Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Buckingham Fountain.. 8-12-08
Chicago's Buckingham Fountain.. http://www.waterfountainblog.com/water-fountains/89-chicagos-buckingham-fountain-history/ ... for it's history.. and a very interesting history it is..! While it's size is unsurpassed in the world, there is something etherial about this fountain.. Its beauty and unique architecture make it a place to visit often.. maybe to eat lunch nearby... to watch the lightshow each evening.. to hear the din of falling water... This fountain is the starting point of Historic Route 66 that ran all the way to Los Angeles. Short, but interesting history is at the website..
Summer Sundog at IDSP..
SUNDOGS... www.thefreedictionary.com/sundog ... I guess even after reading this brief explanation, I still can't relay what a sundog really is. All I know is that it's very interesting and quite beautiful.. In this photo, taken from the Indiana Dunes State Park beach area, the real sun is on the bottom.. and the "fake sun" looks to be a reflection off the clouds above.. Don't know if that's true or not, but it sounds good.. therefore, it should be right. lol Enjoy! :)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Totes, a Harley.. & other stuff..
On August 4th, Thursday, we surveyed the damage done at a storage facility in Griffith, IN.. after the EF-2 Tornado passed through that area..
I've never thought much about how very many lives are affected in one communal storage area like that.. But seeing the storage units with roofs ripped off and contents strewn about and so very many people trying to save what was still left of theirs, it occured to me that while a home sustains great damage and has a terrible effect on one family's lives.. those little storage units hold many lives in it's grasp.
The damage at that storage complex was incredible. Some people weren't even in town.. some had no way to pick up their things as of when we were there.. and while things hadn't been ruined by rain.. yet.. the potential was just a matter of time, before salvageable goods turned into ruined goods.
We talked briefly to one man who had much of a jewelry business tucked into one unit.. Much there was ruined or lost completely. He saved what he could.. took everything, I'm sure, to go through at home or elsewhere. Another unit was loaded with shoes.. New shoes? Am not sure, tho all the over-stuffed racks were marked with sizes. With so much debris everywhere, each shoe would have to be cleaned thoroughly to ever look new again.. and even then, I can't see how that would have been possible. Maybe it was Amelda Marcos' hideaway...
The storage unit that faired the best was the one where everything had been storaged in totes or sealed plastic bags.. One of the bags had ripped open and goods were bursting forth with air expansion.., but when we were there, all that was needed, was for those things to be washed. Of course, if they were new, they'd never be new after a washing, but they were still there.. and definitely useable. I loved that even tho things were in plastic totes, the owner had thought to tape the tops down to the tote bottoms.. Plastic totes, depending on the brand, don't always seal very well... but only one of these totes had broken open. A lesson for the rest of us, as we pack away our treasures?
No matter how we try to pack our things, we only think that the storage unit will always be there protecting our items.. These things were packed as if the storage unit might not always be there... Extra care was taken to protect their goods.. and in the end, that extra care paid off. Most all their goods were still there.. safe and sound...packed tightly together... despite the fact that the roof and wall was gone.
One beautiful Harley laid on it's side in a storage unit.. it must have been stored in one of the sheds, but from what others had said, it had been somewhere else and he put it in that unit (maybe because his own unit didn't exist anymore?)... just to put it out of the way until he could pick it up. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that everyone who saw the black-and-chrome sparkling in the sun, had an intake of breath.. followed by a groan or a sigh and a shake of the head.. The good thing was that the side we saw looked pretty good... No one asked what the other side of the vehicle looked like, each of us picturing it in our own minds... as we let out another sigh.
I've never thought much about how very many lives are affected in one communal storage area like that.. But seeing the storage units with roofs ripped off and contents strewn about and so very many people trying to save what was still left of theirs, it occured to me that while a home sustains great damage and has a terrible effect on one family's lives.. those little storage units hold many lives in it's grasp.
The damage at that storage complex was incredible. Some people weren't even in town.. some had no way to pick up their things as of when we were there.. and while things hadn't been ruined by rain.. yet.. the potential was just a matter of time, before salvageable goods turned into ruined goods.
