[Leica] chatty group...flood waters

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

I think many would enjoy "Forty Signs of Rain" by Kim Stanley Robinson
- especially for the ending. ESPECIALLY those who live in Richmond.

It's an exceptionally readable novel set in the near future, the first
of a trilogy, about global warming. Stan is a friend but his work is
still some of the finest in speculative fiction. He actually knows how
to write.

Adam

On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 14:42:28 -0500, lea <lea@whinydogpress.com> wrote:
> Don,
> 
> We didn't live in KC at the time of that flood (1977) but I've heard
> lots about it...the house I now live in was flooded 3 feet up on the
> FIRST FLOOR. At that time there was a very old man who lived here all
> alone; after the flood his son insisted he sell. The house was sold to a
> young man who completely rehabbed it and my family moved in in 1979. In
> 2001 my folks sold it to me and moved to Sequim, Washington...where
> there is very little rain!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com>
> To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 1:22 PM
> Subject: RE: [Leica] chatty group...flood waters
> 
> > Congratulations on getting through the flood with little loss Lea.
> >
> > I remember a similar flood when I lived in Waldo (a part of Kansas
> City
> > south of the Country Club Plaza District and also south of Lea's
> > neighborhood)  There were no creeks in my back yard but I had 7 feet
> of
> > water in my basement.
> >
> > Lea, do you remember the flood in about 1980 that flooded the Country
> > Club district.  People were killed as far south as 91st on State Line
> > when the water flow was so strong Mercedes were being picked up and
> > rolled down the street.  Anyway, I was at a Royals game when the rain
> > started and I had to get down off the balcony and out to the car.  You
> > want to talk about drowned rats, it was raining so hard I drove home
> on
> > 435 by sound, I let the car tires thud over the lane divider dots
> during
> > the worst of the rain.
> >
> > Anyway, for the list members in Florida, I hope you are in Georgia by
> > now because you are going to have some little bit of rain.
> >
> > Don
> > dorysrus@mindspring.com
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org
> > [mailto:lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf
> > Of lea
> > Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 11:29 AM
> > To: Leica Users Group
> > Subject: [Leica] chatty group...flood waters
> >
> > Seems we've been enjoying a nice day of chatting so I thought I'd
> share
> > my week.
> >
> > Friday night, out of nowhere a storm hit Kansas City right between the
> > eyes. We were dumped with between 6-8 inches of rain in a 12 mile
> swath
> > which lasted about 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, our home was in the
> swath.
> >
> > I live in a very lovely part of Kansas City called Brookside; and it
> > isn't called Brookside for nothing. Down below the level of the street
> > there is indeed a brook that runs right alongside our home...about 15
> > feet away...which turns to run behind our house then down two houses
> > before straightening out again and heading north. It's all underground
> > so to look at it on a sunny day you'd never suspect the horror that it
> > is capable of producing. Well, not just the little brook but
> undersized
> > water channels as well.
> >
> > Friday evening my partner and I were enjoying dinner on the Boulevard
> > (those of you who are familair with KC flooding realize what a
> > tretcherous place we were in as the Blvd is flood haven) when the
> storm
> > hit. We quickly finished our dinners, headed to the car, were soaked
> to
> > the bone in the 15 feet it took us to get safely inside and we headed
> > for home. We drove up to discover the little drainage ditch next to
> the
> > house was full of water. It hadn't crested yet so we knew we had some
> > time to get things moved about.
> >
> > I parked my car up the street (in 1998 this area flooded so badly that
> > several garaged cars were totaled because the water floated them and
> > they banged around inside the garage...not to mention being filled
> with
> > water.), my parther moved hers then we ran home, straight down to the
> > basement where I very, very, very quickly started running 30+ years of
> > black and white negatives out of my darkroom and up to the first
> floor.
> > We were safe, it was dry...but the rain wasn't letting up and I had a
> > feeling we were screwed. And boy was I right.
> >
> > In 1998 this house filled to the basement rafters with water; my folks
> > lived here at the time and every single thing down there was a total
> > loss except for 2 boxes and my dad's highchair from when he was a wee
> > little boy.
> >
> > The rain kept coming and we kept hauling...Christmas ornaments, some
> few
> > photographs, a few easy to reach boxes, photo paper, easel. I was on
> the
> > way out of my darkroom with my brand spanking new Saunders VCCE 6700
> > enlarger and my Analyzer Pro when it hit.
> >
> > >From under our side basement door the rain came pouring in. Rain
> > gushing, falling, invading open dry space creates a sound like no
> other.
> > A neighbor was here helping us and told me a couple days later that
> > he'll never forget the scream I let out when the water came. It was
> > unreal. In a matter of minutes our basement was filled with 8" of
> > standing water. We have a check valve so it wasn't sewage coming
> > in...just rain. Thank God for small favors, huh?
> >
> > The good news is that despite 3 days of clean up we didn't have any
> > emotional loss...all my negatives were safe (and are now stored up in
> my
> > studio), no photographs were ruined, the enlarger and timer are back
> in
> > place though the walls of my darkroom (one side is hanging black
> fabric)
> > are washed and folded neatly waiting to be put back up.
> >
> > We've had 7 fans and a dehumidifier going since Saturday...only today
> > was it dry enough to turn the fans off.
> >
> > That's been my week. I hope everyone else's has been much less
> > stressful.
> > Lea
> >
> >
> > Lea Murphy
> > Whiny Dog Press www.whinydogpress.com
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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> >
> 
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