Ridin' the Storm Out - Sun., June 30

If you know us well, you know I don't walk in the rain. Period. Don't like it, never have. So I was highly skeptical this morning when I read the NOAA weather report proffering a 40% chance of thunderstorms, 50 mph wind gusts, and possible hail. I don't know what I was thinking when I told Bob I still wanted to go. I brought the umbrella and packed my camera, cell phone and car keys in plastic Ziploc sandwich bags. (Bob says I'm a good Girl Scout.)

Driving to the start point in downtown San Antonio, an ominous sky brooded over us. Black sky moodiness dared us to continue with our plans. The blue sucker hole drew us in, even though surrounding us through a 360-degree view were clouds in shades of black and grey.

After registering for the Volksmarch, we started our walk at 7:45 a.m. The temperature was pleasant and we walked at a good pace. As soon as we got to El Mercado, the sky started spitting at us, not enough to soak, just enough to let us know we better be prepared for the moody sky to shed some big crocodile tears.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

El Mercado tile art.

El Mercado

More tile art at El Mercado.

El Mercado restaurant - reminds us of New Orleans.

El Mecado business.

Beautiful tile art.

Children's Hospital Emergency Room - we needed a restroom!

Threatening sky.

Stormy, moody sky.

San Francesco di Paola Church

Storm clouds.

Stormy.

My umbrella was up when rain, thunder and lightning descended upon us. The rain came down in earnest. We hurried to find cover and ended up under the awning of the WOAI 4 News building for about 45 minutes. When the rain let up, we continued our walk. You will see that raindrops falling on our heads were not our only challenge.

Under the awning.

When cars and buses went by, they splashed up a wall of water. Thankfully, we were out of reach of the splashes.

Ridin' the storm out.

Waterfall coming off the awning.

Storm drains were overflowing back up into the street.

The drains sucked down the water but not fast enough.

We had to cross this...got our feet and socks wet.

The intersection above was flooded.

Water up to bottom of body of car.

A few more photos of our downtown jaunt...

Domino's Pizza delivery vehicles - Smart.

Airstream re-purposed to sell cosmetics (in La Villita)

We finished up our walk in a damp state. Actually, Bob was pretty wet. He only had his baseball cap for protection from the rain. I shared the umbrella for a while, then he decided not to use it anymore.

Below is some more information on The Big Year birding competition. Bob found these when he searched for "the truth about The Big Year" on Google. We both enjoyed reading these two articles and thought you might enjoy them too.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Round Robin: "Birds, Birders, and Birding in The Big Year: What We Noticed."

Also see: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "The Big Year: Our Movie Review."

TravelBug out.

Out of the Blue - Here Comes the Rain Again - Wed., June12

What the ...? A few minutes ago it was sunny and 90. I started hearing thunder, checked NOAA for update on weather. Red warnings for San Antonio. Yikes!

Now the storm is ON TOP OF US! Rain pelting crazily, waterfalls coming off the roof of our 5er all around, thunder so harsh the floor of the trailer is quaking. Lightning at the same time, flashing. Power going on and off. Fan on, microwave on; fan off, microwave off; repeat. This is intense. I am having flashbacks to flooding of three weeks ago. Our site already has water pouring into it. I will brave getting drenched to pick up our welcome mat and put it on the picnic table so it doesn't float off again.

These four photos are from the beginning of the thunderstorm...you can see the temperature has already dropped from 90 to 68.

See photo below looking toward back fence...see a difference?

Looking toward our neighbor's site.

From 90 to 68 in a half hour.

Power off, power on. Massive thunder, more lightning. I'd say this is a slow-moving storm. It has found a parking spot in San Antonio and isn't going to give it up!

This is pretty exciting, but not good for charging our air card which is out of power. [Note: I finished this blog after power was back on, charging air card for a while.]

San Antonio Hill Country Hikers had a three-mile walk planned this evening at Eisenhower Park. I was ready to walk out the door when I first heard the thunder. That's when I checked the weather.

