Tag Archives: Hurricane Irma

Road Trip~Amarillo, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico

16 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

September 11, 2017 Day 5

I awoke early, tired from a restless night and anxious to hear from our daughter who had decided to ride out Hurricane Irma alone.  She sent a video text of her back yard around 7:30 am and I was relieved that she was safe and her property as well.  It was with a thankful heart that we began the next leg of our trip.

You can read her story of Hurricane Irma on her blog, Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

Leaving Amarillo we passed fields with beautiful yellow flowers. Unfortunately, the flowers were not the scent we were smelling.  Amarillo is  home to of a number of Cattle and Livestock companies. If you would like to know more about livestock auctions, I found an auction house online.

I hadn’t noticed when I was in the planning stages of this trip, how close Amarillo is to New Mexico. In no time we were crossing the border!

 

 

 

Judy Wills, a blogger here on Old Things R New wrote an extensive series about her life in New Mexico and I was anxious to visit some of the places she wrote of. You may enjoy reading her posts, Memories of New Mexico .

Once we entered New Mexico, the cattle ranches fell away replaced by arid landscapes. One of the most fascinating features of New Mexico was the variety or rocks in their mountains. More about that next week.

 

 

We arrived at our hotel in Albuquerque around  3pm and after carting up our ridiculous amount of luggage, we set off to explore. I had asked Judy which restaurants in the Old Town she would recommend. I wanted to experience real  Mexican flavor. We decided on El Pinto. What a beautiful restaurant. It has extensive garden seating with more fountains than I could count and the landscaping was lush. Our server was a delightful young man. He asked where we were from and he was surprised to learn with both grew  up in Orlando!  Even more coincidental, he lived in a subdivision our where our daughter once lived and his grandparents were still there. Small world!  We asked how they fared during Hurricane Irma and were happy to know they were safe. I asked him why he decided to move to New Mexico and he said school and the weather. He hated Florida’s humidity. We could certainly agree with his feelings!

 

 

 

After supper we decided to visit Old Town to walk off some of the delicious meal. There was a lot of road construction in the area, so it took a couple of tries before we made it into the entrance. It is a beautiful and quaint area and we enjoyed exploring it.

 

San Felipe de Neri Church, the oldest building in the city, which was built in 1793.

 

We managed to get turned around leaving Old Town. We went down a couple of alleys that seemed a bit dodgy but eventually found an on ramp to the interstate.

Only one more day of driving was left until we would reach Denver where our daughter and a friend were flying into the international airport to meet us. Rebekah had spent the day assessing  a leak in her kitchen due to the storm and trying to find someone to go up on the roof to find the source.

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Road Trip~ Fort Smith, Arkansas to Amarillo, Texas

2 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

September 10, 2017 Day 4

September 10 marked our second day of loading and unloading the truck. Since we were carrying sandwich makings for our daily picnic and other items needing to be kept cold, we had to carry in our coolers too.  What is all that stuff?

 

 

Our route today on Interstate 40 would take us through the rather monotonous plains of Oklahoma. Fortunately, On a previous trip out west my husband had his heart set on seeing the landscapes that were settings in the cowboy western movies of his youth. Unfortunately, our RV broke down and we had to forego stops to get back on schedule for our camping reservations.  I had a surprise planned for my husband on this leg of the trip.  A picnic in a cowboy canyon!

The tiny town of Hinton, Oklahoma, population 3,220, and is the home of Red Rock Canyon State Park. According to their website:

Red Rock Canyon was once a stop on the famous California Trail. Now visitors can enjoy this beautiful western Oklahoma oasis without bringing the Conestoga wagon. Red Rock Canyon State Park is a great place to hike, climb, or explore. Bring the family or bring the whole wagon train!

The timing of our arrival was perfect. We were ready to get off the interstate for gas as well as lunch. Driving into the park we began a sharp descent into the canyon. I was amazed at the abrupt change in the landscape and my sweet husband was thrilled to finally experience cowboy rocks!

 

 

Our daughter noticed that I seem to snap pictures of my husband  while he is chewing. It wasn’t intentional….honest.

 

 

After our picnic, we returned to Interstate 40, excited for our first glimpse of Texas. I am not a fan of hot weather, so all of our previous trips west took a northern route. Not the greatest picture, taken by my phone through the windshield.

 

 

I was surprised at the number of wind mills in Texas! There were acres and acres of them. We ended our day in Amarillo, Texas and I was ready to try some authentic Texas barbecue. I asked at the front desk and they recommended Dyer’s. It was hard to find as it is located in one of those shopping areas where the businesses blend into to setting.

 

Photo credit Yelp Review

 

We enjoyed the atmosphere and ordered a three meat plate. It was all delicious and I particularly liked their brisket and onion rings.The servers were friendly and their sweet tea was as good as my mama’s, strong and sweet.

 

Not chewing this time!

 

After supper, I spoke with our daughter on the phone. She had decided to ride out the storm in her home….alone. Hurricane Irma would be passing over her home in the evening hours. I knew I would not be getting much sleep.

 

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A Night in the Storm

14 Sep

Reblogging from my daughter’s post on Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen.

As Irma neared Florida, my husband and I were setting off on a road trip that would take us thousands of miles from our daughter. I thought she would ride out the storm with friends but as the storm grew closer, she decided to go it alone. I was upset. But as I prayed for the ability to accept her decision and not “guilt” her, I found peace.

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Hurricane Irma was my first hurricane completely on my own. When it was predicted to come up the east coast, I considered going to stay with some cousins on the west coast, or even getting a hotel in Orlando. When the track changed, sending the eye of the storm up the west coast instead, I decided to stay home.

