The Incredible Nashville Flood

I arrived in Nashville Saturday afternoon in the midst of an overwhelming downpour.  When I left Monteagle, the weather was clear, but our daughter Marci told me that it had been raining since 5 am in Nashville.  The rain didn't really get heavy until I passed through Murfreesboro on I-24.

What followed was just unbelievable.  My first stop was at Julie's house, which is on a ridge in Bellevue overlooking the Harpeth River.  As I drove along Highway 70 at about 1:30 pm, the water rushing off the bluff just below Julie's house resembled Fall Creek Falls.  Water was already running across the highway in an amount sufficient to cause hydroplaning unless I proceeded very cautiously.

Julie and I were working on a Camp OFA training which we had planned for the next afternoon, and decided to go to downtown Nashville to set up our meeting space.  The rain and storms continued all afternoon.  When we left downtown at 5:30 pm, the rain had not let up at all, and as we traveled west on Charlotte Pike, we observed several areas where the Harpeth was already out of its banks and a few homes whose driveways were completely submerged.

I arrived at Marci and Ryan's at about 6:30.  They had planned to go out to dinner while I babysat with Malenda - always fun!!  The rain continued to fall at a very rapid pace.  By 10 pm Saturday night, 13 inches of rain had already fallen in Bellevue.  We knew that the Harpeth would probably flood part of their neighborhood, particularly the river walk beside the river.  In fact, as I drove beside the river on Highway 70, I thought I could see parts of the river walk which was already under water.

The rain did not stop all night and when we woke Sunday morning, we began to think that this was going to be a very serious threat of flooding.  Our OFA training was to start at 2 pm.  Already the Mayor's office was urging folks to stay home, but Julie and I decided we would head downtown just in case some of the 50 people who had signed up for the event were able to get there.  At about 10:30 am, I drove over to pick Julie up and only got as far as Highway 70 and McCrory Lane when I realized that Highway 70 was completely under water, flooded by the raging Harpeth River.  The bridge over the Harpeth was barely 6 inches above the water and I began to be concerned that I could even get back across the bridge.  To say I was frightened is a massive understatement.

At this point, it really hit me that this was going to be a disaster.  We decided to cancel the training - it was not going to be safe for anyone to travel.  This was already a disaster, but it wasn't over.  The rain continued to fall in torrential amounts.  By the time I got back to Marci and Ryan's house, the power was off and it is still off as I write this post.  We later found out that the power substation in Bellevue was completely under water.

As I made calls to those in Nashville who had signed up to attend the training, I heard stories of flooding all over Nashville.  Antioch, east of Nashville, was particularly hard hit with I-24 completely flooded at Bell Road and 1 death reported there on Saturday.  Cars were floating like toy boats.

The worst was yet to come for Bellevue.  From our second story window, we watched as the water rose above the houses one street away from us.  When the rain finally slowed to a drizzle, we went out to survey the situation.  The pictures in this post were made on late Sunday afternoon.  The water was within 9 houses of us - just a heartbreaking sight.  There are so many young families in this neighborhood, many in their first homes.  Many of these homes were flooded with 4 to 5 feet of water - truly devastating.  Police were going door to door doing house checks for people who might be stranded.

Ryan managed to prepare a delicious meal on the grill.   We opened several bottles of wine and lit our candles.  Fortunately, the night was cool and we slept well - except for Marci who was up at midnight walking down the street to confirm that the water wasn't reaching us.  Because Malenda has so many battery-powered toys, there were plenty of batteries for the radio, so we were able to stay informed about road closings and emergency evacuations.

There were neighbors who were out Saturday night and were not able to get back into the neighborhood.  By 8 am Sunday morning, I-40 was closed in both directions.  There were reports of trees down and flooding across the Bellevue and Old Hickory Blvd. exits to the east, and more flooding on I-40 heading west to Memphis.  All together,  60 miles of I-40 were closed.  At this point, we knew were weren't leaving for a while.  It was as if we were stranded on an island with no boat.

This morning (Monday), I took Malenda out for a walk at about 8:30.  Neighbors were walking up and down the sidewalks talking to each other.  One woman had the gas grill out on her driveway boiling water for coffee and tea and boiling eggs.  Others were grilling breakfast.  No one could get out of the neighborhood to go to work, so neighbors really had time to spend with each other and talk without hurrying to the next event or chore.  This was really quite a comfort in a challenging situation like this.

