Laura Bruno Lilly

The road ends, but the journey continues...

Tag: colorado flooding

Random Miscellanea During Inclement Weather

October 5, 2015 /

It is Monday and we are several days into an ‘historic’ rainfall that is saturating inland as well as coastal South Carolina.  Luckily the newest hurricane threat Joaquin, destined for landing along the Carolinas, diverted out to the Atlantic Friday evening.  If not for that, it would have amped up an already massive waterload to a super-storm much like what happened along the Jersey shore a few winters ago.

newspaper photo flooding in florence sc

flooding in Florence, SC


rainstorm florence sc

going nowhere fast


It’s interesting to note that these torrential downpours differ from Colorado storms in many ways.  The most striking is in the delivery.  Sheets of rain fall down in a soft pattering soak here in the swamp, while mile high storms tend to pelt the earth with bullet drops.  But, either way, flooding is flooding leaving catastrophic consequences in its wake. Continue reading

Here's to the Nines!

October 30, 2014 /

Here’s to the Nines:
Entering
and
Exiting


2014: my year for exiting the Nines.
Of course, by interpolation, 2013 was my year for entering into the Nines.

Joe and Michelle with GranPa (9/14)

Joe and Michelle with Dad/GranPa (9/14)


Dad turned 90 in April 2013 and I turned X9 last October 2013.  We got to share life in the Nines for an entire year.  As well, I’m blessed to have visited Dadland for a goodly portion of these past 12 months.
My times in the Nines have tended to be fraught with trepidation.  Starting with the one where I joined Jack Benny in declaring to be eternally 39, my journey through the Nines can be a bit rocky.
Okay so it’s not like Dad where he’ll be in his version of the Nines till he reaches his 100th b-day.  But still…
My Decade Cake

Count the layers on my decade cake*!


Once flipped over to the other side and into a new decade, I usually find it’s not such a bad age progression.  Ah, but those Nines…both entering and exiting…are a perilous roller coaster of highs and lows; ohs and nos.
Ironically, the number 9 itself has been loads of fun for me.  Perhaps I should focus on that…number 9, number 9, number 9…anything’s easier to tolerate when George, John, Paul and Ringo (my personal order of preference) sing about it.
That said; I am an October baby. Continue reading

The Biggest, Most Widespread Flooding in Colorado History & Dadland

September 16, 2013 /

During natural disasters, life gets interrupted; rudely and profoundly interrupted.  The current flooding that is occurring along the entire Front Range of Colorado is no exception to this rule.

Except in Dadland.

Experts are beginning to call the flooding here in Colorado the ‘thousand year flood’ and I tend to believe them. While flash flooding tends to be a normal component to living in the West, this one has many elements which are unique.  Not the least of which is getting half the total annual moisture in a mere 24-48 hours; then doing a rerun scenario after a 12 hour respite. Western land and soilscape is simply unable to absorb such massive rainfall.

In addition, this flooding is not isolated to any one canyon, or stream, or floodplain.  It is occurring in multiple places throughout the entire Front Range simultaneously.  It is like having the 1969 Boulder Basin Flood, the Big Thompson Canyon Flood of 1976 and any other epic floods you can recall, occurring all at once, and then some.  And of course, once the waters recede, huge boulders, tons of mud and assorted debris will be left behind along with the devastation of individual households, vehicles and lives.

I get it, this is serious business.

And then there’s Dad. Continue reading

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