Survived the visit of Rita -

My father and sister, and my brother with his family returned home (Danbury, Lake Jackson) from Austin yesterday. They didn't want to get caught in the mass return traffic. The storm missed to the east. Just a few downed limbs. My middle son in Huntsville said it was a windy, and there were a lot of small branches down, not much else. We got lucky.

I hope you get your power back soon. I also hope the folks in Cameron got out of there and did alright. Of course, they've seen plenty of these before.

Pete Keillor

didn't have it close

Tops swaying 30 to 40 feet

limbs. Leaves stripped off

started to get better this

dial tone and naturally

cold and run a tv and computer.

areas at a time.

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in news:1127618560 snipped-for-privacy@spool6-east.superfeed.net:

Martin, it's REALLY good to hear from you - I'd been sweating the Lufkin area out - especially since we "missed the bullet" here in Wharton with no rain and only ~40 mph wind gusts.

Here's hoping that your generator's gasoline supply lasts long enough for the power to be restored.

Power back tonight at 6ish. Power truck in driveway when I got back with even more expensive gas to drive the power plant.

So soon - work gets cranked up again.

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Pete Keillor wrote:

didn't have it close

- Tops swaying 30 to 40 feet

limbs. Leaves stripped off

started to get better this

dial tone and naturally

cold and run a tv and computer.

areas at a time.

When this thing was on the way in I was down in Alvin, only 30 miles inland from Galveston. At the time I departed Alvin and headed home for Brenham (last Wednesday) the forecast was for the eye to pass directly over Brenham.

So, obviously, we ducked the bullet in Brenham. Not a drop of water and only a stiff breeze. The biggest casualty was all the fingers on my left hand after I smashed 'em repeatedly while trying to get a 16 penny nail through plywood as I boarded up the windows on three dwellings.

We are like the three little pigs. We moved out of our straw and wood houses and into our brick house. By Friday night we had finished boarding up all three houses and had moved into our safe little brick bungalow. Since it has a brick veneer and a newly shingled hip roof I judged it to be the most secure place to weather a storm.

We felt so safe there we've now decided to butcher all the chickens and potbelly pigs and move back over there.

But first I have to butcher and re-weld the hinged burglar bars so they'll close around the newly installed window units in the bedrooms.

Maybe we should hold a virtual barbecue.

RAM^3 wrote:

Cordless drill...with sheetrock type screws.

Now you got the plywood up...how are you going to get it back off?

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the s*it out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

At Wall mart (and others) in the parts - glue, nails.... dept - they have

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Gunner wrote:

Now you got the plywood up...how are you going to get it back off?

Get it back off? Why would I want to do that? I'll just leave it up. Along with the Christmas lights.

That way, whatever comes first, Christmas or a hurricane, it doesn't matter. I'll be ready!

Sweet! Though the power bill might be a bit higher.

Next time if you cant for some reason use screws..consider the double headed concrete form nails....

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the s*it out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

The ply only keeps back some stuff. Helps keep the windows from bulging out or in. Keeps some junk out or in. Let a 2x4 or such fly at it and it is like paper.

But the nice thing - when I was a kid, and kids were normal and trusted - before 'leave it to beaver' we used to paint the store front windows down town with Thanksgiving and then Christmas scenes. The fire house would wash off the store fronts if requested - but that usually got the store keepers to get their help to wash down in January.

So with that - you could have monthly murals - something new something cool.

There is a guy that moved into an frontage house on the highway - small lot - but there. He had a Markey(sp) sign out on the street - This guy rocks! - Puts up a text string from a famous song every night for the next day! Just for fun.

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Gunner wrote:

Hey Martin,

Some time I'd like to look those of you who are in my neck of the woods. I planned to do that with Wayne Cook. But he refuses to admit he lives in Huntsville ...

Look at what ? Oh you me Us - Live West of Lufkin, Tx. sounds like a fun road trip. You say Huntsville - with or without stripes :-)

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Vern> Hey Martin,

Sorry, Martin. I meant to say "look you up".

We live in Brenham. I also have a place in Hempstead, Texas right on highway 6. I estimate that one million people passed by it on their exodus from the gulf coast during Rita. Hope to put a drive through espresso bar in there one of these days.

We are off HWY 94 ourselves.

Lufkin has 27,000 extras in at this time.

Best Story I heard - was at a local Electrical supply today picking up a Nema 12 box for the shop. An electrician said he was at town "SA" - won't say - and had coffee with a local police type. Tons of work south of here by the way. (Police said - got 5 buses the other day from Houston. Nod. When they unloaded the third bus, I called the Mayor on URGENT business. Glance Nod - what.. The first three and the next two were full of HOOKERS - in this little town ! Mayor got a judge to send them to a larger town. Got to love it. I can just hear it - housed them in the Jim at the Jr. High. ......

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Vern> Sorry, Martin. I meant to say "look you up".