Just Another Day at the Beach? Um, No!

It’s been an interesting, exciting 24 hours. Beginning with our group get together last evening where, with three of our number absent likely due to Mother’s Day visits, the buzz was about the upcoming storm. Would it hit us directly, would there be high winds and flooding in low lying areas on the peninsula - all this and more was discussed by just about everyone around us.

Mind you, the Parrot is little more than a block from the the boardwalk and the Atlantic. Someone at the next table offered that nothing was being mentioned about the storm on the local TV stations, so that meant it wouldn’t amount to anything important.

Dinner was delicious; our waiter Richard was in rare form, our other regular waiters - David and Mathew - came by to chat and the conversations were funny and spirited; we laughed a lot.

By the time we went our separate ways the wind had kicked up and big droplets of rain began to fall as I pulled into the driveway. I made it inside seconds before the heavens opened up, as did the wind so that the rain was falling almost horizontally.

I had web work to do, so I quickly booted as the storm raged outside. There was no thunder or lightening, which I thought was strange, but the rain pelting my windows and walls was very relaxing so I got the work done in no time and uploaded the changes to the web. I was afraid of losing power and this client wanted the changes up by today.

Let me explain, whenever there are high winds and heavy rains, there’s sure to be a power outage – and there was - but I was fast asleep when it happened. I told you the sound of rain relaxes me.

As I left for work this morning the sustained winds were 35-40 mph gusting up to 55 mph, yes that’s hurricane speed. Turns out we’re in the middle of a nor’easter and it caused panic around here. This morning over 6,000 home were without power, trees were down everywhere, including on my road where I was fortunate to have a neighbor (also trying to get to work) help me move the tree off the roadway. He was a very cute Godsend. Unfortunately, during the lifting of the tree, my back blew out. I heard it and felt it. It’s gotten worse throughout the day. I'll see the Chiropractor on Wednesday. Ouch!

By the time I arrived at work and turned on the local radio station, everything began to hit the fan. Stoplights blew out or lost power. Lewes was deserted since their power had been out all night. Downtown Rehoboth was locked up as well. The Coastal highway was closed in both directions by noon due to water, sand, and fish on the roadway. Yes, it’s that low. Rehoboth Bay tops it’s banks and the Atlantic tops the dunes and they meet somewhere in the middle of the road.

From the UPS deliveryman I learned that traffic lights were still out but the intersections were now being controlled by State Troopers, so things were no longer so chaotic, at least on the main roads. The Coast Guard was evacuating people stranded in their homes on Rehoboth Bay. Many had water up to their porches.

The local radio station, usually a right-wing mouthpiece, devoted the entire broadcast day to the storm reporting on everything from downed power lines, accidents, emergencies, and evacuations related to the local area. It was a real challenge and they came through for the people.

My drive home was another challenge. In places the highway was submerged and dangerous to drive through and the winds were still gusting to 65 mph blowing vehicles all over, even in one instance, off the road entirely.

As I turned onto my road I was apprehensive about getting home. On the bright side, the tree I moved was gone completely; on the bad side the lowest part of the road flooded from a stream and pond, again, meeting in the middle. I got out of the car to check the depth and found that I could make it by driving slow and carefully.

While there are trees and branches down all over the place, I had power. Praise God from whom all blessing flow.

Dinner is on the stove, slipped out of my wet clothes, taken a hot shower, and I am ready to come down from this crazy weather kind of day.

The weather critters this evening are calling for sun and temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s tomorrow. Uh huh, we’ll see.

And so it goes.