HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 10 VOL 14
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH 2008
WEATHER; COOL, HIGH HUMIDITY, 70/78 DEGREES
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN IT RAINED ALL DAY AND FROM WHAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE’LL BE GETTING 4-8 INCHES AND 50-60 MPH WINDS THIS COMING WEEK END OUT OF IKE!
AT LEAST WE WON’T BE GETTING THE BRUNT OF IT LIKE THEY WILL WHEN IT HITS THE COAST AS A CAT 2-3 OR 4, MAYBE EVEN A 5 IF IT CAN GET ENOUGH HEAT OUT OF THE WATER IN THE GULF!
WE WENT THROUGH HURRICANE DONNA WHEN WE LIVED IN RIVIERA BEACH FLORIDA, THEY EVACUATED US TO THE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY IN WEST PALM BEACH BUT AT THE LAST MINUTE DONNA CHANGED COURSE AND WENT INTO THE GULF THROUGH THE KEYS, UP THE WEST SIDE OF THE STATE AND TURNED AND CAME ACROSS THE TOP OF THE STATE AT JACKSONVILLE AND CAUGHT ALL THE SNOW BIRDS WHO HAD LEFT FROM MIAMI TO FT. LAUDERDALE TO GET AWAY FROM HER!
FROM THERE IF I REMEMBER RIGHT SHE WENT OUT TO SEA AND DISAPATED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION!
THE KIDS, COLLEEN, MIKE, AND KERRY WERE TAKEN OVER BY ALL THE GRANDMOTHERS IN THE ARMORY AND HAD A BALL! I THINK WE WERE THERE FOR JUST THE ONE DAY BUT I’M NOT SURE, IT WASN’T LONG! WHEN WE GOT BACK HOME THERE WASN’T ANY DAMAGE, WE WERE LUCKY!
IN 1939, I WAS 9 YEARS OLD AND WE WERE DOWN AT NEWPORT BEACH FOR THE SUMMER! MY DAD AND BROTHER-IN-LAW HERB DAVIS HAD BUILT A PIPE FRAME WITH A PEAKED CENTER PIECE SO WATER WOULD RUN OFF WHEN IT RAINED, OUT OF 1” WATER PIPE AND ALL NECESSARY FITTING TO MAKE CORNERS AND LONG PIECES! MY DAD HAD A CANVAS SIDE COVER MADE WITH NET WINDOWS IN ALL THE ROOMS AND PULL UP CURTAINS ON THE INSIDE, THEY WERE ON STRING SLIDES! THE WHOLE FRONT WAS ALL NET WINDOWS WITH DRAW CURTAINS ON WIRES ON THE INSIDE!
IT WAS DIVIDE INTO 4 BEDROOMS AND A FULL SIZE KITCHEN, THERE WAS A TABLE AND BENCHES MY DAD BUILT THAT COULD SEAT 10-15 PEOPLE! THERE WAS A COLEMAN TYPE COOK STOVE THAT SMALL MEALS WERE PREPARED ON, ANY BIG MEALS WERE FIXED ACROSS THE STREE IN THE COOK SHACK! THERE WAS AN ICE BOX AND WE HAD TO BUY ICE EVERY OTHER DAY IF I REMEMBER RIGHT! THERE WAS NO COMODE OR SINK, WE HAD TO GO DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 1000 FEET TO USE THE TOILET AND WASH UP! OUR LIGHTS WERE COLEMAN LANTERNS THAT HUNG FROM THE CEILING! ONE OF MY JOBS WAS TO GO AND GET WHITE GAS WHEN WE NEEDED IT! TODAY IT’S CALLED “NO LEAD!”
HE HAD AN EXTRA HEAVY ROOF MADE IN 54” STRIPS (THIS IS A GUESS BUT THEY WERE STRIPS) THAT FIT OVER THE PEAK ON EACH END DOWN TO THE LEVEL CROSS HEADER OF THE FRAME AND IT CAME DOWN OVER THE SIDES A FOOT! IT WAS ALL HELD TO THE FRAME WORK WITH TIES THAT WERE SEWEN TO THE CANVAS,
THE TOP WAS THE SAME WAY, HELD TO THE FRAME WITH TIES SEWN TO THE CANVAS! THERE WAS A HEAVY CANVAS FLOOR THAT WENT DOWN FIRST AND THE FRAME WORK SAT ON IT! THE WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE THING WAS WHAT HELD IT DOWN UNDER NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS!
WELL, WHAT CAME NEXT WAS NOT IN ANY WAY NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS! WE GOT WARNED BY THE COAST GUARD THAT A TYPHOON WAS HEADED FOR THE BALBOA PENINSULA BUT THEY COULDN’T GIVE US AN ETA ON IT! MY DAD AND TWO BROTHERS-IN-LAWS WENT TO THE SOUTH COAST BOAT YARD AND BOUGHT ALL THE 1” HOUSER (ROPE) THEY HAD AND TO THE HARD WARE STORE IN NEWPORT AND BOUGHT HURRICANE ANCHORS YOU SCREW INTO THE GROUND! ( MY SISTER RUTH TOLD THIS TO ME WHEN I WAS VISITING HER AND HERB ONE WEEKEND BACK HOME) MY DAD HAD SENT MY MOM AND ME AND TWO OTHER SISTERS AWAY FROM THERE! WE WENT UP INTO SANTA ANNA TILL IT WAS OVER, TWO DAYS IF I REMEMBER RIGHT!
ANYHOW, EVERYBODY JUMPED IN AND HELPED SCREW THE ANCHORS IN AND THROW THE HEAVY ROPE OVER THE TOP OF THE FRAME WORK! THEY HAD IT TIED DOWN FROM FRONT TO BACK AND ACROSS THE TOP IN 5-6 PLACES! IT WAS A GOOD THING MY DAD HAD SPENT TIME IN THE NAVY, HE DID ALL THE TYING DOWN OF THE POPE! AGAIN THIS WAS TOLD TO ME BY MY DAD LATER WHEN THE FAMILY WAS TOGETHER FOR A PARTY! SOME WHERE THERE ARE PICTURES OF THE “HOUSE” RAISED UP ABOUT 2 FEET STRETCHING THE LINES, WHEN THE CANVAS GOT WET IT ACTED LIKE A SAIL SO MY DAD AND ONE BROTHER-IN-LAW WENT INSIDE AND SLIT THE ROOF IN A BUNCH OF PLACES TO RELIEVE TO PRESSURE! (DURING THE WINTER I WATCHED HIM OUT ON THE PATIO SEW THE SLITS UP ON A BIG COMMERCIAL SEWING MACHING HE BORROWED FROM THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE SIDES,TOP AND FLOOR) THEN IT SETTLED DOWN AND RODE OUT THE STORM! EVERYBODY TOOK SHELTER IN THE CONCRETE BLOCK COOK HOUSE UNDER THE STOVES IN THE CENTER!
I’LL BET WHEN MY BROTHER JERRY READS THIS HE’LL ASK AGAIN, “HOW DO YOU REMEMBER ALL THIS STUFF?” WORD ASSOCIATION! WE’RE ABOUT TO GET THE EFFECTS OF A BAD HURRICANE WHICH BROUGHT ALL THIS TO MY MIND!
ANOTHER EPISODE IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HOWARD MAHONEY
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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