Father's Day Flooding...

Soon after 18h00 on Father's Day, 16th June, some incredibly slow-moving thunderstorms tracked through Daviess County from the south-west. They weren't severe, but they dumped an unprecedented four inches (100 mm) of rain on Washington in a little under an hour. The ground was already saturated by heavy rain that had fallen over the previous few days, and the sewers and drainage systems in Washington were quickly overwhelmed.

We have never seen the water pond so quickly and little puddles merged into rivers which in turn formed lakes outside. We are the low property on our street and all the water was flowing onto our corner plot. Our house was soon an island and after moving our vehicles, we made the decision to evacuate, since we didn't know how high the water would rise.

Thankfully, the water crested about four inches below our floor boards. It was a close thing, but we were extremely grateful to find that most of the water had drained away the very next morning, with the exception of the crawl space, which was under water. I got the sump pump back online - after the breakers down there had tripped because of high water - and it quickly started pumping out all of that water.

It was a stressful evening, but through it all God showed us that He was in the details and that He was in control. It highlighted to us how amazing the community is that we have here. Accommodation just a few blocks from our home opened up that night, just like that. Our friends and neighbours were here very quickly, wading through the water and helping us carry out supplies and essentials. That was Jesus right there.

There are some questions that we have regarding the drainage here, but for now we are very thankful that the City had finished installing new storm drains on our property just ten days before this storm system hit. It could have been a lot worse. We are certain that the water would have been inside the house without those!

 The City had just finished installing new storm drains.

 We've never seen the water actually form a lake across the road.

 Our house was essentially an island.

By the next morning, all of that water had drained away!

The water crested midway up the first level of vinyl siding.

Father's Day Fun...

Father's Day was a pretty interesting event, this year round. I had a very enjoyable day, up until about 18h15, when things took a turn for the surreal and rather stressful. But more on that in the next post. For now, I am so happy to be a father to these two little kiddos. Riaan and Eliza mean the world to me - and I am so thankful to be their Daddy! :)

The day started with Candace bringing me a yummy breakfast in bed, accompanied by my favourite South African fruit juice, Ceres, Litchi flavour, and then later in the day she made BLT sandwiches for lunch.

After our lunch, we walked to a playground next to the church building and the kiddos had a wonderful time running around and being outside. Once home, I went for a great Father's Day cycle, although I had to make tracks home pretty quickly as some threatening thunderstorms were moving in our direction.

I got home just as it started raining, and it stormed for several minutes and dumped a lot of rain on the already-saturated ground. We spent the late afternoon digging drainage trenches and mopping up the standing water outside, but little did we know that all our work was going to be in vain just an hour or so later.

 Ceres is the best!

 Looking north-west on my cycle.

 Selfie while enjoying my Father's Day cycle.

 Storm clouds heading my way.

 We tried our best to get the water moving after the thunderstorm, but the ground was just too waterlogged. We'd received a lot of rain in the previous days, too.

 The vehicles are almost sitting in the water. Drainage is an issue in this part of town.

 Eliza loved being outside and getting all muddy!

 View looking south-west.

Looking north-east across our garden. We hope that when they do more landscaping work and plant grass come August, then that'll help with our drainage issues.

Cycle to the Airport...

I cycled to the Daviess County Airport, a short distance north-east of Washington, earlier this month. It was a good 22 km (or 14 mile) cycle and it was a lovely evening for a bike ride. I'm trying to be more proactive about making time for cycling and exercise! :)

 Outside the small terminal building.

 Light plane parked on the tarmac.

 Rotating airway beacon to aid take-off and landing at night.

Plane landing while I was there. Another plane took off just after this one had landed.

Video of another plane taking off from Daviess County Airport.

Arts in the Park at McCormick's Creek...

We spent Saturday, 8th June, at the Arts in the Park festival at McCormick's Creek State Park. The weather was perfect. There was a very sporadic light drizzle and plenty of cloud cover that kept the temperature from rising.

There were many interesting stalls selling various arts and crafts, and it reminded me of Craft in the Park that we love in Rondebosch, a suburb of Cape Town. We also enjoyed the children's activities in the Nature Centre and the live music.

We then went and hiked down to Wolf Cave where I squeezed through the narrow cave tunnel system and met Candace and the kiddos on the other side. :)

 The back of the stage at Arts in the Park.

 Eliza and Riaan loved the sidewalk chalk.

 Sweet girl loves being outdoors in nature.

 Family selfie while eating lunch.

 Traditional photo in the Nature Centre.

 Riaan working on his creation - with some help from Candace.

 His artwork made out of leaves, seed pods, grass and sticks.

 Sporting a Civilian Conservation Corp outfit.

 Checking his wingspan again.

 Peering inside a hollow tree.

 Tiny mushrooms growing at the base of a tree.

 Sinkholes are in abundance on the walk to Wolf Cave.

 Wolf Cave entrance.

 View of the ceiling inside the cave.

 The kiddos had fun at a playground, too.

The Fire Tower is being restored at McCormick's Creek.

In the Midst of the Storm...

We've had far too much rain in Indiana - and, indeed, the whole Midwest region of the United States - over the past few months, and farmers especially are struggling with waterlogged fields and lost crop production. We're all ready for a weather change that will allow us to see blue skies and the sun for an extended period of time. But for now, I guess we'll just have to find beauty in the midst of the storm.

Flying Chicago Trip...

We drove up to Kankakee, Illinois, on Sunday, 2nd June, from where we caught the Amtrak train to Chicago the next morning. We were going to the South African Consulate General to apply for Eliza's SA passport. Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered that we needed much more documentation than what was listed online, and so we decided to mail in her application instead. Despite this setback, we all kept positive attitudes and had a wonderful day exploring the lovely parks along the lake front in Chicago. The kiddos had a great time and it was such a blessing to see a big body of water again! While Lake Michigan is not an ocean, it is the closest thing to one around here! :) We caught the late afternoon train on Monday, 3rd June, back to Kankakee and then drove back home. It was a fun trip!

 We found a lovely little park in Boswell, Indiana, on our drive up.

 The kiddos had a lovely time.

 The Amtrak train rolls in at Kankakee Station.

 Chicago skyline from the Amtrak train.

 Barges on the Chicago River.

 At the South African Consulate General.

 The famous Bean at the Millennium Park.

 Family selfie. :)

 Buckingham Fountain, Chicago.

 Canada geese along the lake front.

 Almost putting our feet into Lake Michigan.

 We found an amazing play park that the kiddos absolutely loved.

 Riaan sails across the sea. :)

 And then he tried his hand on a rather large (for him) bike!

 Candace and Eliza walk towards the Millennium Park on our way back to Chicago Union Station.

 We found an amazing Mediterranean Restaurant for a late lunch while we walked back to the station. The chicken schwarmas were amazing!

We drove back home from Kankakee, stopping at the same park in Boswell, Indiana, for a lovely pizza supper. :)