And the Bayou Takes....

   The last post I did was a few weeks ago simply because time and energy did not permit me to lollygag about on the computer.  Hurricane Francine did not hit here directly but did deal us a blow as far as damage to the pier.  My favorite place was in shambles and was clearly not a safe place to be.  While "The Bayou Provides" (previous post) still holds true, it also takes.  It takes time and effort to deal with problems that arise simply by trying to coexist with whatever the weather throws at us.  Son has been working tirelessly to repair the damage to the pier while I am putting the same effort into cleaning up the debris line left behind by the tidal surge.  I am getting too old for this!  

  The damage to the pier seemed, at first, to be only a surface matter but, once Son really looked, there were some underlying problems.  Some of the basic structure points had come undone so his job got massively larger.  The poor fellow has been redoing a lot of the bottom joists and stringers that had come unbolted.  Renailing planks further up the walkway became my job.  Finding our lost pier pieces became a family affair with us walking the shoreline in search of planks from both our pier and my brother's.  (He received much more damage than we did.)  We have yet to find the sturdy bench that Son had bolted to the pier.  The table remained intact and actually helped keep the pier together...somewhat...but that bench is elusive!  Where, oh, where did that thing float ashore?  Son was in hopes of finding it but did say he would build another if the need arises.  I miss my bench but, I have to admit, I have a great son!

  So...the Bayou also takes.  It and the weather make us ever aware of "what could happen" if the two collaborate to hit us with a fierce blow.  It takes effort.  It takes time.  It takes stamina (something that is wearing thin with me.)  And...it takes my bench to parts unknown!  Come back, traveling bench!  On a side note, if anyone sees this wayward bench, let me know! 

Pep Talk From A Maple Tree

   Resiliency is one of those things that I have always admired in folks....or in anything for that matter.  Being able to bounce back after a traumatic event takes toughness.  Toughness is what it is going to take to get this country out of the mess it is currently enduring.  

  I was out back in the creekbed this afternoon when I came across something that made me believe that there is hope.  A red maple tree had been severely damaged by a storm this past fall.  The tree had suffered many broken limbs but there was nothing I could do to remedy the situation.  For that matter, I have not been able to even get back here to survey the damage until now.  One branch on the tree had been broken but not completely severed from the trunk.  The part that would have been reaching for the sky was now nigh on touching the ground.  At first, it saddened me to see my beautiful red maple so broken but, on closer inspection, I gained great hope from the tree.  That branch, although battered and torn, had bloomed.  The tiny samaras were starting to form.  These seeds would soon ripen then fall to the ground to give a new start to life.  Regardless of what the tree endured, it was still trying.  It did not give up to the enemy.  It endured.  It survived.  It reproduced and will make the woods great again.  Life is good.  Don't give up!

Only 190 Feet To Go!

  Son and I started doing the heavy repairs on the pier.  Of course, he is doing most of the work and I am there to simply lend a hand lifting the heavy planks or running back up the hillside to get a different tool.  First thing was to replace some of the long stringers on which the planks sit.  This is not an easy job as we have to first remove all of the planks, knock out the broken 3 x 12s then replace those and start anew with planking.  Needless to say, this is a time-consuming and now very hot job.  There is no shade and for the past few days, our temperatures have been in the mid 90s.   Hot and hard work, for sure!  It is times like this that make me want to put the pier completely off limits to those who wish to come  fishing.  All of the folks who have used the pier in the past are sure not coming around to lend a helping hand when it is needed.  But...we are used to that.  We will get it repaired.  After all, we only have about 190 feet left to rebuild!  Not too bad.

  Along about noontime, a loud splashing in the shallows alerted us to some critter making a quick escape.  We have yet to figure out just what darted, swam or fluttered through the small inlet cut and across the tidepool.  Whatever it was, it made a hasty retreat under the marsh mats left by the storm.  These mats are a good foot deep and some twenty to thirty feet across.  They are floating on about 10 inches of water making a nice covering for the critters.  During one water break, Son and I sat talking about those mats.  "You know, if we had some way of pouring resin on the mats, they would make a great outdoor rug." he said.  I stared at him and pondered if his musings were serious or simply a way of confusing his old mom.  He then went further..."We could actually put enough resin on them and make floating piers!"  Ok, with that, I knew that he was joking as I cannot imagine pouring that much resin on anything...but...maybe??  Floating piers may be easier to take care of during storms.  We could tie it off to the large oak trees in the yard and let it float right on up in the yard with the storm surge.  Getting it back out may be a problem but if the size of these mats is any indication, we could always just make new piers.  Whoa!  Ideas were flowing until Son started laughing and said "Back to work."

