Today, David and I took a drive through Ashland City that was devastated by the flood. Here it is now, three weeks since the flood and so many people and businesses are still so affected. I took some photos of some houses with all of their personal possessions in the front yard. You have to wonder, where are these people living, how will they overcome the challenges of this loss and where does the monies come from to make their lives whole again. In a way, I felt like I was intruding by taking these photos, but their stories has to be told. These people need so much help. The city of Nashville has had so many telethons conducted by so many country music stars; and these fund raisers help the city of Nashville, not especially for the smaller surrounding towns.

On a lighter note, we went to Robyn’s for an evening of pizza and kiddy entertainment. Kiley is so enamored by my i-Phone while Hudson is enamored by not wearing any clothes at all! Good thing is they live in the country on five acres! We so enjoy being with these kiddies. Oh, and speaking of kiddies, David loved helping Shane mow the 5 acres on this “0” radius turning lawnmower! All you have to do is to view some of my photos!

Oh, Kiley is inlove with my i-Phone...once I show up, the first thing she asks for is my phone!

Tomorrow, I hope to spend some time with my sister in KY.

Ballgames and Rain

Yesterday David and I went to our grandson, Daniel’s, baseball game. It got cold…had to wrap myself up in a darn blanket!!! Daniel’s team lost, but it was a good game. Again, this is why we came home to spend time with our families and ballgames are part of this! Daniel is such a good kid, he finds out on Monday if he got first or second place in the eighth grade scholastics…his parents have done such a wonderful job raising these two boys!

We also got to spend time with our other grandson, Jacob. Jacob doesn’t like baseball, calls it a sissy game…guess he thinks so since his sport is football.

While we were at the game, David’s sister’s granddaughter was there with her little baby boy….that’s me with the baby. Yep, I’m still a baby hog!

Today we had rain, rain and more rain! I’m so sick of rain, think maybe we made a wrong turn and ended up in Washington state! Just checked the weather forecast, more rain tomorrow! I know a lot of people are concerned about so much rain, those are the same people who are still trying to get their property in order after the flood earlier this month.

So, today David and I finished up our "Friday", so we don't have to work again until next Wednesday...yea!!! Let's hope the rain will quit soon so we can enjoy our time off! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Four Wheeling At Its Best!

Sorry, we’ve been busy so I haven’t updated the blog…but, here we are again! We have been in grandchildren heaven, they are so much fun!

We spent the day with my sister in Hopkinsville, KY on Saturday. They are working on a vacant building on their property. They are thinking of opening a part-time flea-market. They will fill it with quality furniture and other knick-naks, it sounds like tons of fun and hopefully, we find lots of cool stuff to put in it. Right now, it is only in its infancy…probably the early part of the first trimester! Stay tuned…there should be some great stories coming out of this adventure!

We went to Ruby and Ray’s (David’s sister and brother-in-law) in New Johnsonville on Monday. It rained all darn day! I have to say, I am so sick and tired of rain that I fear I’m going to rust! On Monday, today, we got up to a wonderful old time breakfast prepared by Ruby….homemade biscuits, homemade blackberry jam and molasses…doesn’t get any better than this! After the dishes were cleaned, we decided to go four-wheeling! I’ve only been once and didn’t really care for it, I thought it was too dangerous! Today, I had a ball!!! This past week, David and I looked at four-wheelers and found one that I thought David would have fun with. After today, it was decided that the one we picked out for David would not work for our application. Our application includes ME…we need one with a passenger seat…so back to looking again!
 

A shy turtle on the road.

More flood damage...this road actually disappeared!!!!

Came across this little family, they weren't too shy!

Before the flood and storms, this boat dock originally was several feet from the building on the right. They are waiting for the weather to calm down and no winds so they can push it back to its proper position. Another victim of the storms we've been having.

The two people on either side of the guy in the red shirt are pretending to not see that he is standing there! Actually that is David and his sister, Ruby and his brother in law, Ray.

We ended our day by dropping by Robyn’s to leave David’s cargo trailer at their house. It suddenly came up a rain storm and right afterwards a double rainbow! Perfect ending for a perfect day!

Today, David and I went to have lunch with Kiley at school. You take you lunch and bring them something and you get to eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the kids. We surprised her and that was really special!

Tomorrow and Thursday are working days for David and I, don't want to, but we have to, so we will do it! Only 6 more weeks of this mess, then we can work for ourselves in getting the house remodeled!!!

Hope ya'll are well and happy!!! We sure miss our California friends!

