Hoping for Rain

Last April, when we diverted the little creek to the summer water tank, we decided not to switch the cabin over to that source from the winter water tank (see Reviving the Summer Water Intake). We guessed that we cold make it through the summer and autumn on the winter tank.

We almost made it. On August 14th the water flow in the cabin dwindled to a trickle. We turned off the outflow to the winter water tank, and switched over to the summer water tank. Since then, we’ve hoped for rain.

A calmer moment in the storm (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

A calmer moment in the storm (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

Hoping for rain in mid-August works around here. The typhoon season in Southeast Asia gets going around now. That often throws heavy rains and sometimes violent storms our way. One such weather system broke our draught the last time we ran out of water, back in 2009. A single storm filled all of our water tanks in a matter of hours (see Fresh Water: Collecting and Conserving a Precious Resource).

We thought we had it made Monday evening, when they began to warn of heavy rain and possible flooding associated with a southerly gale expected to hit Tuesday. By the next morning, that gale had been upgraded to a storm.

The day began auspiciously enough. Light rain flew sideways in the freshening wind. One of the big cruise ships scheduled to dock in Skagway swept by headed back south, while the one headed for Haines stopped dead in our view. I watched, hoping to shoot video of it turning around and heading south, but they apparently continued north.

Oddly, the rain intensity predictions seemed to fluctuate, continuing to warn of flooding on one broadcast, hinting at lighter rain on the next. I wasn’t too surprised when the big winds hit, but the rains stayed light. I planned on getting rained in to the cabin all day, lingering over my coffee, loafing through the day’s dishwashing, assuming I’d spend the day with my feet up, writing, or reading, definitely listening to music.

We hardly got more than a good sprinkle. Even the winds failed to live up to predictions, at least on our stretch of coast. We had a few windy stretches, but nothing too out of the ordinary. It appears most of the rain has fallen south of here. We’re reading reports that Sitka has landslides and sinkholes, with people missing! As the old saying goes, “be careful what you wish for!”

We’re not hurting for water, but we will feel more secure once that winter water tank fills. Slowly or quickly doesn’t matter, so long as it gets done.

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