I could have gone and spent the night with some friends a few miles away. Maybe I should have or maybe God wanted me home alone. I learned a lesson about pride when my power went out at 8pm. One of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to stay with my friends was that my power had been so reliable during Hurricane Matthew last year.

 

Mia trying to open the door with her mind.

Hurricane bunker provisions

 

I learned a lot about drawing close to God too. After tornado warnings that were sounded as soon as the previous one expired (at one point my area was under three different tornado warnings at the same time), with the wind howling so loud and my bathroom feeling like a shrinking prison, I turned on my lantern and reached for two books: Fervent by Priscilla Shirer and I Am by John Paul Jackson. I Am is a Bible study I am attending about the names of God, powerful stuff, and Fervent is about learning how to pray powerfully against the evil that seeks to destroy our lives. Reading these books brought my focus to God, my deliverer, my redeemer, my refuge. It was more calming than conversing with another person crowded in a small room.

When I turned the light off to try and sleep I kept hearing the chorus to “O My Soul” by Casting Crowns.

O my soul, 

You are not alone

There’s a place where fear has to meet the God you know

One more day, He will make a way

Let Him show you how, you can lay this down

‘Cause you’re not alone.

I don’t know why I have delayed downloading this CD, but once I have power again I will make sure to add it to my library.

I was also reminded of God’s perfect timing. As the worst passed and we were downgrading to tropical storm conditions, I went upstairs to read, there was more light up there. Fervent is broken down into sections to help the reader build a strategy for prayer. The chapter I started reading was on praying for your family. This is important stuff any time, but especially timely for me as there is some stuff going on that needs serious prayer. If I had read this book over the summer as I had intended when I purchased it, this chapter may not have resonated with me as much or I may have forgotten the important points it covers when I need them now.

Finally, I was assured of God’s provision. About an hour after the power went out I went to the kitchen for some reason and found water on the floor. I couldn’t believe the freezer was melting already. Then I heard a drip and swinging the flashlight around I saw water dripping from my pot rack hanging from the ceiling.

I managed to get all of the pots down, then the rack itself, which was a feat. It’s quite a heavy thing. After that the dripping stopped. There appear to be some water spots on the ceiling so I don’t know if the chain was acting as a wick and the weight was drawing the water out of the ceiling beams or what. After the storm I went outside but couldn’t see any shingles missing from the roof.

I put out a call on Facebook for anyone who might be able to come over and take a look. A number of people liked the post, but no one was offering assistance. I went to check on other friends in the area and briefly discussed my situation. I acknowledged that God would provide what I needed and when I got home I found a response on Facebook asking for more information. We talked and arrangements were made for a visit the following day.

As I write this, I still don’t know what caused the leak and I am going on 27 hours without power and yet I am at peace. Don’t get me wrong, there have been times of anxiousness and frustration. There is nothing fun about a house without AC on a warm summer day/night, but I am grateful for this experience.

We talk about God being with us through the metaphorical storms of life, but sometimes it’s good to remember He is with us during the literal storm as well.

 

Update: Its now been over 65 hours without power but I have been blessed by so many people. Those who have offered their freezer, who have allowed me to charge my devices and provided a hot meal, and two who helped with my roof concern. First, a high school friend came with a ladder and we were able to asses my roof, finding a couple cracks in flashing and slightly lifted shingles. Then I was able to connect with my church’s former maintenance man. He came over and filled in the cracks with caulk. He also checked to make sure there weren’t any other compromised areas. God provided both of these individuals at points when I was beginning to lose hope. I know how fortunate I am to have such minimal damage. Power will be restored eventually. I saw a crew a few blocks away and took them the cookies I made before the power went out as a way to thank them for traveling so far to help us out (they were from Wyoming). Through all of this I have learned a lot about myself and about God. I hope I will carry these lessons with me for a long time.

The sunrises on a new day after the storm

Source: https://rebekahlynskitchen.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/a-night-in-the-storm/

Shameless mom plug.  The first book in Rebekah’s Season of Faith series, Summer Storms, takes place during the 2004 Hurricane season. It is available in most online bookstores in eBook and paperback. The digital version of Summer Storms is free. Here is the Amazon LINK

 

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Bloggers Hunkering Down

10 Sep

The bloggers of Old Things R New live in Central Florida. I would appreciate your prayers for them as well as their families as Hurricane Irma passes over. Central Florida has been under multiple tornado warnings and their have been touchdowns with damage. Fortunately, in our area,  the storm is weaker than the graphic below. Most of our bloggers will be without power . I am not in Florida at this time and will upload posts as our team is able to send them.

To those in the path of Irma, I am praying for your safety.

 

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Pray for Florida

9 Sep

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voice of your children. You are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control: like a provoked and angry giant, hurricane Irma will leave a path of tears, broken lives and despair. We turn to you, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies, whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. Lord please spare human lives and suffering. And spare our creatures and diverse beauty. To see this extrodinary state of Florida lay in waste will break my very soul. Thank you Lord.

 

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Life Can Be a Spaghetti Map

7 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

Last week I wrote about clouds; benign clouds that covered the eclipse as well as painful ones that covered the soul.  This week brings a new array of clouds. Hurricane clouds. Friends and family in Florida are busy preparing for the monster storm, yet some seem to be paralyzed by indecision. Should we evacuate or should we stay? Who can blame them with projection maps like this? Decision time will come in the next 24 hours for Central Florida.

 

Hurricane Irma Spaghetti Map

 

Life is fraught with storms and sometimes our lives seem to resemble this map as we try to navigate between our jobs, families, activities and yes, heartache too. I feel this way. But God is so loving and sends encouragment when its least expected. For me it was in the restroom of an indoor flea market.

 

 

I like the rest of the verse too.  In The Message paraphrase it reads like this:

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

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