Grandma Scott's Birthday Card

My mom sends fun birthday cards and this one is really fun, it's the Chicken Dance! Twenty One years ago I was in Czechoslovakia for the first time. Actually, first time out of the country. Our tour group went to a pub out in the countryside where we were served a very potent drink made from the sap of pine trees with our dinner. After dinner the music and dancing started and lo and behold everyone was getting up and doing the Chicken Dance. I'm from a small midwest town and I sure don't remember the Chicken Dance but here all these people from Czechoslovakia and the States were up and doing the dance and having the time of their life. Did I tell you about that little potent drink they served with the dinner? One of those and you lost all abandon. Two and you were laying on the floor sleeping somewhere. Three and you had no idea what hit you and your friends carried you home and it took days to recover. Ask my cousin what not even one drink will do to you! :-)

Hurrican Ike - a few more clips from Sat. and Sunday

13 Sept 2008
We were on our way to Tiffany's because we thought her house was going to flood. We were on E. Panther Creek when we stopped to video tape the canal to Lake Woodlands.




13 Sept 2008
Our daughter's home, Tiffany, with more water in her front yard than anyone has ever seen.




13 Sept 2008
A small tour of Timber Ridge Timber Lakes.




13 Sept 2008
Our good friends, the Griffiths, used to live here. Now our good friends, the Stanley's, live here. Large trees fell on the house and garage, put a hole in the roof so water was raining in their living room 2 floors below.




13 Sept 2008
The backyard of the Stanley's




13 Sept 2008
How the men from Glen Loch Ward have fun in the rain.




13 Sept 2008
A good look at the damage in Tiffany's front yard.




13 Sept 2008
Chainsawing away and Paul practicing his shot put.

Hurrican Ike - the leaning elm tree

There's an elm tree that leans away from our porch. Every year we think it's going to fall but doesn't. If you push on it, it's solid, like pushing on a brick house on a sunny day. During the storm with the ground totally saturated with water it was swaying in the wind to where we thought it was going to go down for sure. Instead, it ended up leaning against the porch with Craig mentioning several times that it was going to be cut down or pulled down using one of the cars.

Craig stayed busy all day Saturday and Sunday helping others and by Monday morning, when he was leaving for the airport, we noticed that ol' elm tree was standing straight up AND it was solid in the ground. Guess all it needed was a serious threat to be pulled down and cut up.

Thought you would enjoy these two video clips of that elm tree during the hurricane.

More pictures have been added to my Hurricane Ike page.


7644 - Unbelieveable, like it's breathing.


7647 - It's leaning against the house.

Hurricane Ike - during the storm

Craig wanted to record the sound of the hurricane, not to mention all the rain that came with it. Didn't know if I should post just one or all. Decided to let you listen to all.


7635 - Hurricane Ike coming over.


7636 - Here comes a gust.


7637 - Feeling the gusts at ground level.


7638 - Power just went out (6:20 a.m.)

Hurricane Ike

We survived! Everyone did extremely well compared to Katrina and New Orleans. We still sustained immense damage but loss of life was low. Rather than post my pictures here, it will be easier for me to give you a link and have you go to another page, Hurricane Ike. While I was taking this picture a movement caught my eye and as I turned around a little flying squirrel swoped down behind me and landed near the base of standing pine tree. He scurried up to the top where I lost sight of him. First time I have seen one in the "wild", perhaps he used to be someone's pet as I didn't think they are naturally in The Woodlands.

Waiting for Ike, we drove the cars to the 3 story garage next to the theater to park two of them there for protection from any falling trees. We thought we were the only ones to have that great idea. Wrong. We got the last two spots before you're on the roof. Coming back home we saw the most incredible sunset, thank you, Ike. Click on pic for larger picture.

I dropped dad, Katie and the little one on the Lake Woodlands bridge and ran home to grab my camera. What you're seeing is the very tail end of a spectacular color show.


I didn't think I had time to get back to the bridge and catch any color so I went to the duck pond and caught these pictures. Note to self: always travel with camera, no matter what.


I was trying for one last shot on the bridge where I left everyone but the wind was strong enough to keep me moving even with the camera braced against the back of the van. Yes, standing in the lane with a car coming right at us. Actually, very little traffic so we were okay. Dad and everyone had already moved off the bridge before I got there as they were being sandblasted from the wind picking up the dirt from the road.

The Little Kewl Kouzinz Band

It was fun to have Paige and Storie here today. Paige helped them set up their band, try to catch a butterfly and learn to use th hula hoops. Here are some clips for your enjoyment.