My Tennessee Mother's Day

David and I have been busy working, getting things organized and visiting with family. On Saturday, I spent the day with Kiley and Robyn for Mother’s Day. They took me to Rafferty’s for lunch and then we went shopping. I tell you, that little, almost 6 year old little girl, can shop until I drop…or run out of money! I’ll admit, I have trouble saying no to her…but that will have to stop pretty soon. On Sunday, we spent time with Mom, my former mother in law, and then went to Shannon’s for Mother’s Day dinner. This is the first time I got to spend with our children in 17 years…what an awesome weekend!!


David and I visited Lowe’s last week to price washer and dryers and a new microwave for the house. We are trying to do as much preliminary work as possible while we wait for the renter’s to move out early June. We want to pull up the carpeting and have the hardwood floors refinished. Still wanting to put the motorhome at the house but really want a cover or building for it, but looks like that will have to wait a while.

We are still watching the devastation here in middle Tennessee from the flooding. So many people have pulled out everything in their home including the plaster on the walls. It is amazing to see how much trash and garbage our utility services have to haul away. So much so, that they have turned a beautiful park in Nashville into a temporary dump site. Think of how many homes and businesses that were under water who have to strip everything out of their buildings…they garbage has to go somewhere. I know that eventually this garbage will have to go somewhere else, but I’m not sure when or where. At any rate, I cannot imagine having that garbage close to me…the stench is unbelievable!

Then we, here in Clarksville, still have the water receding, but not all of it. We still have water standing in many places. Today, I noticed mosquitoes! Across the road from our RV park there is still standing water…a perfect breeding ground for these blood suckers! The park manager is having an exterminator come out tomorrow to do something to get rid of them…for ever how long they can. Tennessee will be living through this mess for years to come.

Some of my California friends have asked how they can help the people of Tennessee; check out one of the following:

To give money

• American Red Cross: Mail checks to the local chapter of the American Red Cross, 585 S. Riverside Drive, Suite L, Clarksville, TN 37040, with “local” or “Clarksville” on checks.

• United Way: Mail checks to 1300 Madison St., 1300 Madison St. Note “Relief Fund” in memo section.

Erin, Tennessee

We went to see David’s sister, Ruby and her husband Ray, today to see how their damage control was coming. Considering the damage that so many people around us have suffered, they truly are lucky. While most people’s water damage was due to flooding from the swollen rivers, theirs was actually from too much water in the ground and it was coming up into their basement. They had no other damage but the carpeting; but to dry out the carpeting meant all of the furniture had to be removed, then somehow get the water out of the carpet. Well, through having someone come out and professionally draw the water out  and them doing their best on their own, it seems to have work. The next thing is to see if they have killed the mold…jury is still out on that issue. Other than exhaustion, they are doing rather well.


We decided that they had worked so hard, we needed to get them out of the house to get some lunch. We had lunch at a little barbecue place in Camden, TN, which is where I saw a sign for Paris Winery. What….a winery in Paris, TN??? NO WAY! Only 12 miles down the road….let’s go! There really was a winery in Paris, TN, and the owners are originally from California, so I had to taste their wines. It was so good that by the time I left, I had two bottles of their wine a bag;-)

Paris Winery, Paris, Tn

The vineyard at Paris Winery, TN (only about 5 years old)

After we left Ray and Ruby, we went to visit our friends in Erin. Erin, TN, had suffered so much damage from the flooding last weekend. Down from Mary Helen’s house is a little creek that has flowed  through there for years and years and never, ever been out of its banks. One night last weekend while the rains were barreling down on Tennessee, that little creek started rising in the night. Mary Helen’s son, David and his wife, lives just a short walk from her house but on a little lower piece of land. Concerned, he looked outside, in the dark, and could see the waters creeping up on his property. At one point, he decided to try to make it to Mary Helen’s house, he decided to jump into the waters but quickly decided he had made the wrong decision…the water, up to his neck, was rushing much too fast and it was freezing cold! He made his way back into the house and decided to try to wait for the waters to recede. Fortunately, about another hour later, the waters receded to his waist and he made his way to his mother’s house with one little weiner dog under his arm. He left the dog with his mother, went back for his wife and other two weiner dogs. He is so lucky to be alive! Their modular home is totaled and his car was swept away about a ½ mile from their house. They did have flood insurance, but it only pays for the house, not the belongings inside and only for the remainder of the mortgage and nothing more. At least they do have that to count on, and we are thankful for that.

