Football Interrupted

I'm sitting in the dark, candles burning on either side of me, sweating in the humid Houston night, but I'm alive and my home is intact. I haven't been able to blog for a few days since I have no power in my home and my laptop has limited battery life. I had to use the battery time to edit and upload my hurricane photos.

The hurricane did not seem real to us here in Houston until Thursday when it became apparent it was heading our way. Businesses closed early, and it was almost like a holiday weekend. Stores were packed and all the gas stations had long lines. We stayed glued to our televisions Friday while the warnings mounted throughout the day. The mayor held a press conference and told the majority of Houstonians not to leave town. The officials wanted the roads cleared for those who really needed to evacuate--those people in the coastal areas. I never knew until I moved to Houston that Houston is actually on the water. Its port is one of the largest in the country; I guess I should have known.

We had power until midnight Friday night and then the lights went out. I pulled a couple of pillow off the couch and lay down in the hallway with my transitor radio and flashlight. Miraculously, I slept. Around 3 am I was awakened by a thunderous noise. The wind was blasting my house and things were falling on the roof. It was pitch black out, but I didn't want to go near the windows anyway. I lay in the darkness and trembled. I must have fallen asleep again because the next thing I remember is awakening to another thunderous wind blast. By now, it was getting light out, so I jumped up and tiptoed to the window. I was afraid to look. The first thing I could see was a huge oak tree lying across the road and into my front yard. I thought, "oh, no, my tree has fallen." I have three gigantic, 100 year old trees in my yard and a forty foot high pine tree. I just knew in my heart that at least one of them was down. I was afraid to go outside. The wind was ferocious and the rain was blowing sideways. Finally, I opened the door and craned my neck to assess my damage. My trees were all standing! Branches were everywhere, but the trees were intact. My neighbor wasn't so lucky. He had one tree stretched across his roof and another upended in his front yard. The street looked like a tornado had come through. Water was coursing down the street like a river.

I badly needed coffee, but had no power to make it. Around 8:00 I decided to go outside since the wind had died down somewhat. My neighbors were pouring out of their houses, checking on one another, oblivous to the downpour. I grabbed my camera and raincoat and started snapping photos. I found neighbors on their hands and knees in the street, digging debris out of the storm sewers so the streets wouldn't flood. I found people helping each other free their cars from debris. I found a neighborhood that I hadn't discovered before.

We all survived. We still don't have power, but I found a hotel with power and had a cup of coffee and recharged my batteries. Today, I watched football for six hours straight in a sportsbar 25 miles from home. It was a welcome relief. I saw some great games, too, and will share my thoughts on these tomorrow. For now, I'm still recovering from the hurricane experience and from doing 10 hours of yardwork in the rain.

I doubt I'm feeling anywhere as tired as the San Diego Chargers. What a sad game for them.