We are safe and sound from Ike.

As it turns out, Ike was not nice to the Upper Texas Coast. Galveston Island is about 80% destroyed. I still can not believe it. We had very little damage here. We have been without power since we got back on Sunday. Our power is back on today.

There have been so many surreal experiences it's hard to remember most of them. One funny thing that happened yesterday. I had to go to work. I could not make coffee at home. I need my coffee in the mornings. I drove by Kroger in Alvin and it was closed. All the restaurants in Alvin were closed. I drove to Dickinson and the Starbucks in Kroger was closed. I went to Target and the Starbucks was closed. So I arrived at my office without having any caffeine. There were hundreds of people there. I had a hard time finding a parking place. I got into the building and there were people and stuff everywhere. I finally got into my office and BR walked out of his old office...I froze...I thought that maybe this was all a nightmare...maybe he really did not leave.....maybe we really did not have a hurricane...just maybe. Then GH walked out. Never mind. It's all true. BR is just visiting the office doing a storm survey on Ike.

We were so blessed and had very little damage. It's awesome to have a generator. MSH has just about every tool and device known to man and it is totally awesome. The only thing I could not do at home before work was my hair. I did it after I got to work.

Just two weeks ago was hotter than anything here. We were again blessed with picture perfect weather after the hurricane. It has been beautiful here. I have even been a little chilly at night. It could have been so much worse by being hot and humid. We are very blessed indeed.

Our evacuation was mostly uneventful. The traffic was moving considering there was a lot of it. We stayed with my brother and his family. My parents stayed at the AFB in Abilene. We took my Dad on the drive to see all the windmills. It is something that you can't describe you just have to see it in person.

For more details about our "Ike experience" see MSH's blog.

Here are a few pictures of our trip and the damage to our houses: