Oh yes. My Mom, two sisters, and their families bugged out for Natchitoches yesterday. Unfortunately, they are right in the path and will get tropical storm winds and torrential rainfall.

My wife's Mom, sister, and her family went to Dallas, and her sister-in-law and family went to Shreveport. Her brother is LEO and her brother-in-law works for the electric utility, so both stayed in town and are in lockdown for the night, then will go to work as soon as it's safe to go outside.

Don't know about a lot of the cousins and their families - too many to keep track of, but I doubt anyone is staying home for this one as they are all seasoned hurricane veterans and know this one will be worse than Rita.

 

Yep, that's the area that was referred to as the "kill zone" by first responders.

The largest LNG processing facility in North America is in that area, right on the Calcasieu River. There are also a LOT of oil rigs in the Gulf that are on the northeast side of the storm. It's not going to be good for the energy industry.

 

OK. Thanks for responding. Rita was huge, but it certainly depends on where it makes landfall. I hope everyone in your family remains safe and unharmed. Structural damage is unfortunate and can be catastrophic. The best to hope for is to protect your life to survive these events. Another update should be here now @ NOAA NHC.

 

The pressure has dropped to 27.73" Hg. The winds are sustaining 150 mph for longer duration. Landfall w/in 3 hrs.

 

Whoa. Hang in there guys.

 

The Vermilion Parish Sheriff made an announcement for anyone who didn’t evacuate:

Write your name, address, and next of kin on a piece of paper, put the paper in a ziplock bag, and put the bag in your pocket.

 

 

All your family members accounted for?

 

Well the storm surge turned out to be a LOT less than predicted. At 3 am, Lake Charles (the lake itself) was around 3.5 feet and the 10-15 foot area in the map above was still under 4 feet. This morning the Mayor of LC said there was minimal flooding, much less than during Rita, but the wind damage was worse. The video I saw didn't show any standing water in and around town, and the river, lake, and bayous were still within their banks, but there's a lot of rain water that's gonna be coming down from the northern part of the state.

 

Good morning folks - I hope everyone's loved ones down in the gulf are doing ok. My thoughts and prayers are with you all!

 

Brother in law's RV Park came thru with no damage to RV's or buildings one tree and debris. Very fortunate as outer eye wall hit him. Weird the electric only flickered but stayed on!. Winds over 100 mph.

 

Speaking of down trees,

I'm chain saw shopping

Norm what Hisky model do you like? Do you think the 455 Rancher is worth the extra $$

I'm glad the storm wasn't as bad as We thought it was going to be But I;m not sure why. Maybe Olds weather men aren't any better than the others

Have a great day Olds friends

 

So far not a lot of damage reported from family members houses. All houses are standing and the roofs are still attached. No flooding but some have roof damage from trees/branches so still need to determine if there's any water damage from rain getting in. Power is out so they likely won't head back home for a while yet.

 

James - Can't really address your question. I have the 445 w/ an 18" bar. I looked at the 455 I think the single reason I didn't get it was like you're mostly asking is it worth the extra money. Wish I could be of more assistance.

 

Kenneth - Glad to hear your family came threw it unscathed regarding life & limb - the other items are annoyances & inconveniences but repairable.

 

Just got info that my mother-in-law's house has wind and water damage from a section of the roof blowing off and the ceiling / insulation collapsing. Also, my sister-in-law's house sustained roof damage and the attic is visible from the street, so I'm guessing there's significant water damage as well.

 

This one looks rode hard...


Donny boy does a good job explaining...

 

Does not foot down ????

 

Hi everyone.

Beautiful out, a little humid and pretty hot. No rain today though, probably tomorrow. Work was okay. We finished up before 1 and left after 2.

So my friend wanted me to go with him at lunch today to confront the guy that manages the bar where his car got smacked. I said I'd go but I didn't think it would do much good. I suggested he go to the police, he could still get a report made, and call his insurance company for guidance. He wanted to meet and didn't want to go alone, so I said I'd go. He had already gotten an estimate for his car which was 900 bucks, and he also needed a car to drive while it was in the shop which would be another 200. To my surprise the mower operator handed over 1100 cash. Of course the manager of the bar had him sign something to the effect that it was now paid in full and that's the end of it. If the estimate turns out low he'll have to sue to get the rest, or make it up himself, but he was happy when we left and rather relieved. I said this has got to be some sort of record. From loss to restitution in exactly 24 hours.

I am also surprised that the storm didn't do as much damage as predicted, considering the strength at landfall. I've only heard of one death so far but it's early on. In reading one of the articles the mayor of [I don't remember where] said if you stay it will be only you and God there. I can't imagine deciding to ride it out when the storm is that big.

So I found a Cutlass 4 door on marketplace in South Carolina I want to go look at. It's my favorite flavor, not running. The people think it's got a bad fuel pump and also think that's a big deal. Looks nice otherwise. Priced a bit high for a non-running 4 door. Probably saw one like it, only pristine, and said oh I've got the same car. I think I got my affinity for 4 doors from my Grandmother's car. She bought a Valiant brand new in 1968 and I loved going places with her in it. Wouldn't have mattered what it was, I would have loved it and ended up with it. I've had several of those over the years. It's a good thing she didn't drive a Maserati.

Okay gonna wind down a little early and hit the sack. Inspection tomorrow because one of the guys had an excuse as to why they couldn't do it. I'm going to make up my own excuse. I'm the only one who doesn't have one. Eh. Have a good evening everyone.