Today was beautiful - blue skies, broken clouds and NO RAIN!  The media helicopters were circling for most of the day.  I'm sure it must have been quite a view from their vantage point.  We couldn't see their footage, of course, without power to turn on our televisions.

The water had receded quite a lot.  However the entrance to the river walk was completely blocked by the flood water.  There were still parts of the neighborhood that were flooded, but now those areas were 2 blocks away.

The ongoing threat now is in downtown Nashville where the Cumberland River is cresting tonight at 52.9 feet.  Flood stage is 40 feet.  As the Harpeth flows into the Cumberland, the flooding will move there.  Buildings on 1st and 2nd avenue are evacuated, public transportation is shut down, and many downtown sites are threatened.  Opryland Hotel was evacuated last night and is under 6 feet of water.  The Tennessee Titan's stadium, LP Field, is flooded.

The worry now is for water supply.  One of the two water treatment plants is already closed and residents have been asked to cut their consumption by half.

We have evacuated to the Cool Springs area in Franklin where we have power - lights, internet access and air conditioning.  We were able to save the frozen food and it is safely tucked away in the freezer section of our Residence Inn suite.  Malenda is sound asleep and we are very safe and secure.

To add to the surreal events of the last 48 hours, we had pizza at Pie in the Sky tonight in Cool Springs.  While waiting for our pizza, we looked up and saw Scott Hamilton, Olympic figure skater, walk in with his family.  If that wasn't exciting enough, shortly following him was Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams and Sheryl Crow and their families - a stunning ending to an equally stunning few days.

The Marathon - That Was and That Wasn't

Last year four of us did the Music City Half Marathon in Nashville - Ryan, Marci, Janice (Ryan's Mom) and me.  Today only Ryan finished the half marathon and the rest of us cheered him on.  And there was plenty to cheer for!!  Ryan completed the course in 2:08, a full 18 minutes faster than his 2009 time.

The weather forecast was grim and the marathon organizers were warning that any marathoners with a less than 10:20 minute pace would be routed to the half marathon course.  Having prepared for and completed marathons on a 15-minute pace, I know how disappointing that would be.  However, sitting here now in the comfort of a warm house now vs. dodging thunder and lightening on a race course, the choice seems quite clear!

Ryan did finish before the thunderstorms started and we all had plenty of time to get back to our car without getting rained on.  This was Malenda's first marathon experience.  She jumped right in and welcomed Daddy at the finish line with a great big, huge smile.

As we walked into the marathon finishing area at LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans, we spotted The Biggest Loser bus for Dan Evans, who was running the half marathon with his mom, Jackie.  They lost 136 and 80 pounds, respectively, and it looks like they are keeping up their healthy lifestyles.  Dan was also performing at the finish line with songs from his 2008 album "Goin' All Out", a country music album.

Now - the marathon that wasn't - the Knoxville Team Relay Marathon.  The Knoxville course is divided into 4 segments and our 4-person team of Marci, Ryan, Janice and me were trained and ready.  We picked up our race numbers on Saturday afternoon and were ready for a 7 AM start. 

When we got up Sunday morning and checked the weather forecast, it was already drizzling and a big green blob was headed straight for Knoxville.  Marci, who had the 1st 6.3 mile leg of the relay was ready to go, and could have finished her leg, and probably I could have finished the second 6.1 mile leg.  BUT.... Ryan, who had the longest leg of the race at 7.9 miles, was probably going to get wet.

Our team decision was to forgo the team relay this year.  So, we packed up and went to Katherine's house in the 4th and Gill neighborhood, which is on the course at mile 14. The whole neighborhood really gets out and supports this event so it's a great gathering place to watch the runners.  We got there soon enough to see the leader, who finished in 2:27, just a little more than a 5-minute pace.  These are speeds I will never accomplish, but I do enjoy watching others who can do this and, in my mind, I'm one of them.

As it turned out, at about the time Ryan would have been running by Katherine's house, the sky opened up and the rain absolutely poured down.  So, we congratulated ourselves on our decision as we ate bagels and Katherine's delicious breakfast.  One of her neighbors who was running the marathon, even stopped in for a quick break and stretch.

