Vacation with Fred and Flooding

Hurricane Fred came through while we were on vacation at the cabin this year.  

I don't usually mind the rain much when we're on vacation.  We truly try to embrace it all there.  The creek is equally enticing whether the water only flows beside you or whether it also falls from the sky.  

There is also a fabulous screened in porch and I'm perfectly content to curl up with a blanket, book, and a cup of tea.  Just writing about it now makes me long for such woodsy, fresh-aired luxury.  

It started raining that Tuesday night... and rained and rained and rained.  The sounds on our little cabin roof makes for deep, drool-worthy sleep.  We snuggled down in contented happiness.

We had our normal leisurely morning with a hardy breakfast and quiet time on the porch.  Then, we ventured out in the rain to go slopping in the creek. Sure, the levels were up a little, but it certainly wasn't anything dangerous at that point.  After meandering to all our favorite spots, we made our way back to the cabin, and settled in for snacks and some more indoor relaxation.  

Mama quickly realized that, due to the lack of a dryer and the onset of indefinite damp weather, it was necessary to institute a new rule:

"You wear wet clothes outside and you wear dry clothes inside," which means that next time you venture out, you do it in your previously damp clothes.

We went out gallivanting again and came out to this!  

Our little mountain stream had transformed into a raging monster in a matter of a few hours!!!  If you don't remember what it looks like, click here, here, and here.

The creek had risen SEVERAL feet in only a matter of hours.

I had to restrain Jake from swimming in the beloved swimming hole, though he was sorely tempted.  

I found myself remembering lines from quaint old board book favorites I read to the Blossoms when they were little:

"It rained and it rained and it rained.

'It's a little Anxious,' said Piglet, 'to be a Very Small Animal, 

entirely surrounded by water, and I can't do anything.'"

~A.A. Milne, Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water

So began our hourly "Fred checks."  We ventured out often, donning our wet clothes each time, marveling over the speed of its rise and cracking jokes about Fred.

We determined that we were never in any danger, though we did have to move our neighbor's swing to higher ground.

There was no more swimming for the rest of the week, though the rain finally stopped Wednesday night.  The water crested some time that night, rising even higher than these pictures.  

We made sure the girls knew how dangerous raging water can be.  Although we couldn't spend hours upon hours in the creek like we normally do on vacation, there's still plenty to do... including yelling across to the creek to other campers who were stranded (with plenty of food), or visiting with the neighbor from down the lane and his springer spaniel.

By Saturday, we were able to tube down our creek - a rare treat!  Usually, the creek levels are far too low by the dog days of summer.  We even got to do some kayaking that Saturday!

Although Fred made our vacation unique, it was still restful, and memorable too! 

Dominique