Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Trains

Cee’s prompt this week is Trains. I love trains and their history amazes me. I am posting comparison picture this time with “water trains”. These are special trains that can create wake in the water. “What!, you say…trains don’t go in water!” They do here in the midwest during flood season. It’s amazing. I know their weight holds them down but…really.

This spring, the flooding was not too bad…

But it still amazes me with the track being under water not being an issue. However, last year, I had to take pictures from the bridge because you could not get to the parking lot that sat by the track.

Trains making wake during some serious flooding. Shipment must go on I guess. The flood last year lasted nearly 5 months. Some businesses went belly up. The just didn’t have the heart to start over.

We think of trains as being a powerful force to be reckoned with because of their tons of cargo…but they are no match to mother nature.

Remember as powerful as nature is, it is also very delicate…like kindness. Kindness is a mighty tool that can create enormous change but also very fragile. I challenge you today to use the fragility of kindness as the mighty tool it can be, then stand back to watch the change it creates.

kind hummer

The Mighty “Mississip”, Snow Melt Begins

The river is still rising. Currently at 20.4 feet expected to crest at well over 21 feet. Depending on where you are along this section of the Mississippi, it leaves it banks anywhere from 16′ to 18′. Therein lies the problem when you are over 20′ of flood stage.

IMG_20190406_161202 — This is River Drive, how appropriate.

The biggest concern now is tomorrow – rain storm possible with flash flooding – really. There is no where for the flash flood to go, it will just add to the flood already in progress. Lets put this into scientific facts for you. The Mississippi’s current water flow on an average(no flood) day is 2 million cubic feet per second…per second! Okay, lets try to bring that better into perspective. There are 7.489 gallons per cubic foot which weigh 62.4 lbs. A 48′ long semi truck trailer holds 3,600 cubic feet. To boil it all down – its a lot of water. Some of the smaller communities along the river in this area that rely on their wells for water can not longer use their wells due to the flooding. So they basically have no water. I am reminded of a phrase – Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

I am still amazed that currently, the trains are still running but I hear that is going to change soon if the water keeps rising. And it looks like it probably will.

I went onto the walkway of the bridge to get these shots. Yes – I walked, yea me. For those who are new to my postings, I am recovering from foot surgery.

IMG_20190406_161402 — There is a walkway where you can walk across the bridge. Some amazing shots from there. Check out the current around the piling of the bridge.

Below is the one shot I really wanted to get. I just have my phone camera so I can’t do long distances but that concrete building beyond the ball field is the back of a bandstand and there are outdoor chairs bolted down to a concrete pad to watch the band with a dance pad between the chairs and the band stand. The chairs are totally under water.

IMG_20190406_162253 — A winding sidewalk with lamppost is between those big trees and the river bank. The retaining wall for that sidewalk is underwater.

So always be aware of what water can do. Even the tiniest leak can be a real headache. But I learned when young and living in Florida that water can be a beast to reckon with. Please keep these communities along this river in your prayers. This is a LONG river and the further south it goes the wider it gets. They are telling us this amount of flood stage will be with us for awhile.

And I close with good thoughts of sharing kindness, even when life gets tough. There is always room for sharing God’s light in kindness. It may be the one spark of love that person may see that day.

KINDNESS10

In The Wake of a Train

When you think about trains…and wake…your brain automatically goes to sound, as train can be very loud. When you think about boats…and wake…your brain goes to the waves put put by a boat as it goes through the water.

Trains can wake you up…but trains don’t make a wake…oh yea…just watch. With the spring thaw the Mississippi is currently at 19 feet with full crest expected at 20.5 feet. The river leaves it banks at several places at different levels depending on the land shape but generally in down town area it starts flooding at 18 feet.

We are expecting rain tonight and tomorrow so who knows what that will do but we feel fortunate as the snow melt north of us has been slow. Their warm up has not been all at once so the snow melt has been gradual which is helping. When I left work today, I went down to see what it looked like from the ground level as from the bridge level it looked really bad. It isn’t good but could be worse. You can’t tell but just past the chain link fence are the white seats of the park with only the tops visible.

I saw some ducks, a mallard and his mate, feasting on the grasses under the water at the edge of the parking lot. Then I saw the train tracks well under water. I had heard that if train tracks get under water they are OK as long as the water is less than a foot. Really?? Amazing. While I was looking at the band stand by the river and the chairs being under water, I saw a train coming, so you know I had to wait and see how it would do.

Sure enough, they crept along very slow but has no issues. So in question to the wake issue, yes, trains can make a wake.

So that was mt fun for the day and my first walking and photo opportunity. I will be curious to see if the added foot of possible flood water will make that not possible. And I wonder how long the flood waters will hang around. It took several weeks last year and there was a lot more snow this year but the spring rains have not started yet. So we will see.

So as we get into a warmer spring, let us also remember to warm and kind to all of creation. As Jimmy Dean says ‘It does a body good.’ We all know what winter has been like and are so looking forward to spring. So remember…

kind spring