28 Jun 2011 - North Dakota

While I was at Kentucky Music Week, FEMA called me to come and work the North Dakota floods. So I left early on the last day, and drove the almost-1200 miles over three days, arriving in Bismarck on Sunday. Carri turned over 100,000 miles on the trip. She only had 1800 when I got her, so I've put almost 100,000 miles on her in the past seven years. How about that!?!?!?

I was running on adrenaline until yesterday, then realized I was exhausted. We are working 7x7x7 (7 AM to 7 PM, 7 days a week), which is typical at the beginning of a disaster (well, this time we're actually working 6:30 AM to at least 7 PM). But today I feel a lot better. It usually takes me about three days in the beginning of a disaster for my body to adjust to the long work hours. So I'm on schedule here.

I was lucky to be able to get a spot for my RV at the local KOA. The campground is filled with people who have been flooded out of their homes. There are lots of families with kids. The campground has opened up their overflow spots, in order to accommodate more rigs than usual. Hotel rooms and rental resources are scarce in the western part of the state. There never were many rental resources in this state, to start with. And all available rentals were snatched up by the oil field workers, even before the flooding and evacuations. So it's a very tough housing situation here.

I'm doing a job for FEMA I've never done before - Disaster Recovery Center Manager. When I arrived on Sunday, they told me that I would be opening a DRC the next day. My manager jokingly said that she hoped I'd have some staff to open with, that my staff were stuck in various airports around the country!! :-) The next morning they told me I would be in charge of the DRC in Bismarck that was opening to the public at 1 PM. It is located on the second floor of a local bank building. At 10 AM I went over to the center, to tell them how I wanted it set up. Our Logistics folks were setting up the IT network. Fortunately, all my staff made it before the opening (whew!) and we opened to the public as scheduled, though not all of our computers were operating until about 1:40. And within three hours of opening, the governor dropped by for a visit! He held a media conference in the lobby before he came upstairs to visit in the DRC. His entourage included a congressional aide, and several media representatives. There is a disadvantage to managing a DRC in the capitol city, not far from the JFO headquarters. We've had lots of visitors, and lots of media attention. I've been interviewed a couple times for local TV stations. So far, we've had a steady stream of applicants through the door and have been kept pretty busy. The bank is volunteering their space, and has been very accommodating for us. They couldn't be nicer for me to work with. I know that one of the bank VIPs is a flood survivor, along with many of his neighbors. It's really heartwarming to see, again and again, in whatever community we are in, how the community pulls together, with a real community spirit, and neighbors help neighbors, when disaster strikes.

There isn't going to be much in my life except for work for awhile. So I don't expect to write much anytime soon....

23 Jun, 2011 - Kentucky Music Week

I spent most of a week in Bardstown, KY, at the Kentucky Music Week festival. I'd never attended it before, and I'm glad I did.

If the only class I took was the photography class, it would have been a worthwhile week for me. The teacher was excellent, and she got to exactly where I was, and taught me just what I needed to know about my camera in order to improve my pictures. Everyone in the photography classes was expected to enter a contest on Friday, to see who took the best photos. My submission - of a bee on a thistle [above] - won first place, as the best in one of two categories, for my class. Which pleased me well. I used what I learned in this class to take the photo, and couldn't have done it a week ago.

If the only class I'd taken was the Native American Flute class, it would have made the whole week worth it. I came back from class the first day, playing my first song! And learned several more during the week. And acquired a smaller flute, that better fits my hands.

The contra dance class I took was fun, and good exercise. I also took a shape notes class that was fun. It's basically singing old-tyme hymns in four-part harmony. I was introduced to shape notes some time back, and now I know how to sing them.

The instructors gave two evening concerts, and they were both excellent. It was great spending the week with 400 people who all enjoy music like I do. And everyone really had fun.

18 Jun 2011 - Kentucky Rain

After a lovely visit with my nephew Andy and his wife and two-year-old son, in Pleasant View, Tennessee, I drove The Trace, the "scenic route" on the Land Between the Lakes. It is designated as a scenic route, but I was imagining views of the lakes along the route. Not a one. It's a nice little drive, but I don't think it qualifies as a scenic route.


Then I drove to the Jefferson Davis memorial [photo left] near Fairview, Kentucky, on Friday. A monument has been built at his birth place that looks uncannily like a famous momument in Washington,DC. I had just missed the tour - you can ride to the top in an elevator - and decided not to hang around for a half hour till the next one.

Kentucky should maybe be called "The Vice State". I mean, if you are into whiskey, or smoking cigarettes, or gambling at the horse races, this is the state for you. I see a lot of corn (for whiskey?) and grain in the fields. And lots of old, abandoned, falling-down tobacco barns.

It's been raining most of the time I've been in Kentucky so far. I'm enjoying the rain and the cooler weather.

I've driven some of Kentucky's scenic routes, past rolling green hills, streams, and ponds. The wild flowers grow in profusion where they are allowed, but Kentuckians like their great green lawns, so that is what you see most. I see Amish in their carts and carriages on the roads, or shopping in the stores. I've seen several different types of plain dress, but don't know enough about them to know if there is a reason for the differences.


