Riding it Out

Our decision to stay put during the storm wasn't an easy one. But once made, we decided to make the most of it. And the girls did a great job keeping themselves occupied and I mostly didn't freak out until it was bedtime and too late to do anything about it. The winds were pushing 70mph and the house began to sway and creak with each big gust. It wasn't until bedtime though that I thought about the giant windows overlooking our beds on the wall taking the brunt of the wind. There was one loud swoosh/pop sound just as I was getting ready for bed that really gave me pause. But overnight I mostly slept in spurts and stayed down long enough to wake to clearing skies and a beachscape full of amazing treasures washed up from the hurricane.

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Weathering the storm

Our week of clear skies started to give way to more clouds and drizzle by Thursday morning. But it was still warm and perfectly decent for a day or two of doing something other than hanging on the beach. Nacho knew he had to work later in the day on Saturday, but with the hurricane shaping up in the Atlantic, we weren't exactly clear if we could go home with him or stay put. Part of me really didn't want to abandon the rest of the family for a few gloomy days. But I wasn't sure if we would get evacuated after all. It was all a gamble and I'm not usually a betting woman. So we devised our first part of the plan to get Nacho out of town before any weather could jeopardize his journey home. We found out that a one-way rental car from New Bern to RDU was only $25 so we made a little trip up there on Thursday afternoon to check out the town square and get him a car on the way back. The girls had never been to the home of Pepsi-Cola, so we made that soda shop in the historic old town our first stop. It kind of felt like we were the only tourists left on the coast and the place was pretty quiet. The girls sipped their soda fountain Pepsis and ate some popcorn while I pondered if buying a "hand-crafted cola" called Caleb's Kola was worth it. Just before we left, I decided to grab one and so Nacho and I drank that as we walked around the gorgeous old Episcopal church and its side yard decked out with pumpkins. 

Coming back to the beach house that night, I checked again on the latest hurricane reports and tried to figure out what our plan was. The truth was, I really wanted Stacey and the family to get to come down and enjoy some beach time, but I wasn't sure I could stay. If Stace made the decision to come, I would be there though. And after one last read of the forecasts that night, I texted her that I didn't think we'd get hit with much more than some heavy winds and rain. The property management company wasn't asking us to evacuate and mom and dad were determined to ride it out. So I would too. The next day as Nacho headed off, Stace and the kids arrived just in time to say good bye. Leroy had already scooted out in the early morning trying to get ahead of the rain moving inland and I couldn't blame him. We went for a walk on the beach and made it to the grocery store for one last chance to stock up before Armageddon. Unfortunately within 12 hours the hurricane projections had shifted again and instead of making a sharp right turn after hitting Florida, it appeared Hurricane Matthew was going to hug the coast a bit up through Georgia and South Carolina. How far up it would go before turning and heading out to sea was the big question. But it did appear we'd be getting a lot more than I initially bargained for. Oh well. Nacho was gone. We were here. There wouldn't be much chance of driving anywhere on Saturday or flying home. I would need to ride it out til Monday, so we started planning out meals and things to cook in case we lost power. Saturday morning we woke to much stormy skies and surf. There were tornado warnings coming in from cells hovering near Pine Knolls and we took to the basement to wait it out. The girls seemed to be hanging in there coloring and playing without much sense of what was really going on. But inside I was getting a little nervous. Fortunately we had a few minutes of playing cards and later Trivial Pursuit to keep our minds occupied. Stacey and I tag teamed on Mexican night and the margaritas helped ease everyone into the rest of the evening. So yeah, we were hunkered down and ready for whatever may come. This storm was not going to stop our fun. 

Surviving Sandy

What do you do when you're stuck inside for 48 hours because of an approaching hurricane? Apparently, anything you want. Popcorn for lunch? Sure. Movies all day? Why not? Yesterday was such a calm, relaxing day that I barely noticed the rain and winds picking up. We were just chillin' at home with everyone safe inside which gave me great comfort. Maybe that's why all I wanted to do was eat all day.  Seriously, I had an insane amount of food just waiting to get cooked, so that I did.  We had french toast, eggs and bacon for breakfast followed by leftover brisket, potatoes, carrots and cauliflower gratin for lunch.  By dinner time I wasn't even sure I could eat again, but I managed to roast a pork tenderloin and some brussel sprouts.  Yes, this "perfect storm" was wreaking havoc in my stomach if not the neighborhood. Elisa was happy to have a full audience for her dancing shenanigans and Carolina bounded around the apartment like she owned the place. Pretty much business as usual, except it wasn't.  There were very high winds rattling the windows and shaking the walls, but I was determined to keep the drama inside down. I don't think Elisa is a worry wart, but I really didn't want to talk too much about the storm in front of her. All she knew was that school was closed and there was a lot of wind and rain coming.  Fortunately, the day passed peacefully and by 6 p.m. we visited our neighbors downstairs for an impromptu playdate just before dinner. The winds picked up after dark and by the time I put the girls down around 8:30 p.m., it was blowing pretty good out there. 

Somehow the sense that families all over the city were in the same boat was also comforting. We were all going through this "together" in a way, and I turned to Facebook for much of the day to get a sense of how things were progressing. It's an amazing benefit of social media that we can simultaneously experience something like a major storm and share our thoughts, find humor in the crazy circumstances, and sometimes rage against the injustices. I'll never forget the surreal image of Jane's Carousel on the Brooklyn waterfront completely surrounded by lapping water yet aglow in the stormy night.  Hearing that 1/3 of Manhattan had lost power, that houses in Breezy Point were on fire, and that places like NYU Hospital--where Elisa was born into the NICU--were evacuating in the middle of the storm brought home the immensity of this storm.  And it reminded me that we were very lucky to be sitting in a warm, well lit apartment 6 floors up on the high ground in Queens. It's definitely times like that when I realize home ownership is not always a better option, especially when you hear that most of Long Island and the outlying suburbs are facing days, if not weeks, without power. 

By 11:30 p.m.  Nacho and I went to bed with cautious optimism that the worst was over. And by early morning, I felt relief when I could barely hear the wind outside. Waking up today around 7:30 a.m., I was glad to see the rain lifting and the trees hardly moving. Lots of friends began posting pics of the fallen trees in Sunnyside Gardens which damaged several cars but thankfully no houses or people. Even amidst this destruction and the loss of some truly majestic trees, I feel so fortunate that most of the people and places I care about were okay. It could have been much, much worse. But for now, we wait for the city to dry out and start the trains again. Nacho almost got stuck waiting the storm out in Chicago, but he thankfully declined the trip and took the consequences of that. Seeing Laguardia underwater still, and knowing it will be a few more days before planes are landing here again, makes me realize we were very lucky to have him home with us this whole week. I don't know if Elisa will remember much about this storm, but I know it will be something I look back on in years to come with a strange sense of reprieve.  For our family, Sandy wasn't as bad as I feared, but for some in this city we call home, it was much worse.  How fickle fate can be.