The water just keeps rising!

[SedonaThunder]

I know, I know... this happens every year and you all think I should be used to it by now. Well, I know this but it is just so hard not to be sick to your stomach when you are watching water get closer and closer to your house and barn.:cry: When the weather man reported on Sunday that this big system was coming - I just prayed he was wrong and took some "before" photos. As the system got closer they started using that "pineapple express" term again and saying TEN INCHES of rain... I've been sick with worry for two days now. It hasn't rained here yet today but it is still raining in the hills that feed my stream and the water in my yard is still rising - the sump pump is clicking on under the house every ten minutes... won't be long now before it comes on and stays on. Please, please let this crest soon.

Here are pics of the front yard on Sunday and then an hour ago. Then the creek on Sunday and then half hour ago - you can see my measuring stick that was at the waters edge and is now up to the two foot mark. And last, the pasture near the road Sunday and then half hour ago.

I always watch the fence rails to gauge what the water is doing and this morning the water was well under that bottom rail in the pasture - now it is a couple inches up the rail! :eek:

[SedonaThunder]

Oops - didn't realize you could only attach so many photos... here are the last two and one of the pasture that is now a pond.

(By the way - how do you make them photos in the post rather than thumbnails that have to be clicked on?)

[HeartofSteel]

Oh wow! I can completely understand you being scared, I would be too! I hope it lets up soon and that you and anyone else up there will stay safe. My Aunt lives in Buckley, i'm not sure how far away from you that is bu we haven't heard from them yet about all the rain.

[WashingtonBay]

I think the rain is letting up. So it should crest soon.

If you want to embed the pictures using the attachment tool, upload them and then click the link for the attachment. You can copy that URL and embed it. Careful on sizing though - it's going to be 800 wide.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=746&d=1226091879

It's a little cludgy... we'd like to buy one of the improved photo upload tools soon.

[WashingtonBay]

What I really wanted to ask you was how your barnyard footing grid thingy was holding up. This was about the first good test, wasn't it?

[SedonaThunder]

Buckley is only ten minutes from here! The White River runs right through Buckley and that one threatens to flood every winter too - it does in some low lying areas but it hasn't been terrible in quite a few years. You'll have to visit your Aunt and come meet us sometime!

[vicklynn]

Wow, thats alot of water. Hope it subsides soon.

[SedonaThunder]

What I really wanted to ask you was how your barnyard footing grid thingy was holding up. This was about the first good test, wasn't it?
Oooh - I'll have to take pics next time I go out to throw hay. In the picture you made big, the paddocks/barn are just another thirty feet past the manure bins and to the right. The people that lived here previously built a "birm" of sorts around the side with the approaching water but if it gets high enough it comes through the front gate. Even when it wasn't flooding and just raining the paddocks used to get quite wet and muddy in places. Right now the horses are still standing in rocks and no mud! At the end of the paddocks where there isn't grid but just six inches of pea gravel - you can see the water pools everywhere the horses have stepped and pushed the gravel to the sides. They are pretty much hanging out in, or half in/out, of their stalls today.

Of course the female is difficult! The geldings are all just sedate, watching and pretty still while Lele is in heat AGAIN, and going in and out, in and out, of her stall and dragging in rocks in, dragging shavings out and getting her stall completely soaked with her squirting and the rain dripping off her coat. UGH! Why did I want a mare?

[HeartofSteel]

Oh wow didn't realize it was that close. Yah, next time I go up there I will make sure to let you all know

[Remali]

Oh wow.....that really is a lot of water....I hope it lets up soon out there!

It sure is beautiful where you live!

[WashingtonBay]

Do take pictures. I'd like to see it. I mean... you've seen how this place is laid out, I don't think I could make use of it here, but my next place, that I build from scratch, my way, well... :D

My mats in the entry where I used to get mud, worked. The only thing didn't have ready for all this was cleaning the gutter on the barn, so I was out in this torrential rain clearing gutters so they wouldn't just overflow and run in the lean-to.

[SedonaThunder]

It sure is beautiful where you live!
Aw geeze... thanks Remali - I needed that! At this time of year I get so grumpy and have the thought "I want to move to Eastern WA" in my head so LOUD that I forget why we live here... it is beautiful. Thank you for the reminder and I will try to keep it in my head to make me feel better.:)

[SedonaThunder]

Do take pictures. I'd like to see it. I mean... you've seen how this place is laid out, I don't think I could make use of it here, but my next place, that I build from scratch, my way, well... :D

My mats in the entry where I used to get mud, worked. The only thing didn't have ready for all this was cleaning the gutter on the barn, so I was out in this torrential rain clearing gutters so they wouldn't just overflow and run in the lean-to.

Ahhh, the gutters... my brother and sister-in-law are riled up right now because the house they rent from my parents has water in the garage and carport. Hmmm, never happened before - "did you clean out the gutters after the leaves fell"? Gutters? They've always been in an apartment so it never even occured to them!:doh:

OK - I took pics. You can see on the first and last the difference in the area with grids and without. In the one with my Ugg showing, I dug about three inches down to the grid and there's still no sign of water. In the other one I only dug about an inch and I was getting into the water/mud stuff.

The second picture shows the area in front of the stalls and you can see by the puddling on one mat that we need to regrade the rock under them - they are there to try to keep some rock out of the stalls.

The third pic shows the ponies staring and telling me it's past the hour where I normally throw open the gate and let them play until bedtime. Sorry guys - not happening... you can see how close the water is getting to the paddock. It's risen A LOT today and doesn't appear to be stopping yet.

The fourth pic is behind the barn just to show you how close the creek is getting to the structure... yikes.

[WashingtonBay]

More rain coming tonight they say, but I haven't seen it yet.

Your paddocks look terrific. Looks like it's working really nice. :)

[WashingtonBay]

What's the highest that water behind the gate has gotten in past years?

[Gypsy Rose]

Yikes- that water looks too close to me!

You have a beautiful place, Sedona! Hopefully, the water goes down soon.

[SedonaThunder]

What's the highest that water behind the gate has gotten in past years?

In November '06 the water came up and over that little "bump" where the gate is and it flowed into the barn FAST! We lost the bottom row of hay (about 22 bales) and shavings were floating everywhere in the water that was up to mid-shin. It was awful and it was so surreal to not be able to tell where things were under water - you stubbed your toes and bumped things. The horses freaked out so rather than walking them out, we backed the trailer up to the paddock (it sat about six inches above the water at the time) and they jumped in. We took them to a friends house for a couple of days and when the water got eight inches from the house, we took the dogs and also went to a friends house for a day.

Here are pics from that horrible day... you can see the creek completely up and touching the back of the barn, the second pic is the creek but you can't tell where it ends and where the yard begins, the third one is from the next day as the water was going down and was still over the road in front of our house and the last one shows my poor truck behind hubby and how high the water was. I PRAY this doesn't happen again.

Oh - I found a pic of what the paddocks used to look like when it rained hard.

[cloedoll]

Oh my!

[jeezitsjacki]

ya it rained all day yesterday.. but I dont think it has started yet for today. Last night my friends and I went outside in the rain and jumped in massive puddles.. it was fun but i was soaked head to toe by the end of it!

[WashingtonBay]

Ah geeze... thanks for the additional pics.