We also caught up with Kathy for dinner on Friday night in Market Square.  We were staying in a downtown hotel, and the evening before the marathon was beautiful.  We took Malenda in the stroller and walked past the convention center just as the Kids Run was  starting at the Clinch Avenue bridge.  This is a terrific event with each child completing 25 miles in the weeks leading up to the marathon, and running the final mile to complete the marathon distance of 26.2 miles on the evening before the official marathon.  They, just like the adults, run across the finish line at the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium.

Since I skipped both the Knoxville and Nashville events this year, it has now been a year since I have completed a distance event.  The break has been good, but I'm feeling the urge to get back on the training routine.  Las Vegas has a marathon event in December - hmmmmmmmm.  Might be time for a run in Sin City!

Florida Warmup

We normally head out to Florida to warm up as soon as we get back from cold and snowy Montana.  However, since we were staying with sweet Malenda through February we didn't go south until March.  Spending the time with Malenda was great and we also got in some "Will" time before leaving for the month.

Will, our 6-year old grandson, is in first grade this year and is growing so fast.  Finding the time to spend with him during the school year is more of a challenge now, but I managed to catch him one day after school.  It was a beautiful day so we headed to the Riverpark and kicked the soccer ball around.  There's lots of open greenspace and plenty of playground equipment.  It's fun to watch his skill and coordination progress and he seems to really enjoy this sport.

 Our friends in Florida, Martha and Jim, always have some fun activities planned when we get there.  Martha, who is in the process of producing a musical this fall, is well connected with the musicians in the Tampa Bay area, so there's always a concert or jazz event somewhere.  This year, Dean, one of her cohorts helping to write the musical, was playing a regular gig with a Dixeland jazz ensemble at the Bilmar Resort on Clearwater Beach.  The resort is right on the beach, and we grabbed a table on the patio where we could see the beautiful sunset.

This Dixieland group has become so popular, it's necessary to arrive a couple of hours early to get a seat to hear them.  Dean, who plays a hot stride piano, stopped by our table for a visit before the show got started.  This group always closes their show with "When the Saints Go Marching In".  As soon as this tune started, the women in the room (obviously regulars) jumped up and started dancing around the room twirling their fancy parasols.  If this is how the saints act in heaven, I definitely want to sign up for that group!!

We also took a 4-day trip down to Sanibel Island to visit friends Connie and Dennis.  This beautiful island never fails to disappoint.  I must have been so relaxed that I totally forgot to take any pictures, but the weather was beautiful, BUT chilly!!  One would think that getting that much further south would make for warmer weather - not this year.  In fact, most people we talked with were complaining about how cold and wet the whole winter season had been.  I suppose it's all relative - when you're coming from snow and near zero temperatures, it just doesn't seem all that cold to me!

February with Malenda

Malenda's parents wanted her to delay daycare until she was 6 months old.  Mom Marci went back to work when she was 4 months old, so the two grandmothers volunteered to help out for the 2 month interim.  Janice took the month of January while I was in Montana, and I took the month of February.

What a sweet little Valentine buddy I had!  This little girl has clothes for every occasion and Valentine's Day is no exception!  Hearts everywhere!

At the end of the month, not only was Malenda 6  months old, but she became legally a member of our family!  Parents and both sets of grandparents could not wipe the smiles off our faces as the judge declared that she was officially our child and grandchild!  Malenda couldn't resist checking out everything on the judge's desk.  Wonder what this portends for her future?

Montana Winters

If it's January, it must be Montana.  As much as we love the summers in Big Sky - the winter has its own charm.  The social activity is almost frenetic.  The community of people who live there year round defy the weather with a constant stream of concerts, dinners, pot lucks and, of course, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding - and on and on it goes.

We arrived in Big Sky on January 5 and met Connie and Dennis from Chattanooga and Kat and Jim from Oakland at the airport.  All of us headed up the mountain ready to hit the slopes.  Kat and Connie have made this trip almost every year since we have been in Big Sky and we have our favorite runs and lunch spots.  This year, we even shared our favorite ski instructor, Rich, for an afternoon of tuning up our technique.

