First of all, although we are technically experiencing effects from Ike here in Dallas, it hasn’t been bad at all. We’ve had a nice drizzle all day, and other than some short, very strong gusts, the winds haven’t been anything unusual for a rainy day here.

I talked to a few Houston friends today. One lost a 110-ft section of fence, but had no other damage. He said the noise from the storm was “awesome, just awesome”, that the rain was horizontal, and that small trees in his yard were bent so that their tops touched the ground. I talked to another friend in the wee hours of the morning when the storm was directly overhead. He also commented on the noise, which went on for hours, and the fierce red sunset the night before. Both talked about a creepy noise that sounded like a harmonica coming from their doors all night.

A third friend lives in Kemah, a tourist town near Galveston which has been on the news a lot because of the massive flooding and damage near its boardwalk. He evacuated before the storm, but is very anxious to get back see his first floor apartment.

In our old neighborhood, we have learned that the tree that shaded our porch blew over into the street. There are other big trees down on that street as well.

Hardest to see is the damage to Galveston. All of the piers are gone, the western part of the island is still flooded, and the Strand (the historic downtown district where the restaurants and shops are) flooded badly. While most of the old Victorian houses are still standing, they flooded and some even burned. I have not heard anything about the tall ship Elissa; hopefully that is a good thing.

I must admit that I am disappointed having missed the hurricane. When Rita skirted by us three years ago, most people who stayed in Houston felt let down, especially after all the hard preparation work. One of my friends admitted on Friday that he was excited to finally get a direct hit, and I completely understand that feeling. There was a “wow” in the voices of the people that I talked to today that I am envious of.

That said, I am glad I don’t have to deal with that tree.