We've been in an enviable oasis, both the house and the hotel. Some rain, yes. But not more than "normal". The problem is that it's been pretty steady this summer, so the ground's pretty saturated. It's been the rivers that have been swelling, and we're not that close by to them.

Today was gloriously sunny, and most of the affected areas are starting to gain their ground back. It was very hard to take it in that just the other side of town had roads closed and vehicles abandoned. We didn't have to go out of town, so we ourselves saw very little of it. But hotel guests coming to stay reported that their drive, one that should have taken three hours, took ten...and this, along with with television reports, had us seeing the news right along with you...affecting people way far away. But truth is, there was massive flooding as close as two miles from us and the worst areas were just an hour away. We were quite lucky.