Sometimes really horrible disasters happen, and as just a regular person you have absolutly no control over anything involved.....this I believe to be true when it come to that Fickle Mother Nature...
You ALL know how I feel the about the wind...and have made no secret of my desire to NEVER live in a high wind area...when I was a little girl growing up in Idaho Falls, the wind would whip and howl up and down the Upper Snake River Valley....it was scary and uncomfortable, especially when I would be awakened in those dark nights as the house slightly shuddered and shook with strong gusts of wind whistling around around the corner...I didn't like it then....and I loathe it now...so you would likely assume I was most uncomfortable with the disastrous weather in the Northwest this past weekend...
Brutal, Unrelenting,and Indescribably Destructive....that has been the wind this weekend....wind that has driven unrelenting rain all the way from the north coasts to the south coasts of Washington and Oregon...Massive ammounts of rain...over 13 inches in 2 days left the more inland town of Vernonia completely submerged and isolated.....no roads in, no roads out...certainly one of the hardest hit communities........and then there is the Coast.....so much rain fell so quickly...a two day sustained downpour, that all the mountain streams and rivers overflowed and inundated all the towns and communities....people will be without power for days, they say....they have no place to live....no place to recoup.....all the reports show folks pretty much devastated and in shock....no one foresaw the flash flooding.....why, even the Chinook Winds Casino where we vacationed with the delightful Don and Missus Berg last year sustained heavy damage when the wind blew away the siding on the south side.......that now is considerd minor damage...people are losing their homes, businesses, jobs, hopes, desires, dreams, keepsakes, souvineers, sentimental things.....just here one day, ruined by a fickle Mother Nature the next....Right now they say the best thing we can do is stay out of the way of the National Guard as they bring in other relief workers....our time will come to assist, I'm sure when they can assess what needs to be done...my coworker Jeff's brother and family live in the abovementioned Vernonia....right square in the middle of the abovementioned disaster....tonight Jeff and his Brother were able to get everyone out of town and to safety at Jeff's....and it looks like an extended stay until they can figure out how to clean the muck up....and salvage......and fight mold and mildew...what a daunting task...BUT!!! All this to say that we Taylors are safe and dry in our home....we saw lots of downed debris and limbs and even a number of big trees snapped right down...and we heard about the loss of a beloved icon passed on every single trip to and from the Coast...I admit it was sometimes a rest stop....but mostly it was a National Landmark

We're so glad we took time during the last few years to visit the world's tallest Sitka Spruce just outside Seaside and Cannon Beach...it wasn't a healthy tree, and Mother Nature put it out of it's misery, breaking it off at about 75 feet....But I'm most worried for our friends Rick and Grace Henry...they own an adorable bungalow just over the dune at Sunset Beach....you know...the turn off to the beach access road is just before you get to Camp Rilea...just before the Fort Stevens Cutoff....It's a lovely, cozy, welcoming home they have had for the last 4 years....it's in a slightly protected area....emphasis on SLIGHTLY...and they are anxious to get to the coast to assess any damage...the only problem is that all the roads and highways are still closed!!! And the Power is still out! It's just a flat out MESS!!! We pray for The Henrys and for the Maxwells who live out north of town in a more isolated area...we also give great thanks from the depths of our hearts for the safety and security we feel...No ill effects, except driving through a little high water on our way to work...........It's ugly...really ugly...But we are safe, healthy, warm, dry, powered, fed, and comfortable.....now I guess we better get on to helping those who aren't...