With heavy heart, I write from Gulf Shores, Alabama...

First photo above shows a stretch of Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, formerly heavily populated with houses and people, now empty, swept clean by Hurricane Ike. Second is a photo of my beloved Bolivar lighthouse that I could see from my kitchen window. It is now completely surrounded by water in what was a green field. Mother especially loved seeing the beam from the Bolivar Light coming on each night as dusk gathered.


Ted and I had planned to start for Beaumont so we could be nearer to our home on Bolivar Peninsula, but were turned back by the genuine advice from several truckers we met along the way. There are places that are still under water on I-10. We had secured motel reservations for both DeAnna and Callie and ourselves in San Antonio, but were told we could not get there because I-10 was closed at the Trinity River Bridge because of water and some other areas of concern. We have since returned to our new little home, away from home, in beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama.

All news we hear coming from Bolivar Peninsula (and it is continuing hourly by phone and computer) indicates that there is nothing left of what we knew as home. One rescued man said, "Everything on Bolivar Peninsula is gone, except for a little bit of High Island." He added, "Not only have we lost our homes, our cars, our possessions, but we have also lost our way of life as we know it as well."

Rumors are swirling and because no one can get in there to see for themselves what is true and what is not, we simply must wait. One set of arial photographs we have seen taken by a property and business owner there confirms what we feared — all is gone. He described such destruction and debris as we've only seen in horror movies and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This gentleman is a pilot and he took his own airplane up to view the damage for himself because he found what he was hearing hard to believe.

The new middle school built a few miles from our home is gone, the Crystal Beach Post Office appears to be standing, all homes are gone, cars were swept out to sea, along with belongings, furniture, memories of a lifetime and lawn mowers and tools. The wind toppled the houses off the piers or pilings and the water took the contents out to sea when the surges receded. I've never felt such emotion as when I think of a grandchild's gift to me, a particular book I treasure, papers of a lifetime, photographs, my dishes, and etc. I was doing OK for a while today until I realized my Mama Cole's Bible and her bread bowl and combs were gone, as was my good Scrabble game.

We are also hearing that the insurance companies are devious when it comes to paying off and will try to shift the causes of the disaster from one thing to the other. We've not met a FEMA person or learned of any help as of yet, but it is still so soon after Ike's pounding. The national media rarely mentions Beaumont and much less Bolivar Peninsula. They seem to be concentrating on Galveston, Houston and of all places, Surfside, with only 800 residents at the peak of summer. But, of course, no one can get on the Peninsula by boat or air and certainly not by car since all roads are still under water.

We have been told by the county officials that the ferry landings are gone and that they do not know how long it might take for them to be replaced. The road is also gone in several places with great chunks pushed around. Our faithful old lighthouse that I could see from my kitchen window stands, but in the center of a big lake of water.

Please continue to pray for us as we cannot plan to return to even Beaumont until the curfews are lifted and they have power and water. I know in my heart that God is still on His throne and is over all things, but sometimes I find myself getting discouraged. For a "keeper of things," this is challenging.

Until the next page turns,
Brenda