in wet south Texas clay.
That's the LAST time I pull over for anyone....
So there I was, stuck, trying to figure out how to explain to my wife why we were going to have to spend $80 to have the Immediate News Response Vehicle pulled out of the mud. TPRS is not a high-budget news operation, so $80 represents, well, more than my expense account can handle.
Fortunately, riding to the rescue came Darren and his son, Cody. He had some town rope, the neighbor had two shovels, and within about 15 minutes we had all worked together to pull me out. Great, now that's 80 more bucks I can spend on that margarita machine....
Thanks to Darren and Cody, I was free. It was nice to see how many people stopped to volunteer assistance. This is especially true when you consider the amount of mud involved, AND the fact that my rear wheel had come to rest in a sizable fire ant bed. That meant I was digging in the midst of a few thousand angry fire ants while wearing only sandals. Yeah, it hurt- a lot.
No, that's NOT where I buried the bodies, but that IS where the Immediate News Response Vehicle was buried....
3) Free at last, free at last....
Once the Immediate News Response Vehicle was freed from it's muddy grave, I continued my news-gathering mission. Albeit humbled and dirty, I perserved. OK, I was tired, sweaty, muddy, and not altogether happy. Basically, I limped home with my tail between my legs and took pictures along the way.
All in all, I've seen worse. There have been times when most of Todville Road was flooded, and what wasn't was covered with stones that had been flushed ashore. Today, all I saw was a fair amount of water and trash. It really could have been worse.
The ocean asserting it's dominance....
4) Home, muddied but unbowed....
So what did we learn today? Well, we learned that no good deed goes unpunished. It will likely be a cold day in Guantamo Bay before I pull off the road again for anyone. Lesson learned....
We also learned that it is never a good idea to wade into a fire ant bed while wearing sandals. You will NEVER win that battle.
Back at home base, muddy, tired, and thankful for the good people who helped me out of the muck....
It would appear now that we have indeed dodged a bullet. The sun is shining, and it seems in every respect like a normal, mid-September Saturday afternoon. Rain is still in the forecast, but the hurricane that was supposed to be apparently never was, at least in our neck of the woods. For all intents and purposes, it would appear that we got lucky- very lucky.
It's a good feeling to worry about something like this and in the end be proven wrong. I feel silly now for worrying as much as I did, but it's a good silly. If that's the worst thing I have to deal with this weekend, well, life is pretty good.
There's still eight weeks left in hurricane season. Let's hope they're uneventful weeks....
