THE SOGGY
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| NOT MUCH CURB APPEAL. |
It's been raining. More than two inches (5.1 cm) in the past 24 hours and more to come over the next 24. That and the increase in the amount of water being released from the dam has not helped the flooding situation in Pierre and Fort Pierre.
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| "I'LL BUILD A STAIRWAY TO PARADISE." THE ONLY WAY INTO THE HOUSE. |
Yesterday afternoon, we drove over to Linda and Tom's friends' house on the Missouri River in Fort Pierre. Linda and Tom spent days helping their friends move everything upstairs from the basement and the first floor. They also helped build an impressive sandbag wall around the house and the neighbor's house. The wall stands about 6 feet tall (more than 1.8 meters). Beyond that is a dirt berm (levee) built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
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| THE VIEW. |
The house is beautifully situated (one would think) on the river with a perfect view of the capitol building across the way in Pierre. There used to be plenty of distance and rolling lawn leading to the river. Right now, if it weren't for the berm and sandbags, the house would be IN the river.
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| THE SIGHTSEERS ON THEIR WAY TO SPAIN. WE ARRIVED AFTER ALL THE WORK WAS COMPLETED. |
Sump pumps are running in the basement, which keeps the water level there comfortably below a couple of inches. Carpet has been pulled out of the basement and off the stairs. Wallboard has been cut out in the basement to avoid the "creep" of water being absorbed up the wall. So, now all they do is watch, and wait, and make sure the sump pumps are working.
THE SCENIC
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| ABOUT 40 MINUTES FROM PIERRE. A 19TH-CENTURY SCHOOLHOUSE. |
On our way back to Pierre from Minneapolis Saturday, we drove through a very scenic part of central South Dakota (instead of taking the long and boring interstate route we took in the other direction).
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| ONE OF MANY ABANDONED FARMS. |
Traveling was a little slow-going as we went from small town to small town (one posted as having a population of 53), but it cut out many miles and more than an hour of driving time. Added to that, the drive was much more picturesque.
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| ANOTHER ABANDONED FARM THE SMUDGES IN THE IMAGE ARE BUG GUTS ON THE WINDSHIELD. |
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