Nancy and Jim, our neighbors, sponsored a concert evening in the village.  Duo Solo is the husband wife team of Michael Kirkendoll and Mary Fukushima.  Based currently in Stillwater, OK, they met while studying at Manhattan School of Music.  Nancy and Jim met Michael and Mary when Michael competed for the American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Awards held annually in Indianapolis.  Mary is a flutist who produces sounds on a flute that I never knew existed!  She teaches at Pittsburg State University, just across the Oklahoma border in KS.  Together, these remarkably talented musicians are committed to performing the music of living composers, and they treated the audience to a delightful evening of contemporary music, both in solo and duo mode.

On the night after the concert, a group of friends gathered with Michael and Mary at the 320 Guest Ranch for dinner.  The 320 is famous for its pig roasts in the summer, and steaks in the winter.  Oh... and now famous for one of its signature drinks - the Buttery Cowboy.  Think hot chocolate, butterscotch schnapps and Bailey's - mmmmmmm.  Connie, Kat and I went straight for the liquor store to get the ingredients so that we could enjoy our own Buttery Cowboys at home. 

Every winter, I look forward to the Master the Mountain program at Big Sky.  This 6-week program is offered in January and pushes participants to ski parts of the mountain off the beaten track.  My skiing has improved so much through this program.  Roger Schwer, who has been at Big Sky as an instructor at least 40 years, organizes this program every year.  His wife, Margie, also an excellent instructor, has taken me to places to which I would have never ventured without her calm encouragement.  These two are an inspiration have done more than anyone I know to instill in me this life long love affair with skiing.  When I head down the slopes with beautiful skiers in my class, some of them 20 years my senior, who have an incredible zest for living, I am inspired beyond any fear I might have of the newest steep run.

In late January, Wayne and Mary Jane, both from Nashville, dropped in for a week-long visit.  Wayne is a medical school classmate of Butch's, and Mary Jane grew up in our hometown of Sparta.  We took a day and drove over to Gardiner and through the Roosevelt Arch to the northern entrance to Yellowstone.  This is the only road which is open into the park in the winter.  We drove over to Mammoth Hot Springs and spent some time hiking around the moon-like frozen fumaroles.  It's easy to imagine that you are on another planet amid these strange geologic features.  I really think these amazing hot springs are even more beautiful in the winter - strangely fascinating.

We drove on over to the northeastern end of the park and stopped in Cooke City (population 100) for a break.  This very snowy little outpost is the gateway to the Beartooth Highway in the summer, called one of the most beautiful drives in America by the late Charles Kurault.  However, this road is closed in the winter, and Cooke City is the end of the road.  So, we decided to grab a quick snack and warm cup of coffee.  The proprietor recommended their signature drink, ginger tea and it was a terrific recommendation.  We spent the rest of the week trying to reproduce this delicious hot drink - must be my year for discovering drinks.  This one is basically hot lemonade made with fresh lemons and steeped with grated fresh ginger.  If you try this at home, be sure that you use plenty of ginger - then, build a fire in the fireplace and enjoy the ginger tea slowly.  Mmmmm... makes me wish it was winter again (really??).

On our way out of the park, a curious coyote followed us for what seemed like miles.  I really think he was just looking for a free lunch.  We also spotted elk, bison and big horn sheep.  These animals survive very well inside Yellowstone and manage to find food growing around the natural hot springs and geysers, which keep the ground warm enough for vegetation even through the harshest winter. 

The bison find food by ramming their rather large head into the snow and shaking it back and forth to clear away the snow and uncover the vegetation that might be there.  When they raise their head, they look like they have been hit head-on with a massive snowball.  From November until late April, this is their life - and most of them survive!  This miracle of life and survival hits me every time I visit this wonderful place.

That's my Montana winter story this year...  next, back to TN and a warmup in Florida.  Stay tuned - I will get caught up on this blog!!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year??

Yes... I know.... it's April.  I'm a bit behind.  Here's the quick summary.  Over the next few days, I promise I'll get myself caught up to spring.

Christmas for our family this year was at Jimmy's house.  With the addition of Soeung, Miles and Camille this year, his house is much fuller!!  We arrived early on Christmas morning and looked in the windows to find the 3 kids already checking out the gifts under the tree.

We quickly joined in as the wrapping paper and ribbon began to fly around the room.  Star Wars and Wii games seemed to be the hits this year.

