Swept Away…

            Happily, I was invited to a get together at a friend’s cabin on the Platte River and was able to see some of the devastation from the March floods. It was equally fascinating to see the repairs taken to stem the flow of the river through the Fremont lakes – the flow that created such destruction for homes in the southern section of our City.  

            It is my understanding that the river reclaimed it’s channel from the 1940’s, taking out the road that provided access to the cabins. The downed trees and the enlarged lake areas surrounding the breach was certainly awe inspiring and a testament to the force of the raging river.   The fact that the cabins remained standing was awe inspiring as well, although the structures were tucked away from where the river ultimately wished to run.

The cabin that I visited is placed high on stilts made of concrete blocks.  I was told that the water rose to as high as the second block from the top.  The other structures that are built closer to the ground probably didn’t fair as well.  The hostess told me that they lost a few 

items but most of their outside belongings were found swept into the trees and brush surrounding their cabin and easily removed.  One chair remains missing.

     The second book in the “Three Frog” Series was completed earlier this month and is available for sale.The first story dealt with the three frogs building a raft out of discards they found near their pond home. The second book deals with the frogs being swept from their pond while sleeping on the raft.  The trilogy was planned out early on and the story written last fall – certainly well before the flooding event in the spring.

            At the time of the writing of the second book, I recalled the yearly flooding that we experienced at our cabin on the Platte River in the 1950’s and 60’s. (I often wondered why we didn’t have cushions on some of our wicker furniture – I’m sure they were ruined early on and never replaced. We didn’t spend too much time in the cabin anyway – we were always playing outdoors and most likely in the river.)

            Anyway, anything that wasn’t stored properly was swept away and that is what I imagined happened to the three frogs. They traveled for hours until they got stuck in a tangle of debris.  A new adventure begins in an unfamiliar area.   
            The second book has a similar look as the first but is a bit different. I illustrated the second book and had a more complete idea of what I wanted. The first book was an exercise in learning, the second book was easier to put together and hopefully the third will be even less difficult.  
            By the way, the third book is written and at the editor. I haven’t foretold any natural disasters although there is a warning on the dangers of littering. I will begin illustrating the third book within the month. It should be available before Christmas.

            Now back to the flooding. So much of the region is suffering from the effects of the flooding – while some areas are still under water.  The suffering continues.  
            I visited with a City official at the get together this past week and heard stories of what had been found in the flood waters.  Barrels of contaminants had been swept away.  From where exactly, remains a mystery. Containers of illegal substances have also been found. Those containers and the contents needing special disposal.  The clean up is overwhelming and in some cases complicated and dangerous.

            It seemed eerily strange to me to see entire areas swept clean of original landmarks while other areas remained nearly completely intact. The vegetation lush and green here and moon scape barren there.  The deposits of sand and silt giving it another worldly feel.  
            We talked further of the homes lost to the flooding and where would people rebuild. That is a problem – available space in our community is limited and moving back into the flooding areas will not be allowed.  It is a dilemma.  No easy solution exists for the problem the flooding has created.  ​

A flashback… My daughter Ramie ventured into the wooded area of Big Island, a few years ago, to take a picture of the 1950’s family cabin. The cabin had fallen into disrepair with a large tree resting on the roof.   You can see the outhouse to the right. The cabin was eventually torn down and replaced with a structure on stilts.   The newer structure seems to have survived the flood at a greater height, as had my friend’s cabin.  ​