I called the hike organizer and the event has been canceled due to the severe weather. OMG, I looked up and saw lightning out of two windows at the same time AND another massive thunderclap in tune with the lightning. Kind of scary out there.

We now have an inch of water in our site. I went out to pick up our mat and it had already floated away! In ten minutes! I was totally freaked out going out there to pick up the mat with a metal umbrella in my hand while lightning and thunder is happening, walking in an inch or more of water. I moved pretty danged fast!

Photos after 20 minutes of heavy rain...

Mat saved.

About 1-1/2 inches of water after 20 minutes.

Looking toward back fence. Was dry a bit ago.

Crazy weather. Not only us, but I read about the upper Midwest possibly getting a derecho tonight. See another derecho article. And friends in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are worried about massive storms too.

Stay safe and dry out there.

Here's a few cozy kitty pics to lighten the mood.

We love our kitty tube!

Sneak attack.

Sunnie says, "I'm not playin'."

I don't know what's with Sunnie and his stretches lately.

Hi, Mom. I'm going to walk right in front of the pic you're taking of Bowie.

Put anything new on the floor, insert cat.

Travel Bug out.

Hazardous Weather Outlook -- Tues., Apr. 9

When the words "Hazardous Weather Outlook" appear on the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service it's time to keep a close eye on the weather. This is especially true when you live full-time in an RV. They're much less sturdy than a sticks and bricks house.

Today, our Hazardous Weather Outlook in South Texas is for 50% chance of severe thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow. The report mentions large hail.

We have not had the misfortune of being in a storm producing large hail. From reading the blogs of other RVers who have, we hope never to encounter quarter- to golf-ball-sized hail. Horror stories include cars and RVs with multiple dents, broken skylights and even broken windows. (The hail must have been driven in at an angle by the wind. I would call that a window wind-OW.)

In other parts of the country the Hazardous Weather Outlook could be for strong winds, heavy snow, flash flooding, nor'easters, tornadoes, hurricanes or ice storms.

Rainstorm, Tigard, Oregon, November 7, 2009.

My favorite hazardous weather is a dramatic thunderstorm with booming thunder and breathtaking lightning displays, followed by pouring rain. The rain may produce flooding in the short term, but the long-term benefits are great. In springtime, the rains water the earth causing grasses, trees and flowers to burst into healthy greenery and color. Lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams get a much-needed infusion to water wildlife, livestock and birds as well as provide irrigation water. Aquifers recharge. Waterfalls become thundering torrents. The effects may not last long, especially if drought is an issue, but any rain that falls is welcome.

Downpour while gate guarding, Cotulla, Texas, May 2012. Yes,
that's a new river flowing past our RV. By the next day it was dry.

Two of the most interesting hazardous weather events I've seen occurred in Oregon (where we lived for over 30 years, and is our RV home base).

1. The first, in Portland, was a "silver thaw." A "silver thaw," as it is called in western Oregon, occurs when rain falls through a warm layer and strikes a surface that is below freezing, causing the rain to freeze on contact. Severe ice storms result. Power lines and tree branches get very heavy with ice and can snap in medium to strong winds.
   
   On Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m., I went to work in northeast Portland. My drive had been routine until I exited the freeway a mile from work. Because the Columbia River Gorge acts as a funnel for freezing east winds to enter northeast Portland and the Vancouver, WA area, it was much colder than other parts of Portland.
   
   Upon exiting the freeway, the large boulevard was, surprisingly, a solid sheet of ice. The wicked cool part was the surrounding landscape: every blade of grass had frozen individually so the grass looked like upside down icicles, every limb and tiny branch on the trees were sheathed in ice, and power lines were encased in ice. A beautiful, treacherous, icy wonderland! Thankfully 8:00 a.m. on a cold, Sunday morning meant almost no traffic. I drove cautiously, enjoyed the gorgeous silver thaw, and made it to work. By the time I left in the evening, the ice had melted.
   
