Hurricanes are par for the course living in coastal Virginia. We gas up the cars, make sure the generator is working (which we discovered ours isn’t), and head to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. Bottled water was scarce by Friday evening, but we did manage to get a few necessary supplies. Hey, a girl needs her chocolate and vino in stressful situations and I think a hurricane would qualify as stressful right?
We cleared the backyard and deck of all the furniture and I cut myself a few bouquets of these gorgeous late October roses out front. They certainly won’t look pretty after the storm passes.
Many of you have inquired to what the conditions are like. Here’s a view from my mom’s home yesterday. She lives across town, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where it opens to the Atlantic. There is usually a nice sized beach there, but the waves are now up to the dune. In past hurricanes, the dune has been breeched and that has been terrifying. So far, so good.
I can’t say the same for our Virginia Beach ocean front. If you’ve ever been to the main hotel strip here, then you know that King Neptune should be no where near the water!
The rain hasn’t stopped since Friday, but overall Sandy hasn’t effected us as badly as past hurricanes. We still have power thankfully. Conditions are supposed to get worse today though. My neighborhood is very not in a flood zone, but many are. We did just purchase flood insurance this summer just in case! Below is a picture of my friend Michelle’s home. The water is still rising! Yikes!
And here is the front of my youngest sister’s home. Everyone is staying put today!
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the power stays on! The kids are already getting stir crazy being stuck inside all weekend but are happy to have school cancelled. I’ll be working on some indoor painting projects today, which I hope to show you soon but I’ll have to wait for a sunny day!
For those of you to my north who are about to get hit by Sandy worse than we have, I pray you stay safe!
Kim
All of that would cause me to drink more – afraid one bottle o vino wouldn’t do it…stay dry and safe! Can’t wait to see what you’ve painted (:
Schools in Richmond Va have closed too. We’re as prepared as we can get w/o a generator. 🙁 Glad you guys are safe.
I pray for your safety and all involved. Thank you for sharing. Nancy Carr
Thoughts and prayers to you and your family…stay safe..!!
Stay dry and safe. Might need a second bottle, extra one for dealing with stir crazy kids! LOL, hope your power stays on. Have been watching coverage and seems to be north of us is really gonna get it worse than us. Rain, rain, go away Sandy!!!!!!!!
Our schools in NJ are closed today and tomorrow. I just got a text from my friend who lives only a mile away and her electricity just went out…just great. Stay safe – and enjoy the chocolate and wine!
-Shelley
I’m praying for NJ! It doesn’t look good for you all at all! Please be careful!
Hoping everyone stays safe up and down the eastern coast!
These pictures really rival what I’ve already seen on Yahoo. We are all feeling so nervous about those of you on the east coast. It sounds like you have a good grip on it. Now, pass that ice cream!
XO,
Jane
Yes, a hurricane is definitely a stressful situation…a wine worthy one. 😉 Those pictures are just surreal. Stay safe!
I live in the Outer Banks of NC and it is pretty bad here. The storm surge is now coming in and I am watching the flood waters as I type this. We have lost two piers and most of the dunes on Beach Road are gone….we are all safe and that is a blessing!
Oh Nancy! I’ve been watching the reports on the OBX all day and it is so sad! Poor Buxton and Rodanthe! I hope to buy a home in Avon some day. And the poor Avalon Fishing Pier in half! I just was sent a pic of a friends home on Beach Rd in Kitty Hawk and it looks like a beach! Crazy stuff, but we’ve been through much worse for sure. Stay safe!!!
Love your hurricane supplies – the sign of a true local!
Haha! Thanks! We’ve broken into our supplies already (I’m not confessing which “supply”)
I will watch TV and news to stay informed while I hope that it won’t turn out as bad as the forecast said it will be. You seem to stay quite calm but on the other hand, what can you do. I hope you stay safe!
Jule from Germany (far away from the hurricane)
Thank you Jule~
This really hasn’t been as bad as they thought (for our area at least). We’ve been through far, far worse, with trees speared through homes, no power or water for over a week, and temps in the 90’s. This was manageable. The northern areas will suffer greatly though. 🙁
Delighted you are safe and the worse is behind you. We skipped the ice cream and went for the wine, lots of wine. Thankfully, we evacuated our Cape May home yesterday afternoon for closer to Philadelphia. Sandy is expected to hit our town within the hour. I pray for all my neighbors who chose to remain.
Hope you and your family stay safe.
Thanks for sharing what it is like where you live with Sandy knocking on your door. Living on the other side of North America I can only provide support by watching the news reports and keeping you in my thoughts and prayers that the storm damage will be minimal to none. I really like what you have stocked up, especially the bottle of wine. Thanks for keeping it honest and real. ~Thea
Hope all is still well, Kim — such a scary storm!! Thank goodness for wine and chocolate. And good luck with the cabin fever!
xo Heidi
I remember back home, when hurricanes as strong as Sandy comes, we also stock on chocolate. Hey, I was even planning of making an underground room for us. But somehow, the crimsafe screens we installed for the glass windows made it possible for the glass screens to be protected from breaking or being grazed by small pieces of wood and stone. Glad that everyone’s safe with you.