We’ve crossed into June and May has been quite eventful for Central Texas. We experienced terrible storms over Memorial Day. They were more than just Thunder Storms. They included strong winds, up to around 65 mph, and water that caused flooding throughout much of our river systems. We mostly hunkered down in our home to watch the news, listened to the wind and weather the storm. Fortunately for us, our home is up on a hill with good drainage. Many Texans did not fare so well.
We heard reports of houses and families being washed away in Wimberley, Bastrop and San Marcos. We also saw videos of the Shoal Creek flooding at 12th and Lamar. The amazing thing is how quickly the water came up and went down. I was expecting more of a continuous flow for a few days, but the next day the roads were clear of water. That being said, there was a lot of debris alongside the creeks and rivers. Some of which, was a good 20 feet higher than the normally running water. By the middle of the week, there was definitely a pronounced smell of decay.
My parents came to visit the weekend after the floods. My dad and I did a walk along Shoal Creek from Pease Park’s entrance at 15th street to 28th street. While it had less of a decay smell, as compared to Lady Bird/ Town Lake, the trail damage and debris was significant. There was also a significant turnout of volunteers cleaning up the debris. They spanned the entire length we walked.
I hear with the May rains, the peaches out of Fredericksburg are awesome this season. I think we’ll do a road trip out there in an upcoming weekend. Also, I hear the Sometimes Islands of Lake Travis have almost disappeared. For now, I leave you with an appropriate Stevie Ray Vaughan tune.