We talked briefly to one man who had much of a jewelry business tucked into one unit.. Much there was ruined or lost completely. He saved what he could.. took everything, I'm sure, to go through at home or elsewhere. Another unit was loaded with shoes.. New shoes? Am not sure, tho all the over-stuffed racks were marked with sizes. With so much debris everywhere, each shoe would have to be cleaned thoroughly to ever look new again.. and even then, I can't see how that would have been possible. Maybe it was Amelda Marcos' hideaway...
The storage unit that faired the best was the one where everything had been storaged in totes or sealed plastic bags.. One of the bags had ripped open and goods were bursting forth with air expansion.., but when we were there, all that was needed, was for those things to be washed. Of course, if they were new, they'd never be new after a washing, but they were still there.. and definitely useable. I loved that even tho things were in plastic totes, the owner had thought to tape the tops down to the tote bottoms.. Plastic totes, depending on the brand, don't always seal very well... but only one of these totes had broken open. A lesson for the rest of us, as we pack away our treasures?
No matter how we try to pack our things, we only think that the storage unit will always be there protecting our items.. These things were packed as if the storage unit might not always be there... Extra care was taken to protect their goods.. and in the end, that extra care paid off. Most all their goods were still there.. safe and sound...packed tightly together... despite the fact that the roof and wall was gone.
One beautiful Harley laid on it's side in a storage unit.. it must have been stored in one of the sheds, but from what others had said, it had been somewhere else and he put it in that unit (maybe because his own unit didn't exist anymore?)... just to put it out of the way until he could pick it up. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that everyone who saw the black-and-chrome sparkling in the sun, had an intake of breath.. followed by a groan or a sigh and a shake of the head.. The good thing was that the side we saw looked pretty good... No one asked what the other side of the vehicle looked like, each of us picturing it in our own minds... as we let out another sigh.
A Man & His Problems..
I met several really wonderful people on Thursday, 3 days after the August 4th Tornado touched down in Griffth, IN..
One man said he'd be out of his home for between 8 months and a year.. Knowing that, he called the utilities to shut off service. When he got to NIPSCO, they said he could shut down service, however, when he went to start serQvice again, he'd be subject to a $1500 deposit.. Of course, he'd get that back one day, after so much time has passed.. And the reason that deposit was so high.. is because he'd missed a couple oaaf paymentQs. Missed a couple of payments? Even several payments..? NIPSCO.. these people are lucky to be alive and they've lived through something horrific, losing most of their belongings, so incaaredibly fortunate that their loved ones are alive and uninjured. And now, through the most difficult times in their lives, you're going to strap them with a $1500 deposit, when they want to restart their service... knowing you could HELP them, if you wanted to.. to make starting their lives over again a little easier, but nope.. that's apparently not what you intend to do at all... Omg.. Well, one thing is true.. You certainly can't call yourselves "the company with a heart..".. Nope.. you sure can't.
....unless, of course, that decision was just that of the woman he talked to on the phone.. ? You would repeal that decision and be a little more sympathic to the problem if you.. and that's a collective "you".. knew exactly what happened.. Right? Right.
The good thing about leaving service turned on is probably that during construction, having electric and gas will be needed. I'm not even sure the workers could do their jobs, if they're rebuilding a home in the middle of winter in this area with no gas or electric, as a new furnace will go in there one day.. and workers would have a though time of finishing the inside of any home without heat or electric.. Darkness will come early and home interiors are difficult to work on with no electric to light their way on a dark and cloudy day.. so as far as leaving the electric on.. well, most insurance companies will reimburse for that expense, knowing the services are necessary for the rebuild...
However, NIPSCO's attitude rather took all of us aback...
I hope this man and his family have an easier time of it than it seems right now.. And I wish them well, as they muddle through the days of restoration ahead of them!
Do well, Griffith.. do well. I'll keep you all in my prayers for the next several months..