2. Another time, we lived on the banks of the Willamette (pronounced will-LAM-it) River in the Willamette Valley. The forecast was for high winds, up to 80 mph. I was alone as Bob traveled a lot for his work. Many times the forecasters are wrong about windstorms, so I wasn't overly worried. I secured what I could on our deck, turned the picnic table and benches upside down and made sure the cats were inside.
   
   Then the wind hit. It came out of the west which was good because we had only one set of windows on that side of the house. However, those two windows were bowing inward. I thought they were going to shatter. At one point, I opened the window a crack to ease the pressure, but the wind was blowing too hard to leave it open. I put a big "X" of painter's tape on each of the windows and closed the curtains. That way, if the windows broke, the theory was the glass would be partially held together with the tape and the curtains would keep the glass from blowing far into the room. The winds howled around the house. When it was over, I went outside and surveyed around the house. The windows survived. Nothing was gone or broken. 

What hazardous weather have you encountered either on the road or in a sticks and bricks house? I'd love to hear your stories.

Travel Bug out.

Soothing Sunday -- Sep. 16

Soothing sounds of susurrant rain patter on our 5th wheel roof. We love being close to nature so that we can easily hear the succulent, sloppy sounds of such a wet weather day. Earlier, the sound was more insistent, knocking on our roof, insisting it wanted to come in but couldn't. 

What a great way to spend a Sunday: lulled into complacency without a care; sitting inside with all our curtains open, watching the rain fall, and the birds frolic in the instant puddles and small lakes that have sprung up in the park.

View from our dining room.

A few sites didn't fare too well. 4:00 p.m., still raining!

Won't be renting this site today!

Another Holiday Rambler Presidential in the park. Glad we're not in that site!

Our site is nice and dry.

It's not often that we sleep in until 11:00 a.m. or read in bed. We "accomplished" those as well. Oh, and Bob is watching the Seahawks vs. Cowboys game. He's happy I'm his only audience here in the heart of Texas so he can root for the Seahawks. Ha ha.

Our space is cozy, water-tight and has an almost 360-degree view. We aren't lacking much. And we have each other, too. Life is grand. As Bob says, "It's a good day to hunker down beside the fire." (Well, if we had a fireplace, anyway.)

Temperatures have taken a nose-dive from last week's 95-100 degree days. It's 3:20 p.m. and the temperature is 67 degrees. Our air conditioner is getting a well-deserved rest and our refrigerator is performing marvelously well. I had to turn the refrigerator down a couple of degrees.

Add in the picture of perfect relaxation, our cats, and it's a wonder we're awake at all.

Sunnie sleeping next to me while I blog.

Bowie on his catnip cat scratcher.

Oh, and those peacock feathers we bought yesterday...cats gone wild. As soon as the feathers "walked" in the door in my hand, the cats went nuts. Good thing I bought two feathers, one for each cat. You'd have thought a flock of birds had flown in. I had one feather in each hand and one cat was hunting each feather. Bob had to take a feather and play with one cat. We had them running, leaping, flipping, chasing, panting. Bowie grabbed one in his mouth and ran into the bathroom with it. Next thing I knew, the "eye" was chewed off the length of the feather. 

This is fun. Let's do it again!

He was jumping all over the feather, doing flips. Sunnie, too, was having a field day with his feather. It's obvious to me we have to buy a lot more peacock feathers!

Another activity our cats find fascinating is chewing on cardboard boxes. I swear they are part beaver, especially Bowie, who digs into cardboard and chews off chunks. Whatever it takes to keep them occupied. It's hard enough that they're cooped up in 300+ square feet of space. 

On days when they really need to get their wa-was out, they chase each other back and forth for 15 minutes at top cat speed, from the back of the living room to the mirrors on the bedroom closet. At those times, they sound like a herd of horses at the Kentucky Derby...must be because of all the empty space under the 5er.

Welcome to our newest subscriber, Colleen, of Traveling with the Longdogs. Thank you for stopping by and introducing yourself.

Travel Bug out.