Boats and Electricity

It's funny the habits we humans get into. Habits such as flipping a light switch when one walks into a room. Two days ago at about 4:30 pm a huge storm swept though central Columbus area where I live devastating trees and soaking everything in one of the first rains of summer. And although the storm was interesting in itself it had even more interest for me. I and two good friends of mine a girl I like to call Elfi, and another friend called Tori and I were at the beginning of a simple, but fun adventure. Our plan was to put in my brand new (to me) canoe at a park in town and then canoe down river to my house where we would camp out in the yard All of this acting like the pioneers of the 1850s. (A great love of mine) silly perhaps, but safe and fun. Well in out long cotton dresses we started off on the journey safe and sound. The only issues being being startled by a large carp swimming near the surface of the water and having to drag the boat over some rocks as the water level was to shallow. Where we were in the river there where three bridges in a row. After passing under the first bridge we noticed dark clouds gathering in the sky. Summer had been so hot and dry we figured it would just a small rain and so kept on. Just as we reached the second bridge; large. Fat drops started to pour from the sky. We sat beneath the bridge in our boat hurriedly trying to cover our precious things. My dad called telling us a severe storm was on the way and we arranged to meet him at the third bridge which was a place we could pull out the canoe. About a quarter of the way there thunder started to boom around us and streaks of lightning lighted the sky. We kept trying to move forward until my dad appeared on the side of the bank halfway to that bridge and told us to pull up. We did so, the rain was pouring so hard no we were completely soaked and could barely see in front of us, there was no way we could have pulled the canoe up the steep embankment, but we had to get to shelter. We left the canoe under an over hanging tree and scrambled up the bank we started to walk to the library the closest building while my dad ran to the car, which was further away. Just as we reached the bike path that led along next to the river a huge cotton wood tree fell just where we had been on the shoreline. The three of us looked at each other and despite out wet dresses and heavy loads (paddles, a basket of food, life jackets, water bottles, and other things) started to run flat out. We had to struggle against the driving wind and rain and when we reached the “cover” of a handy overpass halfway to the library we stopped to catch some air. We were all laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and also half crying at the close call we had just had. Then gathering up our wet skirts ran the final distance to the overhang of the library which was out of power. Later after many games of scrabble and using all the remaining power on my laptop to watch the lord of the rings. We still couldn't believe what had happened. By this point the power was off at my house and the many candles we had lit cast and eerie glow on the walls of the house. It's funny how the lack of power changes everything, one feels there isn't anything to do. Keeps being tricked by the lack of light insistently trying to turn on a light that isn't there. The temple too has no power and so all of our main volunteers spent the majority of the day at a nearby devotee's house who did have that precious electricity. I for one had to work on my online summer school. And despite this “inconvenience” I immensely enjoyed myself. Getting to hang out like a true temple family all day and then at night coming home to the novelty of a candle lit house. Reading by candle light and preparing my evening tea over a tiny propane gas stove. I suppose thats all. Oh just a word about the canoe as you can see from pictures above the cotton wood that feel landed exactly on the canoe and we couldn't budge it. When dad and I went the next morning to see if we could get it out, it had been stolen. So If anyone sees a large metal canoe laying suspiciously about please do tell! Besides that enjoy you lights and HOT water. My cold shower this morning was not the worse thing in the whole world, but there is something about hot water....