September 12, 2008

Dawn....there were 16 projected paths on Stormtracker, one a direct hit on Galveston, my research showing it had been the most accurate over the past few days, which put the "dirty" and most devastating side over Bolivar. The news continued to predict a last minute turn to the south, and reiterated it was "only a cat 2", I knew in my heart this was gonna be the one. So many close calls over so many years can make one reluctant to respond, Gustav just 3 weeks earlier, you tell yourself, it's gonna be OK.

The mandatory evacuation was ordered, the ferry would stop running at 11pm, they wanted us out by 3pm.


There was a woman and child at the water's edge, the child romping in the surf like any other beach morning, momentarily fooling me into thinking this was just like any other day. Sadly the feeling was gone as quickly as it was felt, the reality was I had to get organized, make a plan, and get my family out of our beloved Seahoose as fast as I could.


By 8am the tide water was up the road level with our house. Although at this point we were protected by substantial dunes built for many decades and enhanced by our Mama's presence, the early arrival of the effects was sobering. Too late to go for a trailer or U-haul and return, pack it and leave on time, we spent the morning trying to decide what few things to take that would represent the lifetime of family memories present in the Seahoose.

So many, many storms in the past, the family would rally and come in their vehicles to help save what we could. This time it was too late, Liz, Bop and I were on our own.

We had the Trailblazer and my Saturn Ion to load. First the wheelchair, walker, potty chair, medical supplies, all absolutely vital for Bop's well being. Next a suitcase of clothes for each of us. (We did a very poor job here though, Liz forgot all shoes but the ones she had on, we only packed three days of changes for Bop, I forgot to open my shorts drawer all together, I think we still believed we'd be home in a few days). Next the family photo albums, Bible, Bop's old scrapbooks, the framed Bay Vue first dollar, the ticket from France, some of Mama and Bop's creations, and after that my mind goes blank. There was so much, the Seahoose was crammed full of 35 years of collections, treasures, each thing triggering a special memory, but the clock was ticking, it was absolutely necessary we consider Bop's safety above anything else.



I had boarded up (and thankfully un-boarded) the house myself 3 weeks earlier, for Gustav, so I was confident I could handle it this time. I hadn't considered what a challenge it would be to handle the 4x8 sheets of plywood in the wind, another sobering reminder of what was very different this time and its possible outcome. Screws didn't drive so easily, probably my stress and exhaustion more than anything else, I used big nails for the ones that I couldn't drive the screws through, leaving the patio door open til it was time to leave.

We cleared the deck completely and laid Mama's concrete statue of the Blessed Mary on her back. Surely she would make it, she weighed a ton!



View from The Seahoose deck painted by David Potwin





Then there was the 3 cats, Felix, Ditto and P-Kitty......I wrestled with my conscience all day, if Ike did go south, they would be OK boarded up in the house, this was what I told myself to override what my heart was telling me.....that they would be killed when the house was blown away by the wind and/or washed away in the storm surge. I accepted this fate easily for the outside strays Liz had adopted and fed for years, but our cats, what should I do? I was the driving force, the rational one, in charge, it was my role, they were comforted by this, it's what I always did. But, with the vehicles packed to capacity, and evacuating to a Winnie motel room, how reasonable was it to take the cats with us? In the scheme of things they were our kitties, but they weren't human life and I had to accept they were disposable.

Mama created crystalbeach.com (http://www.crystalbeach.com/) after having to leave the real estate business in her 70's. It began as a way to share her love for this place and became an incredibly successful definitive site for all information about Bolivar and Crystal Beach. Every morning Bop would take a picture from the deck, write a few words describing the day and post it to the site. He developed a huge fan club all over the world, getting emails on a regular basis from people thanking him who had either been there or never had the chance but planned to in the future, who liked to start their day by seeing the beach every morning.

I shot pictures of the inside of the house the evening before

and decided to do the outside right before we left thinking it may be important for the insurance process. While shooting I realized it would be nice to show Bop's fans from where he shot his morning post, as it was a very real possibility it would be gone this time, and with it, life as we knew it. After uploading the photo I moved on and FORGOT to put Mama and Bop's computers in the car so we lost the history of pictures forever. I can't believe I did that, why didn't I think more clearly?

Cars loaded, we heard water was already washing over rollover pass, it was time to go whether or not we were ready. Bop and Liz in the Trailblazer, I filled a huge bowl with water and another with kitty food, and had to drive huge nails to hold the last piece of plywood over the patio door.

The drive to Winnie was uneventful, we got Bop settled in the room, we were surrounded by fellow beach folks. My mind racing as to what we needed to be comfortable I realized we never considered food so I hit the local gas stations and paid a fortune for peanut butter, crackers, chips, candy, water and beer. We watched the news all evening and it became apparent our worst fear would very likely be realized.

The cats gnawed at my conscience all evening, could I live with my decision? I talked to Molly around 10pm about the guilt, I knew I had already decided to go back and get them but presented it as an idea. She made me promise not to go alone, she knew I wouldn't promise NOT to go, so it was please Mom, don't go alone. There was no other way though, Bop couldn't be left alone. I can't recall another time I knowingly broke a promise to Molly, but there was no other way. I had gotten three boxes to put them in, and at 11pm set out for the Seahoose.

My heart pounding for 40 miles, I was blessed not to encounter any high water. Once at the house, the wind was incredible, it was eerie, no one around, the surf pounding, the water creeping up higher and higher into the neighborhood. Standing on the deck I remembered having to nail the board that would let me in. I finally managed to pull the nails on one side allowing me to squeeze through and into the quiet of our beloved house.

One by one I boxed the cats, pushing the plywood open enough to squeeze me and a box through and took them to my car. I wish I had stopped to think about grabbing some of my precious treasures that never entered my mind that busy day. Little Si - one of Liz's strays, and by far one of the most ignorant cats I have ever encountered was huddled on the deck. I opened a can of wet cat food and gave her the whole thing, a real treat for her, it was her last meal after all, she may as well gorge herself.

The plywood nailed back in place, I sat quietly on the deck and took in what I could. This place, this magnificent place, even it its fury it was so beautiful. The smell of the salt air, the sound of the surf. I turned back and looked at the house, trying to etch everything I could into my brain, every inch. Reality nudged me, I had to go, NOW.

The meowing was amazingly loud, a three-some serenade that fueled my anxiety. Thankfully, Felix, our 20+ lb black cat clawed his way outta the box in less than 3 minutes, P-Kitty in the next 2. The kitty screaming let up 'cept for poor little Ditto, she never figured out how to get out of that box and quietly meowed the whole way.

I made it back to Winnie by the grace of God. Bop didn't know I had left, we didn't want to worry him. He was comforted to have the cats in the room, we were all together again. My day finally completed, I turned to the TV again and the torturous waiting for our uninvited guest, Ike.