The destruction in Erin is severe, the people have been hurt terribly, but the spirit of the townspeople is strong. Everyone is helping everyone, offering to share their showers, their bedrooms, bringing food and offering anything they have to others. We watched people from another church and entirely different denomination at the church by our friends, taking pews outside, cleaning them and doing anything else they could do. Thank God for community spirit and the great peoples of Erin, TN.

Truck caught in the creek

Boat on the edge of the bridge coming into Erin, TN

View from the roadway of the boat.

Inmates loading water for people in Erin, TN

We took this photo this evening, I took the same photo earlier in the week and posted it. The good thing, the water is receding!!!

And finally a beautiful sunset to end the day!

Work Campers!

Today, David and I began as work campers here at the RV park. I worked in the office while David did the yard work. Whether he knew it or not, he really needed to busy doing something (not that I’ve needed to be working at all!). We have enjoyed working with the other staff members and think it will be great working with these people. Actually, it will give us great experience for when we want to do more work camping in the gulf coast during the winter months.


Our managers were really nice after we told them about our house becoming available for us the first of June. We told them that we initially committed to work for them for the months of May & June and we are totally committed to fulfilling that commitment. We think we will probably stay here at the RV park during the month of June even though the house is available, simply because there is probably a lot of work to be done at the house and we still have everything we need here at the RV park.

Regarding the flooding, the water is still here, the Cumberland River now will not drop to flood stage until Saturday. Today, President Obama named Montgomery County as a disaster area so those with damage will be able to access help from FEMA. We still have LOTS of water still; can you imagine what these homes and buildings are like after the water recedes? My heart still breaks for all of those people who have been so affected. We even have some displaced people here in our RV park living in tents as they have lost everything. So sad.

Tomorrow David and I will work again, then we are off for a while. We hope we don’t have to be on until sometime next week;-)

Oh, It is Still Bad

Today, I paid a visit to my new daughter-in-law at the Eden Day Spa for a haircut. I think she did a wonderful job, will post a photo soon. Later I went to a nail salon for a pedicure…I’m getting into the groove!


Later David and I met Robyn & Hudson for lunch and afterwards, David and I went down to view Riverside Drive, or what is left of Riverside Drive. As the name implies, this is the main drag that goes beside the Cumberland River here in Clarksville. It is such a mess, I feel for the business owners and their employees. There is so much water still and the receding has yet to begin. They have said that the Cumberland River has crested at over 62 feet; and it will not get below flood stage until after 8 PM on Friday. These people will need monies to clean up their properties, replace damaged equipment and of course, their employees are not able to work! We stood on a hill overlooking the river and we kept saying to each other that this was unbelieveable. Some of you who knew me in 1999 remember the tornado that tore across Clarksville and had me scared to death because I was in California and my family was right there in Clarksville. I know this southern town has spirit and their people have shown it time and time again. They will come back!

This is the street sign for Riverside Drive....but there is no road visable!

When I first came to Clarksville, I worked in the beauty shop that was in the back of the building in the foreground.

When we returned from our excursions today, I began checking my emails and got a BIG surprise! We had an email from Prudential, our property management company, who just informed us that our rentor will be vacating the property on June 3rd instead of September 3rd due to him being military and is being relocated! I am so excited; can’t say that David is, but I sure am. We have made a commitment to the managers of this RV park that we will be here for the entire summer and will have to work that out. The wife is having heart surgery later this month and we will certainly not leave them high & dry. Either way, we have a lot of work to do and I'm so excited to get in our house sometime this summer rather than the fall!!

Well, that is the most of our news for the day, hope all of our friends are well and enjoying the pretty weather!!

The Sun Is Shining Once Again!

Well, the street David & I were on yesterday to take the photos you saw on my blog yesterday, is no longer open, it is under water. The river swelled and swelled and it finally popped! It popped over the roadway, but in its path were businesses. Major businesses as well as Mom and Pop shops are covered with water. A small flower shop was unloading as much of their inventory as they possibly could before more water took over their business. It is so sad to watch and be helpless.

Today we finally got TV again when the Direct TV guy left. We were hearing about how bad it is in Nashville, but we couldn’t get a grip on how big the disaster was until we finally got TV. A lot of my friends have been to Opryland Hotel, it is under water, the guest have had to be evacuated last night. I know the guests are upset, but think about the workers…when will they be able to return to work?