This was the year I finally finished Will's needlepoint stocking.  Having started this project shortly after Will was born, I had promised myself that I would complete it by the time he finished high school - I'm ahead of schedule!!  If I take this long on every stocking which needs to be completed for our newest family members, I will need to work at it a good bit faster than I did on this one.

Even the adults in our family get stockings.  In fact, this is usually much more anticipated than the wrapped gifts.  There's always a bit of a surprise in each stocking, and it has become quite the challenge to surprise each person with an unexpected treasure.  We really enjoyed seeing Miles, Camille and Soeung get into this family tradition.

Marci and Ryan arrived with our newest granddaughter - Malenda Sage.  At 4 months old, Malenda was quite delighted with all the activity.  Her cousins were absolutely taken with this new little baby.  Marci was able to find a quiet corner for Malenda, who still snoozes quite often.  But, when she was awake, she was all smiles.

Everyone contributed to the Christmas dinner.  Jimmy's sweet potatoes were a particular favorite this year.  And what would Christmas be without granddaddy's famous cheese grits casserole!  As usual, there was so much food that all of us had to eat that evening and the next day to finally finish it.  The cat, Butterscotch, seemed quite content with his catnip toy and didn't even seem to notice the feast on the table.

How many in our family now?  10??  Last year we had one grandchild - now we have 4!  What fun we had with these kids!  We were tired at the end of the day, and went home to sleep well - the best part about being grandparents!!

Thanksgiving with Family

What better way to spend Thanksgiving than with family!  We started the Thanksgiving weekend by traveling to Sparta to share Thanksgiving dinner with brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Pat.  What a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner Pat had prepared.  My favorites were the "little birds" - otherwise known as Cornish game hens, and the cooked apricots.  Pat says she is a rebel when it comes to including the cranberry sauce.  The apricots were indeed a refreshing new touch.  Best of all, everything was low fat, low carb and absolutely delicious!

Friday evening, we traveled down to Tullahoma for the 50th anniversary celebration of my 1st cousin, Ray and Ann, hosted by their son and daughter-in-law.  Now, it seems to me that these milestones are only for grandparents - I remember my own grandparents' golden wedding anniversary back in the 50s.  Can it be that my cousin is there already??   WOOPS!!  Guess I'm not that far behind - we celebrated our 42nd anniversary this year.  This comes in the category of "everybody else is getting old - not me"?!?  We had a really fun evening and Ray and Ann were surrounded by friends and family.  The meal was delicious, the conversation rich and warm.  We finished the evening with a champagne toast and wedding cake with the best frosting I have ever tasted.

Saturday was the day for Thanksgiving dinner with children and grandchildren.  Butch absolutely hit a home run with his 19-pound turkey a la Martha Stewart.  It was beautifully browned and REALLY moist.  Martha doesn't make it easy, but the result was fabulous.  Marci brought the broccoli casserole and the cheese grits (my mother's recipe), Jimmy prepared the sweet potatoes and Soeung made her favorite 7-layer salad.  I contributed the cranberry relish and we had chess pie and pecan pie, compliments of Simply Southern in Pelham, one of our favorite local restaurants.  Those of you who may remember my grandmother's reputation for chess pie will be surprised to hear me say that this one is as good as I remember hers to be.

This was Will's first time to meet his new cousin, Malenda.  He and Camille were quite excited to hold her and Malenda was a perfect champ - actually seemed to be quite fascinated with her new cousins.  We have gone from 1 grandchild to 4 grandchildren in less than one year.  The joy - and the decibel level - has multiplied many times over.

We had put up the Christmas tree and the lights.  The 3 grandchildren began digging out all the ornaments and garland.  Before we knew it, it was beautifully decorated, and Jimmy topped the tree with the angel. The kids rewarded themselves with orange juice- well deserved!!  I may never decorate the tree myself again.  Wonder if they will be around when it's time to undecorate the tree?

I love this holiday season - and I'm giving thanks every day for the wonderful family that we have around us.  Our house and our lives are indeed full - and now strangely quiet!!  We had a couple of inches of snow this weekend, and I'm sitting here in this quiet house feeling very warm as I look at this very special Christmas tree!!

We are looking forward to Malenda's first Christmas.  I just can't get enough of this beautiful little 3-month old child.  The joy and hope that she expresses every time we see her reflect the true message of this season.

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on."  -Carl Sandburg.