 

PS Jamesbo Husqvarna makes an excellent saw that is not inexpensive, and that's probably what I'll get when I save enough nickels. You will not be unhappy with a 20" bar. That's what both of mine have been and I couldn't go back.

Actually I think Stihl is the best one going but I've never seen them in stores. Just over-priced lawn mower shops.

 

You got me there. Does not foot down? What's that?

 

Doesn't add up [it's an accounting term]

Either I read your post wrong our phat fingers made you type it wrong. I don't understand do you or do you not have the Husky 455

 

Have a great day guys.

Prayers sent out to those dealing with weather damage.

 

Good morning guys - Ditto curvewrecker, our prayers to all who have suffered home damages or other losses due to Laura.

I got a garbage disposal replacement to do this morning. I was able to get the same exact model as the one I'm replacing so it should be a simple plug-and-play, at least that's what I'm hoping. I'm a poor home handyman and I've never done one before.

Got a call from my sister in Michigan last night. We are selling a piece of unused property adjacent to the family home that my dad used to used for our family garden. He had a good sized shed on the property and my sister said when they were cleaning it out they found an old REO gas mower in the shed. I vaguely remember my dad mowing with that when I was little, and that he had kept it because he thought it might be worth something someday because it was unique in that the gas tank was actually a metal tube that also served as the push handle. There was a gas cap on the end of the tube where you gripped the handle bars. I've asked my sister to send me a picture and to hold onto the mower until I can do some research into whether it is worth anything?
Hope everyone has a great day!

 

Dream, keep the lawnmower even if it doesn't have a lot of value. They are just cool. The ReOlds Transportation Museum has a couple on display. BUT, if you don't want it, I'm interested.

 

1969w3155 - I've done some research since I posted this morning and found out the REO mowers were built by the REO Motor Division after Ransom E. Olds had left the original Olds Motor Company and started REO. I will probably keep the mower, if for no other reason than it's a piece of Olds memorabilia. I was thinking I might be able to make a cool piece of garage art out of it. If for some reason I decide not to keep it, you can have it for free, you would just have to go to Battle Creek to pick it up. My sister has room to store it right now, and I'm not planning on coming up anytime soon so it will be awhile before I have to make my decision.

 

Hell, I can't recall what I typed at the moment. I'm sweating like a fool. I believe I wrote I have a 445 but let me go into the man-cave and take a look.

 

James - You asked:

I responded:

You stated:

Unless I'm missing something, I can think of nothing more to say than to repeat what I have already stated:

I went back to the man-cave. My answer remains the same. I have the 445. Was there another question you were asking?

 

James - Honestly, this should be a complete no-brainer for you. You own a 4-4-2 do you not? What engine is in your 4-4-2?

 

Jamesbo/VC - "Who's on first"

 

Dream - Truth! It would make no sense for James to consider the 445 Huskie. The 455 needs to match the 4-4-2 engine. It would be unacceptable to get the 445.

 

Norm, No I read the sentence wrong

" I looked at the 455 I think the single reason I didn't get it was you're asking is it worth the money"

I'm moving on

 

Ah crud. I spoke too soon. James has a '69. I think the only 455 in '69 was the H/O. He must have the 400 cid? Well then, you have choices James. I will accept whatever decision you make. LOL

 

Hi everyone.

Jamesbo I'm telling you, get the 20" bar you won't regret it. And anything less after that will seem like a toy. The cherry trees will thank you.

Work was a bit challenging today. I was in inspection with the guy who is better than everyone else, and so are his mistakes. He kept pushing me wheels until I had no more room on my table and then he intimated that I couldn't keep up. Heck the machine only goes so fast. I think I'm actually scheduled to be in inspection next week, better not be with him.

Nice out, but a bit muggy. Everything is wet and gross but it hasn't rained all day. The lake is down, presumably for all the rain we've been getting and are supposed to get. I'm going to get some mortar and do a little work on the wall. That will save me from calling the one lake guy and asking him to lower the lake just for me. I doubt he'd do it anyway so this works out. I just need to get one course put up and then the lake stays out of the recess where the stairs used to be and I can start filling it in.

Dream good luck with the garbage disposal. Is it a Clarkman? It's a big job. You have to dismantle the latch hasp from the auxiliary drainage line. The manual says it's the main line, it's a misprint.

Well I didn't plan on going to the Awful house tonight, since I went out for lunch. But since I'm going to the hardware store, I might as well. Not sure I'll take Tiger, because we'll go in the morning. I don't want him to get spoiled eating too many hamburgers.

Okay have a good evening everyone. Gonna watch Red Dog when I get home. Good movie. See ya's.

 

slantflat - Thanks for asking about the garbage disposal project. I had an Insinkerator Badger 5 1/2-horse and that's what I put back in. It went much better and easier than I expected. Really a simple plug-and-play. I'm not comfortable with electric, but even that was easy. The instructions were very good, you could tell the unit is made in the USA! I was done in an hour! Have a nice evening!

 

Four brand new 6L6 tubes and five brand new AX7 tubes arrived this afternoon. I just installed them in the Booger. I'll let them burn in for an hour. I ordered six brand new stainless steel 2-leg wrap-around corners for the Booger cabinet and I installed them. I'm like a kid in a candy shop.

 

V/C - I have to ask, what is a "Booger", and what are the tubes you're speaking about???

 

Dream - MESA Boogie Mark II-B Amplifier. 6L6 Amplifier Tubes, AX7 Pre-Amp Tubes.

 

 

V/C - Thanks, and I remember now you talking about your amp, just didn't remember you referring to it as "the Booger". Enjoy, make the windows rattle!