Storm, that is. Tropical depression 1E hit Mazatlán this morning and for a few hours there was torrential rain, crazy wind, windows banging, tinaco lids flying, and miscellaneous howling and scattered screaming here and there. One neighbor told me that part of the roof on the school on our block flew off. I watched some sort of metal plate swing crazily in the wind. I saw a line of laundry flap off like a crazy nautical flag.
Our timber bamboo whipped this way and that. One piece must have hit the roof edge and even though it was more than an inch around it was cut clean. Our bouganvillia got to whipping around and was pulled off the wall and now is a heap on the ground. (We think we’ll be able to put it back up)
All the plants on our new patio got plenty of water. Most of them filled up to the edge of their pots and then ran over.
The new backyard patio really took a beating. Avocados from the tree next door flew everywhere. Leaves. Dirt. The parrots in their cage were being whipped here and there, Paul and I carried the cage in as crap flew everywhere.
It’s hard to really show how bad it was, but finally this is what it looked like. And this was after we had moved the birds, picked up all the cushions that had flown about, the dog beds, etc.
During the worst of it I was just mesmerized by the scene. I had been worrying about all the birds that live in our yard, especially the hummingbirds. Then what should I see but our mama hummingbird (you remember her from the video where she was feeding her baby?) at the feeder pushing on a smaller hummingbird (we assume the baby) trying to get it to eat. It was the most heart wrenching thing I have seen in a long time. Finally I got too close and she flew off to the tree nearby. I could see the baby was breathing, so I got the ladder and was reaching for him when he collected himself and flew off. Here is a one minute video of the scene.
Paul thinks that my totem is a hummingbird, and I have to agree. I feel a really strong connection to them, and I love the strong awareness I have of them as they live here with us. I didn’t write about it, but we watched the baby get fed many, many times, watched his mom teach him how to feed and fly -- and to watch this heart wrenching scene today was pretty intense for me. I am so glad it turned out all right.
After the storm was over we had a lot of hummers sharing the feeder who would normally be fighting and territorial. I think that they were so hungry from several hours without food that they basically called a cease-fire.
We went out around 5 and walked around Centro with the dogs. We saw a few trees down and a lot of limbs down but for the most part all is well. We heard that one person clocked gusts of 75 mph.
The tropical depression fizzled out and the storm is no longer being watched.
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June 19th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Hey Steve,
just spending some time on the I tonight and listening to YOU TUBE about … Daniel .. you can find anything.
Did you know that I took the Oregon Archaelogical Societies intro course and have a certificate, plus I joined, so now I can go on their digs and watchover sites in Oregon.
They cancelled our first outing due to …. Bald Eagle nestings.
More later ….
b
June 19th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I just read about this storm on a forum and was coming over to see how you fared. Intense. I’m glad the baby hummer is ok, and you guys as well. Tis the season I guess but they are supposed to give you more notice.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:34 am
We head back to AZ in a couple days to ready our house there for renting. Leased it online two days ago to a teacher..even Skyped with her. Wahoo! But, what I wanted to tell you is that Bisbee is the hummingbird capital of the world and people come from all parts to birdwatch. There is a big birding festival every year, as well. We never have less than 20-30 hummers at our feeders and take such joy in their feisty antics and colorful feathering. You might want to google Cochise county hummingbirds or Bisbee hummingibrds and take a gander at the variety.
Vis a vis the storm, I took all four of our dogs to be groomed in Playa Sur at the very beginning of it, and then wondered if I would be able to pick them up…all was well as they weren’t ready until about 4. But, as quickly as the streets overlfowed…I think Playa Surf would be a more apt name.
June 20th, 2009 at 7:08 am
We are getting some of that weather here on the east coast (of Mexico) – nothing like you in the wind department though – stay grounded
June 20th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Glad to see everyone is okay! Birds n all! I liked the video posts, gives you more of a reality… I’ve only ever been in Cancun for 2 hurricanes, and one wasn’t too bad (on the hurricane scale that is)!
June 20th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Bill, Think you might have posted on the wrong blog…did you mean to leave a comment for Steve Cotton? Thanks for dropping by anyway!
Jonna, More notice would have been nice but I don’t know how you prepare for something like that. It was insane. The weather sites say that we got 15 inches of rain in just a few hours. Wind speeds up to 75 mph. The newspaper this morning has some crazy pictures, four story tall palm trees down downtown, a string of electrical wires and poles leaning over to the ground, the front ripped off lots of buildings, furniture in pools.
Zoe, Yes, Playa Sur is built on fill (that used to be beach right about at Aleman) and since it’s so flat and low it fills up like crazy. When it rains like that we just stay home! Cool about your house, have a fun trip.
John, Glad your weather isn’t as intense as ours, it was crazy. Stay safe!
Lauren, Thanks for the comment on the videos, I am never sure if people like them or not. This was just a tropical depression but people around here said that the wind and rain was worse than it was when Hurricane Lane came through a few years ago.
June 20th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
All I can say is YIKES! If we had been camping on the beach in that blow, we’d have been toast! Let’s hope there won’t be any more like that for a while.
June 20th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Yes, your tent would have needed some pretty good stakes, I’m sure! And we love the rain, it’s that wind we could do without!
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Wow – Nancy – I had no idea. Glad there was no permanent damage at your place. It’s exciting here sometimes isn’t it?
June 9th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
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