Sad Times, Stormy April Weekend
16 April 2011 | Oriental, NC
Lane Kendall
We had not had a chance to get to the boat since mid February. The days since then have been difficult for the whole family. My Mom’s health has been rapidly declining and we didn’t dare go out of town. It was all we could do to work and care for her. Unfortunately her failing heart and kidneys were too much, and we lost her on March 23rd. We were not surprised but that didn’t make it any easier. The weather forecast was terrible but this was our first opportunity to go to the boat since Mom passed away and I was determined to go no matter what.
Saturday April 16, 2011
We left early as planned. The weather was threatening in the piedmont (middle) of the state but the forecast for the eastern part was really bad. We left anyway. We stopped for a (not oatmeal) breakfast at Mickey Dees and drove through high winds and bands of rain all morning. The traffic was light, probably because sensible people were still in bed or at least they had stayed at home. There was a boat show at Pecan Grove Marina, near Oriental, that had been fun for the past two years. We stopped at Subway for a light lunch and went directly to the boat show before heading to the boat. If you hold a boat show on the banks of the lower Neuse River, you’ve got to expect to have to deal with an occasional weather event, and that they did. The wind was blowing so hard that keeping a tent in place was out of the question. Boats tied in their slips were heeling badly in the relatively protected marina. One of the brokers said he measured 40-knot gusts regularly and the barometer was dropping like a stone. In spite of the gale force winds, the little boat show was well done and enjoyable. We left long before the show was over but vendors were busy taking down their displays before they blew away.
I didn’t realize, or rather didn’t want to realize, how bad the weather was until we got to Ensign Harbor. There were white caps on Brown Creek like we had never seen before. It was a wrestling match just to get the boat hauled close enough to the dock to get on board. Nick and Jeanette were not in favor of us sleeping on the boat and after listening to the gloom and doom forecast we returned both dock carts to the car before we unloaded them. The storm line was rapidly approaching and due to hit the area about dark.
The trip home was quite an adventure. The blustery winds made the Matrix dance around a bit. There still wasn’t a lot of rain. The weather was so bad that the Weather Service was issuing tornado warnings left and right. Several of the local radio stations were broadcasting audio from a local television station that was doing continuous live weather updates. At one point, the broadcasters themselves were ordered to the “safe” area of the studio because of severe weather, which made it even more dramatic. Judy was listening to the radio and tracking multiple tornadoes on the road map. When we got as far west as Kinston, she said we were headed right into a serious storm and we should stay put for a while and let a tornado pass. We stopped at Ruby Tuesday’s in Kinston for an early dinner. I confess that our selection of cuisine was based more on the sturdy looking building than anything else.
At this point in my dialog, I want to make sure that my friend Art is sitting down because I am about to hand down a favorable restaurant review which is an unusual occurrence to say the least. We had plenty of time while waiting out the storm so we were not in a hurry. Judy had baked Salmon with a spinach artichoke sauce and I had Mahi-Maki with some sort of herb topping. We both had creamed potatoes and a green vegetable. The food was quite good and he server was pleasant and efficient. I really do not have anything negative to say about our dining experience.
After desert, we continued the stormy trek home. We had talked to our daughter-in-law, Amber who was advising us as to when to leave the restaurant. We did make one false start because a new storm popped up in our path, but we got through well before dark and enjoyed brilliant sunshine until the sun went down. Judy took over driving duty when we got to Raleigh. I had driven for 8 hours and was getting tired. The weekend was kind of a bust, but it was also a small adventure. As my friend Bill once told me, “Oh well, you could have been at home on the couch watching a ballgame”. This is true but where’s the adventure watching a ballgame?
For many years, every time we traveled anywhere, we would call my mom on the cell phone to tell her we were almost home so she wouldn't worry. so Mom, if you're listening...