I updated my National Parks list today, as I was in Mammoth Cave National Park on Saturday for the first time. I got to the visitor center at 10 AM, but most of the tours were already booked for the day. So I took the self-guided tour, which was fine with me. [entrance photo right] I've been to a number of caves in my day, and so, they pretty much all start to look alike anyway. This cave is the longest in the world - almost 400 miles long, on three levels. I got to see part of the cave that is typical - huge, cavernous limestone rooms, where an underground stream used to flow. One of the things I enjoyed most about the experience was listening to one of the guides; he reminded me of the great Kentucky storytelling tradition. Not that he was telling fibs, but that he made it all come alive through his storytelling skill. The thing I liked least was that there was no diagram in the visitor center, showing exactly where the cave is. And, of course, I didn't like it that most of the tours sold out by 10 AM. And, they weren't the best-organized visitor center to which I've been. If I go back again, I will make sure to check out the tours (and buy my ticket?) a day in advance. Or not show up on a weekend. :-)


On my way out of the park, I stopped for a moderately strenuous two-mile hike to and through Cedar Sink, which was excellent. It went a long way toward starting to fill the "green deficit" that grows inside my soul the months I am in the western desert in the wintertime. It was a quiet walk through a lush green forest, with lots of ferns and mosses along the way. It started to rain slowly, and I was pretty wet by the time I got back to my rig. I kept humming "Kentucky Rain" to myself on the way out. :-)

15 Jun 2011 - Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee

How does that saying go? If this is Wednesday, this must be Tennessee? Or something like that. :-)

I spent most of Sunday in Texas, I spent Monday in Louisiana, Tuesday I was driving through Arkansas, and today I’ve driven through Tennessee. I’m covering ground as fast as I am, because I’m trying to get someplace cooler. It’s been hot and muggy everywhere, until, finally, this afternoon. It’s still muggy, but cooler.

The high was around 100 on Monday when I was visiting my friend Peggy in Bossier City, Louisiana (near Shreveport). I had planned to spend another day or two there, but it was just too hot. I’m glad I got to see what her life is like when she’s not working for FEMA. We spent some time at a couple local casinos, and I finally won some money gambling. Not much. Only about $43, but that was something - more than I’ve won before. Peggy won more like $140, but who’s counting? Considering that I’m not much of a gambler at all, it’s interesting that I’ve happened to spend so much time in casinos in the past few years.

I started out driving Scenic Route 7 in Arkansas on Tuesday, but it wasn’t very scenic, and it was HOT. So I changed my plan, and decided to get on the Interstate, and cover ground as quickly as possible, getting further north faster. The high was in the mid-90s in Memphis, TN, yesterday. I arrived in the early evening, and spent the evening on Beale Street, which was a real treat for me. They close traffic off in the evenings, and everyone just carries their drinks from one bar to the next, listening to all the great local blues and jazz in each place. Beale Street is something I’ve wanted to experience for a long time, and I loved it. I had one of those famous Memphis pulled pork BBQ sandwiches. I also took the elevator to the top of the Peabody for a great view of the city down below (and a peek at the Peabody ducks’ night residence).

This morning, before I left Memphis, I went down to the Peabody Hotel, and saw the famous Peabody ducks (mallards) promenade through the hotel lobby (promptly at 11 am, as usual) to the fountain in the center of the lobby, where they spend their days. What fun!

I drove through a cold front this afternoon, which lowered the temp from the 80s or 90s to the 70s. Whew! Finally. I just sat for awhile outside of Nashville and waited for the front/thunderstorm to move on to the southeast, before I drove through town. It didn’t look good to me. You know, that greenish color. And ugly clouds. I decided I wasn’t interested in dealing with 60 mph winds, nor hail. So I just sat still for awhile and waited it out. Now that I’ve found some cooler weather, I plan to slow down some, though I will get to Kentucky tomorrow.

12 Jun 2011 - Texas

I returned to Albuquerque on May 15th, and Steve and I left the next day, heading for Austin. One of our stops along the way was by a creek in a city park in Brady, TX, where I picked up a couple of kittens that had been dumped there. I couldn't ignore their scared distress cries, knowing their mama was not going to show up and take care of them. I named them Brandy and Brady (later decided to call the female Cleo instead). The first three weeks they were pretty sick with an intestinal bacterial illness, but they recovered nicely (with daily medicines). They wouldn't have made it without my care, so I am glad I ran into them. I so much enjoy watching them play together, growling at each other at their food bowl, and love having them sleeping in my lap or on my shoulder while I'm driving. I think their tiger faces are beautiful, and their spotted cheetah tummies are adorable; but I am looking for a permanent home for them now.

Austin was hot, humid, and buggy. It was a constant battle trying to keep legions of sugar ants out of our rigs. We heard that they were so bad because of the drought the last two years. But we made the most of being in Austin our first week there - hiked Bull Creek, shopped Whole Foods World Headquarters (the most impressive food presentations I've ever seen) and the Container Store, went swimming at Hamilton's Pool,[photo left] ate at Fonda San Miguel and the Oasis. Then, after some in-depth discussions about our relationship, Steve headed north to cooler climes. Seems we want two different types of relationships, after all. :-( I wish him the best. I hope he finds someone to spend the rest of his life with. I hope I do too. :-)

I spent a couple more weeks in Austin, taking care of medical things, mostly routine stuff, all minor. I saw a few friends, and went to a few restaurants, but not as many as I usually do. I brought three friends out to see my friend Maggie's "wild soap bar" business on the Land, which was something I'd wanted to do for ages. We all brought home souvenirs of the most fabulous-smelling natural soaps. A couple friends took me to Esther's Follies, which I hadn't been to in years. They were just as hilarious, witty, and creative as ever, and a good time was had by all! :-)

I left Austin on June 9th, feeling thankful as I drove each mile further north. I've really gotten spoiled, spending my winters in Arizona; I do not like this humid heat at all. I am spending more time in northeast Texas than I have before. I attended my friend Carol's granddaughter's wedding, and have spent some time visiting friends here. But it's still too hot for me here, and am looking forward to getting further north.