What a crazy day

Between the storms, more trouble with the law, a visit to the dentist, a really awful day at work, and a cough that just won't go away it's been a really crazy 24 hours.

Yesterday afternoon's storm turned the sky pitch black and caused a down pour that made seeing the road a challenge at best. There were spectacular flashes of lightening and booming claps of thunder that you could feel down to your bones. The down pours of rain left all but the leftmost lanes practically impassable. Between the pouring rain, flash flooding streets, accidents and general traffic it was amazing that I made it to pick the boys up on time. I left a little late to start with and then had an unusual request in the parking lot to drive a coworker to their car on the roof because it was raining too hard to make a run for it that far away with a laptop without a case. Luckily we all made it home safely and even into the house during a rare lull in the storms.

By the time we went to bed the rain had diminished to on again, off again light showers. When I woke up this morning I had no idea that the rain had continued on dropping 14 inches of rain over us according to the accumulation map. I also wasn't aware of the massive flooding and school closings. I blithely headed in to my Dentist's appointment completely unaware.

When I arrived I was told by the doctor that receptionist and hygienists were running late due to the weather. I spent a moment contemplating what he meant by that after gazing outside to see overcast skies, but nothing more ominous. The receptionist came in about that time and regaled myself and another patient with a report on her trek to work - having to try route after route due to street flooding and closed roads. And how lucky she was that someone could keep her kids given that school was out. There were apparently quite a few school closings. Luckily our school wasn't among them as I was at the dentist and I can only imagine what Kevin would have done had he arrived at school to drop them off and found it closed.

My actual dentists appointment was slightly worse than I expected. The final verdict - a dead tooth requiring a root canal, a crown, two inlays, two fillings, and a wisdom took extraction. Though I suppose it sounds worse than it actually is. I knew I lost a filling and I suspected part of a tooth a month or so ago. I also knew from my last trip to the dentist far too long ago that I had at least 3 old silver fillings which I have probably had for about 20 years, 10 years longer than their life expectancy, that would need to be replaced. I could also feel the wisdom tooth coming in and remembered having only had 3 of the 4 pulled previously. In high school maybe? So really the only surprise was the dead tooth. That one came out of left field. I didn't even know that teeth were technically alive and could even die. Apparently they can. And when they do they leave a dark black shadow on the x-ray where they are infected and festering. They also turn a bit yellow. I had noticed the color change though I can't say for sure when it happened.

After the dentist's appointment after checking with Kevin to see if daycare was open or if I needed to take care of the kids I headed into work. I was shocked as I approached Faulkey Gully - a bridge just before the turn into work that is normally not much bigger than a trickle some 20 feet below the level of the bridge. Only this morning it was to within inches of the bridge. Flood stage. As I parked near the top of the parking garage I took a minute to survey the damage and even took a few pictures because it really was shocking to see just how high the water was compared to its normal level. Here are a few of the photos I took. In a week or so assuming the rains abate and things return to normal by then I will try take pictures from the same spot for comparison.

Faulkey Gully from the HP garage

Faulkey Gully bridge - water just below the bridge

The truck parking lot next to the garage

A 6ft fence halfway under water on the other side of the garage.

Another run in with the law...

Are you sensing a trend here? I am pretty sure I should never leave town again...

On the way back from Jasper coming down 59 a policeman and a trooper had a car pulled over on the side of the road. I was in the right hand lane as we approached. I looked to see if I could get over, but to no avail – the left hand lane was bumper to bumper so I slowed down a little but continued on. Just after I passed the police car pulled out behind us. A couple of miles down the road I saw my exit and as I was slowing down and turning my blinker on to exit on came the lights. He pulled me over to give me a warning that by law you should change lanes or slow down at least 20 MPH when passing a stopped vehicle. And did I know my taillight was out? After looking frantically I couldn’t find my drivers license, and it took us several minutes to locate the right insurance paper amid the piles of expired ones in the glove box recently disturbed in the search for a map.

Luckily I knew my drivers’ license number and vs. having me running around outside the car opening doors looking for the misplaced license amid all the potential hiding places (console, wallet, diaper bag, diaper changer, etc.) he took the number. He also noted that my inspection was expired, and my registration as well. The registration had actually been renewed – and on time even! – but wasn’t in the car.

When it was all said he done he wrote me a ticket for the inspection and just a verbal warning for the flurry of other issues (slowing down when passing, tail light out, missing drivers’ license, and missing registration). Thank you Mr. Nice Policeman.

Toddlers?

Apparently it's official. We now have toddlers. The boys moved up to the toddler class at school on Monday. They "visited" all day Friday. Ryan got a big fat split lip from "falling over." On their "first day" on Monday Ryan came home with a purple ear from being bitten by "one of his friends". Apparently being a toddler is tough, and it's a rough crowd.

And then there were cops

Because no family day trip would be complete without a chat with a deputy from the Fort Bend Sheriff's Department, right? I wouldn't be surprised to see my name pop up on the Terrorist Watch List. I may never be able to fly again.

We decided to go down to Bellaire for lunch today. To our favorite dim sum place called Golden Palace. The boys were so well behaved. They played happily with my chopsticks. We fed them before we left home because it would have been well past their typical lunch time by the time we got down there. Despite stuffing them before we left the house they weren't the list bit deterred from eating and happily polished off half of some sort of vegetable we think. Kevin calls it potatoe like stuff. They also helped me polish off two servings of pork buns. They ate from chopsticks for the first time today. Granted I was the one operating them, but it was still cute none the less. They seemed to really like the food. We will definitely have to go again.

Before we left Bellaire I pulled out the map to see if there was a park, or other destination nearby that might be fun to visit. Just a short trip down 59 lay a lake called Smithers Lake. Neither of us had ever heard of it, much less been so we decided to check it out. As we drove down the familiar path that we had traveled a few times before on the way to A Day in the Country at the George Ranch, and Brazos Bend State Park the lack of signage about the lake didn't go unnoticed, but we continued on anyways. As it turns out we would get our only look at the "lake" as we crossed the small bridge near the George Ranch.

Off in the distance we could see the power plant. As we got closer that was all you could see. The smoke stacks puffing away, and the biggest mountain of coal I have ever seen. Along with a truly impressive array of railroad cars brimming with coal lining the entire outer perimeter. As we joked about what a dud the lake had turned out to be I decided we should stop and get a picture to show you guys. So we pulled over at the very edge of the main entrance to the power plant and hopped out to take a few pictures. We hadn't been there for more than a minute or two, and were actually getting back in the car to leave when a Fort Bend Sheriff's Deputy pulled up lights flashing. The deputy was very nice and after running my drivers' license let us go on our way. So, you guys had better appreciate the beautiful view of "Smithers Lake" we took for you, as it is apparently TOP SECRET! :)