Home safe, Joshua is safe, travel ahead

In spite of the fact that Hurricane Harvey made landfall in South Texas Friday morning, Nate, Cori and the kids boarded the flight from San Pedro Sula, Honduras and arrived in Houston sometime after 5 pm. It took over an hour to get through customs, get their bags and catch the bus to get to their vehicle. By about 7 pm they were on their way to the farm. Later that day and into the next the flooding started in earnest in Houston. I heard on the radio this morning that both airports in Houston are closed and will remain so until further notice. With so many roads still underwater it only makes sense that the airport and the schools would close. There are some very sobering photos and videos of the flooding and devastation that the storm has brought to an area of the Gulf Coast that is very familiar to me and Mama. Our prayers are with those affected by the storm. Many will be without homes or habitable dwellings for months to come.

Joshua has kept in touch with us through the storm. Victoria, TX has been affected by the hurricane but not to the extent that other areas have. Joshua is currently without power but the roads are passable and the place where he is living was not damaged in any way. I know that he did not get to go to church yesterday because there was no power at the church and, according to his report, about 90% of the congregation evacuated to parts north. I am not sure if the city is up and functioning normally – that is, can he buy food and gas? – but he seems to be in good spirits despite the continued rain and wind. We will see if the flooding worsens as the days progress. They are expecting several more days of rain as the storm lingers in that area. I am sure the plant I used to work in is shutdown for the duration of the flooding. I wonder if the house we used to own in Victoria did as well through this storm as it did the hurricane we went through years ago.

Mama is excited about the mini-vacation we are going to take this week. She and I have not been on a vacation in a couple years and I though it was about time we got away. We are headed to Sanibel Island Wednesday morning. She has been keeping a keen eye on the weather and so far, it looks like scattered showers for a couple of the days we will be there. The island is reported to be one of the top three shelling spots in the world. Over a week ago I requested a guide book from the Chamber of Commerce and Mama has worn the book out as she has studied it attempting to schedule our time there. For her is it a very brief time, only three days, but that was all I thought we could afford right now. I have a very full schedule at work and will be traveling quite a bit over the next four weeks. Plus, financially, it was all I thought we should try for – no sense incurring debt to go on vacation. If you know Mama, it is never enough. But for this time, it is all I can give her and she is happy for the opportunity to pick through sea shells on beaches that are impossible to walk on without foot protection because of the abundance of shell.

Hopefully, this destination will meet her expectations.