One man said he'd be out of his home for between 8 months and a year.. Knowing that, he called the utilities to shut off service. When he got to NIPSCO, they said he could shut down service, however, when he went to start serQvice again, he'd be subject to a $1500 deposit.. Of course, he'd get that back one day, after so much time has passed.. And the reason that deposit was so high.. is because he'd missed a couple oaaf paymentQs. Missed a couple of payments? Even several payments..? NIPSCO.. these people are lucky to be alive and they've lived through something horrific, losing most of their belongings, so incaaredibly fortunate that their loved ones are alive and uninjured. And now, through the most difficult times in their lives, you're going to strap them with a $1500 deposit, when they want to restart their service... knowing you could HELP them, if you wanted to.. to make starting their lives over again a little easier, but nope.. that's apparently not what you intend to do at all... Omg.. Well, one thing is true.. You certainly can't call yourselves "the company with a heart..".. Nope.. you sure can't.
....unless, of course, that decision was just that of the woman he talked to on the phone.. ? You would repeal that decision and be a little more sympathic to the problem if you.. and that's a collective "you".. knew exactly what happened.. Right? Right.
The good thing about leaving service turned on is probably that during construction, having electric and gas will be needed. I'm not even sure the workers could do their jobs, if they're rebuilding a home in the middle of winter in this area with no gas or electric, as a new furnace will go in there one day.. and workers would have a though time of finishing the inside of any home without heat or electric.. Darkness will come early and home interiors are difficult to work on with no electric to light their way on a dark and cloudy day.. so as far as leaving the electric on.. well, most insurance companies will reimburse for that expense, knowing the services are necessary for the rebuild...
However, NIPSCO's attitude rather took all of us aback...
I hope this man and his family have an easier time of it than it seems right now.. And I wish them well, as they muddle through the days of restoration ahead of them!
Do well, Griffith.. do well. I'll keep you all in my prayers for the next several months..
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tornado Miracles 2..
I am so impressed with the people of Griffith who went through that horrific evening.. Nice people.. ordinary joe's.. but lovely that they welcomed us to show us all that they'd gone through and what they'd accomplished since. This is the 3rd day.. and already, one family's garage is totally dismantled and removed.. and in it's place, there is this bit of complete order and cleanliness on a slab of concrete that had to have been unrecognizeable on Tuesday morning. The pile of rubble in front of their house went from one end of their property down the street to the middle of the next home's property.. or so it seemed. All that's left is to take this 8 to 10 foot wide.. and 5 or 6 foot tall mound and throw it away. Gee, that's all.. :( Not so fast. And certainly, not so easy. The city brought a dumpster in for them.. it's just past their pile of "stuff".. Of course, it's for the entire neighborhood. I'll say that the pile on the lawn was about 2 or 3 times the size of that dumpster... so it will be a few days before enough dumpsters have come and gone, before they can finish their task..
There was a small angel in a lovely garden.. and my thought was that the angel was hiding behind one of the plants, afraid to come out.. It was untouched. But all around that garden, there was chaos.. a street light that had fallen to the ground.. a pillar from the covered front porch of the house, that had been totally swept away in the high winds. Unbelieveable sights.. Chaos and angels.. neither touching the other, but existing side-by-side.
And speaking of Angels.. there are those from Reed's Temple Church. Standing out in the street and hawking bottles of water as if he was holding gold in his hands, he approached me and asked me if I'd like some water.. I said I didn't live there.. He very warmly said that made no difference.. was I thirsty? Yes, I was.. so thank you very much, as I took the bottle of cold liquid from his hand. I talked to him a few seconds and he took me over to three other church women who all got up and shook my hand until the last one gave me a hug, that is.. I told them I was a volunteer storm spotter from the National Weather Service in Chicago and was there to report what I saw.. with photos and words.. and they welcomed me. The man who gave me the water said how lucky they were to have a wonderful Minister like Rev. Reed.. and I said Wonderful Minsters are lucky to find wonderful congregations.. That's paraphrased, because I'm older 'n' dirt and somethings don't come out the 2nd time the way they did the first, so why try, huh? ;)
When I left there, I have to say it's the only church where I've liked the people so very much, that if I lived in the area, I'd have a hard time staying away.. Warm.. loving.. giving.. so upbeat.. and volunteering their time to do so much good for the entire neighbhood.. especially for the people who have no electric.. no anything.. can't cook for themselves at all. The church is out there.. feeding them. How lovely. How truly, truly lovely. Thank you, Pastor Reed for all your congregation is doing for the people who need your help so much!!
