Today we flooded. Photos that follow may not be as clear as usual, because when we were out checking the flooding along the creek the wind was driving. My camera is still drying out. Every so often DH would let me use his dry t shirt to dry off the photo lens.
What I first saw going outside.
Spirit seems to like it, but look at how high the water is along the creek walls. Moving fast too. I had to keep on Spirit who wanted to go swimming.
This is the bend approaching the dirt road and our front gate.
Our drive way has a new channel. You can see one of DH's bee trucks getting ready to turn onto the dirt road. Big truck high off the ground. Thank Gosh!
Taken closer to the dirt road, it is apparent the water is no longer flowing through the culvert (which is supposed to be County Maintained).
I can't believe this guy went through the water here. The big truck made it so I guess he thought he'd be okay. He did make it, but I'm worried we won't be able to get out to get our son home from school.
Especially if the culvert under the paved road on the other side of the farm is also flooded. You remember I have had concerns about it.
Out at the dirt road. Looking toward the paved road.
My fence line where the culvert pipe goes under the road.
Well, on the positive side at least the water is draining away from my Mom's house and the Bee Barn.
Farm road that you saw yesterday has a much higher water level today. A lot more debrie floating downstream today, not just trash, but water plants too.
The boys trench to the creek is keeping the water from pooling up too much around the base of the power pole.
We are worried we may loose those potted trees, if the creek overflows it's banks.
Looking upstream, not recommended to take photos when the wind is blowing into the camera, the raindrops mess up your photos. : - )
Farm pond spillway, looking upstream.
Another view, with DH trying to shield me with the umbrella. LOL! I was in the rainsuit with the wellies and wool socks on. Was sweet of him.
We've never seen the water this high on the spillway before!
The creek has completely encircled the island, which is barely above water now.
The island from the back side relative to my house. I knew I should have grabbed that old chair! Rats!
Lots of debrie floating downstream.
Granmother Oak in the background. DH on the side, Creek has overflowed it's banks in the picnic area and we have parallel streams running here. One in the Creek and one on our farm road. Bummer! : - (
I climbed to higher ground for this one.
Jules, what a mess!!! Glad you found your wellies and hoping it doesn't do any damage.
Used the telephoto for the next few photos, wasn't about to cross that bridge. This is part of the flooded picnic area, if you look close you can see picnic tables, one has the tree baler still sitting on top of it.
This shows the runaway hay ride wagon which is on higher ground for now.
Hang around Sally, there is more. Sigh . . .
Most worried about son at school and how to get him home safely.
The bridge on our way back home. Now you know why I wouldn't cross it before. It's just not safe! DH really wanted to cross it and so did Spirit, but I wouldn't let them. I don't know if has been undermined by the water yet.
Looking downstream.
Can you tell where the creek ends and the farm road begins?
Is it my imagination or is the island even smaller?
The spillway as we walked back to the house.
Close up taken with telephoto. That water was moving fast!
Still worried about those potted trees.
Spirit seems really happy! : - )
You know I was really worried about this happening but DH just shrugged it off. I am devastated. My beautiful gh. I know how JasperDale feels about his flooded garden, I cried. : - (
Good news is that since I started posting these photos, the water level has dropped and DH was able to retrieve our YS from school.
I'm done for now, you all just shared an experience we probably won't see again for 30 years. Thanks for the company, and tomorrow, it's going to be kinder and gentler out there.
For those who are curious, when I checked the rain gauge we had 3" in it. We've been having steady rain all day but while we were out walking with the camera it was at it's worst.
Now for clean up. : - (
WIB!
SW
Be sure you open up the greenhouse and get those fans running as soon as you can. The plants will love the humidity for a while, but you don't need too much of good thing. Hopefully you're CA weather will return shortly and dry all that mess up. Glad YS made it home safely, I was thinking use that bee truck. 3" WOW wonder how much we'll get when it gets up here! I think the coast is going to get the worst of it though. We're kind of sheltered here, usually is worse all around us.
Try not to worry too much, it could look a lot better tomorrow or the next day.
There's a tub on our picnic bench that I can see from the window, so I know we got at least 3". A while ago we had some baaad thunder - Julie was on the floor and hightailed it (literally!) to her cage. My neighbor called to check on the horses, but they're OK. Hope they stay that way, because I don't relish going over there to try and calm them down! She works for the local PD and said they have spent the whole day dealing with power outages, downed trees, etc.
What a mess!! Poor Julie, sis.
Yeah, we heard sirens while on the walk, and people were probably caught unaware. Say, the sun is actually shining at this moment. I'm going to look for a rainbow. Got to be one somewhere.
DH isn't worried about the pool, and will clean it up. : - )
WIB,
SW
Heck, Jules is the one with the mess. Hope it looks worse than it is when the rain stops. Now the sun is out for the first time today and the wind is blowing all the water around. Got to check on the horses - they don't like that wind at all!
The birds are fine. I think they forget things very quickly. ^_^ They don't like the wind, either, though.
Hang in there, Jules. Glad the boy child got home.
DH says for me to calm down, that pools get flooded all the time. He is a lot more patient than I am.
He says that he built a berm where the water had broken through Lake Wicked and was coming down to the gh.
To put this in perspective, the concrete was already drying out when last I looked. When the sediment settles on the bottom of the pool, DH will vacuum it out, and into the garden where the Time Portal is, from there it will go to the driveway and down to the creek .
They say that this is the worst it will get, for this round of storms, but I sure want to go check on the drainage openings at the roads. I want to make sure they aren't blocked. Also want to check on the bridges, they might need to be shored up.
DH moved here in '84, and I have been here since we got married in '87. We have never seen the water run as high as it did today.
The highest it has ever flooded and I don't know what year it was, but according to FIL, when he was a kid, the flood came up to the base of Grandmother Oak, and to the step of the sleeping porch on the cabin. I took the topography and the history and kept that in mind when we built our place.
Besides, you can never tell what will turn up after a hard rain. It's good time to check for arrowheads, and tiny springs, not to mention our annual fungus hunt. We like that a lot. : - )
I"m sort of wondering where those poppy seeds are going to end up now. LOL! Probably downstream. I'm going to go get some more to sow in the same area before the next batch of storms comes.
I didn't find any rainbows, except for the one of Dad's I use for my desk top, and it's all right. : - ) We really do need the rain, and we'll probably have ducks nesting on the little island this year.
The Lori Piestewa Oak near that bridge on the opposite bank was firmly rooted, and standing strong against the water current. Like DH says, it'll clear out the brush and all, that has been collecting for years.
Just got my rainbow, on the tv news. If the photographer had moved a few feet it would have appeared to end at a Citibank. Too funny! : - )
Really, we are okay. Now that I know my kids and DH are home, of course. DH is the hardest to keep track of too!
A lot of folks got hit a lot worse than we did. We are used to relying on ourselves. Might be a good time to renew that request for a generator though . . .
In some ways it was exciting, and I could swear I saw the WSJ across the creek but gliding along with us during our walk.
I just have a mess to clean up, and yeah it's ugly right now, but it won't be. I'll be able to get the concrete in there hosed off either tomorrow or the next day.
On the bright side, I didn't have to water in there today. : - )
My Banana and the dichondra among other plants are going to love it.
No one lost their life today due to the floods.
It isn't all bad, just a shock.
My thoughts and prayers with those folks who had more than a gh flood out, or have lost their power, cars, etc.
We are going to be all right. : - )
WIB!
SW
BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you for the walk. I loved it.
Maybe things will get better and you can check out what needs to be repaired and replaced.
I really enjoyed the pictures.
The ES took some great pictures as did you , as usual.
