Houston and Hurricane Ike

Just returned from visit with my dearest friend from the 7th grade. She is a fabulous cook; the Chicken Marsala and the fresh mustard greens from her garden were out of this world. She sent me home with fresh spinach and lettuce from the garden. I'm inspired to get our raised garden beds ready for spring.

She lives in a heavily wooded area of Houston which was hit very hard by Hurricane Ike. Drove around her neighborhood; many houses were still condemned because the winds uprooted trees which then fell on the houses. Homes with minor repairs were occupied but several of those crushed by trees were either boarded up or just now in the beginning stages of repair. Hurricane Ike came ashore at Galveston on September 13, 2008.

The picture to left is an uprooted pine tree in the yard next to my friend's house. By some miracle my friend's house and trees were untouched except for a couple of missing shingles. I took pictures of the tree from several angles but, what can I say, none were good save this one. Need to keep working on those camera skills. :D

You just don't realize the devastation until you actually see it. When I saw the empty houses, it suddenly dawned on me to question where these people are living and what a financial disaster it must be for those whose homes were practically destroyed. One neighbor had five huge trees crash into his house! The neighbor, his wife, and three children kept moving from room to room to escape the trees as they crashed on the house during the night as the storm moved over the area. By the grace of God no one was hurt. It made me count my blessings.

Until next time, God bless.