There was a small angel in a lovely garden.. and my thought was that the angel was hiding behind one of the plants, afraid to come out.. It was untouched. But all around that garden, there was chaos.. a street light that had fallen to the ground.. a pillar from the covered front porch of the house, that had been totally swept away in the high winds. Unbelieveable sights.. Chaos and angels.. neither touching the other, but existing side-by-side.
And speaking of Angels.. there are those from Reed's Temple Church. Standing out in the street and hawking bottles of water as if he was holding gold in his hands, he approached me and asked me if I'd like some water.. I said I didn't live there.. He very warmly said that made no difference.. was I thirsty? Yes, I was.. so thank you very much, as I took the bottle of cold liquid from his hand. I talked to him a few seconds and he took me over to three other church women who all got up and shook my hand until the last one gave me a hug, that is.. I told them I was a volunteer storm spotter from the National Weather Service in Chicago and was there to report what I saw.. with photos and words.. and they welcomed me. The man who gave me the water said how lucky they were to have a wonderful Minister like Rev. Reed.. and I said Wonderful Minsters are lucky to find wonderful congregations.. That's paraphrased, because I'm older 'n' dirt and somethings don't come out the 2nd time the way they did the first, so why try, huh? ;)
When I left there, I have to say it's the only church where I've liked the people so very much, that if I lived in the area, I'd have a hard time staying away.. Warm.. loving.. giving.. so upbeat.. and volunteering their time to do so much good for the entire neighbhood.. especially for the people who have no electric.. no anything.. can't cook for themselves at all. The church is out there.. feeding them. How lovely. How truly, truly lovely. Thank you, Pastor Reed for all your congregation is doing for the people who need your help so much!!
Tornado Miracles..
As we were running for shelter on the night of August 4th, 2008, I never realized that so many people's lives would be touched by the Tornadoes that evening. Our Storm Chase Team had been in the State Park campgrounds, hurrying people into shelters.. and when the wind started blowing the campfires sideways, I knew it was time for me to give up and join in the others.. in the men's bathroom of the west shelter! The next 45 minutes were spent waiting out the storm.
A little earlier, the storm had come across Grittith, Indiana.. we had gotten the tornado warnings for Lake County, IN and knew it was headed directly for Porter County. What we didn't know was that part of a city was being bitten off, chewed up and spit back out that evening. The next day, every camera and newspaper crew from every newspaper that covers that area appeared.. They were all over the place, so we were told.
Today, Thursday, 3 days after the tornado, we ventured into that area.. All the photographers and camera crews were gone.. and life had settled into the clean-up and clear-out mode for those whose homes were damaged beyond repair.
A little earlier, the storm had come across Grittith, Indiana.. we had gotten the tornado warnings for Lake County, IN and knew it was headed directly for Porter County. What we didn't know was that part of a city was being bitten off, chewed up and spit back out that evening. The next day, every camera and newspaper crew from every newspaper that covers that area appeared.. They were all over the place, so we were told.
Today, Thursday, 3 days after the tornado, we ventured into that area.. All the photographers and camera crews were gone.. and life had settled into the clean-up and clear-out mode for those whose homes were damaged beyond repair.
We talked with several people who had lost their homes and things, but were unbelieveably happy to be alive. They are forever changed by what they went through.. and will never look at a storm the same way again. Ever. ForEVER changed.
We saw unbelieveable sights, among them a church congregation full of loving, giving people and a pastor who quite definitely brings out the best in each one of them.. They were handing out food to the neighbhood.. water to them and everyone else going down the street.. and they had buttons made that said "I survived the EF-2 Tornado in Griffith Indiana, Aug 4, 2008. They gave those buttons to all whose lives were affected that day.. What a lovely thing to do. All of it. Some mighty nice people at Reed's Temple Church in Griffith.. I can't say enough good things about them..!! :)
Endless Sunsets.. this is one of 'em..
There is no end to the beautiful sunsets at Indiana Dunes State Park and the beach area is a wonderful place to snap them. Tonight, after sunset, it got far windier than it had been.. the white caps starting out on the Lake. Beautiful scenery and NO MOSQUITOES on a windy night like this.. Yippee! :)
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