DakotaT, and all the rest of you who have had flooding recently. Sorry about the flooding you've had, so blame it on the tremondous snow pack we've had this year. I've been busy doing this and that, that retired guys do, but two weeks ago, my daughter Robin called and said she and her housemates needed to evacuate "ASAP" as the Clark Fork River was rising about 4 inches an hour and they were in the extended flood plain in Missoula. Now, she's 3/4 mile from the river and the last time that area flooded badly was 1908....the flood of the century.
So.......good neighbor Chuck and I grabbed neighbor Joe's boat from his driveway....hitched it up to my truck, (Joe's boat was on a boat trailer), and headed in to Missoula. BTW, new neighbor Joe is a sheriffs deputy.
We got to the corner of 3rd st. and Tower St. (Robin lives on Tower St.) and hit a sheriffs roadblock, and water off to our right covering what once had been Tower Gardens, a landscaping business. This is 3/4 mile from the river. Damned if the deputy manning the roadblock isn't Joe himself.
Dialog from here on...........
Bob: Hey Joe! What's happening?
Joe: Hey, what are you guys up to?
Chuck: Bob and I are rescuing his daughter from the flood.
Joe: (very officially btw) "I need her address before you can go in there. You know, looters and such."
Bob: "1212 South Tower Road..........and that's her and Kim waving to us from their yard."
Robin and Kim wave to us from their front yard, which is now filled with water about 4 feet deep.
Joe: "Okay, you can go on in. But be careful. That current is 8 miles per hour and it'll knock a horse down."
Bob: "Do we look like horses?"
Joe: "Hey, that looks like my boat. (long pause)
THAT IS MY BOAT! What the hell?"
Chuck: "we were in a hurry and this was the closest boat we could find."
Bob: "Yeh, and remember, "Protect and Serve."
Joe: "Okay, just put it back in my driveway when you're done."
So...we're in towards Robins house about 600 yards from the roadblock, in about 4 feet of water that is flowing quite rapidly towards the Pacific Ocean, on what we are guessing is Tower Street. Robin and Kim are paddling an old canoe loaded with household stuff towards us.
About 20 feet before we meet, Robin stands up and takes a gun from her pantwaist and fires into the water about 10 feet in front of me. I had been walking along side the boat, not paying much attention to the surroundings except as to what was ahead.
My ears were ringing with the sound of that 9mm going off 10 feet from me, and Chuck yells out," Good shot, Robin. Ya just saved your Dad from another trip the the snakebite center at St. Pat's."
Robin takes a paddle and hoists up a 6 1/2 foot Prairie Rattlesnake that was headed right towards me as it was forced out of its den by the flood and was simply trying to get away.
Man...talk bout the Gods being with you, and having a daughter that's another Annie Oakley.
Anyway, Robin and her housemates are safe, their belongings are safe, and their house is a waterlogged mess. The water is still 3 feet above flood stage, so they all moved into a trailer not far from there and are having a good old time. Shooting rattlesnakes, drinking Pabst Beer, and promising Joe his boat will get back to him someday.
Anyone for a Weenie Roast?