Hurricane Vance at large

It seems that everything these days is super-sized and at-large. There are even positions at-large and members at-large. In regards to the latter, according to eHow, "Unlike the board president, treasurer and secretary, a member at large most often does not have specific, assigned duties. Instead, the needs of the organization determine common duties and job assignments."

And hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise; the Southern Hemisphere, clockwise. So much to learn, and so few years to do it.

All the way from Alpine this morning I fretted that I wouldn't make it up my big hill. Watching the rain and water on the highway wasn't encouraging in that respect, although I always love to get all the rain I can.

Elephant Mountain

Nine Point Mesa

Seeing a tractor trailer stuck along Terlingua Ranch road was even more unsettling. Figured I'd end up walking from the bottom of my big hill, but not without giving it my best effort to ascend with my pickup first. 

Then when I came to a river of water rushing across the road, I wasn't sure I'd even make it to my big hill. If that water had been any deeper I surely wouldn't have.

After slowly, ever so slowly, making my way through that (I dared not stop in the middle to take a picture of how high the water was on my pickup), I started stopping to put rocks into the bed of my pickup. I would need the weight to have hope of making it up the mountain. Using my newly discovered low gear, I barely made it up. I believe if the hill had been even one foot longer or steeper, I wouldn't have. It was touch and go there for a while. The rocks won't go to waste. I have them piled up by my madrone project for use on it....one of these days. The rocks in the center of the photo are the base of the retainer wall I'm making to shade and cool the madrone tree from the south side. The rocks in the front are the ballast from my pickup today.

All my rain barrels were full and running over from the slow soaking over 3 inches of rain that Hurricane Vance gifted me with. I wanted to salvage some of the excess in case it rains again tonight or tomorrow, but could only come up with one feasible place to move the water to. That is the 3 thousand gallon tank at the guesthouse that got depleted recently when the toilet malfunctioned....... again.

But to move the water down there I wanted to be absolutely certain it wasn't running some of it into the house well. To be certain meant capping off the well (which hasn't worked for many years). I had tried and failed before, but today I rigged up a "cheater bar" for the big pipe wrench and got it done.

I'm ready for a nap.