11am
update - Water levels continue to rise. High winds
and high water forced our neighbor Marsha Shirk to rescue the
Duck pond ducks from under her home.
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Marsha
gets one of the five (she rescued them all) ducks from
their flooding pen...
Then Marsha took the ducks up to the deck of their home.
Ducks now safely on deck!
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9am
update - The water has risen at least 6 inches in the
last hour. Lots of "stuff" is floating around the
village.
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A
tank was loose in our front yard around 9am - left over
from someone's boat building project. She has blown to
someone elses yard - exhibiting impressive downwind performance.
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8am update - Cheryl Huff at "Rambunctious
Farm" just east of Arapahoe reports in:
Howdy from the farm - power has been off here since about
6:30 am, so just made my first of what will no doubt be many
cups of sterno coffee. Did get in a hot shower before it went
off, thank god. The house is so quiet except for the wind noises
- no humming appliances. The ditches are overflowing a bit already,
and there has been some wind pruning off the trees out back,
but nothing awful yet. Went out to the barn but didn't need
my hurricane line yet - it is tied from the brick pillar on
the front porch to a sturdy gate post at the barn, with a line
attached for me to slide along. Things are getting rowdier by
the minute, but the horses are pretty sanguine, munching hay.
The only accident so far is that Finley jumped in my lap and
dumped the hard- earned coffee onto both of us. Sefton, my wild
cat, is safely in the cat house with food and water, so all
is well here.
Hope to send a photo or two if this battery holds out. Cheers
from the very Rambunctious Farm, Cheryl Huff.
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At
7am Ben tried to take his dog Daisey out - requesting
that she "pee pee". In a couple feet of water?
No dice. We are trying to train them to go on the deck.
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Sept
17 10pm Update: TownDock went wandering the streets at
9:30p tonight. A few folks were ending the night at M&M's
Cafe bar. A lot of folks were on sailmaker Wally Chapin's porch...and
the festivities spilled inside his house.
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Tennessee
Ronnie shows his system (bent bottle cap collection) for
keeping track of pre hurricane consumption. Visiting sailor
Camille Gabrielle takes note of Tennessee's hurricane
advice.
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Ben Casey
and his wife Emmy are staying in TownDock's high above the water
headquarters. Ben has this special Isabel edition of Casey
At Bat:
Two of
my stalwart friends departed Pamlico County today. They couldn't
bear the thought of standing by in their adopted homeplaces
because of what they deemed a threatening weather forecast.
I may have departed my house that sits between the Neuse River
and Dawson's Creek, just to weather out this storm, but I really
did not depart my homeplace.
Jim Valvano, the late and very great basketball coach of the
Raleigh branch of the state's public university system, made
two profound statements. He said that to win, one must get in
a position to win. He also said that one must never, ever give
up.
So why one would give up on their homeplace just because of
a storm?
If one gets in a position to weather the storm, there is no
need to give up on the homeplace just because of a little wind
and water. Board up the windows, caulk the doors, hope for the
best and don't give up. Don't run away from Paradise, just because
the water might rise.
Weathering a storm has its obstacles.
Daisy, uprooted from the comfort of the floor at her Dawson's
Creeek home, sensing that there was some upheaval in the wind,
did what all visiting canines do in the host home. She found
a welcoming carpet, not tile floor, and released nervous energy
through a soft movement from the gastric system. (Editor's
clarification - Daisy took a dump on Keith's office carpet).
So, my first punishment for leaving my Dawson's Creek homeplace
just because of a little threat of wind and water, was to find
myself scrubbing the carpet in the Towndock.net official office
headquarters, on, of all streets in Oriental, Water Street (Mean
Green Cleaner did the job).
Moral of the story, don't abandon the homeplace just because
the creek might rise. Noting the wisdom of Jim Valvano, get
in a position to weather the tide, and never, ever give up the
homeplace.
Wasn't it Isabel who favored Columbus with funding to find the
New World? Why reap undue criticism on Isabel for being such
a dominant force in touching the senses of Western Civilization
in Southeastern Pamlico County. This too shall pass.
8pm Update - Views
around town from earlier today as hurricane preparations were
underway.
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Alan
Arnfast and Henry Frazer filled their boat yards at Sailcraft
Marine with boaters wanting to escape damage from Isabel.
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At
about 6:30pm Wed night Hodges Street was covered.
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In
order to take all the boats on the hard Sailcraft had
to order 100 new jackstands - they showed up barely in
time Wednesday.
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One
way to escape high water is to park on the bridge.
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