September, 2022

 Operation Appalation Spirit

Type 3 Response

Here we go again. Another disaster, another town destroyed. This time in a place called Whitesburg, Letcher county, Kentucky. Never heard of it? Me neither. It is somewhat east of Louisville, out in back of beyond, a little more than a million miles from civilization.

In the early morning hours, 9-11 inches of rain fell in a period of 4 hours causing flooding in already swollen rivers, run offs and culverts. These local disasters don’t always make the national news and if they do they are quickly forgotten in the next news cycle. This one did make the national news but it too was soon forgotten. Homes, roads, bridges and utility infrastructure were damaged and destroyed. Numerous water rescues have taken place but rescue crews are still struggling to reach people due to roads and bridges being washed out.

Typically, what we do is a lot of debris removal and cutting felled trees that are blocking roads and access to everything from the fire station and hospital to schools, businesses and homes. There is a lot of stuff -trees, house debris, water- where it doesn't belong. We help try to get things back to normal. We do a lot of ‘Muck-Out's’. Muck is the unwanted stuff that forces its way into a family's home or business causing damage, usually as a result of flooding but sometimes as a result of a tornado that simply trashes everything in sight. Muck-out operations are straightforward--clear it out--but the work is crucial and grueling.

While we were in Europe, I was asked several times to deploy to one place or another, but I couldn't. This time I got the call and was given travel orders to fly and join my strike team on a wave. (A wave is a weeklong slot of time) So, I grabbed my "GO" bag which I keep one at the ready both here and in California and at O-Dark-Hundred this morning, I was headed to the airport. Team Rubicon volunteers, much to their credit, know the drill. We will be used to exhaustion for a week then replaced with fresh meat. The idea being to get the most out of everyone but knowing that after a week in those conditions, we all begin to lose steam. Well, maybe not all of us… J Then it’s time to get a new group to keep the momentum going.

I have been on operations from the North West corner of Washington State on the Canadian border to the Florida panhandle, from North Carolina to the Bahamas and parts between. After a while, like here in Kentucky, they all look alike. Its hard not to get jaded but how much worse can total destruction get? Places that used to be really pretty but are no more. 

Team Rubicon: I just love these people. Hard charging type "A" folks who just don't know the meaning of "I can't". These are my people. This is my second deployment this year, ending my 2 weeks per year that I make myself available to go anywhere and do anything Team Rubicon asks.

 Unless, maybe, if something else comes up….

The whole Fam Damly

We had my brother's family visit from Montreal so we took them all out on the boat to swim over a sunken wreck. From left: sister Lorraine, brother Marc, nephew Andrew, Grace, nieces Emily and Gabby, and herself.

The 116 foot Pentland and F.A Georger wood boats that burned and sunk in 15 feet of water off of Grenadier island. We snorkelled over and through the ghostly remains and anchored directly above them. The Thousand Islands is reportedly one of the best freshwater diving locations in the world with tons of wrecks, some being much deeper.

Incoming....

Next, we had the good fortune to have friends Richard and Vicky from California take us up on an offer to come visit, catch up and spend a week with us marooned on our island. It gave us a nice break from chores and allowed them to take in some of the local sights.

First we went to Ft. Henry 

Kingston, the old capital of Canada in 1841. 

                                        then off to Bolt Castle on Heart Island nearby by boat

We went to the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, the capital of Canada 

 The Museum of Natural  History

And finally, boating through the Lost Channel nearby.

Every once in a while, Google send us an email with some kind of a picture count of how many times pictures we have posted have been seen. The number always surprises me as I have little idea as to how they are being seen. Yes, I upload a few pics to the Epistle that the 4 or 5 people who read it get to see and Janice posts a few on some of the social media sites like Facebook she follows, but come on! 100,000?

The account is in my name so I get the public credit  but that is unfair because in truth, Janice is the brains behind the operation and the one posting them. What I want to know is if anyone knows how I can make money off of this? I just hate leaving money on the table.

As a boater, I can tell you that...