Hurricane Matthew
This week has been fraught with hurricane anxiety as Hurricane Matthew bore down on the coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. We headed to Vancouver, British Columbia to celebrate John’s birthday and our niece Krista’s wedding at Whistler. The whole time we were glued to reports coming out of home. Evacuations were ordered by the Governor and thus followed the order to evacuate Dataw by the General Manager. First time since 1999 when the hurricane ended up as a non-event. A few hardy souls stayed behind and gave us almost hour by hour updates. Friends sent messages on Facebook and the Dataw Net, signed in that they were safe on a site that was set up on Facebook, gathered together in evacuation locations for meals or just moral support. No isolation during this crisis. We were grateful to not be there but very concerned for our friends and neighbors. Our house made it through with only a small tree down on the back right. It’s hard to see in this photo but I can see that the house is standing. No serious damage but a mess to clean up. Our neighbor just sent us this picture. We have seen pictures of our neighbors who have not been as lucky. It is going to take weeks, if not months, for them to make repairs. I almost feel guilty that we were not there but instead celebrating out here on the west coast. The anxiety is still there as there is no electricity and people are not allowed back on the island yet. We don’t know when that will be. We will most likely head to our daughter in Asheville and wait to see when they will let us back. There will be much to do to clean up from this and it will take time. The Administration at Dataw has been terrific about keeping us posted and even now putting up pictures of homes on the website www.dataw.com. The pictures really tell quite a story. Our marina is gone and all the boats that were there are gone too. Many of our neighbors who have docks have lost them too. This has been a very dangerous storm and one for the record books.
The Birthday
Celebrating the birthday was great fun. We drove to Tofino, on Vancouver Island to Long Beach Lodge. Right on the Pacific and the most gorgeous sunsets imaginable. What are the odds that you are 3000 miles from home sitting at a table next to another gentleman who is also celebrating his birthday and it’s not only the same day as yours but the same year? This guy here looked much younger but what fun was that coincidence. Seafood medley, a fruity drink and a surprise birthday dessert from the hotel. It was a wonderful evening. Going to be hard to top this next year. He’s worth it though.
Whistler Wedding
Just to add a bit more excitement to an already jam packed full week, we had to coordinate getting family from New Hampshire and North Carolina to Vancouver. Because of the hurricane I sent a message to Margot and Hadley suggesting they might look at getting out a day earlier than Friday. As it turned out it was a good decision and they were able to change flights, no change fee, to get out before the hurricane was to come ashore. No problem for Katie out of Boston. We met in Vancouver and drove to Whistler on Friday. We had pouring rain, snow and plenty of fog. However, it was a beautiful wedding and the sun came out the next day so the girls could take the gondola to the top of the mountain. I was able to get in a couple of really good walks despite the cold and rain. Getting out and walking helps with the anxiety and worry about what’s happening back home. It’s a great coping mechanism. We won’t talk about food, this has been the 80/20 rule for sure. Soon as I get home back to the 80. However, best quinoa salad ever! Wish I had the recipe. Will try and get it to share at some point.
PS: Puppy Picture Update 6 Weeks old
Looking more and more like a teddy bear. We can’t wait only a couple of more weeks.
