with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Returning After Hurricane Dennis

We arrived very late last night back in Mobile, Alabama. We drove all day from Tunica, Mississippi, just south of Memphis, Tennessee, to get back. We worked into the early hours of the morning to set up the trailer in the dark and get the basics running again. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but Brent custom made our “permanent” sewer connection and we had to plant the trailer exactly in the same position so we wouldn’t have to change the huge pipes and such.

Basically, we’re exhausted.

We knew we were back the moment we stepped out of the air conditioned truck. Humidity slammed into us. Sweat poured off our faces while standing still. It was the middle of the night and 85F degrees and 80% humidity. YUK.

But we are back. The telephone isn’t working yet, but we’re not sure why, since I overpaid the bill last month to make sure it would stay on through the storms, so it’s another thing to fix.

rough roadway on highway 55, Lousiana, photo by Lorelle VanFossenWe’re cleaning up the trailer today and trying to find where everything got slammed to from the horrible roads throughout Lousiana. Highway 55 down through Jackson towards New Orleans, we were bounced and jarred. You know, you would think that after ten years they would fix those suckers, but they continue to remain patched and pieceworked and a horrible bouncing, jarring ride. Several times we stopped for gas and came into inspect and found stuff spread all over the place that we thought was fairly tied down.

As soon as we hit the Mississippi border again, crossing along Highway 10, the road was newly paved and smooth. All the way to Alabama. Unfortunately, turning the corner onto our street, almost home, a car pulled out of the gas station into the oncoming traffic lane as we turned, cutting short our nice wide turn. Brent angled sharply and the trailer road up onto the high curb, lurching from side to side as it went over. Whatever wasn’t bounced and tossed around during our short drive through Lousiana was now EVERYWHERE.

Unfortunately, all my nice work papers and project papers flew through the air so I’ve got some hours of paper shuffling to give them back to their nice neat little homes. So much for having my work out ready to work on while traveling.

But we are back. We’re hooked up and ready to start working again. Brent is back to work tomorrow and I’m just picking up the pieces and will probably be back at work after the weekend, just doing the emergency stuff between bouts of cleanup.

Thanks to all who worried about us. We’re back in this sweaty place, awaiting the next storm.

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