David and I took a drive this morning while going to the post office to get our mail and saw even more destruction in our county. It reminds me of El Nino from the ‘90’s in California…it is truly one of the worst disasters I’ve witnessed.

We have drinking water now, and hope we are able to continue with our fresh water. While David and I were out earlier, we had to get milk, so we dropped by the local WalMart…BAD IDEA! #1, couldn’t find a parking space (hey guys, it’s MONDAY, aren’t you at work?), #2, tons of people inside the store grabbing cases of water as quickly as the WalMart people could put them out. There were some people who had their carts loaded with bottled water 6 & 8 cases high! Not just a couple of people…LOTS OF PEOPLE! Later, a friend posted a photo of someone selling water from their car…talk about opportunity!

At any rate, the Cumberland River that flows through Clarksville will crest tonight and hopefully by tomorrow the receding of the water will begin by tomorrow. I hope it goes away quickly, our people need it to go away soon. Our hearts are with those who have lost loved ones, their homes, property and businesses.

I Think the Rains have Ceased!

Oh, what a weekend we have had! We are fine, but so many of our friends have a lot of damage! We have the Cumberland and Red Rivers flowing through Clarksville, they are out of their banks! The city of Clarksville has done a lot of work to enhance the river banks and it is really a very nice place. Parks and playgrounds for the children and only a couple of weeks ago they had their annual festival on the river banks. Can’t do it today!!!! There is so much damage, so many farms flooded, people’s gardens flooded and of course the homes that have damage that will cost so much to get repaired; not to mention all the work to move out furniture, tear out carpeting and all of the other mess that goes with this type of damage! Let’s hope the insurance doesn’t day it was an act of God!

Hopkinsville, KY

Little River, Hopkinsville, KY

The Cumberland River, Clarksville, TN

Street Lamp at River Walk, Clarksville, TN

We hurt for those with damage….my sister’s basement is flooded, David’s sister’s basement is flooded, our daughter, Shannon’s, basement is flooded! We have some friends who live in a mobile home in Erin, TN, who got flooded out and their car was swept away. They barely got out of the house with their lives, what a horrible experience!!!

We went to Hopkinsville, KY, this afternoon to have lunch with my sister and her husband and then went to see Tony, Jennie, Mason and our new granddaughter, Kennedy Page. She is only 2 ½ months old and the apple of her grandpa’s eye! While I was holding her, she went to sleep…I think I’ve got the touch;-)

Kennedy Page Jenkins and her Mimi

Mason, Kennedy Page Jenkins and her Grandpa

One more photo of a persons back yard behind their house in Clarksville, TN

I thank all of you for calling and emailing to check on us. We are okay, very resilient Californians, if I should say;-)

Rain, rain, rain…please go away!

Today, we checked in with the manager of the RV Park in which we are staying. Work doesn’t seem to be anything that either one of us aren’t capable of learning. The program that they use for their reservation system seems pretty easy; I think I will catch on pretty quickly. The managers seem very nice as well as the other work-campers that we will be working with.

Today about 4 AM, the rains came down and haven’t stopped! There is lots of flooding and chances for tornados! Not something we wanted to hear about. The managers have told us that there is a warning system that we will be able to hear…don’t know where we will go when we hear it, but at least we have it. Well, our daughter, Shannon lives pretty close so if we need to get out of here, we would go to her house. Robyn would want us out there, but it is too far.

We are missing the annual spaghetti feed and the Delta Marina RV Park in Rio Vista, CA, this weekend. This is the first time we’ve missed it in years. I talked with our friend, Wendy Gilman, and asked them to do a toast for David & I. Got to talk with Kathy & Loyde Tatton who had been at a car show in Antioch, CA, showing Loyde’s ’65 Mustang Shelby…he placed first in both vintage and new Shelby’s…CONGRATULATIONS, LOYDE!!!


So, unless we either get swept away by the rains or the tornado hits our motorhome, I’ll post again tomorrow. By the way, Ruby, David’s sister that we stayed with last weekend in New Johnsonville, TN, just called and her entire basement is flooded. This basement is completely finished; 2 beautiful bedrooms, kitchen, bath, family room and sun room….they are just sick. So, my California friends enjoy the sunshine and know that you certainly have it better than others!!! Robyn and Shane have a pond on their property which has filled up and spilled over their driveway…washed that sucker away and created a rushing creek.

Since I started posting this blog, I’ve just heard from my daughter, Jill, in Florence, AL, and they are in their closet right now…there is a funnel cloud going over the road right beside them. This weather SUCKS!!!