First the good news: We're safe, so don't worry. We weren't hurt and neither was Tergel. I promise you, however, that experiencing a hurricane was the last thing we expected while camped on the Gulf Coast. Storms occur here every year, so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised to be in one, but we were ... in a motor home, no less!
On Thursday, we skedaddled back to Daphne from Tallahassee to prepare for what was then Tropical Storm Nate. His track seemed to take aim at Mobile Bay, so we needed to get ready. Friday was a chore day: Laundry, groceries, a tank fill-up for Smartie, and an outside walk around the mall for us. Phones, computers, cameras, etc, were fully charged. Above, Tergel sits in her cozy, shaded spot beneath the trees.
We listened to Saturday morning's weather report, that now-Hurricane Nate would come ashore late Saturday night or early Sunday, its eye still on the Ala/Miss coast. A decision was made between us and our friends here to move Tergel where she'll be protected. And we'd move into the Big Pink House, where we'd be safe.
And then we went for a late morning walk, because what else was there to do while you're waiting for the sky to fall? The air was stifling, humidity over the charts. A strong restless east wind didn't help to cool us off, but I'm sure it helped fuel the incoming storm. Gray clouds scudded through the sky. Goldenrod danced in the wind. Then we came across this iridescent green caterpillar, as big 'round as my index finger. It didn't seem too healthy, so we left it alone to take care of itself. I think it's a Cecropia silkmoth larva.
Look at the sand pears on this tree!
We picked a grocery bag full.
Rain began falling after one o'clock. Jimmy had a football game on in the living room of the Big House, but he helped me peel the hard-as-bricks sand pears. I cut 'em up, added a piece of ginger, and simmered them in apple juice for an hour or two. Better than watching football, but neither of us had anything else to do. I netted seven or eight cups. Jimmy doesn't watch football much, indeed, scarcely ever, but today he sat through three games! Back and forth between The Weather Channel and the games.
Tergel will be safe parked here. She's plugged into 120 Volt, 20 amp, adequate to keep the fridge on, but not run the A/C. If for only that and no other reason, we'd not sleep in our beds tonight. Nate grew to Category 2. Heavy rain began as night fell. Inside the house, our phones blared with warnings. We cooked hot dogs and warmed zucchini patties on the stove for dinner. Once in a while, we'd step onto the covered back porch to feel the wind. It didn't seem bad. Rain pummeled the area. I read for a while.
Jimmy switched to the local WKRG channel for up-to-the-minute updates. Kudos to meteorologist, Alan Sealls for his storm coverage. He warned of possible tornadoes, advised residents when to take cover, and kept us informed. Luckily we weren't in any tornado path, though our phones jangled with warnings.
We'd spend the day and night inside the house behind Tergel.
Smartie was sheltered, too!
We gave up and went to bed somewhere around 10pm; the main part of Nate wouldn't hit us till after Midnight. Jimmy slept soundly, but I slept fitfully in an unfamiliar bed. We were far enough inland not to get smacked by hurricane force winds, but I know gale force winds howled. In the bedroom we couldn't hear either the wind or rain, but you could in other rooms. That morning, I'd gone to an Urgent Care facility because my left ear felt "clogged" and had begun to hurt. Never had an ear infection before, but I was diagnosed with one! (when it rains, it pours?) Walgreen's got my prescript in a hurry. It was like I was deaf in that ear, so it's no wonder I didn't hear the storm.
At seven we awoke and got up. The sky was a thick gray blanket, but the rain had gone and a hefty west wind was a-blowin'. The air on the porch felt cooler, less humid, but, hey it was early. Everything smelled wet. We walked to Tergel's shady place and, other than a few sticks on the ground, all was as it had been. So, did we need to go through the rigmarole of uprooting ourselves? Possibly a night in the wind/rain inside Tergel would have been exciting. Or, it could have been devastating. In a hurricane, it's best to be prudent, or "Better Safe than Sorry."
We gathered our things and moved Tergel back to her shady place. It felt like we'd lost 24 hours ... very weird feeling, like time suspended. Nate battered the coast, and did plenty of damage elsewhere, but he left us pretty well unscathed. Good for us. We put on our walking shoes to hoof it around the mall parking lot again while the wind blew and before the sun broke through and turned the day into a steam bath. The holding pond above was empty the other day, but you see it fulfilled its job, capturing a lot of Nate's rain.
Laurie asked me to take a picture of the goldenrod after the rain. Here's one, nearly knocked to the ground. Maybe when the sun shines, it'll stand tall again. Whew. It's over. We're grateful. OK, now we get on to better things. New adventures. Tomorrow my sis and bro-in-law drive over from Baton Rouge, and Tuesday my oldest bro and his wife fly in from Boston. Time for a mini-reunion. Thank goodness Nate didn't get in the way!