  The pier work started again and we finally got one section ripped up and the underparts repaired.  It is surprising how Cristobal, as a tropical storm, did so much damage to the piers in the area.  Ours has been racked from one side to the other, end platform broken loose and shattered and nigh on a hundred planks will need to be replaced.  We might as well be building a new pier.  (At least the posts are reasonably sound.) 

Cristobal, you can leave now!

  Well, Tropical Storm Cristobal came to visit the Bayou and is stirring up a tad bit of trouble before he makes his exit.  Yes, I do know that the storm "officially" made landfall in Louisiana but, like I said before, that put us on that right side...the side you do not want to be on during any tropical system.  Why?  Because in any typical storm, that upper right quadrant (our side in this case just like in Hurricane Katrina) is the side that catches the brunt of the wind, tidal surge and rain.  The area that is impacted by the right side of a tropical system in the Atlantic Basin, is in for trouble.  We got trouble by the buckets!  Rain...lots and lots of rain fell on the area and that created flooding and wind..sometimes gusting nigh on to hurricane force, pushed even more water into our area.  In fact, as of this writing, the rain gauge reads a little over 8 inches. This flooding is not going to go away for a while.  Here on the Bayou, we are lucky.  We live on a hill that overlooks the Bay and Bayou.  While the tidal surge came and is slowly receding at this time, the rain filling the creek that empties into the back of the Bayou is causing trouble for those behind us.  Here, the rain slides off into the Bay.  Others are not so fortunate.  The water from rivers, creeks, ponds and any low spots just pools and then floods into houses.  Not good.  

  The pier seems to have taken a beating and planks have wandered off to parts unknown.  Those will have to be replaced.  Hopefully, (I cannot tell yet as water is still covering it) the base structure of the pier is still intact.  Planks can be replaced with a little hard work.  The gardens look a whole lot worse for wear.  The wind has pretty much tattered the plants.  Again, with a little hard work, those can be replaced.  Son and I worked throughout the storm to keep things together.  Several times, we had to brave the pelting rains and high winds to hoist the skiffs a bit further up the hill until we finally just chained the boats to a sturdy oak tree.  Enough of that!  

  Tomorrow will find us with more rain and occasional fierce winds but hopefully the storm surge will be down.  Cleaning up the debris line across the front and side yards will have to wait until Cristobal decides to make a full exit.  As I am writing, the winds are still rapping at the windows and rain is continually pelting the rooftop.   Some of these storms just refuse to leave!

A "Shoulder" To Lean On....

  Every now and again, even the toughest of us needs someone with strong shoulders to "lean on".  We need the security, the reassurance, the comfort of just knowing someone is in our corner.  Those shoulders can be the big burly guy like Mark or the soft..umm...well-padded shoulders of a grandmotherly type.  The type shoulders matters not.  What matters is they are there when we need them.

  For the past two days, storms have pounded the Bayou.  We have seen hail, gale-force winds and torrential rains.  I did not need the "shoulders" for support as I love a good storm and this one fit the bill to a T.  We had all of the trappings of a squall without major damage!  That is my kind of storm!  Still, when I headed to the pier this afternoon, it was good to see that a strong "shoulder" was there when needed.  And, yes, I am speaking figuratively here as I am giving personification to part of the pier.  One of the broad pier posts was in the right spot to catch the wooden bench before the strong winds pushed it off the pier.  Had the post not been there, our bench would have gone swimming never to be seen again.  The wooden bench would have been shoved overboard and pushed away by the winds.  It has happened before!

  Everything on the pier took a beating but there is nothing that cannot be replaced or repaired.  Those "damages" are not worthy of complaint.  Instead, my thoughts are with those in the path of this system that have not been so fortunate.  Flooding, wind damage and tornadic activity wreaked havoc on some places.  They will not recover for months, if then.  Hopefully, there will be helping hands and strong shoulders for those in need.  

Standing strong against the odds

  It is a well known fact that wind can do major damage.  Here on the Bayou, that is quite evident.  We get a lot of hurricanes passing through this way.  The straight line winds push the tides way up and also cause damage to buildings.  This can be devastating, to say the least.  Hurricane winds don't just come in one direction, however.  In fact, while the strongest winds usually are in a direct path, you never really know which direction the gusts will blow.   Plus, most hurricanes have tornadoes mixed in the mess so everything is topsy-turvy.  A hurricane is one big mess of wind coming from just about every direction in any given moment.  Pop always used to say that a hurricane had a mind of its own and you should never take its action as a given.  "Its always going to change and surprise you to the worst."  They do change so never take to the idea that you have one figured out.  You don't. Trust me on that.

