A Very, VERY Wet Summer

Wednesday, July 30 at about 2 a.m. the Fire Department knocked on every door in my neighborhood telling people of the indefinite fast flooding that was to occur by the morning with recommendations that people leave while they could still get their car out.

Thankfully, I ended up spending the night at Bill's house after a nice homemade dinner. With the rain storm being so bad, and the nearly half-an-hour drive home, we just decided that I would head home in the morning after the rain.

At 2:48 a.m., my cell phone rang. It was my neighbor Kara. I just figured she was giving me shit for not coming home after my dinner with Bill. I didn't answer the phone. At 6 a.m. she called again. I answered the phone this time. She told me that the entire yard was under water. Her car had water up to the middle of the door, and the water had risen to the third step of the porch.

The water was halfway up the windshield at it's highest.

I called work to tell them I was going to see how the house was holding up and then head to work after that. Bill drove me in his big truck and only got half-way down Perkins road. The water was up to the bottom of his Chevy Silverado. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Kara ended up being evacuated, with her 2 ferrets, by the fire department. Bill and I met her at the top of the hill. Bill ended up taking me (his new girlfriend of only a month and a half), Wrangler, Kara and her 2 ferrets for 8 days.

After the initial shock, then denial, then grief, then worry when the river finally crested, Jeremy assured us that no water had actually gotten IN to either of our cabins. When I knew that, I could finally smile and at least be thankful for our safety and the generosity of people around us and a phenomenal new Friend.

This is the view from my porch where I normally park my car.
Thank goodness it wasn't parked there when the water came in.

On the Thursday night Bill and I took a boat that we borrowed from Patrick, and floated into the neighborhood and to the house to see if there was anything we could do. Obviously, there was nothing we could do but take pictures, and peer in disbelief. We loaded up the "Wild Thang" with a clothes for the week, a left over bottle of wine, some work shoes, some PJ pants, and of course... KNITTING!!! After almost 3 days without knitting, I couldn't imagine not having my knitting for however long the stay at "The Billtel." Luckily, Jeremy (landlord) saved my 25 lbs. of halibut and freezer full of stuff along before the power got shut off. The computer got put my computer in the loft and my nerves were eased.

Bill (Mystery man) & I making the most out of our row back to the house.

When I finally decided that there really wasn't a damn thing I could do but wait it out, I felt a lot better. Sadly, it was actually REALLY fun to take the boat down my road to my house, as Bill would say, "...it's kind of like taking that romantic ride at Disney World only replace the swans with tires and gas cans."

My poor, poor outhouse.
(notice that the water had actually gone down since the river crested.
See the waterline?)

The view from my kitchen window.

I love living in alaska... minus the whole living IN a river thing.