My City

My city has been battered and bruised. Hurricane Ike made it's way through the Texas Gulf Coast and has left its citizens to deal with the destruction left in it's wake.

In a lot of respects, we here in Houston are lucky. It could have been a lot worse. Galveston was not so lucky. It is going to be a long time before they are able to get that city up and running again. Flooding, wind damage, fire..... all of those things destroyed an island that is a second home to many Houstoneans, a first home to lots of people, and a special place for even more.

Driving around Houston, you can see the signs that the hurricane went through here. Downed power lines, torn up billboards, uprooted trees, destroyed fences, blown out windows, business closed and boarded up, hours long lines at the gas stations that are open.... it's almost eery that a city that is so alive and bustling all the time is operating at half speed.

I miss power. Pretending to be like our pioneering ancestors was fun for about the first 5 minutes, and then you realize all that you don't have when you don't have power. No fridge, no stove, no oven, no washing machine, no television, no internet, no dvd players, no lights, no AIR CONDITIONING. However, we do have running water, and we do have a home, so all in all I consider us lucky. D and I played cards by candlelight last night. We may be doing that for up to a month, depending on when power is restored.

Please keep Houston, Galveston, and all the communities devastated by Hurricane Ike in your thoughts and prayers. It is going to take some time to get back up on our feet, but we have a strong community down here, and we'll make it happen.