  In 1985 a hurricane was playing in the Gulf of Mexico.  It was one of those unpredictable storms that left everyone confused.  The hurricane went this way and that.  It made many turns before setting its sites on a place to make landfall.  On September 2, Hurricane Elena paid us a visit.  The storm made landfall as a Category 3 and pretty much wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast.  Hurricane Elena spawned many, many tornadoes which decimated everything in their paths.   

  That said, down the hill near where the property meets the marsh, an old oak tree stands.  It has been there for decades upon decades as have most of the other oak trees on the place.  This one particular oak, however, still shows the strength of hurricane winds in its limbs.  It was shortly after Hurricane Elena (and its many tornadoes) that we noticed the evidence that the oak had been caught up in the middle of a cyclone.  Several of its huge limbs were torqued into odd shapes.  The tree was strong and withstood the winds but, to this day, it still bears the evidence of the trauma.  The twisted branches are a reminder not to take the weather for granted.  Mother Nature can release her fury on the Bayou at any time (as in any place) so it makes sense just to be fully aware of what is happening and to be prepared.  

  As I stood looking at the oddly shaped branches today, it came to mind that, while we can prepare for storms, the trees just have to "hold their ground". They are battered by both wind and water but the old oaks do a fine job of being sturdy.  I pondered of how many storms these old trees must have witnessed.  How many times were they bent and broken only to recuperate and thrive again?  Hurricane Elena was bad but how many storms before and how many after were worse?  Hurricane Katrina came along some twenty years later and did her best to decimate the Gulf Coast. The oaks beat the odds against her, too.  Between these two storms many other hurricanes and tropical storms twisted and turned the trees.  The old oaks stood strong against those unpredictable winds that rip, tear, twist and ravage the place.  What mighty trees they are!  I put my hand against the rough bark and wished I could stand so strong against the odds.

Well, that was quick!

  Going to bed last night, I had no inkling that by morning, things would change.  About 3am, things did change.  The weather took a turn for the worse and I awoke to tornado sirens sounding on all sides of us.  I laid there thinking that storms sure take you by surprise.  After about ten minutes of listening to rain pound the rooftop and wind rattle the windows, I decided that a cup of coffee was calling my name.  I wandered into the kitchen.  Things did not sound quite so bad on that side of the house.  The wind was obviously out of the south.

  It was hours before the storm abated and also before it was light enough outside for me to see anything.  About 8am, the clouds thinned enough for the old dog and me to take a hike around the hillside.  With the wind still whipping, the tide was high...extremely high.  This sudden gale had obviously been as strong as any tropical storm that has hit the Bayou in the past.  We were just fortunate that it was relatively short lived as damage could have been much worse.  Tornadoes did do damage in the next community but, thankfully, there were no reported injuries.

  Our damage seems to be relatively slight in comparison to others. The pier is missing a half-dozen boards but, other than that, the storm patted us lightly.  Hopefully, this is the last hard gale that will pound us for this season.  I am ready for north wind and cold weather!

Nothing A Little Hard Work Won't Fix

  Whenever life handed him a blow, Pop would always say "Its nothing that a little hard work won't fix."  He was a firm believer that most problems could be overcome by just working at them.  He usually was right.  Too many folks shy away from tackling a daunting task but sometimes that is the only way to mend things.  Pull yourself up by the bootstraps and jump right in.  There is nothing a little hard work won't fix.

  I thought of Pop and his "can do" attitude today when Mark and I were on the pier reviewing the storm damage.  The storm surge had completely covered the pier making it impossible to even tell if we had anything standing but now, we were able to observe just what all needed repairing. Seventeen boards had been ripped up and nine had floated off to parts unknown.  Many more may be missing by morning since the wind and storm surge are still pounding the poor pier with all the gusto the storm can muster.  I am sure Pop would have already been gathering together his tools, more boards and a bucketful of nails to repair the pier as soon as the storm eased a bit.  Mark and I have the same idea as do others who live along the Bay.  None of us wait for others to do the work for us.  We just jump in and get it done.

  The pier is our enjoyment and is of high priority.  Its repair will be forthcoming as soon as the tides recede.  Then, if others need help, we will gladly take our tools to lend a helping hand.  That is just what neighbors do....at least, that is what we do down here in the Deep South.