Aftermath of the Storm
I had a fitful night of sleep. Every so often I would wake to check the coffee pot to see if electric came back on by watching for the little red light. I was met each time with darkness. I was just sure the electric would come back on in a few hours and was disappointed each time.
The cabin sits on the hill and it is surrounded by age old trees, so darkness envelopes us like a blanket. My eyes strain to look for any sign of light while my ears listen for the boys who are night fishing off the dock. Through the lace like leaves, I see glimmers of light from the pearl size moon.
In the wee hours of morning, Mark and I rose early as we normally do. My inventive husband figures out a way to make coffee. Lighting the charcoal grill, filling our iron skillet (Ha! again I brought something useful) with a bit of water to boil, filling a pot with water and centering it in the iron skillet he waits somewhat impatiently for water to grow hot and boil. He then takes a huge mug (Yes another treat I brought to make instant oats with) and a rubber band, fitting a coffee filter over top with the grounds. He pours water over top and there we have a small mug of coffee. Tedious for sure, strong most definitely, but well worth the wait as I take my first sip I thank my husband.
After coffee and a quick clean up, we decide to trek up the road and see if we can make it to the marina and pick up our boat for the week. We get part way up and find lots of limbs lying on the road and one big branch. I climb out and move the branch off the road, a few more feet and the same thing, another little bit and we have to move a larger branch off the road. We round the corner of the hill and carefully drive surveying the damage of broken trees and leaves lying all over the road. At the top we come to a complete stop and marvel at four large pine trees lying in across the road. There would be no way we can move these on our own. Here we were, stuck with no way out and no way for anyone to come in.
We call the friend whose cabin we borrowed and let them know what has happened. Our friend suggests we back down the hill and head to the first cabin where his neighbor Ted lives. Mark woke the poor fellow up and explained about the downed trees. Ted has a phone and said he would make a few calls. Nothing more we could do, so we head back to our cabin to wait.
So far, our vacation was turning into a little more than frustration. I begin trying to organize our items while Mark clears off the many limbs from fallen trees on our deck. It isn’t long before Ted rides up in a John Deer four wheeler letting us know the road is clear. We cheer and thank him. It seems the summer residents are very used to this stuff and have their own chain saws to handle Mother Nature when they can. While we novice campers found it troublesome, the residents shrugged it off like it was nothing.
We were now free to head to the Marina and check out the rest of our surroundings. Waking the boys with a promise of breakfast, we head back out. The road out is a steep one lane road in normal conditions, but today it is more of an obstacle course and we zig and zag up the road carefully till we reach the main road. The view is spectacular once out, set on what can best be described as rolling hills and farm land. Wild flowers dot the horizon making it very picturesque normally. However, today we find many downed trees, broken limbs and strewn debris everywhere we drive. Telephone and power lines are down, broken trees lying on top of them. The more damage I se, the more thankful I am for God’s protection. We have lived through a most scary wind storm.
Getting to the marina proved to be impossible with a closed road, instead we head to a little town called Freeport with the boys in tow. We figure we needed food and possibly ice. Three miles down the road, we found much of the same damage and to make matters worse, the only grocery store in town was permanently closed down. This vacation should have been a comedy show. We have to laugh, what else could happen at this point. Note to reader: Never jinx yourself by thinking the previous statement for you will surely find out just what else might happen.
We drive another block and notice lights on at a Marathon gas station and people lined up for gas. We venture inside the station slash small store to find they were running on a huge generator. This little place would become not only our life saver in the days to come, but it seemed the whole communities.
We had met the owner before on our last trip and found he was a man with a big heart. In the days that came on this trip we find he was honest and very helpful. The place became a source of information and supplies. He never hiked prices to take advantage of the situation and this in itself is amazing. It was a sure sign again from God there really are some good people in the world.
The owner tells us the news he hears from the authorities. Drum roll please….it could very well be days before electric is restored. The storm hit three counties hard in our area and may well have also done damage state wide. We moan at the thought of no electric fans in the heat that is promised. There lay my wish before our trip to be far from technology. God does have a sense of humor.
I have also bemoaned the fact that in our techno world, we have lost touch with the human factor. I am a believer in real written letters, less texting and game playing. Although I admit I succumb to both in my life, I find it really bogs me down. So here we are in the midst of a small town without those things plus the luxury of electric.
Until you lose power, you don’t always realize how much you rely on it. Simple things like water, for our system at the cabin is run on a pump for the well, will be surely missed in this heat. From the newspaper we read temperatures are climbing to record breaking numbers.
We head back to the cabin laden with ice and some food supplies to get us through the day. We have two coolers with us and load up on water, refreshing drinks and food. The boys trek down the steep hill to the dock and we hear excited cheers, they have snagged a big catfish on the line and continue to fish for more.
Dogs sit happily at our feet, Mark fillets the fish the boys bring up and I cheerfully sit back in the shade and take it all in. Here we are on a vacation with the most unusual circumstances, but I feel light and carefree. Birdsong lifts in the air and butterflies circle our camp. All feels right.
I remember the storm from the night before and how frightened I had become. How do you describe the fear at seeing giant trees bent double and what sounds like giants’ throwing rocks on a wooden roof? The image stays with me as well as the fact God sent his Holy Spirit to me as I prayed. “Trust me”. Indeed! God is with me. In Him I put my Trust.
I sit back watching my family move about chores on the deck and smile. We are safe, together and working on solutions. What could be better than this?
Teresa Gale
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